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Credit: Jenny Koppenhaver
Being part of a travel company that has taken the time to build strong relationships with our top travel partners allows me to take trips to experience what my clients are asking for. Domestic or international, if travel is possible, and it’s something my clients are interested in, I’m going.
Of course, I love to travel, which is a really fun side of my job. Some people may think I get to do this for free, but this is not so. Sometimes we have special rates, but it is money spent on my business all the same. I am a team leader, and I know when I travel and can share my experience with my team, we can grow together. Our portfolios expand on what knowledge we have to offer. The same benefit goes for my clientele. Again, this is money well spent.
What is a Site Inspection?
A site inspection is a visit to a resort or hotel property for the purpose of evaluation. As an experienced travel advisor, I frequently visit and evaluate resorts and hotel properties that I book for my clients to ensure the property meets and exceeds my clients’ expectations.
First Impressions On Arrival
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Credit: Jenny Koppenhaver
I first look at my first impression upon arrival. This begins at the airport. How close is the resort to the parks, local attractions, and transportation? Next, I think, “What is my client going to struggle with? What will lighten their load? What can I suggest for them to make this seamless?”
I have learned to literally look from where I am standing in several different viewpoints to understand what they will experience. I like even to take pictures and share them with my clients so they feel at ease about what to expect.
Ground Transportation
Ground transportation is the next point of interest for me. I want to know my clients will be safe, so I closely vet the transportation options I give to my client. When Walt Disney World ended its complimentary transportation service, I was already on top of selecting the transportation company I felt comfortable offering to my clients. I am quite pleased with the ground transportation service I have to offer for the Orlando area.
I remember what it was like to fly into Cancun for the first time. I wondered what the airport was like and when I arrived, I was so pleased. Every time I have traveled to Cancun, I have an easy transition from sky to land to resort. It’s nice to feel confident that my clients will have a smooth experience. I want my clients to feel like they’re on vacation the minute they leave their home.
Driving up to a resort that I have sent my clients to should be exciting, eye-pleasing, and amazingly satisfying. I love when a resort surprises me upon arrival. I know that the brand has noted what its product offers from every angle. That gives me satisfaction, which then translates to my client’s happiness. The best resorts will begin the client’s experience upon arrival by delighting all of their senses.
Sense of Sight
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Credit: Jenny Koppenhaver
Mixing elements like a water feature, artwork, or signature design make a lobby feel majestic. Every traveler should have that opportunity to feel like, “I made the right decision” as soon as they enter the lobby. The lobby reflects a resort’s trademark. The heart of the resort is where business and pleasure coexist in a beautiful, non-stressful way.
Sense of Sound
Hearing live or recorded music playing throughout a resort evokes the location’s culture and adds to the client’s experience.
Sense of Smell
It’s incredible how a smell stays with you. A good example of this is the candle-making companies that try to replicate the scent of the Disney resorts. Ensuring a scent element is present is not an accident.
Sense of Touch
Textures pleasing to the touch may be discovered in a smooth marble front desk or a herbal-infused chilled towel given to guests upon their arrival.
Sense of Taste
Most all-inclusive resorts will offer you chilled champagne upon arrival or maybe a nice treat. What an excellent way to say welcome! Fully immersing the guest upon arrival by elevating all five senses to a satisfying level will start the vacation off on such a high note.
All travel advisors have one thing in common – once you become an agent, you’ll never enter a resort room the same way again.
What I Look for When I Inspect a Resort or Hotel Property
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Credit: Jenny Koppenhaver
Often, an advisor will hold back friends or family from entering a new room for the “untouched room” pictures. Lol! There are always five minutes, hopefully not any longer, when your kids are standing there saying, “C’mon, mom!!! But this is the picture that pays the bills. Lol! Clients really want a true-to-life picture of what to expect.
Seriously, when I inspect a resort, I’m looking for information I can share with my clients. I look at the aesthetics and theme of the property and the guest rooms. What features are offered at the resort and in the guest rooms? Are the guest rooms configured for my client’s comfort? Is the bathroom and vanity configuration well-suited for my clients? Does the guest room have a fridge, coffee maker, supplies, and other amenities? For which type of traveler is the guest room best suited?
There is a lot less pressure on a site inspection with a facilitator guiding you to multiple categories of rooms. Site inspections ignite a fire in an agent to want to share what they have learned with their clients. They also open up a world of new possibilities. I went on my first Agent Education Program in December 2009 to Walt Disney World. On this trip, we were driven to Port Canaveral in a Disney Cruise Line coach to see what our clients would experience if arriving on a Disney coach from a Disney resort. We did a site inspection of the Disney Wonder, and we ate lunch on the ship. I had never sailed on a ship with my kids before. After doing this inspection, I was so excited to share what the kids’ clubs had to offer with my clients. My kids made out well on this because we sailed so many times after this experience.
I have always been thankful for the opportunities I have had with my travel company. My clients have always been appreciative of getting to learn tips that I have learned along the way. Being able to sail again on the Disney Dream this past September was so incredible, post-Covid shutdown. It was still magical, and I will have to write about that soon.
Food, Glorious Food!
I come across many different types of vacationers, and there are very few who just eat to survive. Haha! “Food, glorious food,” the best and worst friend of all. Tasting food and beverages at a site is also something I’m willing to “take one for the team for.” I try to think about what all demographics are looking for in the vacation “Food and Beverage” category. I can try so many different types of restaurants and show them to my agents so they can help their clients, too.
The other night, I was at training at Universal Orlando Resorts, and I took a group of agents to Mama Della’s at Loew’s Portofino Bay Resort. I was with some pretty tough critics – agents who grew up in Italian families. They appreciated the food and said it was just like the authentic Italian food they were raised on. When the singers came around to our table and sang “Dealer’s Choice” to them, that was it. They were sold. They will now be sharing this experience with their clients, and of course, I will too! The food that family and friends share on vacation is part of the memory and experience they never forget.
When I experience a resort’s food and beverage offerings during a site inspection, I look for the variety and quality of the food and its presentation. Is the drink menu memorable? How is the service? Are the restaurants clean, and where are they located on the property?
Personal experience is what makes a travel advisor valuable. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of a great company that offers many educational opportunities. As a result, I rarely turn down an opportunity to learn more for my clients’ benefit.