Disruptors are continually entering the travel industry, which gives existing businesses three options – ignore them and risk falling behind; hope they fail; or take a risk by working with them.
TravelManagers has chosen the latter by becoming the first travel network to enter a new partnership with online disruptor Luxury Escapes.
Speaking at the TravelManagers Conference in Hawaii, House of Travel’s Chief Executive Joe Araullo said that package deal sites are travel’s latest disruptors who have proven they’re in the industry to stay.
Instead of ignoring their presence, Araullo said it seemed more productive to work with them and give Personal Travel Managers (PTMs) access to more content.
“Our PTMs have had clients come in and request Luxury Escape packages, but they couldn’t book it for them,” he told KARRYON.
“The partnership is all about access to content.”
Joe Araullo, House of Travel Chief Executive
As part of the partnership, Luxury Escapes will serve as a B2B wholesaler for TravelManagers, which means PTMs will receive commission on every booking.
“During meetings, we got a lot of feedback about how these coupon, Groupon-type operators were disrupting business. So we looked at ‘how can we actually work with them’.”
Joe Araullo, House of Travel Chief Executive
- READ: TravelManagers provides Agents with free 24/7 mental support
- READ: Agents had the ‘time of their life’ on day one in Hawaii
- READ: Agents arrive in paradise for Mai Tais, sun & success