A startup company called iZento has introduced an itinerary builder that the company said would help travel agents enhance their travel-planning services.
The online portal enables agents to compose an itinerary that includes activities and attractions as well as travel reservations.
Agents can share the itinerary via email or through a Facebook interface for viewing and collaborative editing. The Facebook integration enables agents to log on to iZento through their Facebook account, iZento said.
The tool is equipped with an activities search engine that covers 300 of the most popular destinations, iZento said.
There are 12 categories for activities including museums; dining; shopping; children; beauty and spas; art and architecture; and nightlife.
Agents can drill down further based on client interest. For example, the dining category can be narrowed by searching just for cafes or a type of cuisine. A click on a selection reveals a short description, address and phone number.
After preferred activities are selected and travel reservations entered, iZento’s proprietary TripOptimizer schedules selections based upon availability and location and generates an interactive daily calendar. Agents can edit the schedule to customize the trip to a customer’s specifications.
A cruise lookup automatically populates all ports of call into the itinerary.
Agents can also turn an itinerary into a professionally bound trip journal, branded with the agency’s name, logo and contact information.
"We have designed an online service that helps travel professionals combine state-of-the-art Internet content with their specialized off-Web knowledge as travel consultants to significantly enhance the traveler experience," said Tony Del Favero, co-founder of iZento.
The cost for the iZento subscription service is $15 per month, per agent. There are no long-term contract requirements or upfront costs, iZento said.
To sign up for a free, one-month trial, visit www.izento.com/travelpro.
