Celebrating Collette's Centennial

It was November 1918. World War I had just ended and the Boston Red Sox won the World Series, their last for almost a century. That year, the first Collette tour, operated by Jack Collette, was a jitney bus of travelers who went from Boston to Florida for a three-week adventure that cost $61.50 per person.

Fast forward 100 years and today Collette is a global tour operator with programs to all seven continents.

After that humble beginning, Collette remained small until the 1980s when, according to Stephanie Mirando, marketing manager, the company offered its first European trip to Switzerland.

Collette, still a family-owned enterprise, has evolved in many ways over the decades, Mirando said, including diversification of its product. The Classic line, with a maximum of 44 passengers, remains the core offering, but it has been joined by Spotlights tours that include stays at a single hotel, with travelers enjoying extensive free time.

Another option that has been added to meet changing tastes is Explorations, which offers groups of 24 or fewer travelers “the kind of experience you can only enjoy with a smaller group. They are much more culturally relevant and adventurous,” Mirando said.

Reflecting on the shifting demands of travelers, she noted that content is changing for all excursions, which in turn are becoming more local and immersive: “We are looking at ways that we can introduce more flexibility on tours."

Collette has already introduced the “It’s Your Choice” program, which fosters personalization of tours. Travelers are offered two choices of activities, which might be as simple as a bicycle ride versus a Vespa ride through a European city, or a “skywalk” along hanging bridges versus ziplining in Costa Rica.

And the list of the company’s destinations continues to grow: Last year, Collette added Japan and Finland, both of which are already among the company’s hottest products, according to Mirando.

CEO Daniel Sullivan, Jr. personally traveled to Japan and contracted with a tour design team. Finland is part of the Explorations line and includes a stay in an igloo “resort” with the opportunity for travelers to sleep under the Northern Lights.

While it has always been travel-agent-focused, Collette has become even more so over time: “I say we are the most agent-friendly operator in the industry,” said Mirando, adding that commissions are paid on all charges made prior to departure – no exceptions.

“We don’t allow commission rebating. That is something we have stood by for years.”

Notably, two years ago, Collette walked away from working with Costco. That move, she said, was aimed at supporting agent partners and ensuring that the price agents offer is the only price clients will find in the market: “The integrity of our relationship with our travel partners was more important; we want agents to trust us because that is the basis for the relationship.”

Another way in which Collette supports agents is through its sales team, which is “probably the biggest sales team in the tour space,” said Mirando. “It’s an investment, but you can see the difference it makes when you have the same person in the territory for a number of years.”

You don’t last for a century without innovating, and Collette continues to add new amenities, including “sedan service.” If clients book a package with air, they receive private car service to and from the airport.

“We like when agents can tell clients that their trip is stress-free and worry-free door to door,” Mirando said.

After travelers return, the operator has a full resolutions team to resolve any problems they may have encountered. In addition, Collette has a large call center because “support on the inside is just as important as support on the road,”

Collette’s centennial year, meanwhile, is looking very strong, with record-breaking weeks for 2018 bookings, partly because of media coverage of the anniversary celebration, Mirando said.

The company will mark the milestone in a big way, including a gala event in June for trade partners.