Nowadays, most people are very comfortable booking their own vacations online. So why would you and/or your guests want to go through a formal group booking with a travel agent/counselor (like us) instead of doing it themselves?
There are numerous benefits to working with a registered travel counselor under a group contract. Some of these include:
1. Lower pricing on the package rates for you and your guests: The cost of the resort package at the “group rate” is almost always less than posted rates and sometimes can represent several hundred dollars in savings per couple.
2. Reserved seats and rooms – why chance missing out? Many people are “trained” to book last minute because they believe the prices will go down. They feel they will get a much better deal if they wait. That may be true if a hotel or airline is selling off unused space but quite commonly, often the better hotels get completely booked up or even more commonly, there is no more space on the flights you want. DIY guests may find themselves unable to stay at the chosen resort where the wedding and/or rest of the group is at or have to take different dates.
3. Passenger/Room Credits: Most of the time, the tour operators will offer the wedding couple a certain number of free guests given number of paying guests. For example, you might be credited for the cost of one person for every ten booked (up to a certain maximum of free flights/rooms) and that is applied to the cost of your own arrangements and/or a refund to you. (Note this is the cost before taxes.) This can really add up to several thousands of dollars which you can then put towards the cost of the wedding itself!
4. Additional perks for Brides and Grooms. Tour operators may offer upgrades to Business Class for the couple, vouchers for future travel, special wedding dress storage, access to the Business Class lounge at the airport and other such promotions. (Offers vary by tour operator.)
5. Wedding package benefits: The resorts create wedding packages specifically for defined groups of guests to offer you the best value. While they understand that some guests may choose to stay elsewhere, they generally specifically require that 80% of the wedding guests are staying at the resort or their packages are invalid or will cost more. Also, if people are booking individually, especially if they are waiting last minute to do so, it makes it very challenging to try to arrange for the wedding ceremony and reception, group restaurant reservations, group excursions, etc.
6. Payment flexibility. Once the bride and groom book the group (held with a non-refundable deposit towards their own fares) then guests generally have a generous window of time to make their non-refundable deposits. Usually this deposit is around $200 per person, which is much more financially friendly than making a payment in full as one normally does when booking online. Final payment dates are often many months later and are published to all guests well in advance. Payments can be made at any time along the way.
7. Group seating. Many tour operators offer the option of the group being seated together on the airplane and will have transportation for the group from the airport to the resort and back on the one bus.
8. Guest management: We will know and keep you informed of who has booked to attend your wedding and help to ensure that payment deadlines are not missed, etc. Having a group also makes communication to guests easier (e.g. a group email set up to inform people of itinerary changes, etc.).
9. Concentrated Room Locations: Having a distinct wedding group makes it easier for the resort to try to have guest rooms in the same general area. When guests book themselves, it is impossible for the resort to know they are attending the wedding and their rooms may be located at the other end of the property!
10. Last minute changes: If last minute changes need to be made at the tour operator or resort level, the group will be kept together as much as possible. For example, if a hurricane damages your booked resort and there is the need to move the group to another resort, arrangements will be made for the whole group but that’s it. Anyone that booked themselves will have to figure it out themselves. Or if there is a problem with an airplane or a change to the airline schedule – the group will be given priority over individual passengers.
11. Benefits of Travel Agent: Get the assistance and expertise you need from a dedicated travel agent that you’ve developed a rapport with (not just a call center somewhere on the planet). You also have the benefit of someone following up with guests to remind them make their final payment on time for example (as they can lose their booking and deposit if they miss the final payment deadline). Not to mention that if you want to have a South Asian destination wedding, a LGBT destination wedding, a Jewish or Catholic destination wedding… only a few resorts offer these and do them well. We know which ones are going to give you the best experience.
12. Reduced or waived penalties for changes. Sometimes things happen and plans need to change. If someone has booked their trip, often they won’t be able to make changes to flights and reservations at all or without incurring a hefty penalty. As a part of a group, we can often negotiate the required changes for no or minimal additional cost to the guest.
13. There’s no cost to you or your guests! Travel agents are compensated by the tour operators – you don’t have to pay us a thing!
All in all, it just makes good sense for couples to work with a travel counselor to plan the biggest day of their lives and to take care of all their guests.
Call us today to get started!
