Concierge or Book Direct? That is the Question!
Saturday, October 22, 2011 at 07:17PM A really good question which many visitors have asked: Should I book directly through the vendor for an activity on Kauai, or should I go see my concierge?
And the answer is, that depends.
A concierge or an activity agent can be really helpful if you are not sure which activities would suit you best. They are very knowledgeable regarding things to do on the island, and if they are good they will really work with you to try to find the things you might enjoy given your age, health, time constraints or overall enthusiasm!
But, the concierge and the activity agent all work for a commission, about 20 to 30% of your ticket price. So, unfortunately sometimes that means they are trying to sell you the highest priced ticket regardless of your personal interest. Fortunately that does not always happen. We work with many excellent agents who sell our tour, even though it is so much less than the helicopter tour which means less commission for them, but they sell it anyway because they know their client will enjoy it! In this regard I would particulary like to thank Expedia and Tom Barefoot's Tours - their agents have really gone to bat for us!
And the best news is that in the past five years the customer forum sites on the internet, such as Trip Advisor and Yelp and Cruise Critic have really changed things dramatically for small vendor operators such as Wings Over Kauai! Now many, if not most, visitors to the islands have researched and read forums and learned directly from honest and legitimate customers what is good and what is not so good. Because reviewers to these sites have nothing to gain, such as a commission, they are giving the most honest and direct opinion of everything on the island, including air tour operators. And somehow we just got really lucky and our reviews have been incredible!
So here is my suggestion. If you already know of an activity which you would like to do, or a company which you would like to use, then if possible just book direct. That way you might get a better price, a discount, or something and you will also know that all of your ticket price is going to the vendor. If you find a web site which is selling Wings Over Kauai tours for less than my advertised price please let me know, as I am trying to end that practice, and I will match any price that you find. They are just taking it off of their commission and then underselling me, not a very nice thing to do.
One more amazing consequence, I think, of these forums, is that the increase in direct bookings because of the forums allows us, the vendor, to keep our prices low as we pay very little for print advertising and we pay very little on commissions. So a win win for all! You review us, others read it, prices stay low! Bruce and I have said many times - Hallelujah Trip Advisor!
Reader Comments (1)
I was very unsure about flying on a small plane after a VERY bad experience some time ago. This trip was amazing and worth every penny. I was very comfortable and sorry when it was over!!I just wish I had been on the right hand side of the plane as I and shorelines saw more ocean than views of the valley.