HOT turning up the heat at TravelManagers
House of Travel’s acquisition of TravelManagers late last year has been praised by many of the network’s personal travel managers, with comments that the transition has been smooth and that it is very much business as usual.
House of Travel’s executive general manager retail, Mandy Scotney said that she beleived that direct communication with the personal travel managers as early as possible was seen as a priority and as a result, CEO Joe Araullo, Don Beattie, GM of TravelManagers and Mandy, in the initial week of the acquisition, met face-to-face with as many of the travel managers as possible as quickly as possible.
She said, “We wanted to communicate in person what the acquisition would mean for individual members of the personal travel managers network.”
Moving into 2008, Mandy says she is going one step further and will this week begin a tour of Australia to meet every travel manager individually, to understand their individual aspirations and discuss possible future developments.
She added, “We stated from day one that it was our intention to learn about the business and understand what makes it tick and this is the beginning of doing exactly that.”
“Over the next couple of months it is my personal goal to meet face-to-face with each member to gain a greater understanding of what works, what doesn’t and where improvements can be made.”
Mandy also added that part of the success of House of Travel had been the value they place on building relationships and trust, saying “This is done through open communication and frequent dialogue.” “TravelManagers aims to be the leading network of its kind in Australia and to do that successfully we need to keep it personal – no matter how big we grow.”
Mandy confirmed discussions would be held around the proposed enhancements House of Travel will be introducing to the TravelManagers business model and while she wouldn’t be drawn on specifics she did say they included significant improvements in technology.
”We are drawing on House of Travel New Zealand’s significant expertise in the area of technology which allows them to be the most productive agency network in New Zealand.” She also said that improved communication and internal systems were on the agenda as were capitalising on existing preferred supplier relationships and support.
Growing the network is a key objective for TravelManagers and Scotney and general manager Don Beattie are interested in speaking with small agency owners and experienced travel consultants who are open to exploring how working with House of Travel via the TravelManagers network could be a fulfilling step forward.
“TravelManagers with its generous commission payments, opportunity for flexibility, and strong team support offers a great opportunity for those serious about travel as a career.”
“There is a great deal of energy and passion for TravelManagers, so it is an opportune time to come on board.”
Over the next two months Scotney will be in all major centres across Australia and she can be contacted on: 0403 934 058 or by email at [email protected]
A Report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026