hen most children were begging their
parents to take them to see the movie "Snow White," Claire Schoeder
was itching to see an altogether different type of film: "Anne of
the Thousand Days," which detailed the doomed love affair between
Henry VIII and his second bride, Anne Boleyn.
"I'm very much an Anglophile," said Schoeder, a travel counselor
at Century Travel in Atlanta (who is featured throughout this
week's Agent Life stories). In high school, all of Schoeder's
electives were based on British history and literature. Her
undergraduate degree is in history, with a concentration on British
history.
Schoeder, who has worked as a travel agent for 12 years,
formerly taught high school history and geography. Because of her
husband's career, the couple had to move frequently, which made it
difficult to continue to teach since certification requirements
vary from state to state.
Her passion for geography -- and everything relating to the U.K.
-- helped pave the way for a career as a travel counselor.
It was equally easy for this Anglophile to decide to specialize
in England and Scotland, earning the Scottish Tourist Board's
Scotsmaster certification and the British Tourist Authority's
Britagent title.
Currently, 50% to 60% of her business comes from U.K. bookings.
The remainder is virtually all leisure, made up of cruises and
other trips.
Her success in selling Scotland and England, she said, is based
on several elements: Her thorough knowledge of the destinations and
tenacity in following up leads.
For instance, Schoeder sends a letter to every lead she receives
from the Scottish Tourist Board (which tracks consumers who
register on its Web site). In the letter, she introduces herself,
provides a summary of her qualifications, explains how she got the
their names and that she'd be happy to work with them planning
their vacations. "I don't get horrendously specific," said
Schoeder. Prospects who responds to the letter are immediately put
into Schoeder's database. On average, about 5% of those letters are
eventually converted into bookings.
Schoeder also has her own Web site, at www.uktravelexpert.com, which her husband helped her
design. "It's nothing fancy," she said. "It introduces me and the
countries [I sell] and features articles that change every two to
three weeks." The advantage of having a personalized site, she
said, is that her name crops up on search engines. She is in the
middle of refining the search engine process so that her name and
services come up in more specific ways.
Her Web site as well as all client correspondence now promote
the fact that Schoeder was included in Travel + Leisure magazine's
A-List of 125 "Travel Super Agents" in its September 2003
issue.
Such an honor means that she's tops in product knowledge -- a
skill enhanced by happy relationships with vendors. To that end,
her philosophy on dealing with suppliers is simple: It's important
to accentuate the positive. When one of Schoeder's preferred
properties won an award as a top London hotel of the year, she sent
the general manager a bottle of champagne to congratulate him.
"I will tell a vendor when clients returns from a trip that they
really enjoyed the hotel or the tour," she said. "I don't just call
them up and say, 'My clients got back and there were problems.' Why
shouldn't the supplier be able to enjoy the fact that my clients
really enjoyed the product?" She finds that these collegial
supplier relationships pay off when a problem does occur.
Schoeder's thoroughness in dealing with both suppliers and
client is something she developed during her days as a
schoolteacher.
"A lot of techniques I used to plan lessons I use for travel
planning, as well," Schoeder said.
"When I planned lessons, I had to figure out what I needed my
students to know, and how I wanted them to learn it," she said.
"With clients, I find out why they're planning a trip and what they
expect to get out of it. My job is to present a trip to them that
meets those needs. In many ways it's very much like teaching. I
want them to get something out of it that's memorable for the rest
of their lives."
The Perfect Itinerary
Five 'homey' days in England
laire Schoeder, a travel
counselor at Century Travel in Atlanta, created a tour themed
around English stately homes, some of which are generally not open
to the public. She worked with a local, well-connected tour company
to plan the itinerary.
DAY ONE
Clients check into London's Dukes Hotel, a luxury property with
89 rooms and suites, in St. James Place. "Clients can enjoy a
massage in the hotel's spa to help them recuperate from jet lag,"
said Schoeder. She suggests a visit to Dukes Bar, known for its
excellent martinis.
DAY TWO
Clients take a private tour of Spencer House, the late Princess
Diana's ancestral home in London. "This home is open to the public
for a limited time on Sunday afternoons," said Schoeder. "This
[special] visit avoids that crush."
From London, clients will visit Clivedon in Maidenhead, one of
the best-known stately homes in England. Following a tour of the
house and lunch, guests will visit the gardens on a tour led by the
head gardener.
Clients overnight at Chewton Glen in Hampshire, a beautiful
country house transformed into a 58-room hotel with a
state-of-the-art spa.
DAY THREE
A private visit to a home not open to the general public to view
the estate's art and porcelain collection is on the agenda today.
For proprietary reasons, Schoeder can't disclose the name of the
home.
DAY FOUR
Guests have breakfast at Chewton Glen, with the morning at
leisure for golf or spa treatments. They depart for Bath, with a
stop at a pub for lunch en route.
They visit a home on the way to Bath. Choices include Kingston
Lacey, with its opulent Spanish rooms, or Athelhampton House,
renowned for its gorgeous gardens.
Guests check into the Lucknam Park in Wiltshire, a Palladian
manor house with 13 suites and 29 bedrooms.
DAY FIVE
After breakfast, clients visit the city of Bath, focusing on its
ancient Roman baths. Lunch is at the Pump Room, a neo-classical
salon with a restaurant.
Clients tour Bowood House in Wiltshire after lunch. This
Georgian house is famous for its library as well as its picture and
sculpture galleries.
Guests overnight at Lucknam Park and return to London the next
morning.
Hand in Hand
Vital agent-supplier link
hat started as a chance
encounter at an ASTA Cruisefest has blossomed into a profitable
business relationship. Three years ago, during a routine ship
inspection, Claire Schoeder met Andrew Gilmour, who operates
Scotland-based Montrave International -- a company whose
specialties include arranging golf tours.
The two had a lot to talk about. Schoeder, who completed the
Scottish Tourist Board's Scotsmaster program, is always on the
lookout for specialty operators who can further enhance her
carefully thought-out itineraries.
"I do a number of golf itineraries in Scotland -- and not just the
big-name championship golf courses," said Schoeder. "There are
hidden gems all over the country that aren't as well known."
Her relationship with Gilmour and his wife, Mary, the company's
co-owner, has helped her find these courses and impress clients.
"The [Gilmours] know the golf courses personally," said Schoeder,
and can sometimes make recommendations for courses that invariably
exceed the client's expectations.
Thanks to the Gilmours, Schoeder has been able to arrange for
golfing clients to play on ultra-exclusive, members-only courses
that are impossible to book without an insider's contact.
The couple's helpfulness goes beyond the links, said Schoeder.
"They will go above and beyond the call of duty for me," she said,
adding that the couple personally checked out properties for her
that she has not had the chance to inspect personally.
For instance, the Gilmours recently vacationed on the Isle of
Skye and visited a guest cottage that Schoeder planned to book for
some discerning clients.
"We'll look at places and tell agents if they're okay," said
Andrew Gilmour, noting that Montrave also sent Schoeder pictures of
the accommodations in question so she would have a sense of its
standards.
"This is one of the things that makes Montrave quite special,"
said Schoeder.
"Hand in Hand" highlights successful examples of agents and
suppliers working together. Send suggestions to Agent Life editor
Claudette Covey at [email protected].
Marc My Words
The airlines' Bizarro World
have no doubt that the
airlines -- for the most part -- are doing their best to adapt to
an unpredictable, volatile marketplace. I'm also certain that their
employees are working harder, for less money, to keep customers
happy in tough times. But I'm seeing something else, too. Remember
that "Seinfeld" Bizarro World episode where everything was a little
off? I've concluded that the airlines have entered the Bizarro
World, and things are stranger than any bizarro story a TV writer
could dream up.
Situation: A study reveals that
Americans are about 25 pounds heavier and two inches taller than
the previous generation.
Bizarro World solution: Make airline seats
narrower. Decrease legroom. Use 737s -- an aircraft shaped for
short-haul travel -- on transcon flights. (An added bonus -- more
middle seats!)
Situation: Corporate travelers are taking fewer
trips.
Bizarro World solution: Increase full-coach fares.
Decrease or eliminate first-class and business-class seating, thus
reducing the possibility that business travelers get their beloved
perk, the upgrade. Close some club lounges, too.
Situation: Passengers are dissatisfied with
in-flight meals.
Bizarro World solution: Eliminate the meals.
That'll stop those complaints!
Situation: You need a new paradigm for
short-haul flights.
Bizarro World solution: Create "spin-off
airlines," like Shuttle by United, Continental Lite and USAir Metro
Jet -- all of which failed.
Situation: Americans want more helpful
attitudes from their service providers.
Bizarro World solution: Lay off training personnel
and direct customers toward self-service kiosks.
Situation: Consumers want flexibility when they
travel.
Bizarro World solution: Punish them with stiff
penalties whenever they make changes. Keep changing these policies,
just to keep things interesting.
Situation: Travel agents are your principal
distributors of product.
Bizarro World solution: Stop paying them. This
solution works so well that airlines lose billions of dollars and
go on government welfare.
Marc Mancini is an industry speaker and consultant who
teaches at West Los Angeles College.
5 Things
You should do during a hotel inspection:
1.
Insist on looking at rooms in all categories. Although everyone
enjoys inspecting deluxe rooms and suites, it is equally important
to get a good look at standard rooms. "A standard room at a nice
hotel may not be up to your client's standards," said Claire
Schoeder, a travel counselor at Century Travel in Atlanta. "You may
be better off booking a suite at a less costly hotel," she
said.
2. Watch how staff members interact with guests
and among themselves. For instance, how does the person leading the
inspection treat the housekeeping staff? "If there's camaraderie
[among management and staff] the housekeeping staff probably has
authority to take care of problems without checking with
higher-ups" -- a good sign, according to Schoeder.
3. Look out the window. "You need to known if
there's construction going on next door," said Schoeder. Also, pay
attention to a room's location and check out how much afternoon sun
it will receive -- too much could mean an overheated hotel
room.
4. If the hotel is in a high-traffic area, "try
to inspect the hotel at rush-hour times," said Schoeder -- in the
morning or evenings, and if that's not possible, from 11 a.m. to 1
p.m. "You want to see the rooms that front the traffic," she said,
and listen carefully to make sure that the room isn't too
noisy.
5. Talk to the doorman. He's "usually a
fountain of information, not only about the area in where the hotel
is located, but the bars and restaurants that have a local flavor,"
said Schoeder. Since the doorman also is the first and last person
the client sees when staying at a hotel, it's useful to check out
how helpful and/or presentable he is, as well.