Calvisio

Hi, I'm new here. I'm hoping I can get some help or direction.

A couple of weeks ago I sent out the same email to some of the better know e-travel sites in the hope I could elicit some interest in a travel package.

I don't think my request is so out of the ordinary or unreasonable.

What I can't figure out is why I haven't heard back from anyone other than Expedia - whose answer was auto-generated and really not responsive.

Anyway, sample of the email is below. If anyone has any thoughts, comments or suggestions, I'd appreciate it.

I am looking to organize a "destination birthday" for my wife for her 50th birthday. Most of the people will be travelling from Toronto, Canada. The celebration will take place in Verona, Italy on
July 31, 2017.

So, basically, I am looking to organize airfares and lodgings. Ideally, what I'd like to do is have everyone make their own
arrangements through one travel site where they can apply a discount code.

The discount code would be funded in part by me, in the amount of $500 per person, and in part by the discount you could offer. I would be
prepared to guarantee at least 50 bookings. Is this something that you would be interested in putting together?

jabez

Welcome to FT! I can't help with your problem, but did enjoy Verona last year.

telabadmanwot

Hi Calvisio, welcome to FT.

You may have had a poor response because your question is so out of the ordinary that OTAs like Expedia would not be set up to administrate your request.

From your email it sounds like you want to part fund the trip personally.

Online travel agents are not high street travel agents. A traditional high street travel agent may be able to handle your admin heavy request.


Group booking an air plane is a pain in the hole. As an alternative, you could allow the guests to book their own travel arrangements and you book the hotel. Your contribution of 1000USD per room ($500 per person) should cover a 4* hotel in Verona for a week.

So just tell your friends and family to book their flights, and you book the hotel.

Contact the hotel manager directly and explain you would like to book multiple rooms and you should be able to get a discount directly.

If you need help, just ask.


PS. your request for a 'personal discount code' from an online travel agent has very little chance of being honored, unlike an expensive high street travel agent, an online travel agent has an operating profit margin of 3% on hotels and 0.5% on flights

Non-NonRev

Contact the airline's Group Sales department to get a discount code created. They can probably offer some very basic advice on making it easier for your travelers to make their bookings.

Here, as an example, is the Air Canada group sales page:

https://www.aircanada.com/en/traveli...re/grpexpress/

Calvisio

Thanks for the informative replies and comments.

Kagehitokiri

many suppliers sell gift cards for their own products

but re having multiple suppliers >

https://www.hotels.com/hotel-deals/giftcards/ including buying in bulk

is there anything else that is similar?

some smaller companies do it, but dont really work for verona

MSPeconomist

Most people will be traveling on different flights, especially if their points of origin are different. So getting an airline discount code would seem to be the best you can do.

OTOH, you probably wan't to encourage everyone to stay in the same hotel, which would work well if you subsidize much of the room cost and also set up a room block, ideally at a discounted rate, although this might be difficult to do in nice places in Italy, versus properties that do a lot of meeting/convention/"congress" business.

Often1

With this number of people, you are best off retaining a real travel agent who comes highly recommended for this sort of work. Get recommendations from others who work with the TA, do it with someone local and who knows that your recommendation will count for something. Calling air carriers yourself identifies you as a rookie. Nobody needs your business, but they do need the TA's and they have every reason to make the TA happy.

While a good TA will charge fees, what you seek is a lot of work and while you think that is huge, consider that it is one bus-load of people and think about how many busloads of Canadian tourists tootle around Europe in the summer to get a sense of scale.

I would have the TA work with the air carrier for a discount, a hotel for room rates, and whatever food & beverage might be included. Same thing for airport transfers (if you intend to provide those). Perhaps other suggestions.

You can then subsidize what you want. It may be easier to make arrangements with the hotel to discount its rooms and then to master bill you for an additional amount, rather than trying to deal with an air carrier in the same way.

Also, in this way, the TA handles the reservations, the headaches of cancellations, changes and payment and all you need do is pay money and enjoy yourself.

MSPeconomist

Remember that if you hold significant, meaning expensive, F&B events at the hotel, they're likely to give you a discount on the room rate or vv.

EZEDoesIt

We held a group event in Northern Italy this year. I arranged the accommodations and bought flights for only a couple special guests. Everyone else just got a reserved room at the hotel and the dates so they could arrange their own transportation. Organizing air travel for numerous people sounds like a headache.

Romelle

Earlier you mentioned supplying $500 per person. Maybe you could just directly give this to people coming. And supply them with some lists of trip-planning resources (hotel name and #, other hotels in the area, airlines serving destination, sites like Expedia, etc.). Maybe set up a blog or a Facebook page so everybody could take note of other's plans and discoveries.

Or locate a travel agent as suggested in an earlier post. But still giving people the option of working with them or DIY.

You will be amazed at how many variations there are on what seems simple initially. Extra day before, three extra days after, certain bed requirements, smoking/non-smoking, cheaper hotel in the area, departure/arrival from a different city (open-jaw ticket), dietary restrictions, .....

I urge you to save yourself. And thereby save the family relationships and possibly even your marriage.

Romelle