GO...UP & AWAY - JAXFAX Travel Marketing Magazine

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Travel Bound: Measuring
Success One Market at a Time
From humble beginnings as an FIT and customized
group operator to Europe, Travel
Bound (TB) is now selling hotels, transfers,
sightseeing options, packages and customized
groups to 130 countries, including
the U.S. and the regions of Asia, Latin
America and the Caribbean. For a brief period
in the 90’s, the company offered escorted
motorcoach tours in Europe, but has
pretty much stuck to its core products and
business model since–selling FIT and customized
groups at competitive rates and
commissions levels to travel agents only. JF
spoke with Nico Zenner, president of TB.
JF: What is TB’s edge over the competition?
TB/Zenner: With well over 30,000 hotels
and tens of thousands of transfer and
sightseeing options, TB fulfills an important
role as preferred travel supplier to
thousands of travel agents that count on
its vast inventory, competitive pricing, superior
technology, worldwide local support
and exemplary customer service. As a
brand of Gulliver's Travel Associates,
some 30 offices around the world not only
source the very best prices and products
but also assist customers locally in case
their travel plans change.
JF: Can you talk about the diversity of your
product and clientele?
TB/Zenner: Our portfolio of products include
boutique hotels, affordable inns, allinclusive
resorts and upscale or luxury
properties around the world.
Passengers on a budget, travelers looking
to get pampered, and people looking for a
short break–all through their travel
agent–will find what they’re looking for
with TB. Through this range of product
line, we offer flexibility, mostly no minimum
night stay requirements, no fees,
few, if any, cancellation penalties, great
deals and above all - choice.
JF: How does TB gather its market intelligence?
TB/Zenner: TB actively listens to its customers.
This year and last, when customers
were and continue to be careful
about how they spend, we’ve signed up
many more hotels, lowered rates and provided
thousands of special offers ranging
from room upgrades to free nights (if you
purchase 2,3 or more) and complimentary
By Maria Lisella
amenities. Most of TB hotel rates include
all taxes and hotel service fees; in Europe,
even most breakfasts are included.
JF: What percentage of TB’s sales originate
with agents?
TB/Zenner: 100% of TB sales are generated
through travel agents. TB doesn’t sell
directly to consumers.
JF: What is the biggest challenge in reaching
agents?
TB/Zenner: The biggest challenge is not
reaching agents, but educating them. We
tell them that, especially in today’s environment,
TB offers a very compelling
story: depth and breadth of product, flexibility,
ease of booking and amending, competitive
pricing, customer service and the
ability to earn more money. Agents can
provide even better service to their customers
if they book their pre- and post
cruise (even pre-/post escorted tour)
arrangements with TB.
JF: Has the word reached agents about TB’s
domestic inventory?
TB/Zenner: There is still a great deal of untapped
potential in selling domestic travel
through TB (some 3,000 hotels in the USA
and growing quickly, not to mention
Canada.) Selling customized groups
through TB is also a great way for agents
to make money, and at the same time create
a unique experience for their clients
while TB does all the work. A quote request
is all it takes to get the ball rolling
and we guarantee 24-hour turnaround on
group quotes.
JF: How large an outreach staff do you have?
TB/Zenner: There are over a dozen TB
Business Development Managers in the
field assisting travel agents. We also have
an inside sales team and a fantastic team
of well-trained professionals in our customer
contact center. Travel Agents can of
course request an online meeting in order
to become even better trained in selling
TB products and services.
JF: Is the TB website exclusive to agents?
TB/Zenner: We have an award-winning
travel agent exclusive website. It has won
several awards and continues to receive
accolades from the travel professionals
who use it daily or occasionally. The site
not only offers an easy booking engine but
also allows users to amend bookings, consult
past bookings, consult travel guides to
hundreds of destinations, email vouchers
(TB doesn’t ship documents and therefore
charges no shipping or handling fees).
Agents can experience virtual sightseeing
tours, book hotels right from city maps
and sort hotel queries by star rating, location
(proximity to specific sights or neighborhoods),
price or name.
JF: Any new destinations in your portfolio?
TB/Zenner: TB is constantly adding new
hotels and destinations. Shortly, more domestic
inventory will be added in many secondary
and tertiary cities and towns, in
places many other providers don’t give you
much choice. Most destinations are already
well covered and to make things even easier
for agents we’ve created easy to book,
inexpensive short stay packages in key
cities: pre and post cruise arrangements
with transfers, hotel stay and sightseeing
tours; and themed getaways such as food
and wine, family reunions, soft adventure,
and close-to-home vacations.
Agent Guide Now Available
Travel Bound’s new 176-page 2010
Travel Agent Guide, a geographicallyarranged
directory of the company’s hotels
and services for independent
travelers is now available. This year’s inventory
includes more than 31,000 hotels
and 6,000 sightseeing tours in
destinations around the world. Additionally,
a 12-page introduction explains how
to create pre- and post-cruise packages
and customized group travel. Agent
commission starts at 10% on individual
services, 15% on packages. To order the
Agent Guide, simply go to www.booktravelbound.com
and click on “travel
agents/brochures.” or call 800-808-9541.
FEBRUARY 2010 WWW.JAXFAX.COM INTERVIEW 39