I’m often surprised when I have a client call and say they are traveling with a group of people for vacation but their friends/family booked with someone else so they just want to book their vacation with me. Now, I don’t say that because I’m surprised they wouldn’t book with me (although I DO provide excellent service to every client), I say it because they often miss out on some great perks from booking a group vacation.
I think there are basically two reasons people do not book group vacations—first is lack of knowledge and second is misconceptions about how the group vacation process works. Let me share with you my top five reasons for booking your next family vacation, reunion, etc. as a group:
SPECIAL GROUP PRICING
When booking a group reservation, it’s possible to get special pricing due to the nature of the group booking. For example, some of the cruise lines will lock in a rate on a group booking so that even if the prices change/increase, your rate is guaranteed. To explain further, let’s say a group booking is entered and eight rooms are reserved but only five rooms are actually booked at the time the group is booked. A month later, others want to join the group but the cruise fare has increased. Guess what? The additional bookings pay the lower rate because they are booked under the group pricing! That’s a great benefit for groups of people who have some committed and some who aren’t quite sure at the time of booking or need to get vacation time approved, etc. You don’t get that security booking reservations separately!
ADDED PERKS
Did you know that groups often get added perks to their reservations that single reservations do not get? For example, cruise lines will often offer “group points” that can be used for things like onboard credits or bottles of wine in the stateroom, etc. I’ve booked all-inclusive groups that qualified for additional resort credits and/or money off each reservation once they had the minimum number of rooms booked. Some cruise lines even offer group leader credits which amount to a substantial savings to group leader! Each perk depends on the supplier for the vacation but they can be very nice bonuses to an already amazing vacation!
MINIMAL NUMBER OF GUESTS REQUIRED TO QUALIFY
Some people tend to think that you need a very large group of people in order to qualify for a group booking. That isn’t the case at all. Most cruise lines require eight staterooms for a group booking and some all-inclusives will offer special group pricing with as few as ten people (with five reservations)! A large family, a work group, a reunion of friends—could easily come up with minimums that low!
EASE OF BOOKING EXTRAS AND/OR MAKING CHANGES
More often than not, people who are traveling together want to spend time together. That means linking dining reservations or booking excursions or staying in rooms close to each other. A group reservation allows those things to be set up and/or changed much easier than each person having to set up their individual reservation and hope that everything is properly linked or that times/spaces are still available to join the rest of the group. Additionally, if a travel supplier changes their promotion—such as a cruise line offering an onboard credit after a reservation is booked—all the reservations can be updated to take advantage of that new promotion. Once a group booking is in place, an agent can often manage every reservation within the group with one phone call!
EVERYONE STILL MAINTAINS CONTROL OVER THEIR OWN RESERVATION
The most common objection I have heard to booking a group reservation is the concern that the client will lose control over their own reservation. Some clients believe a group reservation means everyone has to do everything together throughout the whole trip. Some clients think they have to book exactly the same rooms or excursions or dining times that everyone else books. Some clients think booking a group reservation means that they might somehow be responsible for everyone else’s payment. None of those things are true!
Though you get great benefits from booking a group vacation, you are not obligated to doing “group things” so you can still take your vacation YOUR WAY! Want to swim with the dolphins while everyone else is snorkeling? You can! Want to have a late dinner or private dinner while everyone else has opted for an early seating? You can! Want to pay your reservation off early or in installments or wait until the last day? You can (though I highly advise against the last minute thing)! Your reservation only impacts the group due to the number of people/rooms that are booked. Other than that, you can be as involved or separate from the group as you want to be!
Have you been thinking about a family reunion or getting a group of friends together or even a work incentive trip? Why not contact me for more information on the different benefits your group might qualify for on your next vacation? Call me at (609) 415-0603 or email me at Traci@TheEnchantedTraveler.com or complete the contact me form on this page and let’s see what we can do for your group!
Traci Harvey Travel 