Travel Agent of the Day - Thursday, November 29th, 2007 - Stacey Criss
11/29/2007 12:11 p.m.
Stacey Criss
Certified Travel Associate (CTA), Certified Travel Consultant (CTC), Certified Travel Industry Executive (CTIE), Destination Specialist (DS), Master Cruise Counselor (MCC)
Stacey joined the Tripology network in August of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com.
How long have you been in the business?
"Over ten years."
Do you have a passion for travel?
"Yes, I have a huge passion for travel and I tend to get very excited when planning a trip."
Did you do anything else before becoming a travel agent?
"I have been in public accounting for over 15 years and enjoy working with numbers, budgets, individual taxes, corporate taxes, catering, etc. Travel is the only profession that relaxes me and takes me to places that are quite and serene."
Are there any great perks that come with working in this business?
"Yes"
What are some of the perks?
"Great commissions, establishing long lasting relationships, discounts, upgrades when I travel, etc."
Do you take a lot of vacations?
"Yes"
Do you go alone or do your friends and family tag along?
"I normally plan two family trips a year, a girlfriend's getaway, woman's retreat, and a romantic getaway."
Favorite getaways to head off to on your own?
"Puerto Rico"
Do you inadvertently work a lot when you are on vacation? - scouting hotels, activities, tours and sites?
"Yes"
How else do you review hotels that you may not have been to?
"I love to network and talk to people about their past experiences best. In addition, I read customer reviews and research the area as well."
How many clients do you have right now?
"65"
Do you work with a partner?
"Yes, I was fortunate to find a wonderful partner, Ana Soto. Ana is an asset to my company and we plan to spend many more years together."
Office or home?
"Home office"
Do you limit how many clients you can work with at one time?
"No, since we have a lot of extra help we do not need to limit the number of clients that we work with at one time."
Websites such as, Orbitz, Expedia, and Travelocity have given the opportunity to travelers to book trips without a travel agent. Have you found this to be a problem for you?
"No, because those websites cannot answer questions like I can. I feel that speaking with a live person is better than just guessing when booking your trip."
What are you doing to convince travelers that a travel agent is a better option?
"I tell them that we will spend the time to find the best deals, answer any questions they might have, and resolve any problems they may experience."
If a traveler asks you, "Why should I use a travel agent," how do you respond?
"I have a Customer Advocacy posted on my website that I abide by very carefully, which includes a promise to give them: Expert Guidance, Personalized Service, Professional Advice, Save Them Time, Offer Them Unbiased Information, and Find them the Best Deals."
Have any travelers given you any horror stories of experiences they had trying to book a trip on their own?
"Yes, and that was because they booked the trip themselves, didn't include trip insurance, and didn't have anyone to answer their questions."
Do you have any tips for the listening travel community?
"Yes. Travel Agents are the way to go. We are here to assure you that your trip will be a hit every time and at the best price."
What's the most exciting trip to book right now for you?
"The Caribbean Islands, whether it's by cruise, air, or for a honeymoon, birthday celebration, or even a family reunion."
What would you say is your most popular destination request right now?
"Any place with a warm climate."
Why do you think that is?
"During the winter, people prefer to take trips to warmer climates and that is part of the reason the Caribbean Islands have been so popular."
There's a lot of buzz about specialization these days, and how destination expertise is still a great value proposition for travelers. Why do you think agent specialization is important to have when travelers are trying to book the trip?
"Specialization is important because you have the ability to plan their ideal trip. Educating one's self is key."
What does it mean to be specialized to you? Is it focusing on only 1 thing and traveling there every year?
"No"
Does specialization actually mean focusing on a handful of things?
"Yes"
Do travelers ask a lot if you have been to where they are trying to book their trip?
"All the time."
A popular trip request lately has been for flight only quotes. Do you believe that a good agent can up-sell these requests to full trips?
"Yes, we should have the ability to do that."
How would you go about doing this?
"I would try to find out more about the trip and why they are traveling and then make suggestions."
Have you tried it with our site yet?
"Yes, and I have made several bookings."
If someone were to call you and ask for a once in a lifetime vacation idea, what would you suggest?
"That would depend on a few things including: their interests, what they would like to do on the trip, is there a special occasion, etc. ~ And based on the answers from those questions I would make my suggestions. When you are planning a trip for your client, their interests and the occasion all play a part in planning their perfect trip."
Funniest thing you have ever been asked?
"The funniest thing I have ever been asked was if I would be able to book a presidential suite for a two week vacation for $500 or less."
Tags: travel agents of the day
Relevant Articles:
Travel Agent of the Day - Friday, November 30th, 2007 - Marina Byrum
Michele H - 11/30/2007
Marina ByrumCertified Travel Consultant (CTC), Destination Specialist (DS) Marina joined the Tripology network in June of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "Forty-two years." What inspired you to become a travel agent? "The urge to ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day - Tuesday, November 27, 2007 - Kristen Hernandez
Michele H - 11/27/2007
Kristen HernandezHoneymoon Specialist Kristen joined the Tripology network in August of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "13 years." What inspired you to become a travel agent? "When I was growing up ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day - Monday, November 26th, 2007 - Vicky Spencer
Michele H - 11/26/2007
Vicky SpencerDestination Specialist (DS) Vicky joined the Tripology network in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "One and a half years." What inspired you to become a travel agent? "Realizing the value of ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Friday November 23rd, 2007 - Patricia Baker
Michele H - 11/23/2007
Patricia BakerDestination Specialist (DS), Recommend Destination Specialist Patricia joined the Tripology network in June of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business?"20 years" What inspired you to become a travel agent?"I wanted to help people ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Wednesday November 21, 2007 - Linda Spyres
Michele H - 11/21/2007
Linda SpyresAccredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), Destination Specialist (DS), Recommend Destination Specialist Linda joined the Tripology network in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "Eight years." What inspired you to become a travel ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Tuesday November 20th, 2007 - Lisa Williams
Michele H - 11/19/2007
Lisa WilliamsCertified Travel Consultant (CTC), Destination Specialist (DS), Lifestyle Specialist (LS), Recommend Destination Specialist Lisa joined the Tripology network in October of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "Almost 20 years." What inspired you to ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Friday November 16th, 2007 - Jennifer Byrne
Michele H - 11/16/2007
Jennifer ByrneDestination Specialist (DS), Lifestyle Specialist (LS), Recommend Destination Specialist Jennifer joined the Tripology network back in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "14 years." What inspired you to become a travel ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Monday November 19th, 2007 - Loretta Lamberth
Michele H - 11/15/2007
Loretta LamberthEuropean Travel Specialist Loretta joined the Tripology network back in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "Over two years." What inspired you to become a travel agent? "It sounds so cliché, ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Wednesday November 14th, 2007 - Larry Martino
Michele H - 11/14/2007
Larry Martino Destination Specialist (DS) Larry joined the Tripology network back in March of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers he found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "About three and a half years." What inspired you to become a ... Read More
Travel Agent of the Day Tuesday November 13th, 2007 - Philippa Andrea Bollman
Michele H - 11/13/2007
Philippa Andrea Bollman Philippa joined the Tripology network back in September of 2007 and has already planned some great vacations for travelers she found through Tripology.com. How long have you been in the business? "Officially, for one year. Unofficially, I have been booking travel and helping with vacation plans for ... Read More
