Pittsfield Businesswoman Opens Online Travel Agency
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local businesswoman Rhonda Serre says her new venture combining her love of travel and her entrepreneurial spirit.
Wow Moments World Travel combines the pricing and ease of doing business in the online marketplace with the expertise and personalized service that can be offered by a traditional travel agency, Serre said.
"The sheer volume of travel information available online has made it difficult for some traditional brick and mortar travel agencies to compete," said Serre. She goes on to add that with, "so much noise and clutter to weed through on the Internet," even experienced travelers value advisers who can make sense of the "clutter."
According to its website the new agency "specializes in small business travel, destination weddings, family vacations, group travel, eco/adventure travel, and highly detailed itineraries for the discerning traveler."
Like large online travel agencies, Wow Moments World Travel forgoes traditional business expenses, such as rent and utilities and investing those savings in technologies and partnerships that allow the company to guarantee pricing while still being able to customize the customer’s experiences. Unlike larger travel agencies, Serre explains that because the agency is local, "We can just as easily meet you for coffee if you’re local or set up a webinar."
For example, Serre said she stayed late on New Year's Eve to help a small business customer arrange and process a transaction before the end of the fiscal year.
"That's where we shine, our customers get 110 percent of our attention," she said.
With the recent recession and rapid expansion of large Internet travel sites, Serre said she saw the demise of many traditional travel agencies. Seeing this as an opportunity to redesign the business model and develop a solution that presents the best of both worlds, she worked with the Berkshire County Small Business Development Center to build a business plan, financial models and budget guidelines. Wow Moments World Travel is also a member of professional and social groups in the region including the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce and Berkshire Visitors Bureau.
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