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Last Friday’s Coffee Break featured Travel Impressions. Valerie Harris, manager eCommerce Training, gave a great presentation on teaching agents how to use their award winning, easy-to-use agent booking engine. Agents learned how easy it is to check air and hotel availability, get complete hotel details, view virtual tours, find promotional information and so much more! We received many great questions, which I provided below with Valerie’s answers.  If you have any additional questions please leave a comment below.   To view the recorded version of this webinar, please click the link at the bottom of this page.

Q.  Does Travel Impressions only sell to travel agents?
A.  Yes, Travel Impressions only sells to travel agents.  The booking engine on our website is only available to travel agents. In order to book with us you must be registered with Travel Impressions and will need a user name and password.  Your clients are able to view the homepage, but when it comes to booking that is for travel agents only.  

Q.When booking a hotel that shows it is wait listed, how long will it be before it is confirmed or not?
A.  If you get a wait listed room, I recommend you go ahead and book the room and then call our help desk at 800.999.4321, especially before taking your client’s deposit.  When you call the help desk they will be able to contact our hotel inventory department who will then contact the hotel directly.  You can also wait 24 hours after you book the room and go back into your booking to see if the room has been confirmed.  However, I recommend calling the help desk after your booking.

Q.  How did you get to the hotel picture and trip rating?
A.  To get the picture of the hotel and the trip rating you simply just click on the name of the hotel.  Once you click on the name you will be brought to the picture.

Q.  Do you have bulk fares? If so, are they commissionable and at what rate? Are there refundable rates?
A.  Yes bulk rates are available with Travel Impressions depending on the airline.  They are also commissionable but it depends on the commission you are receiving from Travel Impressions. 

Q.  Who would I speak to if I wanted to book a group of about 120 people?
A.  We have a fabulous group department that would be happy to help you.  You can contact them by calling our help desk at 800.999.4321 and from the menu select group department.  They will be glad to help you!

Q.  Do you have a listing of which class of published airfare does not require clients to pay the total cost of the airfare?
A.  Unfortunately that is not available on our website but you can call our reservations department or the help desk for assistance.

Q.  Is it necessary to book online or are you able to book over the phone directly with Travel Impressions?
A.  Yes you can certainly book over the phone by calling our reservations department.  We have wonderful agents that are very helpful and would be happy to do your booking over the phone.  Please know though that when you book on the internet you will receive an extra 1% commission based on the internet booking. 

Q.  Can the tour date be changed after the package is booked and if so, is there a fee?
A.  That is a great question. Whether or not the tour date can be changed depends on the penalties of the hotel.  If you have any changes we recommend calling our help desk and they will provide any information you need on any penalties, if any. 

Q.  What if I book a hotel package through Travel Impressions and then I receive a call from my client saying the hotel was offering special amenities but only if it was booked directly with the hotel- is there anything you can do in that situation?
A.  If the hotel is offering information on an item or special that is not in our contract unfortunately we would try to get it but if it is something that has not been contracted with Travel Impressions we would not be able to get it for them.

Q.  Is it possible to e-mail a trip itinerary to a client to review.
A.  Yes you certainly can.  There is an envelope icon on your confirmation page. You would just simply click that icon to e-mail the itinerary directly to your client.

Q.  Do you have to book the trip before you can request a price match?
A.  Yes, you have to book the trip before you can request a price match.  The link for “Price Match” appears on the confirmation page after you have booked your trip.  You can also call the help desk after you have booked and they will price match the trip for you right over the phone.  You will see it confirmed on your booking that the match has been acquired.

Q.  How can agents know about upcoming Trade Shows in their area?
A.  They can contact their local business development manager to see if and when a trade show is going to be coming into their area.  They can also contact Travel Impressions by calling our help desk for that information.

Q.  When you find a special on the first screen do you need to add the promotional code somewhere or do you automatically receive the promotion?
A.  If the promotion you select is part of a hotel’s package, during the time your client is traveling, it will be automatically included in the package and you won’t have to add any promotional codes.  This is a wonderful feature with Travel Impression’s booking engine.

Q.  Can you explain your price match program?
A.  We do instant price matching with Apple for Apple to compare the package with other wholesalers.  We will try to price match as much as possible with any online competitors such as the Expedias and Travelocitys of the world. We look at it land to land, as public airfare should be the same.  We compare the hotel components and then go from that point. We just have to look at the components, compare them and make sure it is something we can offer. It really comes down to whether or not we are going to lose money on it.    If you have any questions about this policy it is best to reach out to the inside sales department or your own local business development manager.

Q.  Is it possible to add on excursions after you have made the deposit?
A.  Absolutely! You can add on excursions or tours at anytime and they will be added to the total cost of the package.  You can even add excursions after the client has paid in full, you just want to make sure you add them before the client travels.

Q.  Is there a way to get promotion information from your website before we get to the travel planner?
A.  Yes! All the promotion information is on our homepage.  There is section titled “Featured Promotions” which includes all the promotion information you need.  Also if you click on a destination there is a promotion link provided that will include all promotions for that particular destination. 

Q.  How do you manage agents on the website when you are the owner of the agency?  Are they all going to use the same login?
A.  When you register with Travel Impressions you have the ability to register at manager’s level.  When you register at manager’s level you have the ability to manage your profile, which will include the agents and their user names.  You are then able to make sure the agents are registered and that you want them registered to user the site.  You are able to change anything in the profile you need for your agency.

Q.  Where can I view this webinar again?
A.  It has been recorded and posted on MailPound.  Please click here to view.

Christina Aldanese, of HVCB, presented last week’s coffee break.  She gave a great presentation on their spring 2009 marketing programs and went over their latest sales and marketing tools available to travel agents on their travel trade website.  Below I have posted some of the great questions we received with Christina’s answers.  If you have any additional questions please leave a comment below.  Please be sure to check out the recorded version of the webinar by clicking the link at the bottom of this page. 

Q.  Can travel agents earn points for individual, as well as, group bookings?
A.  Absolutely! Travel agents earn points on all bookings whether it is for one person or fifty.

Q.  Can you share any information on all -inclusive packages to Hawaii that include air, lodging, meals, etc?
A.  Hawaii unfortunately does not have all-inclusive packages like other destinations do.  The reason is that although we want our visitors to enjoy their resorts; we encourage them to go out and explore the beautiful places Hawaii has to offer. 

Q.     When is the most economical time of the year to visit Hawaii?
A.  The most economical time to visit Hawaii is actually right now.  We have some great offers out there right now you do not want to miss.  The summer is historically the busiest time for Hawaii so if you can go before June, now is the time to go!

A.  If she has never been to Hawaii I recommend starting with Oahu, which is our main island.  I recommend Oahu because that is where Waikiki is located, you have Diamond Head in the background, you can visit Pearl Harbor and there is just so much to see and do there.  You may also want to try going to another 1 or 2 islands for your first visit.  Our volcano is located at Hawaii’s Big Island and would definitely be a great place to visit.  I would definitely start with Oahu though.

Q.  When is whale watching season?
A.  Whale watching season is actually going on right now.  The humpback whales live in Alaska and migrate to the waters of Hawaii during the winter months.  The whales usually arrive late November / early December and leave late April / early May.  There are definitely humpback whales there now.  You can also use this to up-sale to your clients.  If you know they are booking next month let them know and offer them an ocean view room instead of a garden view.  Even if they say no, they are going to know that you are a professional when it comes to selling Hawaii. 

Q.  Is there a way for agents to book a commissionable home stay for families who prefer to stay at a large house instead of a hotel?
A.  Yes there is.  Login to www.agents.gohawaii.com and search for home rentals or condos and it will provide you with the available information. 

Q.  Are all the training resources free of charge?
A.  Yes all of our training resources are complimentary and we encourage you all to take advantage of that.  You can order any of the supplies right from our website.  So please take advantage of our resource center. 

Q.  Where can I view this presentation again?
A.  We have recorded the webinar and posted it on MailPound.  To view please click here.