Travel Gurus Take You Places
By Malay Vyas
STAFFORD: In the myriad of travel websites and plethora of online options, one tends to get lost in finding the true value of a travel deal. Enter the Travelguzs (pronounced Travel Guys) and your problems tend to disappear. Set in a serene office on Corporate Drive in Stafford, the Travelguzs office is decorated with enticing travel destination posters on the walls while informative travel catalogues line up the bookshelves. The phones ring softly and the conversations range from simple airline bookings to information dissipation on exotic far away destinations. Welcome to Houston’s travel headquarters.
CEO & Founder Hamid Lakhani set this company up in 2013 after decades in the travel industry in Houston. COO & Associate Ketki Shah also has more than twenty years in the travel business. The duo is a formidable, well-trained and well qualified team in the domain of international travel, vacationing and Cruises. Passion for travel rings through his voice as Hamid explains the world of travel business: “Before the internet, being a travel company was a lucrative prospect. But in the last decade or so, business fell as customers turned to the internet for travel deals and airline companies decided that travel agents, as distributors wasn’t a viable proposition”. “The world has come a full circle now, that customers and airlines see the value of a travel agent”, Hamid explains the current market dynamics of an average travel agent. Travelguzs, however, is no average, run-of-the-mill travel agency. Hamid and Ketki with their team are gurus of the travel world.
Founded on the strong belief of providing top-of-the line customer services, Hamid does not believe in discounted pricing to be the only answer to seek business. “We have loyal customers who understand the value that we bring to the table and are willing to pay our service charges for a better experience,” reasons Hamid. “A customer who asks for discount today, will never be loyal because the moment the next agent offers him a dollar less, the customer is gone”, adds Ketki making perfect business sense.
“There is no way internet or big airline companies can bring the personal touch that a customer oriented travel company can. We bring value to the table”, says Hamid. “Customers are well aware of travel destinations and they know where to go, however, they trust us and our judgement in making all arrangements,” reminisces Ketki as she fondly narrates an incident where a customer stopping over in Turkey missed their domestic flight from Istanbul. Ketki received a frantic call at 3.00 AM in Houston, she stayed up, rejigged their entire reservation including hotel and onwards air reservations at that hour. Upon returning to Houston, the customer came into the Travelguzs’ office to thank them personally. “We take pride in earning our customers’ trust” beams Ketki.
Customer’s safety comes first at Travelguzs. They always advice customers to buy Travel Insurance since it protects the customers from any unforeseen circumstances. “Its like buying car insurance – you want to protect your investment, so why not for your travel dollars as well”, suggests Hamid. Advising a customer to do the right thing by investing in travel insurance it actually adds value to the offering.
Travelguzs also offer group travel plans as well as manage corporate travel. They are experts at negotiating group rates and corporate travel arrangements. They verify their vendors and only offer services from vendors that have been validated and verified. One unique aspect of the Travelguzs is that out of their own accord and at their own expense, Hamid, Ketki and team go through continuous training and certification keeping themselves updated on new trends, new destinations, new systems as well as training on offering better customer service. Ketki is probably the only travel guru in Houston who is certified and trained to arrange travel for persons with special needs.
Besides offering group and individual family packages for Cruises not only in North America but also in Europe and South East Asia, Travelguzs are bringing in newer trends of tourism. River Cruising is a big trend in Europe and South East Asia, bookings open soon so watch this space. “River Cruising is for people who are not comfortable in going out to the open ocean or for people who want to sail through historic towns stopping more often to get on land to visit sites and explore,” explains Ketki.
Hamid & Ketki have used their travel experience to design special packages to take stress away from your life. A 7 day Mind, Body and Soul Rejuvenation package and a 14 day Stress management vacation including Ayurveda massages and meditation in “Gods Own Country” Kerala is for the discerning traveler. Also Introducing Exclusive Private Journeys in Europe – Your Chauffeur, Your Journey, Your Pace and different route options to choose from. Bringing newer avenues to vacationing is another value proposition that Travelguzs bring to the table.
We like making our customer’s dreams come true, says Hamid recollecting a recent “dream vacation” designed for a special client. 29 nights in India, all of them in historic palace hotels including celebration of Holi at Uday Vilas in Rajasthan, all air travel in first class and all road travel by Audis or BMW limousines. “Everything was arranged to perfection, it was our client’s dream and we are happy we made it come true,” say Hamid and Ketki proudly.
So if you have destination in mind or just want to vacation, call the travel gurus at Travelguzs at 1-866-723-9393 or look them up on the web at www.travelguzs.com and www.cruiseguzs.com and trust them to offer you the best vacations at the best customer service in town.