Interview Summary: Mark Murphy and Joseph Fehlen of ALG Vacations
About Joseph Fehlen
Joseph Fehlen is a Business Development Manager at ALG Vacations (ALGV) who previously worked as a travel advisor. Mark Murphy met Joseph in August 2020 during a trip to Cancun where they visited properties during the pandemic to show that travel was still possible with proper safety protocols.
Career Transition
Joseph was a top seller at his host agency and a self-described "ALG evangelist" before being recruited to join the supplier side. He values the empathy his advisor experience gives him when working with travel professionals. He mentioned just having his final client as an advisor traveling today, noting how he had forgotten "all the nuances" of being a travel advisor.
Current Travel Market Conditions
* Regarding the current slight dip in travel bookings, Joseph notes that while there's some uncertainty, nobody's panicking.
* Suppliers across various segments (cruises, tours, packaging) are experiencing a similar slight pullback.
* They're already seeing positive signs for Q3 and Q4 bookings.
* Market concerns include economic uncertainty, tariffs, and geopolitical issues.
* Joseph observes that pricing is becoming more reasonable after the post-pandemic surge where "$4,000 all-inclusives became $7,000".
* Shoulder season pricing (October/November) is particularly attractive right now.
ALG Vacations Brands
ALG Vacations operates six different vacation packaging brands:
1. Funjet Vacations
2. United Vacations
3. Southwest Vacations
4. Travel Impressions
5. Blue Sky Tours
6. Apple Vacations
Joseph explains that the different brands have similar back-end operations (same contact center) but maintain separate identities due to:
* Their 55+ year histories and established reputations.
* Different consortia relationships (e.g., Funjet is preferred with Travel Leaders).
* Specific flight partnerships (United Vacations offering advantages with United flights).
ALGV Luxe Program
Joseph highlights their Luxe program, launched in Q3 of last year:
* 500+ curated luxury hotels and resorts worldwide.
* Direct relationships with properties.
* Special amenities like early check-in/late checkout.
* A dedicated concierge desk to help enhance bookings (from dinner reservations to helicopter transfers and even wedding proposals).
* Not every property from luxury brands qualifies - each hotel is individually evaluated.
Marketing and Social Media Advice
Joseph creates "Steal My Post" content for travel advisors to use, providing ready-made social media content they can repurpose as their own to sell destinations. He emphasizes:
* The importance of merging personal and business identities on social media.
* Travel is a "people business" where relationships matter more than brands.
* The higher engagement personal pages get compared to business-only pages.
Advice for Travel Advisors
Joseph shared several key pieces of advice:
* "Stop telling friends you're a travel advisor - tell them you're a travel agency owner" to change your mindset.
* Invest in your business by traveling, even if you have to pay your own way.
* Don't wait for supplier-sponsored FAM trips - be proactive.
* Develop relationships with specific properties to provide better client service.
* Focus on a manageable number of properties to truly know well.
The interview concluded with Mark mentioning his upcoming road trip across America in a camper van, and Joseph suggesting they reconnect to discuss new travel products in the future.
Read more...
