THE DOWNSIDE of dynamic packaging reared its ugly head following the recent airport terror alerts and bomb attacks in Turkey.
In-resort rep service Destination Care was immediately inundated with calls from agents desperate to advise their customers. They had not booked the service but, during a time of crisis, had turned to the company for help.
Managing director Lawrence Assock said the situation highlighted the need for agents to be educated on the in-resort rep service as a vital component when putting together a DIY holiday.
The company only works regularly with 700 agents – yet more than 4,000 have signed up.
Assock said: “The largest problem we’ve seen is that agents look at this as another product, rather than a type of insurance for their clients.”
The cost of the service is £3 per passenger but some companies have struck a deal to only charge £1 per client. Companies such as Travel Counsellors are planning to integrate the service into its Phenix selling system to ensure agents remember to book it.
“The problem is if agents have to put all the different information in, they will probably forget about it. It needs to be implemented as a compulsory measure at the time of booking. We have not been able to stress how important it is,” said Assock.
He claimed many accommodation-only companies do not necessarily offer a 24-hour advice helpline.
“We did a full investigation into accommodation-only suppliers. Some may send in representation to resorts, but quite often it is to sell excursions,” added Assock.
Preston-based Garstang Travel director Nicole Eaves claimed offering an in-resort rep service to clients was not a hard-sell. She said: “It is fairly easy to sell as it really gives the customer peace of mind.”
Case study
ROMFORD-BASED Como Street Travel specialises in tailor-made and dynamically packaged trips. Around 80% of bookings are put together as DIY packages.
However, head of sales and marketing Simon Thorp said he is happy to use the accommodation-only suppliers’ own services if a situation arises while the customer is in resort.
Thorp said: “Usually we make the necessary arrangements with the service agreement offered with accommodation-only suppliers. We have considered using additional services but thankfully haven’t had any incidents.”
He added: “There is a clearly laid-out procedure in place – we want the client to speak to the local supplier and then let us know as soon as possible. We feel 100% confident with the agreements we have in place with our suppliers.”
What’s on offer?
Travel Weekly spoke to three accommodation-only suppliers which work through the trade to see what in-resort services they offer.
MED Hotels overseas operations director Julie Pinkney believes the company offers a comprehensive service for all clients – but said agents need to be made more aware of this.
Pinkney said: “We offer a free service to everybody who has booked with Med Hotels and we offer 24-hour support. We have local staff with local knowledge who can offer the same service that traditional operators provide.”
Pinkney said welcome meetings are held in most hotels and Med Hotels employs managers in some of the larger resorts.
The company hopes to work more closely with the trade to give more information on the support it provides.
She said: “We are looking to do a major relaunch of support products and the information is on our website. We also want to do a roadshow with key agents – there is a lot of work to do to get agents to understand what we offer.”
ALTHOUGH Apartments Abroad will help customers out if a situation occurs, managing director Ian Thirlwall believes his company’s main role is to be responsible for any problems with its properties rather than general resort issues.
He said: “Dynamic packaging is a culmination of components. As an accommodation-only company we are responsible for the accommodation.
“We would expect to look after problems relating to the accommodation. In certain circumstances we would, however, point people in the right direction.
“We provide emergency contact details – we don’t provide a 24-hour resort service. If people want all the frills then that sort of service is available elsewhere. It’s a matter of choice.
“If there is a problem in a resort we would want to know how it’s affecting our customers.”
SOMEWHERETOSTAY.COM’S director of overseas purchasing and operations Hugh Morgan said the accommodation-only supplier offers the same in-resort service as its sister company Cosmos Holidays.
He said: “From day one we have offered the same rep service as other companies, and this is at no additional charge.
“We act as the principal and not as the agent. We assume responsibility from start to finish. If someone books through a company that is selling the hotel as an agent and something goes wrong in resort, technically the client is obliged to take it up with the hotelier.”
Morgan said the only services Somewheretostay.com doesn’t provide are the welcome meetings and resort transfers, but from this winter it is planning to introduce its own taxi transfer system that will be bookable on the website.
It is also reviewing the idea of charging for services to keep in line with its competitors.