Meet The Velvet Collection

The Travel Corporation (TTC) is restructuring its Canadian sales force representing its premium and luxury brands under a single entity, The Velvet Collection.

The Collection includes the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, Insight Vacations, Luxury Gold and African Travel, Inc.

The Velvet Collection sales team offers one comprehensive resource of knowledgeable, highly-skilled and cross-trained TTC Strategic Account Managers and Partner Services Co-ordinators across its premium and luxury brands to serve their loyal Travel Advisor community nationwide.

Jeff Element, president of The Travel Corporation Canada, said: “We have created a stellar Canadian dream team and as an organization, we continuously evaluate our business processes to ensure that we are delivering the best solutions and assistance to our valued partners and guests.”

Element continued: “TTC is driven by service and that’s exactly the point of our new Velvet Collection sales team. We want to be ready to better serve Travel Advisors catering to travel’s first returners: the affluent market guests who are looking for perfectly planned, authentic and immersive experiences across the globe.”

As Element explains it, The Velvet Collection team will mirror the way travel advisors serve their clients, leveraging consultative selling processes to offer real-time solutions for their travel concerns across travel experiences and destinations.

He said: “It’s about relationship building and delivering outstanding service across the travel spectrum, from river cruising and guided vacations, to luxury hotels stays and custom safari experiences.”

And he explained that: “By optimizing information, we will become the ultimate knowledge base and a single, go-to source for helping our exceptional travel partners deliver the very best from today and into the future.”

The new sales organization will be under the collaboration of TTC brand leaders consisting of:

• Jeff Element, TTC president Canada
• Michelle Palma, president of Uniworld Canada
• Jonathan Raggett, global CEO of Red Carnation Hotel Collection
• Brad Ford, president of Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold Canada
• Sherwin Banda, president of African Travel, Inc.

Insight Vacations and Luxury Gold Canada’s president, Brad Ford points out that the new structure is built upon synergies across TTC from best-in-class training technology, unified Salesforce accounts and a consultative sales methodology that promotes long-term customer relationships.

Said Ford: “One aligned sales team, representing the foremost brands in the premium and luxury travel sectors, will give travel advisors in Canada the opportunity to grow sales and revenues with confidence, and the benefit of developing holistic, diversified business plans that are much better positioned to withstand market changes.”

And he adds: “Our teams are poised to inspire and support our travel industry partners with the finest experiences and attention to guest well-being, ready to go as travel begins to spark again in Canada.”

Michelle Palma, president of Uniworld Canada, said: “The Velvet Collection will enable our Strategic Account Managers and Partner Services teams to deliver outstanding service as they build on the synergies within the premium and luxury brands to provide a seamless transition for our travel partners.”

For more, advisors should contact their local Strategic Account Manager or Partner Services Co-ordinator.