Mystery Shopper: Chester travel agents sell Majorca

This week Mystery Shopper was after a late deal on a holiday to Majorca or another Spanish island. She was a single mum with two children. She had no resort preference, but wanted somewhere family friendly where the children could make friends and enjoy some entertainment in the evening.

All agents delivered, and most were able to offer free child places, which made Mystery Shopper feel like she was getting a bargain. However, she would have appreciated a more thorough consultation, particularly from Deva Travel.

• Location: Chester, Cheshire
  
• Wanted: A last-minute family-friendly holiday to Majorca for a single mum and her two children

Deva Travel

55 Bridge Street Row
Score: 54%

A consultant acknowledged me with a smile and said hello. She asked about budget and location using closed questions, but she didn’t try to establish my needs in enough detail. Her advice was mostly couched in negative terms, for example she suggested the half-board option as the euro was very strong, and costs would be high.

She quoted Puerto Azul Hotel in Port de Pollença from the Skytours brochure, costing £2,327. When I said it was too expensive she quoted the Bellevue one-bedroom apartments in Alcudia for £1,855.

Although she didn’t smile much or make eye contact readily, she was professional. However, I wasn’t convinced that she genuinely cared about finding the best holiday to meet my requirements.

First Choice

16-18 Foregate Street
Score: 79%

The agent built up a good rapport, asking plenty of open questions to establish my requirements and priorities – for example, would I prefer to pay more to pay upfront for half-board? She did an efficient search, coming up with four quotes, placing the main emphasis on budget, including a free child place. The main quote was £1,059 for a day flight with Skytours staying at Hotel Haiti, Ca’n Picafort.

She told me this hotel was exclusive to Skytours and therefore there would only be British people there, presuming I didn’t want a more authentic Spanish experience for my children.

She couldn’t find a brochure, so printed off resort details, writing the specifics on the printout.

The consultant tried to close the sale, emphasising the good deal. Although she was professional and friendly, she made several assumptions about my requirements, and didn’t entirely balance all the factors in the scenario.

Flight Centre

24 Bridge Street
Score: 81%

I received a warm greeting from the agent here, who seemed a little uncomfortable and uncertain about my request as the company specialises in independent and tailor-made travel.

Initially, she was slow and hesitant, and when the agent sitting next to her became free, she asked if she could pass me over, as her colleague had better product knowledge. She briefed her colleague efficiently, so I didn’t have to repeat myself.

The second agent spent a while searching on the computer without any interaction, but came up with a suitable apartment hotel. She knew about the area, but just read out what the computer said about the accommodation. It was Sol Alcudia Centre Hotel Apartamentos, costing £1,250 with a free child place.

The agent didn’t offer insurance, but she attempted to close the sale. I was confident this agency could deal with my enquiry, but it was much more geared up for independent or tailor-made holidays.

Thomas Cook

10 Bridge Street
Score: 89%

Of the four agencies, the Thomas Cook consultant’s questions were most thorough. She seemed to know her product, and picked up the point that this holiday was for the children, so was good at looking at options such as room facilities and entertainment from a child-centred point of view.

She searched for holidays with free child places, but these actually worked out more expensive. She quoted Bouganvilla Park, Sa Coma, costing £1,362, from the Thomas Cook Families brochure. She was the only agent to state, without prompting, that the resort would be a good place for the children to find friends. She attempted to close the sale, but I didn’t feel pressurised.

The consultant built up a good rapport and was enthusiastic about the request. However, she tended to avoid eye contact at times and rarely smiled. Even though she didn’t quote the cheapest holiday, she inspired me with her caring, knowledgeable and confident approach.

Discuss it

• Emily Ashwell lifts the lid on this week’s Mystery Shopper on the Community Editor’s Blog


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  Talk about how to beat Mystery Shopper on travelhub

Mystery Shopper’s tips

1. When selling to single parents, it is important to find out their preferences. Some may see the holiday as precious time with their child, while others may be after some valuable time off from childcare.
   
2. Evening entertainment is really important for teenagers. However, if the children are younger, try to make sure the room has a balcony or terrace, so the parent has somewhere to sit out in the evening while the child is in bed. 
   
3. Make sure the product you offer has flexible dining options, so the family can eat together, and early if necessary. 
   
4. For some single parents, the thought of taking their children abroad is a big step. Others may be more confident and interested in more than the traditional package – operators such as The Adventure Company offer holidays targeted at single parent families. These are also group trips, so the family will travel with other families. 
   
5. For more information on Majorca, subscribe to Gazetteers.com. The site also contains photos of resorts and hotel reviews from fellow travel agents.