Skift Take

The proliferation of resort fees even at non-resort hotels is creating an extra layer of responsibility for travel advisors. Along with ensuring that their clients are aware of the charges, many are also recommending alternative hotels.

Whether you are a home-based travel advisor or you work in a large office servicing high-profile accounts, the Travel Advisor Innovation Report will have you covered with the trends, news, and features you’ll need to stay on top of an ever-changing marketplace.

Travel advisors now have a new task: ensuring that clients know up front about any resort fees they may find on their hotel bills. With more hotels — including many in non-resort locations — tacking on charges for amenities like gym access and housekeeping services, the need to protect clients from unwanted surprises that can add hundreds of dollars to their vacation cost is essential.

While not hopeful that the fee practice will end anytime soon, many travel advisors are steering their clients toward hotels and resorts that don’t charge resort fees. They also say the resort fee situation is one more way in which travel advisors are demonstrating their value to consumers.

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Any suggestions for the coverage you would like to see are welcome. Feel free to contact me at [email protected].

— Maria Lenhart, Travel Advisor Editor

Featured Stories

Travel Advisors Act to Protect Clients From Resort Fee Surprises: Not only are resort fees an annoyance for hotel guests, but they put the onus on travel advisors to make sure clients are aware of what their stay will actually cost. Some advisors are fighting back by steering clients toward properties that don’t charge the fees.

Expedition Cruising Is Still Small But Going Mainstream for Travel Advisors: Expedition cruises have come a long way from bunk accommodations on old Russian ships, with a growing fleet of luxury vessels presenting lucrative opportunities for travel advisors. It’s especially so for those looking for unique holiday solutions for their well-heeled customers.

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Puerto Rico Tourism Boss Calls Governor’s Resignation a ‘Turning Point’: The fact that Puerto Rico’s governor dragged out his resignation in such painstaking fashion didn’t help the island’s tourism prospects. Now it’s back to business for the island’s hotels, meetings venues, and attractions. It’s tough to take a punch in the gut, though, just when you got up off the mat.

Redesigning New York’s East End for Year-Round Luxury: Small towns across the world like Montauk are becoming luxury destinations. Hoteliers building luxury experiences within them face a handful of challenges to balance the local community and original allure with high-end service and amenities. It will be interesting to watch how these brands and locations evolve as tourism continues to boom.

Hotels

The La Quinta Brand Is Receiving Plenty of TLC From Wyndham: Chalk up La Quinta’s poor performance in the second quarter to nothing more than a blip. The brand has always performed in line with direct competitors. But Wyndham wants to take it to another level.

Hilton Being Held Back by China Trade Tussle: Luckily, Hilton has built a strong business model that should see it through any tough times.

Airlines

Did an Aggressive United Push Southwest Out of Newark Hub? When United Airlines President Scott Kirby joined in 2016, he promised he’d boost share at Newark. Now Southwest is pulling out of Newark, citing a tough environment. Think this is a coincidence?

Spirit Airlines’ On-Time Arrivals Plan Backfired When It Cut Corners: Every airline executive knows how to improve on-time performance. But there’s a problem. It’s expensive, since airlines usually must add slack to the schedule. Eventually the costs add up so airlines reduce the slack, hoping reliability will hold steady. Sometimes this works. Sometimes it doesn’t.

Skift Travel Advisor Editor Maria Lenhart [[email protected]] curates the Skift Travel Advisor Innovation Report. Skift emails the newsletter every Tuesday. Have a story idea? Or a juicy news tip? Want to share a memo? Send her an email.

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Tags: airlines, cruises, hotels, tourism, travel advisor innovation report, travel agents

Photo credit: Shown here is the Las Vegas skyline. Many Las Vegas hotels see resort fees as essential to profitability. Many travel advisors see them as anathema to providing decent customer service for clients. Bloomberg

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