Travel Planners International Reviews
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Host Agency Details
- Affiliations:
- Ensemble
- 2011 Sales:
- $100 million+
- Host Type:
- Host Only
- Accepting:
- Beginner Agents, Experienced Agents
- Members Of:
- ARC, ARTA, CLIA, IATA, NACTA, OSSN, PATH, TPOC
- # of Contractors:
- 1000+
- GDS:
- Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre, Worldspan
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About Travel Planners International
Travel Planners International (TPI) has been hosting agents since 1988, and as your Host Agency we will give you everything you need to successfully operate your travel business in today’s economy, that’s why we are a leader in the industry, plus our team of experts is here to support our agents every step of the way.
Travel Planners International’s Independent Contractors sell all types of travel including air, car, hotel, cruise, and tour products through its growing national sales force of professional travel agents/agencies. With TPI, our agents receive 70% to 90% commission, robust agent booking and customer management platforms filled with agent booking tools, all four GDS’s (Amadeus, Sabre, Apollo & Worldspan by Travelport), consumer websites, business development, marketing systems, along with the most dedicated and caring support staff in the industry.
With a reputation of being the best and the experience to prove it, along with flexible hosting plans, the decision to partner with TPI is clear. With Travel Planners International, new and experienced agents can concentrate on selling travel and building client loyalty without the administrative and expensive burden of owning/operating a traditional storefront travel agency. We believe in our Independent Travel Professionals!
Since we do not sell travel nor compete with you, we are able to devote 100% of our time to supporting and growing your sales. We want you to succeed!
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Meet the Team
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| Ken Gagliano - President | Tammy- Agent Relations Team | Sol - Agent Relations Team |
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Hello,
If you’ve reached this site I imagine that you’re looking for a new host agency. You’re going to find a wide array of opinions here just as you would with your client reviews on the same hotel. The most important thing is to identify the kind of relation and amenities necessary and imperative to your business and find the best host fit. The featured agencies listed here are all good agencies but you’ll find small degrees of differences. If those differences matter to you, then you’ve found your measuring stick!
ASK before you leap! Most things are incredibly transparent for the asking but it’s up to you to vocalize your needs and questions.
TPI is very accessible. There is no reason not to know details on what they provide unless you simply do not poise the question.
For me I’ve been with TPI over six years now. I love them = they work for me.
I started with two other agencies, neither of whom are in business today.
In my tenure with TPI, I have seen their company grow for the better.
They have attentive, polite, on the ball staff that are available by phone, email or message. If you need help, that’s what they are there for.
They offer a variety of commission programs so you can choose which program and monthly fee best suits your business.
None of their programs are expensive and in return for what they provide, I’d say the agent gets a heck of a lot of bang for a very small amount of buck.
Their staff is stable. They’ve had core staff members in place for as long as I have been with TPI and that speaks to the quality of their inner sanctum and the Gagliano brothers.
Look at their stats:
Years in Business: 24
Sales Volume: $150 Million
Number of Independents: 1,500
Consortia Memberships: Ensemble Travel Group
Association Memberships: CLIA, IATA, IATAN, NACTA OSSN, TPOC
Preferred Cruise Lines: Avalon, Carnival, Celebrity, Crystal, Cunard, Disney, Holland America, Hurtigruten, MSC, Norwegian, Oceania, Princess, Regent, Royal Caribbean, Silverseas, Uniworld, Viking & Windstar.
Preferred Tour Operators: Adventure by Disney, Apple Vacations, Brendan Tours, Brian Moore Tours, Classic Vacations, Collette Vacations, Cosmos, Globus, Educational Travel Services, Inc. Funjet, GOGO WWV, Insight Vacations, Pleasant Vacations, Sandals, SITA, Southwest Airlines Vacations, Trafalgar Tours, Travel Bound, Travel Impressions, Vacation Express, Walt Disney Travel Co.
Air Ticketing Available?: Yes
What GDS Do You Offer?: Amadeus, Sabre and Apollo & Worldspan by Travelport
What Accounting / CRM?: TRAMS, Client Base
Consumer Website?: http://www.agenthub.com
Program for New Agents?: Yes
New Agent Training?: Yes
Mentoring Program (s)?: Yes, by in house business development staff
Their commission rate at the preferred level is excellent. Comm is auto deposited and I’ve never had an issue with payment being made.
I love that over the years I have come to know the employee in marketing or accounting and we’ve become ‘friends’. It’s not a massive call center impersonal response. They do reach out for you and try to help and support you.
They don’t bug you or micromanage you. They let me be me!
They offer tons of webinar and training options. All you need do is sign up.
Have a sticky situation and need the help of a supplier bdm ? They can help bridge that connection if you don’t know your bdm.
They have an annual TPI extravaganza each fall that is a combination training, ship inspection and socialization event for all their agents.
If you’re considering a change to a different host I suggest you identify your key points of need and then contact the host agencies directly and have a little heart to heart. It’s the only way to find the best source of investment for your travel business.
Best of luck.
I changed host agency’s primarily because I wanted more marketing assistance, including a customer facing website and primarily, some guidance as I’m starting with no existing client database. Everything with TPI has been good so far except for the following:
– Marketing Assistance –
Despite having had mentioned this need prior to joining and being assured I would have a coach/mentor who could help me, I haven’t located this resource, yet. That certainly doesn’t mean I won’t.
– Consumer Website –
The consumer website is a big disappointment mainly because having your own domain name means you have to forward your users to a subdomain of “agenthub.net” and while you can do it in a frame so that your agency domain shows in the address bar, as soon as they click on any link at all, the address bar changes to their sub domain which looks very unprofessional to me. This also means you make a huge sacrifice with regard to SEO (search engine optimization). Google, for example, doesn’t crawl anything inside of a frame so you can forget about getting your website high in search results for targeted keywords. Also, there is no blog functionality and TPI even advertises on your portal for their benefit. One example is their link for travel videos which is clearly an affiliate/partner url.
– Fees –
After a quick stroll through their agent intranet, it doesn’t take long to see that TPI makes money in every way you can imagine. Rather than the majority of the resources being included as an independent agent, they instead cost extra. Just about everything has an additional price to it and they make it convenient too, having your credit card on file means anything you click on and authorize will be billed to you. Most of these resources I was already aware of and honestly, I haven’t seen any real value with regard to pricing or discounts for the various services.
Finding a host agency is tiring work. My advice is to do your due diligence and look beyond the free webinars offered to potential independent agents. Instead, I would talk with folks 1×1, ask to see live versions of their intranet and resources and make sure you’re getting what you think.
TPI has delivered on most things so far! Good luck to you!
Great group of professionals that are quick to help and get you the answers you need to stay on top of your business. I would recommend them highly.
I have been affiliated with Travel Planners for over 8 years and I only have great things to say about them. With more than 30 years in the industry, I have witnessed lots of changes, and working with this professional group of people has made these changes more easy to overcome!!
They always respond in a promptly manner to all my requests. Professionalism and a great attitude is always present in all their employees and associates.
And the best part……….commissions are paid accurately and promptly!! With your help and support, my business has grown over the years. Thanks TPI team!!
I have been with TPI for going on four years. I joined them after two misteps with other host agencies which are both not in business any longer.
As you can imagine I was gun shy after the first two agencies but have found my decision to join TPI to be an excellent decision. I have found them trustworthy and honest in their dealings. My business has grown since joining TPI and each year they get better in their support.
Know what you are looking for in a Host Agency and you will be very pleased with what TPI has to offer.
I have been with Travel Planners for over 4 years now and am looking forward to more years with them. They were easy to start with and very helpful with beginning questions and concerns, although I’ve had 20 years in the Travel Industry.
Their accounting statements are very user friendly and commissions are paid promptly. Their marketing, training and sales support have been very easy and good to work with.
If you are going to use a GDS thru them, they have to have you use the GDS support system which is not user friendly and I would not recommend unless you have the experience to work out your own questions. Their airline commissions very restricted and complicated to understand. With only one call in and my questions not answered, I do not use versus getting a debit memo. Travel Planners has a great preferred supplier list as well as great commissions, I would highly recommend them as your host agency.
TPI has been a good fit for me. I have been with them for almost 4 years in my 30 year career and have found them to be honest and helpful. Like any host agency, the do charge silly fees for voids, exchanges, etc. but other than that, I’m very happy with them. They provide learning opportunities for all levels of agents. They always respond quickly to all questions and provide support in all areas.
TPI has been a joy for my travel career. Their website support, continued education courses, promptness from the office staff all contribute to a positive relationship. When I first joined TPI (over 10 years ago), I was skeptical about signing up with a Host Agency. Best move I ever made. Thank you TPI
when I first broke out on my own, for a short time I used TPI. I didn’t like how things worked with them – I had chosen them in part because my clients could call in my absense for assistance, and with my agent code, I’d get credit for the booking, but that didn’t work so well for the few clients that did call. For me, how they did things didn’t work with how I wanted to run my buisness. MLT Vacations wasn’t a preferred supplier, and that was who I booked most stuff with at the time, so I found a small agency to host me that had them as a preferred. I’m sure they work fine for some agents, but for me, it was not a good fit.
I have been with TPI for 12 years and I live just 5 minutes from their office in Maitland Florida. This means I get a “front view” seat to the inner office workings.
How would I describe TPI? Honest. Caring. Always looking for new ways to improve the experience for the agent affiliated with them. Creative.
Educational opportunities for all skill levels are available. Top tier commission levels. Knowledgable support staff.
What I like most about being affiliated with TPI? The fact that I am treated as a valued customer.
Honesty, integrity and being treated well is my experience with TPI.
I have been with TPI for almost 2 years now and I have nothing but good things to say about them! They are extremely helpful and friendly every time I call. They always address any questions and/or concerns that I have very quickly. Great website, education, marketing, and accounting services! They have more of a family feel than most, and I really like that aspect of working with TPI! I have no plans of leaving TPI! I would recommend them to anyone!
Do not work with TPI, they are DISHONEST!
The agent relations team was non-responsive and gave bad advice on the contract (in that I could have cancelled and renewed under the appropriate plan within 30 days, but was advised not to by the agent relations team saying they could address the issue without having to renew the contract.They however did not address the issue and left me with a contract past 30 days and costing me personally $275.)
When I called to discuss the issue I was told that TPI would rather lose me as an agent rather than address my concerns.
At Travel Planners International our number one goal is to provide the highest level of customer service and assistance to all agents, potential agents and trainees. To that end, we immediately contacted this agent to convey our apologies for any misunderstanding and our willingness to make things right. We have extended several options to the agent, both over the telephone and in writing, in order to rectify the situation and in the hope of retaining her business. The agent has agreed to look over all of her options and has advised us that she will be contacting Travel Planners International to discuss this further within the next few days. We hope to arrive at a mutually satisfactory solution very shortly.
I was with TPI thru late 2010. I left TPI mainly because they didn’t have a relationship with an airline that my primary corporate client used quite often, so I was missing out on some big chunks of commission. That may have changed since then — not sure.
The website offering was nice, and I do miss that, but the back office UI was not as intuitive as I’d like. The support folks were always friendly enough.
TPI has been great and very supportive towards me, not only do they provide supplier training on an ongoing basis, they also supply business coaching sessions to help us market ourselves. I would recommend them to anyone looking for a host agency!
I have been with TPI for several years and have always been pleased with the service I receive from all departments. Everyone is very pleasant to work with and their website is very easy to use. They have a wonderful system for their agents and I would not go to any other host agency. Thank you TPI!
TPI is an excellent choice for a host agency. After a lot of research, this is the only host agency that I have been associated with. The customer service, ongoing training and up to date technology is always top notch. I am looking forward to many more successful years with TPI as my host agency.
I love TPI! They have great support services to help me make my business successful.
I’ve been with TPI for about two years now. I previously owned a national hosting agency, which I sold in 2005 and left the travel industry for awhile. Having owned a host agency in the past, I understand how hosting plans operate. I also know that in order to retain good agents, you need to offer them the tools and benefits they need to be a success. TPI does just that. They are also quick to pay commission and you can track the status of your commissions online.
As a member, you receive a free web site and other marketing tools. They also provide ongoing training.
I’ve recommended TPI to many other agents and will continue to do so. I have no complaints and am very content to have them as my host!
I have been with TPI over 7 years and have nothing but great things to say! over the years the agency has growna nd moved with the times.. we have excellent accounting system in place, easy to submit bookings for tracking. A very comprehensive website for agents..An Ensemble agency which is an upscale consortium. Marketing plans are great.. the Ensemble marketing is new, and i took part, am very pleased with the pices sent out, very professional, making me look good! Greta air contracts, if you do corporate and have cleinst who buy C and F tickets intl can def benefit. Great comissions, i very rarely have any comission paid problems! and if i do they are fixed immediately by an excellent accounting dept! and 99% of the time it was the supplier error and not TPI. I am paid weekly, ontime into my account.. some agenst i think is bi weekly, i think that depends on your volume. All in all 10 out of 10
I just started with TPI this year, they have been extremely helpful.
Awesome Travel Host