As travelling and tourism are becoming more popular, affordable, and easier, travel concierge services have also seen steady growth. More people are searching for ways to make their travelling as smooth as possible, and to have maximum pleasure while at it. For this reason, travelers, especially high net-worth individuals, are hiring personal travel assistance services to ensure their travel is as desired. The need for a genuine local experience, as well as access to real-time and instant information, has driven up the need for local assistance services. Many times we get to see many options and deals on the internet from various travel agents and portals. So is it this type of travel assistance that we are talking about?
Though travel agents and travel concierges are often confused, they fulfill different roles. People often wonder – What is the difference between a travel concierge and a travel agent?
Travel agent – A travel agent is a salesperson selling travel and accommodation tickets on behalf of the transport and hotel industry. The work of a travel agent is done once the ticket is issued to the customer. He is just a salesperson who sells only certain cruise line, hotels, or vacation packages. Travel agents, thus, do not offer different companies to choose from. They are usually in a quota system, which means they need to make a required number of sales to keep their job with that company. Thus many a time, they try to force sell and try to close the sale within the first telephone call. Many good deals found online similarly can be tempting, and one may want to book for a specialised service, like cruise vacation, directly. However, when things go wrong, there might be no support.
Travel concierge – A travel concierge, on the other hand, is a professional travel advisor. A true travel professional with expertise in this field would have many years of training and would be affiliated with a hosting company that works with travel professionals only and not agents. They take the time to get to know a customer, listen to them thoroughly to understand their needs and demands and then provide detailed information to ensure that the client gets the customised vacation package that meets his budget requirements. Most importantly, they look out for safety so that the client can enjoy a hassle-free vacation.
Thus when one works with a travel concierge he has the comfort of knowing that if something goes wrong, he has someone to contact before, during, and after the vacation.
A travel concierge would take ample time to understand the specific goals and requirements of a client to give you the best advice to meet them. They would also look out for safety and comfort by anticipating any hindrances that may occur and planning to ease those out.
An efficient travel concierge is someone who has in-depth knowledge about many regions, areas, and countries. Usually, the best travel concierges have first-hand experience of the offerings that they put forward to their clients. This is to ensure that they would be able to provide a client with the most up-to-date, relevant information.
With the involvement of the expertise of a travel concierge, one can expect to enjoy a hassle-free vacation. Working alongside a great travel concierge, one gets the comfort of knowing that if an unexpected problem arises, he has someone to contact before, during, and after the holiday gets over. The mutual goal is total peace of mind, so thus one can forget about the stressful details and just focus on enjoying the vacation. Travel concierges are thus always the better option if one wants an assistant who is not tied to any specific brands and is personally involved in making the trip the best it can be.
Booking a specialised, customised cruise vacation through a travel concierge or a corporate travel concierge guarantees one the desired vacation. Some concierge companies have their own transportation systems or chain of hotels. Thus all Travel (Hotels, Villas, Jets, Experiences) essentials can be taken care of by a Travel concierge without any headache.
The kind of engagement that transpires between the customer and the travel agent company or the concierge travel agency will give the initial indicator as to how flourishing the relationship would be. A concierge would generally be interested in holding a relationship-building conversation relating to the customer’s needs in the very first place. There will be questions of priorities and what the customer wants to do. Such interactive sessions having discussions between the two parties would lead to a fruitful partnership, in which the travel concierge would arrange everything seamlessly without giving any hassle to the client.
On the other hand, the travel agent would ask the customer for their destination and time for travel with eagerness, to issue the customer with tickets. There will be little engagement in a deeper level of connectivity and understanding.
As a whole, it can be said that the personal travel concierge provides superior service to the travel agent. This ends up delighting personal, corporate, and luxury travel customers. Whether one wants to surprise the significant other on their wedding anniversary or give somebody that special private jet charter they have always dreamt of, a professional travel concierge would help to make it extra special and maintain privacy at the same time.
A Travel Concierge can do the following for a client and below we show you a list of the benefits of hiring one:
Travel preparations – Travel concierges take care of all the travel preparations, while the client can attend familiar meetings or finish with job duties before leaving. Buy some luggage, arrange pet caring, passports and paperwork that need to be done, etc.
Travel planning – One of the most exciting moments about travelling is the planning part. It is also necessary as everyone wants to make the most of their travel. A travel and personal concierge has an extensive list of trusted and certified partners in the tourism industry. Thus they can organize unbelievable experiential journeys for their clients.
Saving time and rendering comfort while travelling – With the help of a Travel concierge, clients need not wait in long queues at airports for check-in or wait for their luggage when they arrive. Concierge customers receive the best and most special treatment from airlines and transportation companies. Private Jet Air Charter can also be arranged to reach the destination when a client is looking for a bespoke service and more privacy.
Hasslefree assistance – From apparently trivial needs like arranging an umbrella when it is raining or a mobile charger to serious help like an emergency appointment with a doctor or dentist – A travel concierge takes care of any small or big problem. Thus with them around a client can relax and enjoy the vacation because he knows that the concierge will solve it.
Experiencing transformative experiences – In today’s world, the luxury traveller focuses more on living great experiences like rides in balloons, climbing a mountain from where he can see astonishing scenery, going rafting or scuba diving in some of the most wonderful oceans, and at the same time they need to recover their inner peace, physical and mental wellbeing. A travel concierge is specialized in designing tailor-made experiences that can offer one to rest, experience wellness and offer more authentic, passionate and exciting adventures.
Relaxed and stress-free return to the daily routine – While returning from a travel one gets on the plane with the emotions running high from a magnificent journey. But the only thought of coming back home to do so many things before returning to normal life starts stressing one out. Concierge service can help with all the duties that one has to do such as cleaning the house, unpacking the luggage, taking the clothes to the laundry, checking the post and mail, going to the supermarket, etc. This is the only way one can go back to work feeling calm and having a sense of enjoyment from the holidays.
Organizing a trip counting on the help of a Travel Concierge is the best option if one really wants to enjoy the whole process from the very first moment one starts planning the trip until he comes back home and has to return to work.
Thus, if you are planning to go to an exotic destination and you decide to have Luxury Travel in Thailand, contact Travel Motivations. We would love to help you plan your next holidays – one that you can truly indulge in. We ensure it would become a transformative experience that you will always keep in your memory.
Travel Motivations is an exclusive Luxury Concierge and Lifestyle Management Service, with a dedicated team to design bespoke personal experiences and implement them on your behalf as your heart wants them to be. They step into your life and do everything you don’t have time to do and save the most important thing for you – Time.
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