As a point the hotel had a seafront position, free spa facilities for guests who applied for their loyalty card and the staff were friendly enough not to charge at all for car parking which seemed really nice if not very business minded.

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It’s interesting what Catherine mentions about looking at a holiday rental home and I thought I’d offer a villa company’s view. From speaking with our customers, we’ve found that holidaymakers are increasingly looking to book good quality holiday properties that they know will offer comfort and style for the duration of their stay. I’d agree that holidaymakers are not necessarily looking for the cheapest option, but a holiday where they’re confident that quality and service won’t be comprised.

We’re finding that holidaymakers are opting for a villa where you get the quality of any three, four or even five star hotel, but you can save Euros elsewhere by dining in more, enjoying the facilities of the accommodation and sampling local produce on the BBQ. This can sometimes be much more appealing for those consumers looking for a quality holiday at an affordable price.

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Plus the tools we have at our finger tips mean we can find better deals because we know where to look.(OK most of the time). After all we did not study 2 years to become a travel agent to not know anything.

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It is the same with airfares. I see fares for journeys and think “That’s good value” and other times “ruddy ridiculous”. (For example, the Star Alliance round the world fare, for the flying you get, is incredible value, so too, are the “special” Singapore Airlines disounted business class fares to Oz.) – but one has to have a bit of a “nose” (and experience) to know which is which. Of course, one’s client also has to trust that their agent knows what they are talking about as well! There are still an awful lot of very good ones up and down the country, sitting behind their counters – but the way things are going, they will not be there for very much longer. The trick is, to find them!

If you book online, chances are that your booking decision can be based on cost alone. Okay, so you can read up on hotels etc etc. though as I always say, with the internet – the internet will answer your question BUT are you asking the *right* question and are you getting the answer from the *right* person. From what I read about about review sites, the latter point is a moot one. A decision based on cost alone, is flawed. Without experience, making a choice in a field as widely diverse as travel, can be disasterous. You can wind up paying £100 for something that is, you think, cheap and worthwhile, whereas the option for £120 may be slightly different, though at the same time, offer several times that amount in terms of overall holiday quality.

The role of the travel agent has changed. The travel agencies realise that their role has changed – and have changed. The problem is, that the travelling public do not realise that the agent has realised that their role has changed and the public still think that an agent is someone to bypass, because they (mistakenly, really) believe they save the “middleman” commission. Neither has Jo Public grasped that agents have recognised that their role has changed (at least, the good agents have) and that agents earn their money by offering (keyword: offering) sound and sensible advice on how to achieve best value for every holiday pound their client has in the holiday budget. Okay, so you may pay a bit more for specific set of holiday plans that an agent has guided you towards than if you booked that specific set of plans direct – but if that work the agent has put in, increases the enjoyment value of you holiday, if you have taken full advantage of their skill and knowledge, then you should be happy and willing to pay that little bit extra with good grace. It is not a question of avoiding (good) agents; it is a question of learning how to use them.

That message, the travel agencies are not good at getting across!

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I think nowadays what would prove good value to me would be find a holiday rental home abroad if I were taking family. Hotels would be too expensive and b&b type accommodation too intimate.

However were it just myself and my husband then I would trawl the internet (and prob. ta) to find the best deals.

And my good value for money would be a place I could travel to in comfort but not too expensive (Ryan Air might not be my choice), and a place where we could eat good, REAL food which was not rip off prices. Oh, and the odd bottle of well priced wine would not go amiss.

But at the end of the day (hate that saying but hey ho) value is all in the eye of the (purse) (be) holder.

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