In This Issue

• Message from Mai
• This November send your clients a little shock and awe!
• CCRA - A Better Way to Get Your Share of Travel Agent Business
• Hotels Renew Interest in Agents, Citing Healthy Yields
• CCRA Travel Solutions Unveils Global Distribution Network at the American Society of Travel Agents Annual Conference
• CCRA travels to meet travel agents and promote partners like you

Message from Mai

Welcome to the October issue of the Check-In Newsletter.

News about professional travel planners couldn't be better. According the Pegasus View, which measures GDS activity, revenues through September are up 16.7% YTD over 2010 and 39.6% over 2009 for North America and, globally, 21.6% and 54.2% respectively for the same time periods. The Travel Agent Market is back ... with a vengeance!

In this issue of Check-In, we'll bring you information about just what this market means to the hotel industry, and what you and CCRA can do together to help you get your share of this high rated lucrative business.

Travel Agent business is once again great business, and CCRA is your pipeline to this high rated market. In 2012 we will be doing even more to help our hotels capture this lucrative market; watch future issues for information about upcoming educational webinars as well as a series of regional meetings that can help your hotel put heads in beds.

Sincerely,

Mai Meyaart
Vice President and Managing Director

This November send your clients a little shock and awe!

Guess what your competitors will all be doing in just a few days? This month they must order the obligatory, interdenominational 2011 holiday cards, and each day during December their clients will reach into their inbox and pull out a fistful of brightly colored holiday cards with imprint of the supplier's company name and, occasionally, a personalized signature. Each card will look very much like the dozens and dozens of other holiday cards that arrive every day.

Want to immediately stand out from the competition this year? Send a Thanksgiving card instead. Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday to reach out to your existing clients. Why? Rarely do any of us receive a Thanksgiving card at work. The impact you will make upon your client will be remarkable.

This November why not let your Thanksgiving card "sing a solo" on your client's desk rather than be part of a big noisy choir come December?

Bill Todd is one of 2010's most sought after sales motivational speakers and trainers.
He is the co-author with Stephen Covey of Speaking of Success. Todd has served as vice president of sales and industry marketing for Choice Hotels International, and was vice president of sales and marketing for Marriott International's Corporate Lodging Division.
BTodd@BTodd.com | www.BTodd.com | 301.633.5856

CCRA - A Better Way to Get Your Share of Travel Agent Business

Reach over 50,000 individual travel agents around the world – only through CCRA.

Interest in the travel agent market has never been higher. Study after study show not only is this market growing, but it is both very high rated and represents repeat business.

When you choose to participate in the CCRA 2012 Negotiated Hotel Rate Program, you are seizing the opportunity to reach over 50,000 travel agents around the globe.

Reach – CCRA and it's network of over 5,000 affiliated travel agents means your rates reach a global audience of over 50,000 decision makers

Customer mix – these 50,000 agents represent the full spectrum of travelers. Our customer mix is corporate/leisure: 45/55

Business mix – because our agents book both corporate and leisure, CCRA is the best way to build occupancy weekday and weekend

Rate – studies from TravelClick and Smith Travel Research show that business booked by travel agents is significantly higher than other channels. In fact, a study previewed last week at USTA's Marketing Outlook Forum indicates that the travel agent average-rate is not only the highest of all channels ... it is almost double what hotels realize from opaque online bookings, even after factoring in all associated fees.*

Hotels Renew Interest in Agents, Citing Healthy Yields

Hotels are becoming increasingly aware of the importance of travel agents. Until recently, it was believed that the travel agent market was a disappearing business. However, companies like PhoCusWright and Pegasus have come out with numerous reports and articles stating that travel agent revenue is on the rise.

"The quality of business being booked by agents is significantly different than that being produced through other channels," said Douglas Quinby, senior director, research, for PhoCusWright stated in a recent article on TravelMarketReport.com.

At Starwood, agent bookings deliver a higher average daily rate (ADR) and longer stays, often because agents tend to book premium room categories, according to Chris Austin, vice president, global retail leisure and luxury sales.

As hotel chains are becoming more aware of the resurgence of travel agent business, many are coming up with incentive and training programs specifically targeting travel agents. Click here to get the full story.

CCRA Travel Solutions has been a premiere distribution channel between hotels and travel agents for almost 20 years. During the worst of the economic recession, CCRA continued to promote the value of the travel agent market and today, as that market makes a comeback, CCRA remains a recognized, trusted and well utilized resource for travel agents. Travel agents deliver high rated business and CCRA delivers travel agents!

To learn more about how your hotel, chain or management company can work with CCRA to capture more of the travel agent market click here.

CCRA Travel Solutions Unveils Global Distribution Network at the American Society of Travel Agents Annual Conference

CCRA's Plan to Develop International Products and Service Offerings
Will Boost Revenues Worldwide for CCRA Hotel Partners

CCRA President Dic Marxen announced at ASTA'S "THETRADESHOW" conference in Las Vegas, that CCRA's Global Network Division has signed its first seven global distributor network agreements in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America; extending CCRA's international presence to over 10,000 new travel agencies in 18 countries. An additional four distributorships are in final negotiations.

CCRA now forecasts entry into 40 countries with reach to over 50,000 new agencies by the end of 2012 – including new distributor relationships in the US and Canada.

Led by Peter E. Pincus, President of CCRA's Global Network Division, CCRA has transformed its business model from one of the largest hotel distributors in the U.S. and Canada to a global travel consortium.

"CCRA is now positioned as a leading distributor of travel products to a global network of travel buyers/consumers. CCRA's global distribution model allows CCRA to open international markets for our travel supplier partners, quickly and efficiently. Before the end of 2011, we will deliver a new audience of over 30,000 qualified travel buyers to our network of travel suppliers.

CCRA travels to meet travel agents and promote partners like you

Autumn is conference season, and for CCRA that means participation in the most important conferences and tradeshows in the professional travel industry. In the past two months alone we've traveled to Las Vegas, Boston, and Canada to meet with travel agents and agency VIPs to promote partners like you - hotels and brands that understand professional travel agents and value their business.

In September we were present at ASTA's THETRADESHOW in Las Vegas. In Boston, we participated in the OSSN Home Based Travel Agent Forum, and in Canada we met with Canadian agents at the Vacation.com 2011 Canadian Fall Regional.

Our last travel shows of the season are in Ft. Worth and San Antonio, TX where we will participate in The 2011 CTD Conference and stay up to speed on critical travel trends by attending the US Travel Association's Marketing Outlook Forum.

Of course, CCRA also attends major hospitality industry conferences as well, where we can meet with our hotel partners and stay tuned into the industry's trends and concerns.

Next month we will be traveling 'across the pond' to London where we will be attending World Travel Market. We value this opportunity to meet with hoteliers and chat about what we're doing and what we can do to help you in the next year.

If you're interested in meeting with Mai Meyaart, VP and Managing Director for CCRA, or Benet Henderson, Director, Hotel Partner Solutions, please email us at sales@ccra.com, so we can schedule an appointment with you. We look forward to seeing you at WTM!