Travel Agent

helmigkn

I am getting married at the Hard Rock Cancun in November. We are sending out Save the Dates this week and I have been getting a ton of questions about if I will have a travel agent for my guests to use. I have never used one and I travel pretty often. I started looking into them and found one from Beach Bum Vacations. Now I am thinking I should have done this from the beginning to plan the wedding. Before I make a decision - do people have any good experiences with this? Is it worth it? Are there hidden fees? Pros/cons? Thanks!

msuprincess04

There's no hidden fees with Beach Bum, and they are a great resource for people when it comes to travel and for things like blocking off rooms. They also make it easy for guests to pay over time with an inital deposit. However, although I had one availble, no one used them. They book using the same rates as if you booked directly through the airline and directly through the resort. So, most of my guest found better deals elsewhere. Also, I didn't block off rooms because I wanted people to feel comforable staying where they wanted.

saric83

Ditto PP with no fee for Beach Bums.  It was definitely way less of hassle having our TA and being able to direct peeps to her instead of handling all of the questions ourselves.  We opted not to do a room block, so we weren't locked into any set amount of rooms or whatever, but I know that's an option too.  About a third of our guests went with her, plus us, of course. 

helmigkn

Thank you! If you didn't do a room block - were your guests able to book rooms themselves through the website the resort sets up for you or how does that work?

princessleia22

I know we had the travel agent question with our DW too.  We talked to a local agent but ended up not using them since most of our guests prefer to book themselves online. The agent really wasn't able to get us any better pricing or anything, but it was just a convenience to have a 1-stop shop for our guests to book.  It also would have allowed us to have someone else in charge of answering all the travel questions.  Since we didn't use the agent, we get stuck answering a lot of questions for people about travel arrangements or where to stay, etc.

We didn't do room block because most of our guests had various preferences about the type of hotel they wanted.  Some people wanted the cheapest deal they could find, some wanted a place more luxurious & expensive, some wanted small B&B, some wanted someplace with more local history, a couple people had hotel discounts through work (at various places).  So, we finally gave up on trying to make everyone happy, booked where we wanted, and told everyone to book wherever they want.  But, they know where we are so they can book nearby at least.  Most of our guests are booking hotel through travel sites, like Travelocity, Expedia, or Hotels.com, but they could book directly with hotel by calling or going online.

I haven't use Beach Bum Vacations, but I have seen a lot of praise for them on various forums.  So, I think it is definitely worth looking into. 

saric83

We just provided our guests with a packet that our BBV travel agent pulled together, and if they wanted to book through her, they just contacted her and did it through the BBV website.  We didn't realize it at the time, but we ended up getting a refund for part of our room based on the number of peeps that booked through the TA.  But anyone who didn't book with her didn't count towards those specials.  

Jells2dot0

saric83 said:

We just provided our guests with a packet that our BBV travel agent pulled together, and if they wanted to book through her, they just contacted her and did it through the BBV website.  We didn't realize it at the time, but we ended up getting a refund for part of our room based on the number of peeps that booked through the TA.  But anyone who didn't book with her didn't count towards those specials.  

Also, if a TA arranges a special group package that includes additional group perks (like a special excursion or cocktail party) then those who do not book through the TA will not get to participate in the event since their names are not on the group roster. So, if you think most of your guests would prefer to book on their own, then I wouldn't bother with a TA. But, if most are interested in using one, you may get some specials and perks.

MrsMaggardToBe

My mom is a travel agent and she is doing the travel arrangements for our wedding in September at the Moon Palace Cancun. The Hard Rock Cancun is part of the Palace resorts so you get certain benefits if you book through one source, either travel agent or hotel. Everyone HAS TO book through the same source in order for the benefits to qualify. Example: 15 room nights you get a free PRIVATE cocktail hour. Also, a travel agent can communicate directly with the wedding planner and sales rep at the hotel in order to make things go as smooth as possible. 

msuprincess04

We aren't staying at a resort, so those "perks", weren't a necessity or anything we were interested in. Everyone knew the dates and picked for themselves when and where they wanted to travel. Most booked through online sources like Travelocity or CheapCarribean. Our welcome parties and everything are held at off resort places. This again, encouraged people to stay where they want and not feel tied down. 

helmigkn

Thanks everyone! The feedback I was getting from our guests before contacting a travel agent was that everyone wanted to stay at the Hard Rock but they wanted someone to handle all arrangements. There are definitely perks for us like MrsMaggardToBe mentioned. I had the travel agent set up the account through the resort so everything must be booked through him to get the discounts and for the same price as the resort was going to offer - round trip transfer from the airport to resort is included. He has been really awesome so far and got answers in a day from my wedding planner that I have been bugging her about for weeks!