Jason Swaye
Where were you born? In Hamilton.
What was your 1st job? In the army – I served for 10 years in the infantry in the Middle East and the Balkans. Then I went into the hotel business. I’ve worked in Europe, Middle East and the Caribbean – everything from scuba instructor to concierge, which is why I moved into retail travel.
How long have you been in the business now? About 10 years.
How has the business changed since you got into it? People have gone from wanting to do everything themselves online (“It’s better, it’s easier, it’s 3 in the morning, I’ll get a better deal.”) to going back to relying on travel agents. Also airlines now really want the direct business. If travel agents disappeared tomorrow, they’d have a party.
Do you have a specialty? Luxury travel, absolutely.
If you could have any job in the business what would it be? A sales rep for a hotel or tour company.
What was your best FAM? With Melia Hotels to San Juan and the D.R.
What drives you crazy? When people call up and say, “I got this online - can you beat it?”
What was your biggest individual sale? A family of 4 to France. 5 star all the way, $55,000 for the week. (Laughs) It paid for my furnace!
What’s the 1st thing you do when you get into a hotel room? I take pictures.
Do you have a magic sentence to close the sale? I ask for the credit card.
Do you have any time management strategies? No – unfortunately not!
What do you do to keep your clients loyal? I treat them with respect. I’m as honest as I can be and I treat them more as friends than as customers.
What’s the best piece of advice you ever received? “Listen, don’t talk.”
If you had to spend 6 months in a destination, which 1 would you pick? Turks and Caicos.
If you weren’t doing this, what would you be doing? The military.
If you or someone you know is a front line travel agent in Canada and would like to be featured in Up Front, please email martha@gk.openjaw.xyz.
