Dear Tammy: I have clients who want to go away for the holidays, but of course many of the resorts are sold out. What options do I have for them?
Tammy: It's the most wonderful time of the year. Everyone is focused on buying gifts for friends, family and co-workers, attending parties, waiting for Santa to come, and making resolutions for the New Year. As travel agents, you might think this is a time to sit back and wait out the rest of the month before pushing any travel on your clients.
Wrong! Here's the deal - many people do not want to stay home for the holidays. They want to escape Christmas parties with Uncle George who will talk politics the entire night. They want to use the time when the family is all together to travel and see new sights, not overindulge on sweets and open gifts they really don't want.
In other words, it's the perfect time for you to be talking to your clients about getting away.
The only problem is that many popular resorts are already sold out for the holiday season, so you will have to think outside of the gift box on this one. Point your clients in the direction of properties that are off-the-beaten-path, such as a bed-and-breakfast in a quieter town versus a resort in a popular destination.
Or, how about a winter stay in a ski lodge, instead of a suite on a warm Caribbean island? The cost of the resorts would be so much higher anyway and, at certain times of the year, they require a minimum stay. Your clients may even save enough of money to go away and buy gifts for family and friends!
Talk to your clients about staying in a villa too, especially if they want to travel out of the country at holiday time. For example villas in continental Europe are large and luxurious and even can fit your client's entire family, so if they want to bring annoying Uncle George they can. You can probably snag them a great last-minute deal since the villas are looking for customers at this time of year.
Explain to your client that it doesn't matter where you wake up on Christmas morning or where you celebrate the eight days of Hanukkah. It's all about being together.
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