Anticipating issues: I’m shown above (right) with Ted Teng of The Leading Hotels of the World and Valerie Wilson of Valerie Wilson Travel.

Anticipating issues: I’m shown above (right) with Ted Teng of The Leading Hotels of the World and Valerie Wilson of Valerie Wilson Travel.

Sometimes do you feel like all you do all day is fix problems? If the answer is yes, then you’re in a good spot. If everything went effortlessly, travel advisors wouldn’t be needed. So stop complaining about the problem, embrace it, and become the best problem-solver possible. Your clients will judge you based on how quickly you react and if the situation is resolved. Travel involves many moving parts that touch controllable and uncontrollable factors like weather, technical glitches, and yes, human error. The chances are greater that something will go wrong than not. Think about your own travel. Have you ever gone to the airport with no traffic, no line at check-in or TSA, gotten to board the airplane first and then had your luggage come off the conveyer belt as you walked up to the carousel? If all that happened before you even got to your hotel, you’d think you’d won the lottery. Our purpose in the food chain of hospitality is to mitigate and anticipate what will go wrong and recommend the smoothest path to a positive, memorable experience.

I’m with Chuck Imhof of Delta Air Lines.

I’m with Chuck Imhof of Delta Air Lines.

The people that I admire the most and the people that create the most value to clients and employees are these problem-solvers. Pictured above are industry leaders that I have personally seen as excellent problem-solvers. Valerie Wilson of Valerie Wilson Travel has been keeping clients happy for 35 years. Her most memorable accomplishments, on this front, are when she resolves issues that the client never even knew about, as Valerie is always anticipating and reacting before the hiccup arises. Ted Teng of The Leading Hotels of the World, with 375 hotels, is bringing together independent jewels that strive for nothing less than perfection in the ever-evolving hotel experience. Then there’s Chuck Imhof of Delta Air Lines. Chuck and Delta continue to raise the bar on airport and onboard experience. And with Delta’s “Bags On Time” 20-minute guarantee, it makes flying seem like winning the lottery every time.

Problem solved.