You won’t like this blog, but more cruise lines are banning rebating

I’ve talked about this issue before but it bears repeating.

Clients all the time are asking if we can reduce the rate of a cruise below what the cruise line is charging.

Alan Whitt

This is called rebating, and Allure Quest Travel Experience has long taken a stance against rebating for any reason. We may lose a few clients because of it, but integrity means more than a few dollars.

Rebating was a huge advantage for the big travel agencies, but not so much for the hard-working smaller agencies such as Allure Quest Travel Experience. We just can’t afford to give away our commissions. Would you like it if your employer cut your salary while you’re doing the same amount of work?

Fortunately, in the world of cruising rebating has long been a no-no with many major cruise lines and more are joining in.

Oceania, Regent Seven Seas and Princess cruise lines are the latest to ban travel agents from undercutting pricing by giving part of their commission to the client.

Any travel agent caught violating this rule will be banished and not allowed to book with that line again.

All this just validates Allure Quest Travel Experience’s long standing policy. Integrity downs still count for something.

Check out Allure Quest Travel Experience on the web for all your travel needs – including analysis of destinations, insightful videos, the latest travel news and vacations to book.

Sales vs. service separates us from Internet travel sites

While at a Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber of Commerce early morning session on Friday here in Tennessee, a member talked about how the travel industry has changed. He said he books all his travel online and that must be tough for me to take.

Alan Whitt

I assured him that wasn’t the case, because Allure Quest Travel Experience is nothing like an Internet travel site.

We’re better.

An Internet travel site is all about sales. Allure Quest Travel Experience is all about service.

There is a huge difference between the two.

Our job isn’t just about selling a vacation. Yes, we want you to buy cruises, resorts, tours and honeymoons. But at Allure Quest Travel Experience our primary purpose is to serve you, to the point where you’re comfortable with a purchase before, during and after returning from your trip. We’re trained travel experts, and our job is advise you on the perfect vacation, designed specifically for you. After all, every vacation isn’t for everyone … and every vacation experience is unique.

We’re Allure Quest Travel Experience for a reason … and “experience” is the key word in our name. In fact, that word is also part of our mission … to provide clients with the vacation experience of a lifetime. An experience – good or bad – is something that resonates again and again in your memory, for years to come.

When you book travel online, that company’s work ends the moment you push the payment button. There isn’t an Internet site in the world that will tell you not to purchase a particular trip. So what if that cruise rate has more restrictions than a father gives his daughter on her first date; or that romantic all-inclusive resort you thought you were getting is overloaded with screaming children; or half of the attractions you wanted to see on your European vacation are closed because its a holiday season you knew nothing about.

If you want to buy it they’re more than willing to sell it to you.

An Internet travel site usually won’t contact you on your return to find out how things went. And heaven forbid something goes wrong on your trip and you have to contact an anonymous voice on the other end of the line for resolution. Good luck with that.

At Allure Quest Travel Experience, you’ll deal with one person throughout your search, booking and travels. Our first task is to qualify you for your vacation. In other words, we want to find out what you want, and then we’ll match you to a travel experience based on your history, needs, desires and financial barriers.

We’ll talk you through everything, answer all your questions … and even provide answers to questions you may not have thought of. Will you need a passport to cruise? Is a passport card as good as a passport? How should you dress at that Sandals resort? Is Cancun safe? What’s the best time of the year to visit Italy? What’s the difference between an African safari in July vs. August? Ask … and you shall receive an answer. And if we don’t know it, you can be certain we’ll find it.

Finally, when you return, we won’t forget about you.

And no matter where you are anywhere on the planet, we’re just a phone call or email away to help you overcome any problems or glitches that may come your way.

Yes, the travel business has changed and Internet sites make my job a little bit more challenging. But as long as Allure Quest Travel Experience’s mission remains to shower our clients with superior service, I think we’ll be OK.

There isn’t an Internet travel site on the planet that can top that.