In this episode, the final in a three-part series of Trade Secrets recorded on the road at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Azamara CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler. She discusses leaving her retirement to helm the small-ship luxury cruise line, the importance of suppliers listening to trade partners, luxury travel sales techniques and what sets luxury cruise lines like Azamara apart.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways. 

Further resources

Dondra Ritzenthaler’s email

Mentioned in this episode: 
Azamara World Academy
From Travel Weekly, Azamara introduces advisor training with incentives
From TravelAge West: Azamara launches travel advisor celebration with enhanced incentives
Dondra Ritzenthaler on Humans of Travel

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 



Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license



See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, the final in a three-part series of Trade Secrets recorded on the road at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada welcome Azamara CEO Dondra Ritzenthaler. She discusses leaving her retirement to helm the small-ship luxury cruise line, the importance of suppliers listening to trade partners, luxury travel sales techniques and what sets luxury cruise lines like Azamara apart.
This episode is sponsored by <a href="amawaterways.com/agent-home">AmaWaterways</a>. 
<hr>
Further resources
Dondra Ritzenthaler’s <a href="mailto:dritzenthaler@azamara.com">email</a>
Mentioned in this episode: 
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://connect.azamara.com/world-academy">Azamara World Academy</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">From Travel Weekly, <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Azamara-introduces-advisor-training-with-incentives">Azamara introduces</a> advisor training with incentives</li>
<li aria-level="1">From TravelAge West: <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Travel/Cruise/azamara-cruises-travel-advisor-celebration">Azamara launches</a> travel advisor celebration with enhanced incentives</li>
<li aria-level="1">Dondra Ritzenthaler on <a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Podcasts/Humans-of-Travel/humans-of-travel-podcast-dondra-ritzenthaler">Humans of Travel</a></li>
</ul>
<hr>
Need advice?
Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
 
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners’ questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more — as long as it’s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at travelweekly.com/podcasts.

ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:

Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors’ 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.

Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives — the highs and lows that make them human.


Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Welcome to Trade Secrets, a podcast from the editors of Travel Weekly and TravelAge West, where travel advisors ask -- and answer -- questions. On each podcast, our editors will ask a veteran travel advisor to join them and field listeners&rsquo; questions. Topics will range from business advice to industry trends, history and more &mdash; as long as it&rsquo;s travel-related, we want to address it! Find Trade Secrets wherever you get your podcasts, or at <a href="http://travelweekly.com/podcasts">travelweekly.com/podcasts</a>.
<hr>
ABOUT YOUR HOSTS:
Jamie Biesiada is a senior editor with Travel Weekly. She is an award-winning journalist, including being named the American Society of Travel Advisors&rsquo; 2019 Travel Journalist of the Year. Her roots are in community journalism, where she was the editor of several local newspapers and a regional entertainment magazine.
Emma Weissmann is a Senior Editor of TravelAge West, a print and online magazine for travel advisors based in the Western U.S. She is also the host of the Humans of Travel podcast, where she interviews notable individuals in the travel industry about their lives &mdash; the highs and lows that make them human.
<hr>
 Theme song: Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod Link: <a href="https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop">https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop</a> License: <a href="https://filmmusic.io/standard-license">https://filmmusic.io/standard-license</a>
<hr>
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information

Trade Secrets Podcast

Trade Secrets

Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 3: How can travel advisors get ‘commissions with a comma'? (Feat. Dondra Ritzenthaler)

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the second episode of a three-part series recorded on-site in Las Vegas, Megan Vatnsdal, owner of Onyx & Evergreen Travel and affiliate of Four Hundred, talks about how she’s spent the past few years building her luxury-focused agency. She and co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada cover everything from building a book of business, to getting in front of luxury clients, to using events to network.

This episode is sponsored by AmaWaterways. 

Further resources

Megan Vatnsdal on Instagram, Facebook and the web

Mentioned in this episode:
Four Hundred
BNI (Business Network International)
From Travel Weekly, evidence of normalization in travel this year
Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 1

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 



Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license



See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the second episode of a three-part series recorded on-site in Las Vegas, Megan Vatnsdal, owner of Onyx &amp; Evergreen Travel and affiliate of Four Hundred, talks about how she’s spent the past few years building her luxury-focused agency. She and co-hosts Emma Weissmann and Jamie Biesiada cover everything from building a book of business, to getting in front of luxury clients, to using events to network.
This episode is sponsored by <a href="amawaterways.com/agent-home">AmaWaterways</a>. <a href="http://amawaterways.com/agent-home"></a>
<hr>
Further resources
Megan Vatnsdal on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/onyx.and.evergreen.travel/">Instagram</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/onyx.and.evergreen.travel">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://www.onyxandevergreen.com/">the web</a>
Mentioned in this episode:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.fourhundred.com/">Four Hundred</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.bni.com/">BNI</a> (Business Network International)</li>
<li aria-level="1">From Travel Weekly, <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Travel-boom-may-be-tapering-off-this-year">evidence</a> of <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/On-The-Record/Claire-Canady-Travel-Experts">normalization</a> in travel this year</li>
<li aria-level="1">Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trade-secrets-at-virtuoso-travel-week-part-1-what-are/id1555272051?i=1000666610737">part 1</a></li>
</ul>
<hr>
Need advice?
Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
 
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 2: As a travel advisor, how do I break into the world of luxury travel sales?

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the first episode of a three-part series recorded on site, Virtuoso executive vice president David Kolner shares updates on Virtuoso’s annual event, how advisors are selling so much right now, the different habits of each generation and what the term “luxury” means to him. Kolner also talks about Maui recovery and what travel advisors can do to help the island.

This episode is sponsored by Allianz Partners. 

Further resources

Virtuoso’s website

David Kolner on LinkedIn and Instagram

UBS’s Global Wealth Report 2024

From TravelAge West:
Five things we learned at Virtuoso Travel Week 2024

From Travel Weekly:
Travel is flourishing, and Virtuoso says it’s at the top of the heap
High prices are giving luxury travelers pause, but they’re paying 
Going back to Maui

Need advice?



Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 



Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license



See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets is on the road again, this time at Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas. In the first episode of a three-part series recorded on site, Virtuoso executive vice president David Kolner shares updates on Virtuoso’s annual event, how advisors are selling so much right now, the different habits of each generation and what the term “luxury” means to him. Kolner also talks about Maui recovery and what travel advisors can do to help the island.
This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://allianzadvantage.com/">Allianz Partners</a>. 
<hr>
Further resources
Virtuoso’s <a href="https://www.virtuoso.com/">website</a>
David Kolner on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kolner-9b0624">LinkedIn</a> and <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dkolner/?hl=en">Instagram</a>
UBS’s <a href="https://www.ubs.com/us/en/wealth-management/insights/global-wealth-report.html">Global Wealth Report 2024</a>
From TravelAge West:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.travelagewest.com/Events/virtuoso-travel-week-2024">Five things</a> we learned at Virtuoso Travel Week 2024</li>
</ul>
From Travel Weekly:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Virtuoso-Travel-Week-2024">Travel is flourishing</a>, and Virtuoso says it’s at the top of the heap</li>
<li aria-level="1">High prices are giving luxury travelers pause, but <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Virtuoso-Travel-Week-panel-2024">they’re paying </a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Travel-Agent-Issues/Virtuoso-Travel-Week-panel-2024"></a>Going <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Hawaii-Travel/Going-back-to-Maui">back to Maui</a></li>
</ul>
<hr>
Need advice?
 
Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
 
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 1: What are the latest trends in luxury travel? (Feat. David Kolner)

This week, Chad Burt of Outside Agents joins Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann of Trade Secrets for our annual “mailbag” episode, featuring travel advisor listener questions on a variety of topics. During the episode, we’ll dig into advanced use cases of generative AI, airline loyalty, host agency affiliations, picking a travel advisor specialty and more. 

This episode is sponsored by Allianz Partners USA. 

Further resources and related readings

Outside Agents on the web

Outside Agents’ blog

More about Outside Agents’ MAGgie technology

Outside Agents’ Power Prompts

Chad’s book of prompts - password: oastrong

Mentioned in this episode and related reading:
Canva
Trade Secrets episode on generative AI 
Some recent Travel Weekly coverage on consolidators
Trade Secrets episode on switching host agencies 

Need advice?

Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098

Email us: tradesecrets@travelweekly.com 



Theme song:

Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod

Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop

License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license



See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, Chad Burt of Outside Agents joins Jamie Biesiada and Emma Weissmann of Trade Secrets for our annual “mailbag” episode, featuring travel advisor listener questions on a variety of topics. During the episode, we’ll dig into advanced use cases of generative AI, airline loyalty, host agency affiliations, picking a travel advisor specialty and more. 
This episode is sponsored by <a href="https://allianzadvantage.com/">Allianz Partners USA</a>. 
<hr>
Further resources and related readings
Outside Agents <a href="https://outsideagents.com/">on the web</a> 
Outside Agents’ <a href="https://outsideagents.com/blog/">blog</a>
More about Outside Agents’ <a href="https://outsideagents.com/twinkles/">MAGgie technology</a>
Outside Agents’ <a href="https://outsideagents.com/ai-prompts-landing/">Power Prompts</a>
Chad’s <a href="https://go.outsideagents.com/250">book of prompts</a> - password: oastrong
Mentioned in this episode and related reading:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.canva.com/">Canva</a> </li>
<li aria-level="1">Trade Secrets <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/how-do-i-use-generative-ai-to-improve-my-travel-agencys/id1555272051?i=1000623650286">episode</a> on generative AI </li>
<li aria-level="1">Some recent Travel Weekly <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Air-ticket-consolidators-still-going-strong">coverage</a> on <a href="https://www.travelweekly.com/Travel-News/Airline-News/Air-consolidators-embracing-NDC">consolidators</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">Trade Secrets <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/should-i-break-up-with-my-host-agency/id1555272051?i=1000559337142">episode</a> on switching host agencies </li>
</ul>
<hr>
Need advice?
Call our hotline and leave a message: 201-902-2098
Email us: <a href="mailto:tradesecrets@travelweekly.com">tradesecrets@travelweekly.com </a>
 
Theme song:
Sock Hop by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4387-sock-hop
License: https://filmmusic.io/standard-license
 
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trade Secrets at Virtuoso Travel Week, part 3: How can travel advisors get ‘commissions with a comma'? (Feat. Dondra Ritzenthaler)

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