PRIDE Travel Blog

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Posts Tagged travel agency

PRIDE Travel’s DePetris Wins Top Travel Industry “TrendSetter: SuperStar” Award

Jun 27

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, News & Press Releases | Comments off

S. Nathan DePetris of PRIDE Travel

S. Nathan DePetris of PRIDE Travel

TravelAge west magazine announced the 2010 Trendsetter awards as the feature article on the cover of the June 21, 2010 Issue. Among those received its top industry honors of TrendSetter, PRIDE Travel’s S. Nathan DePetris received the winning award in the category of travel agent SuperStar. The award marks the second category out of four that PRIDE Travel was honored for at this year’s gala ceremony; Marc R. Kassouf, the company’s co-owner and CEO, also received the runner-up award in the Best Community Service Effort category.

The TrendSetter award for travel agent SuperStar was conferred at the black tie annual TravelAge West WAVE awards ceremony held June 10th at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills. The travel industry’s top executives, experts, and figures were in attendance recognizing the best of the best in the industry. Accepting the winning award in the category for PRIDE Travel was S. Nathan DePetris, its co-owner and COO. Mr. DePetris and PRIDE received the award for their overall efforts as an agency and agent providing superlative service, forward-thinking innovation, and consistently hard work under unusual circumstances. As a token of recognition, the award’s sponsor Royal Caribbean and Celebrity Cruises bestowed a seven night Caribbean cruise for two on a Celebrity Solstice-class vessel, in a veranda stateroom. Mr. Kassouf and Mr. DePetris are planning to book a western Caribbean cruise February of 2011 to celebrate this accomplishment. Although they have sailed on countless Caribbean cruises, they find Celebrity Cruises’ offering of Roatan, Honduras intriguing and are excited to sail on the Celebrity Solstice which they had previously toured extensively but not had the opportunity to sail; Celebrity Cruises’ new Solstice class of vessels are arguably destinations unto themselves, designed for the discerning guest. Additionally, the sailing presents an opportunity to further enhance their first-hand experience of this unique and superlative product and the additional port knowledge in order to better serve PRIDE Travel’s clients.

In winning the award for SuperStar, DePetris noted that Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: award, gay, Industry, pride travel, superstar, travel, travel agency, Trendsetter

The Top Reasons Why YOU Should Use A Travel Agent

Aug 10

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

With all the recent research and dialogue about travelers returning to using travel agents more and more, we thought to remind ourselves… Why use a travel agent?

Here’s the “short list”:

  • Convenient One-Stop Shopping: Travel agents can handle every aspect of your trip from airline tickets to lodging, ground transportation, activities, tours and more.
  • Consumer Advocate: If you should have a problem during your trip, travel agents can act on your behalf to see that proper restitution is made.
  • Expert Guidance: Travel agents are experts in helping travelers get where they need to go and in helping to create possibilities most people never would have dreamed were possible.
  • Save Time: Avoid the headaches and let the travel agents call around and do all the time consuming work of planning a complex itinerary.
  • Choice: Travel agents offer you an array of options and price quotes from a variety of travel suppliers, giving you the upper hand when making your final travel decisions.
  • Less Stress: Planning a trip can be stressful. There are so many options and details to worry about. Travel agents do the work, resulting in less stress for you.
  • Updated Information: Travel agents are constantly communicating with the travel community, thus giving you the most up to date info on airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, travel visas, and other travel services to consider as you plan your trip.
  • Customer Service: Travel agents offer that “personal touch” to your travel planning experience- Offering help and advice that a website cannot provide.
  • Travel Documentation: Travel agents can help you to prepare and organize any necessary documents that you may need in order to travel outside of the country. They can direct you to your local passport office, and they know where you need a visa, as well as any other documentation that you might need along the way.
  • Travel Expertise: Many travel agents are considered experts in the area you are traveling to and have probably already been to your chosen destination.
  • Best Value for Your Money Spent: Travel agents can help you to make your dollars go farther while you are away. They have access to finding all sorts of deals, some that can only be booked by and through a travel agent! Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: reason, reasons to use, top, travel agency, travel agent, use, why

Just Released Forrester Research Finds Frustration With Online Travel Websites

Aug 5

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

Forrester Research issued a new study, “Using Digital Channels to Calm the Angry Traveler,” by Henry Harteveldt, that reports there are 15 percent fewer travelers who enjoy using the web in 2009 than there were in 2007.

Just one in three online travelers in the U.S. feels that travel websites do a good job presenting travel choices, down from 39 percent in 2008. A greater percentage of travelers who are fed up with travel websites may be returning to use traditional travel agents.

According to Harteveldt, travelers feel that they, and their business, are taken for granted by travel websites. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: internet travel, online travel, research, study, travel, travel agency, web

Worst Part of a Trip May Be Booking It on the Web

Aug 3

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in *Hot*, TripClips, TripTips | Comments off

By SUSAN STELLIN
Copyright, NEW YORK TIMES
Published: August 3, 2009

If you dreaded sitting down at your computer the last time you made travel arrangements or felt frustrated by all the time and effort it took to sort through pages of results for flights and hotels, join the crowd.

A new report, to be released Tuesday by Forrester Research, found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many consumers were fed up with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.

“What we’ve seen is growing frustration,” said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. “Consumers see other Web sites becoming easier to use — retail Web sites, banking Web sites, media Web sites. But travel is treading water as a category. There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process.”

Instead, customers are forced to figure out extra fees, wade through fine print and understand industry terms like the difference between a deluxe and a standard room, in addition to educating themselves about destinations, flights and hotels, Mr. Harteveldt said. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: internet travel, online travel, research, study, travel, travel agency, web

Time for Vacation? Send Allergy, Asthma Symptoms Packing

Jul 29

Posted by Marc, Owner & CEO in TripClips, TripTips | 1 Comment

We continue our Healthy Travel motif this month with an excerpted article on Allergies…

Whether your summer vacation plans include the beach, a road trip or camping, one thing’s for sure — suffering from allergy and asthma symptoms can quickly interrupt a good time. If you’re among the millions of people with allergies or asthma, a little preparation will help make sure that sneezing and wheezing don’t derail your vacation fun. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tags: allergy, asthma, health, hypoallergenic, travel, travel agency, Travel Health