Search Travel Market Report

mainlogo
www.travelmarketreport.com
U.S.A.
English
Canada
English
Canada Quebec
Français
Menu
  • News
  • Packaged Travel
  • Cruise
  • Hotels & Resorts
  • Destinations
  • Retail Strategies
  • Air
  • River Cruise
  • Training & Resources

One Agent’s Fam Experience, Beginning To End: Part Two

by Lila Fox with Richard D'Ambrosio  January 10, 2017


We’re wrapping up our Travel Fam Trip series by following travel agent Lila Fox of SmartFlyer in Madisonville, LA, with a two-part diary (read part one). Having spent some time with her deciding and preparing to visit Milan, Florence and Tuscany in her first entry, we join her now on her trip to get a feel for her experience, and what it’s like to return back home.

I use Instagram to post “editorial-style” photos of the destination and hotels. I use Facebook daily as well to share a highlight of the day with a photograph. I try not to post more than once a day on Facebook but I get a little carried away with Instagram though posting a few times a day while traveling. My audiences are different on Instagram and Facebook so I try to “speak” to the audience with the appropriate imagery and words. And I’m reaching out to some clients real time while I’m on property via email—“Hey, I’m here now, and thought of you guys…”

If we are all meeting up at 9 a.m., I set my alarm for 5 a.m. and pre-order a pot of coffee to be delivered to my room. The plan is to work until eight. If dinner is over at 10, I’m usually up until midnight/1 a.m. tending to emails, sometimes later. But I try to get at least four or five hours of sleep each night.

The Armani Milano was better than expected. Dark, sexy, quiet, great service, lovely spacious room product, killer bar, central location. All of the other hotels I saw in Milan were wonderful to see because websites can often be misleading. Lungarno in Florence is quintessential Florentine, traditional with an impressive innovative restaurant on property. Love when hotels get that right.

The Po River in Florence Photo: Lila Ermel Fox
The Arno River in Florence. Photo: Lila Ermel Fox

Monteverdi Tuscany is such a surprise as well. It’s basically a UNESCO village that has been converted into this hotel project. But it’s not kitschy, which is hard to accomplish.

Note: This portion of the stay was hosted by Michael Cioffi whose family owns the property. The agents got to meet with the general manager Massimo Romagnoli, enjoyed spa treatments on property featuring products from Santa Maria Novella, a centuries-old Florentine apothecary; enjoyed a private wine tour and meet and greet at Casanova de Neri, and lunched at Agriolca Icario. During our stay we also had a cooking class with chef Giancarla Bodoni, who taught us how to make Pici Pasta and a Tuscan Bean soup.

Everything feels very authentic and cool, understated luxury, and the fact that they mingle the arts into their property by bringing in artists for small concerts is icing on the cake. It is a very unique offering that I’m excited to talk to people about.

As I’m touring, I’m constantly thinking about certain clients, like “Ooh, Monteverdi will be perfect for Billee—she was looking for a cool concert in Tuscany next summer…”


A hotel room in Monteverdi, Tuscany. Photo: Lila Ermel Fox

I don’t do a ton of family travel but I do have a number of clients with children so I’m also looking for those little family-friendly amenities, like connecting rooms, and making sure the restaurants can handle food allergies. I’m also looking at access: Are there a lot of steps or railings? Is this good for folks with limited mobility or for small children?

I look outside the windows to determine street noise for light sleepers. (I’m one of them!) I look at décor to make sure it makes sense and is authentic to the destination and overall style of the hotel. I take note of smells—a number of clients are sticklers for disliking strong aromas. A hotel should have a very faint pleasant smell.

Dining in local restaurants that the local hoteliers themselves love is always super-valuable, because those are the ones that get added to my recommendation list to clients. Any sort of unique city tour that highlights the local food scene or sharing of sordid scandalous history is always memorable.

When it comes to hotel site inspections, I think it’s very agent-specific. I don’t need to see every square inch of a resort. If a hotel has soul or a good feel to it, I’m generally sold and know which type of traveler it would be right for. So site visits that last hours are probably the least valuable to me.

What’s invaluable is getting to meet the hotel manager and staff. It’s a huge part of why I fly across the world to do this. Being able to meet face to face, sit and have a drink or meal with the folks managing the hotel on the ground—from the concierge team to the reservations team to the General Manager—is gold because the next time I’m booking that hotel or reaching out to the concierge for help with impossible dining reservations for clients, the conversation is a bit different. Now there is familiarity, especially if you hit it off as friends. You both want to do well for each other, and the end result is typically a favorable one for the client.

  0
  0
Related Articles
How Europe Express Is Empowering Travel Advisors with Innovative FAMs, New Tools & Better Rewards
TTC Tour Week Returns with 9 FAM Trips Scheduled for November
TMR Canada on Scene: Highlights of Germany on a TTC Tour Week Trafalgar Fam
Tourism Fiji Launches Exclusive Travel Advisor FAM
Globus Unveils New FAM Trip Program for Travel Advisors
G Adventures Opens 2025 FAM Trip Applications
TTC Tour Brands Launches 13 New FAM Trips for 2025
Goway Announces Free FAMs & More for 2025
7 Things to Know About HX & MS Fridtjof Nansen
What Travel Advisors Need to Know Before Saying Yes to a FAM Trip
TMR Subscription

Subscribe today to receive daily in-depth coverage from all corners of the travel industry, from industry happenings to new cruise ships, hotel openings, tour updates, and much more.

Subscribe to TMR

Top Stories
NaviStone Names Lisa Ertmann as Director of Travel Industry Partnerships
NaviStone Names Lisa Ertmann as Director of Travel Industry Partnerships

In her new role, Ertmann will help travel and hospitality brands and trade partners convert interest into bookings.

How Europe Express Is Empowering Travel Advisors with Innovative FAMs, New Tools & Better Rewards
How Europe Express Is Empowering Travel Advisors with Innovative FAMs, New Tools & Better Rewards

Mark Yacker, VP of outside sales and partnerships, shares what every travel advisor needs to know about Europe Express in 2025.

How Travel Agency Consortia, Hosts, & Franchises Are Making the Most of AI
How Travel Agency Consortia, Hosts, & Franchises Are Making the Most of AI

From automating the mundane to aiding communication and more, travel agency groups are making good use of AI and have plans for its future uses.

Solos Unveils New Travel Style: Women-Only Tours
Solos Unveils New Travel Style: Women-Only Tours

The tour operator is now offering women-only tours that cater to solo travelers.

Simplify, Elevate, Demystify: Agency Group Execs Reveal Their Industry Wish List
Simplify, Elevate, Demystify: Agency Group Execs Reveal Their Industry Wish List

Consortia and host executives are optimistic about the future, but even so, there are some things they’d love to see change.

New Survey Finds Shoulder Season Bookings on the Rise
New Survey Finds Shoulder Season Bookings on the Rise

The new research from TRAVELSAVERS and NEST identifies growing trends in client booking behavior.

TMR OUTLOOKS & WHITE PAPERS
View All
industry spotlight
https://img.youtube.com/vi/k-Hx7nmSSEU/0.jpg
How Carnival Is Supporting Travel Advisors: Funnel Faves, Celebration Key & More
Advertiser's Voice
A Day in Antarctica on an HX Expedition Cruise
About Travel Market Report Mission Meet the Team Advisory Board Advertise Syndication Guidelines
TMR Resources Calendar of Events Outlook/Whitepapers Previous Sponsored Articles Previous This Week Articles
Subscribe to TMR
Select Language
Do You Have an Idea Email
editor@travelmarketreport.com
Give Us a Call
1-(516) 730-3097
Drop Us a Note
Travel Market Report
71 Audrey Ave, Oyster Bay, NY 11771
© 2005 - 2025 Travel Market Report, an American Marketing Group Inc. Company All Rights Reserved | Terms and Conditions
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Manage cookie preferences