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!
Q. It has been my daughter’s dream to visit Hawaii, and I would like to show her all of the islands. Where do I start?
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. Do you have travel agent reduced rates?
A. During the months of April and May of 2009 is our Mahalo month for travel agents. If you go to agents.gohawaii.com and sign in or create a profile, you will see a banner that says “Discover the Sights…” Click on that and you will then see a press release that will talk about Mahalo month and will take you to the website mahalomonth.com. There you can register to get some fantastic deals to come to Hawaii. They provide deals from your rooms to your activities and as you all know air to Hawaii is going down everyday. Basically a mini FAM trip!
Q. Can you tell me some great resorts to have a destination wedding?
A. Anywhere you get married in Hawaii will be absolutely beautiful, whether it is at a 5 star resort, on the beach or even at a park. It really depends on your client’s budget and how much they would like to spend. Maui is a great place, especially since it is known for romance. You can visit www.visit-Maui.com and click on weddings to view all the different places and resorts. Most of the resorts provide a wedding planner and allow the wedding at their location. Anywhere you choose in Hawaii will be beautiful and absolutely memorable for your client.
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.