travel consultant | thinking outside the box

I enjoy thinking outside the box. A client called this afternoon with a question about some last-minute plans for his wedding this weekend. He wanted to arrange a limo to transfer his bride from her hotel to the wedding venue. Unfortunately, their hotel did not offer a house car.

The hotel's concierge suggested that he hire a limousine. The bad news: limo companies typically require a two-hour minimum ... and that makes no sense for a drive of just several blocks.

My idea: reserve an airport limo and ask to be dropped off at the church! A quick google search showed fares of $45 and up for a trip from downtown Chicago to the airport. Resourceful readers may recognize this as a variation of "hidden city ticketing" sometimes used for lower one-way airline fares. While the airlines do not allow this, what limo driver would turn down $45 plus a tip for 5 minutes work? All in a day's work for a travel consultant!

travel consultant (search here on Google)


hidden city ticketing — Warning: this is not permitted by the airlines, although travelers often try it and get away with it. It will only work if you want a one-way flight and do not check bags. Example: You need to fly one-way from San Francisco to Chicago on July 28th. A one way ticket to ORD on United is currently $383. A one-way ticket connecting in ORD to a flight to Kansas City is $213. So you pay $213 and throw away your MCI boarding pass when you get to O'Hare. Warning: United can potentially charge you for the difference, if they figure out what you did.


copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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four lessons for booking travel on the internet

Christopher Elliott's excellent blog, Consumer Traveler, posts this question from a traveler who encountered difficulties when booking his honeymoon on the internet:

About a month ago, I took advantage of a Travelocity e-mail fare alert for a flight from Minneapolis to Costa Rica. The deal seemed too good to be true: $230 roundtrip on US Airways. I booked the flight for my September honeymoon and then went to a Web site and bid on our accommodations, which I also booked.

A few days ago, US Airways notified me that it had dropped a connecting flight to Costa Rica, and that our only option was a full refund. I checked the ticket prices to Costa Rica and found that they had tripled. I felt like I was a victim of a bait-and-switch. I called US Airways, which offered to fly us to Costa Rica a day after we were supposed to leave. But it would involve an overnight stay in Charlotte, which the airline was unwilling to pay for.

I understand that airlines have flight schedule changes, but I also feel that it is their choice and that if they choose to do so, they should be responsible for the consequences. Is there anything you can do?

What can we learn from this traveler's experience? Here are four lessons for booking travel on the internet.

1. Buy a complete package from one vendor.

Had these honeymooners bought a complete package from Travelocity (AIR + RESORT), Travelocity would have owned the entire problem when US Airways cancelled its flight.

2. Purchase travel insurance.

In addition to protecting you from financial loss if you have to cancel in the event of an illness or other covered emergency, travel insurance can protect you from added expenses incurred in the event your trip is interrupted or delayed (i.e., an extra night in Charlotte).

3. The lowest price is not always the best value.

Many internet shoppers become compulsive about finding the very lowest price. But when you're shopping for travel - and especially for your honeymoon - you're buying more than a plane seat and a hotel room. You're planning an experience that will enrich and enhance your life. Sometimes a few extra dollars (purchasing travel insurance or upgrading to a more upscale resort) can relieve you of stress - and provide a level of comfort and luxury that will add so much to a once-in-a-lifetime vacation.

4. Use a live human travel consultant instead of an online travel agency.

Many people think, "I don't need a travel agent. I'll book it on the internet." Well, Travelocity is a travel agency. Priceline is a travel agency. Hotels.com is a travel agency. You pay pretty much the same thing, whether you book directly with a hotel or an airline, or with an online agency, or through a live human travel consultant. Why not avail yourself of the expertise that an experienced travel consultant can offer you? After all, it's our mission to find you the best values and provide you with the most memorable experiences of your life.


Note: I specialize in luxury travel and am only accepting new clients on a limited basis. However, these lessons hold true whether you are spending $1,000; $10,000; or $50,000 on your next trip.


four lessons for booking travel (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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a very misleading travel website

TravelersFirst.org is a very misleading website that exists for a single purpose, to get signatures on a petition in support of the so-called Internet Travel Tax Fairness Act sponsored by several large OTAs (online travel agencies such as Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity). While I don't take a position either way on that proposed legislation, I do object to misleading statements in support of the act. The basic issue is that cities would like to collect sales tax on the full rate for rooms booked through OTAs, and the Act would prevent this from happening.

To demonstrate the facts of the matter, let me do an actual comparison based on a booking for a 6th Avenue View room at the Ritz-Carlton Central Park in New York for one night, August 14. These were the quotes as of 12 noon on July 14th.

Orbitz will charge you $795 for the room + $121.56 in taxes and fees for a total due at booking of $916.56.

If you book direct through Ritz-Carlton, you will pay the same $795 for the room + $120.77 in taxes for a total payable at check-out of $915.77.

Here's what the OTAs aren't telling you:

• Orbitz charges you up-front, then remits their NET rate to the hotel. If the NET rate is 80% of the published rate, Orbitz keeps 20% as profit.
  
  
• Ritz-Carlton pays sales tax to New York based on the NET received from Orbitz, and New York misses out on much needed revenue. But you're still paying "taxes and fees" on the full 100%. What's happens with the the sales tax on the remaining 20% that doesn't go to New York? Answer - Orbitz keeps it as a "fee", adding to the 20% they're already marking up the room.
  
  
• The proposed legislation fights the attempt of cities like New York to collect the full amount of the sales tax that is collected, rather than allow the OTAs keep it as a "fee."

So despite the alarmist headlines of the website, here are some facts:

• Converting Orbitz's "fee" into sales tax to New York will not make your stay more expensive.
  
• Sending the sales tax to New York will actually help the local economy of that city.

And while I'm on the subject, I can get you a much better deal for this same booking at Ritz-Carlton Central Park:

• I can get you upgraded at time of booking. You'll pay $745 for a Deluxe room and be upgraded to the $795 6th Avenue View room.
  
• You will receive a complimentary Daily American breakfast for two, in BLT Market or via room service. Free just by booking through a Virtuoso travel consultant.
  
• You will receive an additional $100 hotel credit to be used for any charge within the hotel except room and tax, another Virtuoso amenity.
  
• You won't pay a cent until you check-out.

Ritz-Carlton Central Park (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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Bachelorette Package | Le Taha'a Resort

There should be a surge of interest in Le Taha'a Island Resort, located on a private island just off Bora Bora. Why? Because the resort will be featured in the next episode of The Bachelorette to be shown on ABC on July 19. According to publicity I have received, "America will witness how Le Taha'a Island Resort was able to play matchmaker in creating such sacred and pivotal moments for Ali." Sacred? Reality TV? But I digress...

A special Bachelorette Package has been created to help couples experience their own romantic escape in French Polynesia. The package includes:

• Four nights in a Raiatea Overwater Bungalow
  
• Complimentary daily American breakfast for two
  
• Flower bed and half bottle of champagne upon arrival
  
• Private 3-course dinner for two (with wine) under the stars on the terrace of your bungalow

Price of the four-night package is 265,050 XPF (about $2800) plus taxes. Your vacation can also include some of the other experiences shown on The Bachelorette: a moonlit dinner on the beach and a scenic helicopter flight over Tupai and Bora Bora.

Le Taha'a Island Resort is a member of Relais & Chateaux and part of the Virtuoso network. Book through a Virtuoso luxury travel consultant for the best values and complimentary amenities at over 850 romantic resorts and hotels around the world.

Le Taha'a Island Resort (search here on Google)


copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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luxury in Paris for $500 a night?

I regularly read a number of travel forums just to see the kinds of questions that travelers are asking. A poster recently asked for recommendations for a February stay in Paris. This is her Paris hotel wish list.

• well-located with access to the metro
  
• a genuine King bed
  
• a walk-in shower
  (not a hand-held shower thingy in the bathtub)
  
• $500 per night

Here are my top two suggestions for luxury in Paris for $500 a night:

Le Meurice has the perfect location in the heart of Paris. Step out the front door, cross the rue de Rivoli, and you're in the Jardin des Tuileries. Walk straight across the park, and you're at the Musee d'Orsay. Or turn left for a short walk to the Louvre. Or turn right for a short walk to the Place de la Concorde. You can easily reach the major attractions in the center of Paris by foot (or there's a Metro entrance right across the street to go anywhere in the city).

The smallest of the palace hotels of Paris, Le Meurice has a very Parisian feeling as well as its own, elegant three-star Michelin restaurant. For some great values, a Virtuoso travel consultant can get you 10% off the best available flexible rate, a full American Breakfast daily via room service or in the hotel's restaurant, and an upgrade if available. For a February booking, I can likely get you a confirmed upgrade at booking. Putting in a set of dates in February, 440€ can get you a Classic Queen room (about $550 per night) - and you're in a five-star hotel that deserves every one of those stars.

Need to spend less? Consider the InterContinental Paris Le Grand. This hotel was built because Napoleon wanted Paris to have a Grand hotel like the other European capitals, and Napoleonic red is found throughout the property (notably in the hallway carpeting). Virtuoso guests get the benefit of a 10% discount off the best available flexible rate and free Lounge access - where you'll get a complimentary daily breakfast, snacks, drinks, and cocktails throughout the day. For the same set of dates in February, 315€ ($398) gets you into a Superior room, 366€ ($463) into an Executive Room, and 391€ ($494) into a Deluxe Room with a view of the Paris Opera.


Note: these are the rates available July 9 for a three night stay, 2FEB-3NT. Rates are subject to change until booked.

luxury in Paris (search here on Google)

copyright (c) 2010 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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