In the eyes of Stephen Scott, the founder and CEO of Travel Hub 365 in Chicago, there are two fundamental challenges facing travel advisors: distribution and scalability.
First, how can advisors ensure all of the properties they have access to are also accessible to consumers?
And second, if the distribution part of the equation is solved, how can that solution be scalable to reach hundreds, thousands or millions of people globally, not just the advisor’s usual network of travelers?
Enter the Odyssey Travel App, a luxury-focused OTA where consumers who have booked a hotel are given the option to connect with a Travel Hub 365 advisor, who can then assist them with booking other elements of their trip.
“I feel that there are not simply only online customers and only travel agency customers,” Scott said. “I feel we need to introduce more of the online-only consumers to using an advisor, and I do believe that once they start using that advisor, they will enhance their trips…