In the early days of September 2017, I was at the TravelManagers Annual Conference. Champagne bubbles in delicate flutes, laughter rings out as people dance in the middle of the room.
And where was I? Out in the middle of the floor, laughing and enjoying some time with others? Not quite. My experience at the gala was a little different.
I am in the corner of the room on the phone with Royal Caribbean Cruiseline. On the other side of the world, a storm is about to hit. But, this wasn’t just any storm. This was Hurricane Irma. The hurricane ploughed through South Florida before turning up the west coast of the state, ripping off roofs, flooding coastal cities, and knocking out power to more than 6.8 million people.
On the other side of the world, my clients were vacationing in Orlando. Finishing up some family fun at Disney World, they were just about to embark on a cruise. A cruise which was going to be postponed for 3 nights.
I was informed of the encroaching hurricane before they even became aware of it.
So, whilst others at the event were busy dancing and enjoying their night, I was trying to figure out where they were going to stay in a city which was now overflowing with evacuated people.
By the time they were leaving their Disney World vacation, I had already organised a car to take them to alternative accommodation and secured a cruise voucher that could be redeemed anywhere in the world. Over the next few days, I made sure that they kept the receipts for everything; food ordered at restaurants, any extracurricular activities and even the taxi costs for trips to the local supermarket.
After they returned from their holiday, I was still working, on the phone every day with the insurance company to ensure that they received all their money back for this unforeseen detour.
But, they knew that when they booked with me that this is the kind of service that I was going to provide. I stay with my clients all the way.
And those clients stay with me all the way too. They are now my clients for life!
Some people think the effort and time I dedicate to my clients is crazy. How I can get a call from someone at 3 am because their hotel is overbooked, or to give a couple of restaurant suggestions in a faraway city, but that’s my job. To travel means to encounter the unexpected, and I make sure that I am with my clients through anything.
And I love it.
Lana Kanchik
Your Personal Travel Manager
