American Express Travel Representative Cruise Planners has once again been labeled the best travel franchise business on Entrepreneur's yearly "Franchise 500" list. This marks the 15th year in a row the travel brand has received this honor, which is reserved for the the best franchise opportunities.
Brand CEO and founder Michelle Fee said the company feels receiving this award for 15 straight years is more than an honor; it's a legacy. According to Fee, the brand's continued success lies in its relationships with its franchisees, partners, clients and the home office team and its leading marketing and technology innovations.
This past year included many advances for the brand, including a technology suite that was designed to give franchisees targeted and efficient insight they can use to work with and market to clients. 2017 saw the launch of Alexa Skills, the first Artificial Intelligence used by a travel franchise. This has two voice-activated skills, with one acting as a virtual assistant for agents and the other as a means of hands-free communication for customers to connect to their agents. CP Maxx, the newest booking and customer relationship management system, was also introduced, along with customer insight provider CP Insights and data curator CP View.
Fee added that while the travel industry has changed a lot over the last 20 years and people do question the relevancy of travel agents today, this travel franchise has consistently remained a leading franchise opportunity. She says that franchisees can be confident that this brand is and will continue to strive to be the best in the industry.
As the biggest home-based travel franchise brand, Cruise Planners has a network of more than 1,800 franchisees and is still growing, with franchise opportunities available today. The total initial investment is $10,495.
