– Departure Lounge, an innovative international luxury host travel agency, launched a new travel advisor booking platform developed by BookingVault (BV), featuring competitive air offerings and support from Valerie Wilson Travel, a FROSCH Company (VWT), along with luxury hotel options from Virtuoso and more than 20 preferred hotel agency programs. The platform is described as a “game changer” by Departure Lounge Founder Keith Waldon.
“Departure Lounge launched 8.5 years ago to reimagine what a modern luxury travel agency could be . . . what it should be. I was determined to create an agency where I didn’t have to ask smart, talented people to step back in time 20-30 years to be a travel advisor. A key part of that vision was current, easy booking technology, combined with other cutting-edge CRM and travel itinerary platforms,” said Waldon. “Our travel advisors can now quickly and easily access the best air options via VWT and BV, as well as all of our preferred hotel programs, to make the booking process extremely efficient while providing our clients with the best-in-class complimentary upgrades and perks. The platform is fully customizable based on our relationships with companies like Valerie Wilson Travel and the key brands in luxury travel, from our membership in Virtuoso to our status with the top preferred-agency programs. The best news is that BookingVault is making this platform available for all travel agencies to utilize and customize. I see this as a great step forward for our industry.”
Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Co-President of Valerie Wilson Travel, agrees. “Keith and I have been working on this innovative type of business partnership since late 2017. Our goal was to bring high touch and support through VWT’s Air Access Program together easily with high tech for Departure Lounge and its travel advisors. BookingVault developed an impressive customizable platform that does just that, and I am thrilled to have it come to fruition.”
“We’re very happy to be working with two of the most forward-thinking leaders in the travel space,” said Ben Nayberg, COO, BookingVault. “Our industry places a heavy emphasis on corporate travel but what’s led us out of arguably the most catastrophic event in travel for the last one hundred years is leisure. We’re huge believers here in the future of leisure travel and are building the platforms to give a new generation of advisors the tools they need to lead agencies for the next one hundred years. Keith, Jennifer, and all their team members have been wonderful to work with. We look forward to continuing to innovate together and to power amazing travel technology for their teams and other progressive travel agencies.”
Departure Lounge also utilizes Travefy (itineraries/travel docs/mobile app) and Travel Contact (CRM operating system), and those platforms are integrated. The new booking platform by BookingVault completes a fully modern suite of resources for Departure Lounge travel advisors.
BookingVault is ready to demo and discuss the travel advisor booking platform with other travel agencies, and VWT is making its Air Access Program available to other agencies as well.
About Booking Vault
BookingVault, a travel technology company headquartered in San Francisco, provides innovative leisure travel solutions, powering out of the box OTA’s and Online Booking Tools for Agency Partners. BookingVault’s mission is to enable travel distribution and consumption through easy-to-use plug and play software with a content agnostic SaaS approach.
www.BookingVault.com
About Departure Lounge
As a global luxury travel host agency with more than 140 travel advisors in North America and
Europe, Departure Lounge also has innovative retail storefronts in Austin and San Antonio Texas. The award-winning agency is a member of the prestigious Virtuoso international travel network and enjoys status among the industry’s best preferred agency programs.
www.DepartureLounge.com
About Valerie Wilson Travel
Valerie Wilson Travel, a FROSCH Company, headquartered in New York, NY, was founded by Valerie Ann Wilson, Founder, CEO, in 1981, and managed along with her two daughters, Co-Presidents Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg and Kimberly Wilson Wetty, as well as COO, Brian Buttigieg. VWT is an award-winning travel management firm that has grown into an industry leader with offices across the United States servicing Corporate, Leisure, and Fulfillment clients. All VWT locations are proud members of Virtuoso® – the travel industry’s leading luxury network. VWT is consistently named on the annual Travel Weekly Power List, Travel + Leisure’s A-List as well as recognition from many other publications.
http://www.valeriewilsontravel.com
CONTACTS:
Ben Nayberg, Chief Operating Officer, BookingVault
650-273-4225
Keith Waldon, Founder, Departure Lounge
512-750-1012
Jennifer Wilson-Buttigieg, Co-President, Valerie Wilson Travel
212-592-1210