Company Details

Founded
2013
Host Type
Host Only
Franchise
Currently Accepting
Beginner Agents, Experienced Agents
Accepts Agents in
USA, Canada, Worldwide, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Virgin Islands (U.S.)
# of Contractors
300
# of Agencies
Members US
Members Canada
Members w/storefront
Members home-based
Annual Sales
$350 million
Languages Spoken
English
Business Attributes
LGBTQAI+ Owned (67%)
Network Sales
Profile Updated
10/25/2024
GDS
Sabre
Consortia
Accreditations
IATA
Members of
ASTA
Seller of Travel
E&O Insurance Included
Focuses
Adventure, Cruise, Disney, Groups, Leisure, Luxury, Honeymoon/DWs, FITs

Program Details

Ticketing Service for non-GDS Agents
Minimum Sales Requirement
$160,000
Required to use Franchise Brand
Charge for Ticketing
Lead Program
Lead Belongs to
Host Agency
Charge for Leads
Education Program
IC Education, In-person, On-demand
Allows Sub-agents

Pricing & Commission

Franchise Start Up Fee
0.0
Military/Veteran discounts
Accreditation Number Required
Start Up Fee
$500–$500
Location Requirement
Home-based
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
Commission Split Range
100% to 70%
Frequency of Commission Payments
Monthly
Method of Payment
Direct Deposit

Technology & Tools

Marketing Programs
Direct Mail, Consumer Magazine, E-mail Marketing, Social Media Tools
Leisure Tools
Air Booking Tool, Consumer Booking Tool, Hotel Booking Tool
Corporate Tools
Commission Tracking
Itinerary Builder
CRM
Website Program
Accounting
Booking Tool
Analytics
Payment Solutions

About Departure Lounge

Departure Lounge is an Austin, TX based luxury travel host agency established in 2013 by former Virtuoso senior executive, Keith Waldon. Departure Lounge supports luxury independent contractor travel advisors globally at all experience levels and offers two compensation options: 1) a tiered commission-split program paying advisors 70-95% and 2) a $650 monthly flat fee program that pays 100% commission/fees. Departure Lounge is a Virtuoso-member agency with independent contractor travel advisors in the North America, Europe, Africa and Asia.  Departure Lounge conducts no recruitment of advisors but is open to adding both new-to-industry and veteran advisors who are aligned with the agency's culture of kindness and focus on leisure luxury travel.

Departure Lounge