Home Based Travel Agent - June 2008 - (Page 32)

Ireland FOR THE AGENT AN IRISH WELCOME IN THE KINGDOM OF KERRY This southwest Irish county offers your clients a trip steeped in tradition Agents can call owner Carol Hartnett. PHOTO BY KATHLEEN M. MANGAN If the main drag is too busy for your clients, the Brook Lodge Hotel (011353-64-31800, www.brooklodgekillar ney.com) is one block away from the action with plenty of parking. The family-operated hotel has 24 large rooms, some with multiple beds. High season rates start at $233, double occupancy, with breakfast. Owner Joan Counihan is available to agents. The property is open April through October. Tralee is a gateway to the Dingle Peninsula; Fels Point Hotel (011-35366-711-9986, www.felspointhotel.ie) is the newest hotel here. It features 163 large contemporary rooms. There are connecting and disabled rooms. High season rates start at $248, double occupancy, with breakfast, $215, room A walking loop near the town of Eyeries on the Beara Peninsula only. The agent liaison is Teresa Griffin, reservations manager (reservations@ felspointhotel.ie). Tour Operator: Ireland specialist Sceptre Tours (800-221-0924, www. sceptretours.com) packages air, car rental and lodging. This agent-only service offers live lodging inventory, plus commissionable air, transportation, tours, golf and activities. Agents earn 10 percent commission on land (5 Cead Mile Failte, “A Hundred Thousand Welcomes,” is the age-old slogan of Irish hospitality and tourism. Your clients will feel this warm welcome wherever they go in the southwest region of Ireland, known as the Kingdom of Kerry. Whether stopping to enjoy a pint of Guinness or a pot of tea, asking directions to a ring fort or an artist’s studio, or simply sharing a bench at a scenic overlook, they’ll feel right at home chatting up the locals. Lodging: Affordable, commissionable lodging is best found at small independent hotels. Be aware that single supplements are common in Ireland. The Lake Hotel (011-353-64-31035, www.lakehotel.com), run by the same family for three generations, is on the shores of the Killarney Lakes and hosts the ruins of a 12th-century castle. It recently added a new wing and has 132 comfortable rooms. High season rates (July and August) start at about $215 midweek and $250 on weekends, double occupancy with breakfast. Call Sarah Dougherty, sales and marketing, for reservations. Niall Huggard, general manager, is also happy to help agents. Commission is 10 percent; book direct, as the hotel is not in the GDS. It’s closed December and half of January. For clients who want to be in the heart of Killarney so they can walk to restaurants, pubs and shops, Foley’s Townhouse (011-353-64-31217, www. foleystownhouse.com) is right on High Street. This charming, family-run hotel was once an 18th-century coaching inn and has 29 rooms. High season rates start at $155, double occupancy, with breakfast; commission is 10 percent. A guest room at Lake Hotel in Killarney offers “a hundred thousand welcomes” 32 Home-BasedTravelAgent JUNE 2 0 0 8 http://www.brooklodgekillarney.com http://www.brooklodgekillarney.com http://www.felspointhotel.ie http://www.sceptretours.com http://www.sceptretours.com http://www.foleystownhouse.com http://www.foleystownhouse.com

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Home Based Travel Agent - June 2008 Contents Editor's Note Publisher's Note Your Lifeline Agent Spotlight New Technology Industry News Hot Deals Indentifying Agents Delivering Documents Culinary Vacations Pacific Northwest Cover Story: Cruising Scandinavia Agent Access New Products

Home Based Travel Agent - June 2008

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