Maureen HIll, the Travel industry’s top columnist

Maureen HIll, the Travel industry’s top columnist

DIARY

When clients harp on about money it’s heaven to have sales support

Winging a good discount deal can take some planning – but some customers are always keen to cloud the issue

Calling on Charlie’s Angels

I can now confirm that one of Charlie’s Angels resides at Simply Turkey and it was my good fortune to have Charlie on the other end of the telephone this week.

She proved to be an angel with the patience of a Saint as we both tried to persuade a client to book a week’s holiday. His hesitance was due to the fact that, in addition to paying for himself, he was also having to pay for his partner and her 15-year-old son.

Charlie held the last three seats on the flight while she tried to find suitable accommodation. Her efforts were rewarded when she found a split-level apartment that offered the required amount of privacy.

Our client couldn’t understand the layout of the property so I carefully drew a plan, complete in every detail, which included marking in red pen the doors that opened on to his and her bedrooms. I considered this draughtsman-like effort to be an architectural first for Dorset (eat your heart out Sir Richard Rogers!)

Charlie held the highly sought-after seats as the client pondered the plan and deliberated over the cost. I sighed and let Charlie go as, once again, I explained that he was buying a discount deal and was lucky as some companies did not include transfers with late breaks. I added that he was even luckier not to have chosen the Balearics where, in the future, tourists will be charged a ‘sunshine’ tax, and that if he didn’t get a move on and book, some bright spark would introduce a tax on the air he was breathing.

The idea made him smile and he said he would get back to me. He rang later to ask me if the price had gone down since our last conversation. He was still keen to go but asked if I thought it fair he should pay for his partner’s child? I said I could only comment on holidays and maybe he should phone a friend.

Selling can be a poxy job

Having told that client I was unable to comment on anything but travel issues, I found myself talking about health when later in the day, I was faced with a mother of a young child whose classmates had all contracted chicken pox.

The family was due to travel in a week and the question was would her child catch the disease, and if so, should they still go on holiday? I asked what advice had been given by the family doctor and she said the GP had refused to comment as the child was showing no symptoms at the moment.

She went on to ask my advice and, feeling flattered, I explained the ways chicken pox can manifest itself.

Then the penny dropped. I realised she needed someone in authority to tell her to go on holiday so that, in the event of an insurance claim, she could say the agent advised her to go. The doctor would not commit himself but it appeared to be OK if I did.

Cooking up a storm

I have a circle of good friends, some of who are gay. My friends’ sexuality is the concern of nobody but themselves. They have never sought, or been given, special consideration that sets them aside from anyone else.

Thomas Cook have identified an, until now, ‘untapped’ gay market but why introduce special training to deal with this ‘new’ market?

What is it that Thomas Cook staff are being trained to deal with? The fact that two people of the same sex want to holiday together? Are the staff to be trained to steer homosexual clients away from family destinations and to switch-sell them to isolated island destinations only? And who is to be the judge of who is or is not gay?

I feel Thomas Cook’s action is unnecessary and a bigoted affront to human rights. Why stop at the gay community? Why not train staff to sell holidays to red-haired clients, blue-eyed clients, ethnic minorities, Jews, Muslims, Seventh-Day Adventists? Where should it end?

I have been in this business for years and it has never occurred to me to sell holiday products differently to any client, whatever their colour, religious belief or gender. My gay friends and clients would be mortified to be treated differently from straight clients. Thomas Cook staff who have been selling successfully to gay clients must now be wondering what they did wrong to merit the proposed new training!

Taking special care

Making a telephone booking can be pleasant or frustrating depending on who answers in the operator’s reservations department.

Recent bookings have been a largely frustrating business, with requests for “somewhere for Easter” met with a string of negative responses.

My client’s face grew longer by the minute as he explained that he and his wife were supposed to visit the futuristic Eden Project in Cornwall but had cancelled due to the foot and mouth crisis.

I rang Kirker and a cheerful voice, which I laterdiscovered to belong to Nicky in reservations, responded to my request for something for the Easter break with, “what about Brussels with Eurostar?” My client was all for it but sceptical that anything would beavailable.

Nicky confirmed that Brussels was not only available but there was an added bonus of a Sunday night free at the hotel. Delighted, he booked and Nicky asked if it was for a special occasion. He told her it was his wife’s birthday treat.

I smiled as it reminded me of an occasion when Kate’s clients were asked this same question by Kirker staff. The sour-faced female snapped at Kate: “No, we’ve got no special occasions and we don’t want to be treated differently from those who do have.”

Kate kept a straight face as she replied to Kirker: “No, there’s nothing special about these clients.”

There are some folk you just can’t please.