If you read the last issue of HHH, you may have seen my piece on Classic Vacations and its founder, Ron Letterman.
One of our readers forwarded it to Ron… and he replied!
I didn’t expect he would remember our conversation (which he didn’t), but definitely a good reminder of the impact you can have, even if you are not aware of it. Below is his email to me.
Aloha Dan ,
A former employee of mine… sent me the article you wrote about our meeting so many years ago. I appreciate being remembered after all this time, and also appreciate the compliment, even though I do not really remember the specifics of our exchange. At the time of our meeting, the hotels were trying to adjust to the entrance of online booking agencies like Expedia and Priceline, and the traditional travel agency community was paranoid with fear, with many in the industry predicting the end of brick-and-mortar agencies. Now, companies like Expedia and Priceline are trying to adjust to the entrance of AI into their industry, and many are predicting their demise.
At the time, however, I felt that Classic held an important niche and was still well positioned to serve Travel agencies whose primary customer base was older, affluent Travelers, who needed hands-on services and were not comfortable navigating the internet. That demographic still exists today and is still amongst the most affluent and prolific travelers. They own their homes, do not buy a lot of clothes because their closets are full, and have all the furniture, artwork, and knick-knacks their house can accommodate. What they still do however, is go on the best vacations they can afford, often 3 or more times a year.
Frankly, I do not remember the company you represented at the time, but Expedia wanted access to our hotel relationships in Hawaii, was willing to allow Classic to continue running its business the way we always did, and signed me to a 5-year employment agreement. I have to say at the time, Expedia’s management was very young, very smart, and a real joy to work with. I tried to introduce Expedia to a platinum services idea offering direct online communication to a live help desk and Classic type services, but they had bigger fish to fry.
I have to say I was impressed with the quality of your magazine articles and would enjoy continuing to receive them even though I am happily retired and an industry ex expert.
I hope your magazine enjoys the success it deserves.
All the best
Ron Letterman
PS I also enjoyed seeing the old Classic Custom Vacations Logo again, which was designed by my graphic artist wife.
