Other than providing recommendations, are there any benefits in going through a travel agent when booking a hotel/resort? And if a travel agent books a hotel, is it considered a 3rd party booking meaning that you may not receive stay/night credit or elite benefits per your status? I've never thought too much about this because my default has always been to just go directly through the hotel/resort's website. However when trying to figure out how best to make a reservation for an upcoming stay at LeBlanc Cancun, it got me thinking if I'd been doing it wrong all along.

I use an agent for professional travel and have always received points / credit for my hotel, car and flight.

Travel Agent here...

We work directly with hotels/resorts, cruise lines, and suppliers(3rd parties) that work exclusively with travel consultants. No overbooking!

We also provide one on one guidance in planning your travel and booking everything! Not just hotels.

I have no hidden or built in fees. Some agencies I'm seeing are starting to charge fees for planning and booking.

We can match and often beat rates that you can find online. It does depend on the hotel but I have found this to be true.

We are your personal travel advocate, before, during and after travel. We can help with dinner reservations, excursions and tours, spa reservations, car rentals, and flights. And if you have an issue with ANY of these we can help work things out.

Yes, you will still receive your extra points/nights stay and all the other perks of booking direct. My husband is a Titanium Elite something or other with Marriott Bonvoy and I book our stays all the time and he still receives all his perks and points.

With COVID requirements for international travel, we're also here to help navigate that and point you in the right direction as far as testing, health forms (pre and post arrival), and any other issues relating to these new regulations. We want this to be as seamless as possible.

If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to help!

Use!

Travel agent here. I echo all of what Breeze stated. Most of the below more applies to those traveling out of the country. I do very little US travel.

Obviously I would advocate for using one, especially if leaving the country. We can almost always meet the pricing you see online, many times we can beat them. This is not always the case, but usually can come close.

Agents are well-versed in the ever-changing rules, especially with COVID. We spend countless hours on hold to make changes/updates to your vacation. Within the past month, I have spent over 50-60 hours just on hold. This past Sunday I was on hold 7 hrs 21 minutes before an agent picked up - all for a 3 minute phone call.

We know which resorts to send you to, and which to avoid. We are in groups with thousands of agents and we hear all the feedback from the various resorts. When something goes wrong we have a team of people who can try and get issues addressed, not a single person trying to get a resolution at a resort.


As far as your points/stays - I will say it depends how the trip is booked. Yes, if we book direct with Marriott, Hilton, etc, you will get your points. If we bundle flight and hotels (like with AA Vacations), those do not always count. So you would need to know which is more beneficial to you.

I like Breeze do not charge fees. Many agents are starting to so they don't get tire kickers. To me this is just part of the service provided - all of my quotes and services are free of charge. The only exception is if I book flights only, which is not my favorite thing to do and I most likely will no longer be doing this after some of the crazy stuff that happened during COVID.


Just want to add you cannot go wrong with a stay at Le Blanc Cancun. I was there back in October and it is absolutely stunning.

Using a travel agent... a lot of pros, very few cons.

Obvious pros:
-they manage your travel arrangement.
-if things go wonky, they handle the issues for you
-they get notifications from travel partners about latest deals and such.
-they have experience in places and destinations to guide your planning
-a fun resource to plan your vacation with you.
-they cost nothing to you to use as they are typically paid by the travel partners (hotels, resorts, cruise lines etc)

Cons:
-if you like to be the planner and booker... then you have to give some of that responsibility over to them.
-if you are wanting to use a VRBO or airBNB type spot, I don't think they book that type of vacation (someone correct?)
-I think many have gotten away from booking airfare cause there are so many dynamics at play. But probably not all... depends on if you are using a typical cruise/resort type agent(?)

There is a lot of upside to using a travel agent in my opinion and very little downside.

I do not book AirBnB's or most condos. We have the ability now through some of our vendors (Expedia, Classic, etc) however I don't want to deal with that. Just too much uncertainty.

Today another agent I work with had their clients house rental in Florida cancel 24 hours prior to arrival. The management company is saying "send your people down, we will find them something" but the management company's hands are pretty tied because there is little to no inventory. It's one thing when it is a hotel and they have other rooms they can pull from - but a bunch of random houses - that becomes much harder. Just not worth the hassle.

And I agree on flights - if I am not bundling it with hotels and making a package, I am no longer booking them in most cases.

Only time I've ever used a travel agent was our honeymoon to St Lucia 14 years ago. Since then we haven't really done a vacation that's required it.

That said, we're taking my mom on an Alaskan cruise next summer, and I've never booked a cruise trip, especially one like this that's gonna involve open jaw flights.

Either of you deal with these? Was going to just work through Holland or one of the other lines but would love supporting an Ag if you guys have experience with these.

For cruises, I have a supplier that deals specifically with cruises only so I usually book with them and they take care of everything. They book the cruise, flights, transfers, tours/excursions, pre/post hotel, etc...
The only time I've dealt with open jaw flights is with them and they handle it seamlessly.
I've also worked with the cruise line directly if they have something I'm specifically looking for or a special deal but that rarely happens.

I haven't booked a ton of Alaskan cruises but I have done maybe 8-10? II've had clients sail on Holland, Princess, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean for Alaska.

My contact info is in my profile if you want to reach out.

Thanks all for your perspective! This is super helpful. And JMac and Breeze, really appreciate all the insights that you two bring to the travel board!

I think they can be helpful for large groups or getting deals for resorts or cruises. If I am just traveling around Europe or something I prefer to do the planning myself. For me, that's part of the fun.

I chaperone a yearly school trip that is completely handled by a company. Since I collect Marriott points and status, I always ask if I can get any member benefits at the hotel. They never give points, but they always give nights stayed credits.

On a separate note - if any of you have ever thought about becoming a travel agent (part-time is fine). hit me up. I am considering expanding my agency but I need to make sure they are the right fit. I would LOVE it if you have previous TA experience.