Travel Agent Gripes: 4-Star Resort, 2-Star Services

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Travel Agent Gripes: 4-Star Resort, 2-Star Services

By
April 05, 2006

You're a trusted travel agent who has booked a ski trip for a client months in advance at a 4-star resort hotel at Keystone in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.

But upon arrival the client discovers that the free Vail Resorts shuttle service between Keystone and Breckenridge has been discontinued. It took 2 hours to go from one to the other via public shuttle.

That's the predicament one rep for a major agency, who asked for anonymity, was faced with this winter. She calls it the "4-star resort/2-star services" syndrome.

"When you go to a 4-star resort it would be nice to know that everything is done in a 4-star manner," she says. "We couldn't understand why they were selling multi-area ski passes when people without vehicles couldn't get around."

The shuttle service was cancelled way back in October and the announcement "was all over the Breckenridge Web site ever since," a Vail Resorts spokeswoman responded. "It's due to low ridership," she said, noting most carless visitors used the public shuttle available between the two resorts.

She said agents with issues can contact Olga Griffin, Vail's liaison for travel agents, at (970) 845-2954.

Jonathan Cardella, CEO of Mountain Reservations, says his Overstock.com-owned service "makes the extra effort to stay in touch" with vendors in its prime destinations to avoid such issues. "Any vendor will give average service. With us, they'll give special service because we're worth hundreds of thousands of dollars" in bookings.

Got what you think is a legitimate gripe? Let us know -- post a comment below.

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Comments

	And won't someone please let us know if snowboarders have the run of the place? Speaking as someone who got clipped on the way down the mountain, I would have gone elsewhere had I known there were no rules.
	Posted by: Shirley \| April 8, 2006 07:09 AM