In This Issue

• Bringing You and Your Clients Great Summer Offers
• Notes from Liz: Heads up on Hotels
• Go shopping this week! It's good for business!
• Adding More Hotels and Lower Rates in the CCRA Hotel Program
• TripAdvisor Unveils 2011 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards

Featured Destinations

• Hotel Viking, Newport RI offers a Spring Escape Package
• Summer is Spectacular at The Allerton Hotel Magnificent Mile in Chicago

Bringing You and Your Clients Great Summer Offers

Welcome to the May issue of the newsletter! By now you've probably sent your clients on the first batch of summer vacations. Where did you send them? We'd love to know. Our hotel suppliers have come up with some great offers for you and your clients to take advantage over the summer months. Have you visited our Travel Agent Specials page lately? In this issue, read about TripAdvisors 2011 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards. You can expect to send a few of your travelers to these places, if you haven't already.

If you haven't booked the CCRA rates, read the article below to find out what you're missing! Our hotel programs works to bring you special negotiated rates you can't find anywhere else. These rates are available in the GDS and on CCRAtravel.com. We pride ourselves on bringing you more booking options no matter where you book.

Don't forget to check out our Educational Webinars this month! We're pleased to bring you CCRA Exclusive webinars featuring Noble House Hotels and Destination Hotels & Resorts. These webinars help you learn more about these beautiful brands and their properties, you also have an opportunity to win some great prizes. Register now for Noble House and Destination Hotels.

Enjoy the newsletter!

Sincerely,

The CCRA Marketing Team

Notes from Liz: Heads up on Hotels

Most of us have traveled at least a little, some of us more extensively. It is a great advantage because you learn about hotels first-hand. You experience the service, see the room types and, if you travel internationally, understand some of the nuances. For example, you know that European hotel rooms are typically smaller and a two-bedded room often means two twin beds, not queens or kings. Double occupancy can also mean a double bed instead of a queen or king bed.

Although we do not always have time to travel, it is a good idea to take familiarization trips to destinations you sell most often. If you are a cruise specialist, taking cruises is important so you can inform your customers of all the parts of the trip they do not realize are necessary – like traveling a day prior to departure in order to insure they do not miss boarding time. These "fam" trips are often at excellent discounts and can be written off as business expenses.

Now that city taxes are being added separately by hotels in some cities and resort fees are added by other hotels, it is important for travel professionals to look for the information when booking a destination. Be aware of "hidden fees" hotels are now adding as guests check out of the hotel. Not all fees can be prepaid.

At CCRA, with over 160,000 hotels worldwide, we do our best to include as much information as possible about hotels. Every once in a great while we learn about fees that are not disclosed and will do our best to bring the information to the forefront.

If you know the destination you book has started adding fees or taxes, please let us know. We appreciate the information and I am sure your fellow travel professional will.

Sincerely,

Go shopping this week! It's good for business!
Written by: Bill Todd

Imagine reading an article in which the president and CEO of Pizza Hut is interviewed and finding out that he has never ordered home delivery from Domino's Pizza. Your surprise grows as the story goes on to reveal that the CEO of UPS has never sent an overnight package with FedEx. To your amazement, you also read that senior management at Coca Cola never samples Pepsi's products. You'll probably agree that these senior executives are asleep at the wheel.

Yet, it is not uncommon to hear that travel professionals rarely budget time to shop their direct competition. The irony is that aggressively shopping the local competition is actually a high priority for customers and prospects. In 2011, our clients have done more homework on us and know more about our competition than at any other time. One of the fundamental responsibilities of all travel agencies is to know exactly how the competition services, sells, and follows up with their customers.

Understanding how the competition sells and prospects is vital to winning the local market share battle. Armed with this information, you can rapidly improve or adjust your own service levels to ensure that you win the business of every future shopper. In the past, we merely had to monitor how our competitors sold over the phone or face-to-face. Today, we also have to monitor their online presence diligently.

This includes their listing on a consortia's website plus their own local sites to include jump pages. Jump pages, also called landing pages - are an extremely valuable source of information about a travel agency's newest promotions or the corporate clients they're servicing.

Research tells us that 74% of customers who stop using a specific travel agency and take their business down the street to the competition are not motivated by price or location. They switch because of indifference or a bad attitude they've experienced with one frontline employee. Knowing which of your competitors is vulnerable to losing customers gives you a competitive advantage while targeting their clients. So make a point to go shopping this week! It's good for business.

Bill Todd
Bill Todd is one of the travel industry's most sought-after sales and marketing speakers and coaches. He is the co-author of the new book Speaking of Success which also features best-selling authors Stephen R. Covey (Seven Habits of Highly Effective People), Ken Blanchard (One Minute Manager) and Jack Canfield (The Secret and Chicken Soup for the Soul). Todd has served as vice president of sales and industry marketing for the 5000+ franchises and seven global brands of 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

Adding More Hotels and Lower Rates in the CCRA Hotel Program

CCRA is continuously trying to improve our hotel program for the travel agent community. This year it's bigger then ever, with more offers from hotels and lower rates. CCRA's Hotel Negotiated Rate program offers you access to more than 32,000 properties, representing 191 hotel chains and thousands of independent hotels in 149 countries. Through the CCRA hotel program, you and your agencies have access to negotiated rates that span the spectrum from budget to deluxe, from suburban to center city, from roadside to resort. Our portfolio boasts 2,729 extended stay and residential hotels, over 500 Mobil 5-star properties and over 17,000 properties in the mid-price range for your cost-conscious clients. In 2011 CCRA proudly introduced "Better than Best." CCRA has enrolled over 16,000 hotels that offer agents rates that are 5-35% below the published, Best Available Rate ... and these better-than-BAR rates are fully commissionable and last room available.

CCRA has long been an advocate for the travel agent community. Other programs that CCRA has developed to encourage hotels to recognize and reward the professional travel planner include:

• CCRA Exclusive: hotels offer CCRA agents or their clients an exclusive "something extra" for every stay – this could include bonus commission for the agent, or an amenity for your client

• Blocked Space: through CCRAtravel.com, agents have access to blocked space at over 60,000 hotels worldwide which they can book directly at CCRAtravel.com

• Travel Agent Specials: for-agent-only perks and benefits from hotels who recognize the value of travel agents.

We hope you find everything you need through the CCRA rate program. If there is anything that you would like us to offer in the near future, please let us know! Our goal is be your one stop shop for hotel bookings. Happy Booking!

TripAdvisor Unveils 2011 Travelers' Choice Destinations Awards

TripAdvisor®, announced the winners of its 2011 Travelers' Choice® Destinations awards. In its third year of the awards, TripAdvisor has honored 337 outstanding destinations across the globe. In addition to the top 25 in the world overall, top 25 lists have been named for the United States, Europe, the Caribbean & Mexico, Central & South America, Asia, India, South Pacific, Canada, Africa, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Travelers' Choice Destinations awards honor top travel spots worldwide based on millions of real and unbiased opinions from TripAdvisor travelers. Award winners were determined based on a combination of travelers' favorite places and overall destination popularity.

"Millions of TripAdvisor travelers around the globe have helped identify the world's top travel spots," said Barbara Messing, chief marketing officer for TripAdvisor. "The Travelers' Choice Destinations awards not only recognize some of the most beloved travel destinations worldwide, but serve as inspiration for millions of travelers looking to plan their next trip."

2011 Travelers' Choice World Destinations:

1. Cape Town, South Africa
2. Sydney, Australia
3. Machu Picchu, Peru
4. Paris, France
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6. New York City, United States
7. Rome, Italy
8. London, United Kingdom
9. Barcelona, Spain
10. Hong Kong, China

2011 Travelers' Choice U.S. Destinations:

1. New York City, New York
2. Honolulu, Hawaii
3. San Francisco, California
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Lahaina, Hawaii
6. Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
7. New Orleans, Louisiana
8. San Diego, California
9. Sedona, Arizona
10. Seattle, Washington

Article Source: www.traveljam.com on 5.3.11

Featured Destinations

Located in the historic hill neighborhood, the Hotel Viking is within walking distance to shops, restaurants and the famous Newport waterfront. Built in 1926 and a member of the prestigious Historic Hotels of America, the hotel reflects the rich history of the area.

209 guest rooms and suites, as well as public areas and meeting space, have been renovated to reflect the richness of the 1920's and 30's. Specialty suites are reflective of the Newport Mansions and named after the grand houses whose décor they inspired. The historic Viking wing was completely restored in 2008 and surrounds guests with luxurious textures and fabrics.

A $3 million renovation of the Newport Rooms was completed in mid-March 2011. The rooms have been designed with the cool color palate of the 'Progressive Design' era, an out-growth of the famous Gilded Age in Newport. Silhouettes of 1930's ladies as well as photographs of Teddy Roosevelt grace the guestroom walls giving a vintage feel but filled with modern amenities. Wall mounted flat screen TV's, complimentary guest room internet, honor bars and baskets, in-room safes are a few of the amenities that will make guests stay both comfortable and memorable.

This charming New England town is centrally located on the Rhode Island coast and offers visitors a myriad of activities to enrich their stay. Guests will enjoy walks on the beach, touring the Newport mansions, discovering the important role Newport played in the American Revolution or having fun on a Pirate Tour or the always popular Ghost Tour. The Hotel Viking is a 30-minute drive from TJ Green Airport (27 miles) in Providence and the Providence Train Station, and is driving distance from Boston (70 miles) and New York City (170 miles).

Book our Spring Escape package for your clients! This package includes overnight accommodations, breakfast for two in One Bellevue and overnight valet parking. Rates starting at $295.

*Offer cannot be combined with any other discount or promotion. Based on availability, blackout dates may apply. Excludes all holiday brunches. Excludes Room Service.

For all the best rates at Hotel Viking, visit CCRAtravel.com. For the best rates in the GDS, select the CCR rate code in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan, or CCRA in Apollo/Galileo.

Chicago sizzles with fun in the summertime and it's not too early to start planning. Begin by choosing The Allerton Hotel as your 'base of operations' as it's location on the Magnificent Mile places you in the center of everything ... world-renowned restaurants, theatres, entertainment, shopping and Chicago's famous Oak Street Beach ~ the only major downtown city with it's own beach! You'll be just steps away from Water Tower Place, Millennium Park, Navy Pier, Grant Park - where many of the city's free festivals take place, the John Hancock Building, Oak Street's designer boutiques, and the legendary dining and nightlife of Rush Street ... the best of Chicago is just outside the hotel's front door!

Getting around town is simple and cost effective, most everything is within walking distance or convenient to Chicago's CTA bus and rail line. Take the Red Line to Wrigley Field / Addison Stop for $2.00 each way or you may want to opt for an unlimited day-pass for $5.75. The Red Line will also take you to U.S. Cellular Field for White Sox games.

If time is on your side, you can stroll along Chicago's beautiful Lake Michigan going south and past Navy Pier to the Museum Campus. There you will find the Adler Planetarium, Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium. Make a day of it then take the bus back to the Allerton. The Hotel's Concierge staff is available to help you plan your day's activities.

Your guests can experience this premier newly renovated hotel with elegant and stylish guest rooms as well as M Avenue, the Allerton's exciting new restaurant and lounge. Each of the 443 guest rooms, including 84 suites offers deluxe accommodations with luxurious bedding, cable television with on-demand movies, dual line telephones, hair dryer, cosmetic mirror, in-room safe, iHome/Clock radio, mini bar, iron and iron board and wake up service. A complimentary fitness center, business center and morning coffee service are also included with each stay.

Book your reservations now to take advantage of the many fun summer events in Chicago. We look forward to seeing you soon!

May 28-29 Randolph Street Market Fest, Belmont /Sheffield Music Fest

June 3-5 Eastside Millennium Park Art Festival
June 4-5 Printers Row Literary Fest, June Jam
June 10-12 Chicago Blues Fest, Rib Fest
June11-12 Old Town Art Fair
June 15-Aug 20 – Grant Park Music Fest
June 24-25 Pride Fest
June 25-26 Chicago Summer Fest
June 24-25 Taste of Chicago

July 9-10 Gold Coast Art Fair, Rock Around the Block
July 14 Bastille Day 5K Run
July 15-16 Old St Pat's World's Largest Block Party
July 15-17 Windy City Rib Fest; Taste of River North

August 5-7 Lollapalooza
August 8-12 Sister Cities International Festival
July 11-14 Taylor Street Fiesta Italiana
July 13-14 Wrigleyville Summer Fest
August 20-21 Chicago Air and Water Show

Sept 2-4 Chicago Jazz Festival

For all the best rates at The Allerton Hotel, visit CCRAtravel.com. For the best rates in the GDS, select the CCR rate code in Amadeus, Sabre and Worldspan, or CCRA in Apollo/Galileo.

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