Travel isn't getting any easier despite the easing of pandemic lockdowns.
Chris and Andie Delgado, owners of a consulting agency, were excited to finally plan a trip to Italy in March.
We tried to book the trip ourselves, but couldn't get rooms at the hotels we wanted in Venice, Florence or Rome.
Lee Ann Howe of Coastline Travel Advisors was tapped to be their travel advisor. They had a dream itinerary in place within a day.
Chris said that Lee Ann had personal relationships with the key people at the hotels they wanted to stay at.
Chris and Andie had to cancel their trip to Italy because of a travel advisor. Christopher Delgado is a person.
Booking rooms were not the only hurdle. Howe had already booked them on another plane for the same price when the couple's flight to Venice was canceled.
Chris says that they were treated like royalty.
Chris said that every property spoiled them with gifts, bottles of wine and other surprises. We would never use the online route again after converting to using a travel advisor.
Young people are turning to old-school travel agents for the first time because of the recent canceled flights. The images are from the same company.
They are not the only ones who have seen a 50% increase in demand in the last year, with Gen Xers being the fastest growing portion of new clients. According to the American Society of Travel Advisors, 76% of their members are seeing a jump in demand for their services. Travel companies are turning away clients. A $100,000 one-time membership fee and $25,000 annually is the cost of a membership at Fischer Travel, which counts celebrities and titans of industry among its members.
We want to be able to service them to the highest level and can't do that if we have too many members.
The need for an in-the-know service has been renewed by the post-pandemic web of flight cancelations, chronic understaffing, bureaucratic COVID testing requirements and a jaw-dropping surge in hotel rates and airline tickets.
Dawn Oliver's advisor Andrew Steinberg says he is an access provider. The two people wanted to go to Saint-Tropez last minute. They were hooked up with a lot of luxury extras. David DuPuy is a person.
Getting his deep-pocketed clients access and playing the role of their advocate are the most important parts of being a travel advisor, according to Andrew Steinberg.
unpredictability is a given in the best of circumstances and even for the wealthiest people.
There was a case in point, where clients had a 7 a.m. flight from JFK to LAX canceled. They were rebooked on a flight that would have them connecting through Boston, but they were changed to a flight that would take them to JFK. They were rebooked on a direct flight the next day after that flight was canceled.
He said that the clients were thrilled, and he handled it all before they woke up.
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