Dan Mahar, Jackie Coulson and Kiki Tauck-Mahar welcome guests to afternoon tea at The Fairmont Royal York
Vision 2000's Stephanie Anevich with Collacutt Travel's David Pierce
Vacation.com's Christine James and Anju Bliss enjoying tea with Tauck
A quick visit to Toronto by CEO Dan Mahar and Kiki Tauck-Mahar to take in a Leafs game created the opportunity to host afternoon tea atop The Royal York with a select group of retail partners. It has been exactly one year since the Connecticut-based, family owned and operated tour operator launched their Canadian sales presence with Country Manager, Jackie Coulson.
Tauck always has a story to tell because when you’re different, you have to make sure people understand why. They operate differently, they price their product differently and they approach the business from a different perspective. They’re expensive because they include everything you will do, eat, drink and enjoy during your trip. As Mahar states, “Nickel and diming people is not a dignified way to be treated.”
That philosophy can be tested during challenging economic times, but Mahar says the current instability has motivated them to “double down and be more innovative than ever” while expanding the style and scope of their product offerings. The result: “We’re thriving,” says Mahar.
One of their relatively new concepts is Bridges. Wanting to encourage their 5 children to explore the world and also to be able to spend more quality time with them, Dan & Kiki created the Bridges collection to appeal to like minded families. On any Bridges trip, you’ll find about 1/3 are families like the Mahars with their own children, about 1/3 are grandparents with one or more grandchildren and about 1/3 are multi-generational family groups.
And, it seems to be working.
As Jackie Coulson says,”You only have to sell one Tauck trip. The rest sell themselves. We take care of people and the business follows.”
