This week our secret shopper was in Ashby-de-la-Zouch booking 10 days in Greece for four friends in June with a budget of £6,000.
The mystery shopper visited two travel agencies in Ashby-de-la-Zouch and requested a 10-day twin-centre holiday to Greece for a group of four friends, travelling in June 2017 with a budget of £6,000.
They then made two Google.co.uk searches using the term ‘Greek island twin-centre holidays’.
Kenwood Travel
kenwoodtravel.co.uk
Mystery Shopper said: The website came up second in my search results but it caught my eye. The webpage offered multi-centre holidays but Greece wasn’t an option so I had to phone a consultant. The agent asked about the group and our requirements, and if we were celebrating anything special. I said we were a group of girls celebrating 30th birthdays and we’d prefer Heathrow flights if possible. They said they’d look at a quiet and relaxing hotel, ideal for an all-female party. They explained that they would need time to look into it. They called back with a superb suggestion – two five-star hotels on Santorini and Mykonos with Heathrow flights for £7,980. I felt that they had taken the time to find me a good match that was excellent value, even if it was over budget. The consultant understood that I needed to discuss it with my friends but said prices may vary. They said they could sort out airport parking or excursions too.
Sital Shah
south-east Asia travel specialist
Kenwood Travel
How long in travel?
I’ve been working in travel for 10 years now and have been with Kenwood for three years.
How often do you sell Greece?
Every day. It’s our top-seller at the moment. Generally we only sell single-centre holidays so it was nice to get a multi-centre enquiry.
Tips for selling it?
Know your product and listen to your client. Choose the hotels and activities that would be suitable for them.
Where’s on your bucket list?
My list is endless but I would have to choose Nepal and South America.
If you weren’t in travel?
I would say a teacher. I love children and I actually taught English when I was travelling in Bali.
Team member who makes the best cuppa?
My colleague Joel. It’s just an all-round good cup of tea.
TTG has teamed up with React Surveys to simulate a realistic booking process each week – that means a mystery shopper looking for the best deal from agents and operators on the high street, online, on TV or in newspapers. The Mystery Shopper research is carried out on behalf of TTG by React Surveys,and no further details or information can be disclosed. Researchers take into consideration first impression, sales process, product and budget match and extras offered before giving an unbiased opinion of which channel/company they would have booked with on that occasion. We do not claim that the winner is the best in an area or specialist sector, as we may report on competing travel firms in the future. Please note that the aim of Mystery Shopper is not to criticise individual agents or companies, but to promote good sales technique for the benefit of all in the travel trade.