Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephen Scott.
A native of Chicago, Stephen grew up in the travel industry as his parents owned and operated a travel agency for 7 years. After studying sales and marketing at DeVry University, Stephen began his career in corporate sales at United Airlines. His accomplishments working with United’s high profile corporate and TMC accounts led him to a management opportunity with Royal Caribbean International that spanned 5 years, wherein 2015, he earned the Chairman’s Award for top sales performance. He also served as the Board Manager for the New York City chapter of Young Travel Professionals.
In late 2015, he started a new travel brand called Travel Hub 365 to build a Travel Agency for the future that blends both technology and personalization for the traveler that expects their travel planning experience to be fluid, exciting, and designed for them.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Business ownership is like one of those joker masks that has a smiling face on one side, and a face of sheer madness on the other. You never know which side you are going to get in one day, or in which part of the day.
In the beginning, I thought the hardest part would be in simply coming up with a company name and website branding. Over the last 2 years, I have had to understand legal contracts, payroll, accounting, company legal structures, HR, and many other things related to operating the business compared to the act of selling travel.
You may be good at what you set out to create, but you must ensure that you are prepared to learn what you do not know or bring in business partners that do, or you can easily spend 100% of your time doing everything but what you love to do.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Travel Hub 365 story. Tell us more about the business.
Travel Hub 365 is a luxury leisure and corporate travel agency. We provide leisure travel planning services that are focused on unique experiences for vacations around the world, and corporate travel services that support a wide range of customers from Recording Artists, Law Offices, families, and couples of all types to destinations within the USA and around the world. Our airline contracts and hotel programs such as Virtuoso set us apart from many other agencies, and online travel brands thanks to the support of our agency partners and team.
My role as is to be the brand ambassador focused on building our opportunities for growth through partnerships, media, customers, and supplier relationships. Simultaneously I am tasked with building and managing a team of amazing people to deliver on the promises we make to everyone involved with our brand.
What makes me the proudest at this time is that we are showing consistent growth of our customer base and team in fun and exciting ways. Every new customer is unique and has a story, and every new team member is well traveled and ready to help clients build on their story. It’s a thriving environment, and we are working hard to continue to make this a great experience all around. Throw in that we get to travel to amazing destinations and talk about travel for a living is like adding frosting to the cake.
The thing that truly makes us unique is our ability to elevate the experience of our clients through our membership programs, strong partnerships with our hotel brands, airlines, and destination partners around the world. There are built-in value-adds such as upgrades upon check-in, Spa Treatments, and daily breakfasts that consistently make our clients feel like a VIP. The best thing that happens to our clients is when the person waiting for them asks them how they got all of that, and then they write down our information to call us. When I get that call, you can just imagine what the customer felt like giving that referral.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
In my mind, you have to work very hard to get the opportunities that come to you. The harder you work the better off that luck will be when it hits you. Rarely have I seen a moment where someone has given up and then luck struck like in the movies. It’s always that someone is busting their tale, focused on their goal, and they end up meeting the right person, getting that big account, or building greatly upon their plan thanks to someone who is keeping an eye on their progress from a far.
I experienced a fair amount of luck when our host agency First in Service Travel gave me a shot by signing me to our contract when I left Royal Caribbean. I walked in the door with nothing, no customers, no book of business, and no previous revenues to show as a Travel Agent. They gave me an opportunity to use my relationship skills, business development background, and sheer determination to figure this out when most everyone else on their roster had celebrities, massive accounts, and decades of experience. If that wasn’t luck, I don’t know what was, and I’m thankful for it.
Pricing:
- PER TRIP PLANNING FEE: $150 – All Access Pass, Charged Prior To Quote, Gives Access to All Luxury Programs
- INDIVIDUAL SUBSCRIPTION MEMBERSHIP: $19.99 MONTHLY RECURRING – Designed for travelers looking for affordable and simplified travel support services. 24-7 Service and Travel Planning Best Pricing, for Single, Couples, and Family Travelers, fewer frills, but no-nonsense travel support. that’s ready when you are.
- INDIVIDUAL LUXURY MONTHLY MEMBERSHIP: $99 MONTHLY – Designed for Business Travelers, Families, and Premium/Luxury Clientele
- INDIVIDUAL LUXURY ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP: $899 ANNUALLY – Identical to Luxury Monthly but Pay once annually, and save on per trip costs
Contact Info:
- Address: 600 W. Fulton St., Suite 100, Chicago, IL. 60661
- Website: www.travelhub365.net
- Phone: 312-940-7386
- Email: travel@travelhub365.net
- Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/travelhub365
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/travelhub365
- Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/travelhub365
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