City Escape Holidays was founded in 1991 by Bo Adams. He entered the travel industry in 1969, working for a small travel agency in Rockville, Maryland. According to Adams, “I got tired of writing DCA to LGA tickets, but decided I really liked the travel business.”
In 1970, he started a job as District Manager for a travel rep company and worked his way up to Vice President of SuperCities but elected to start City Escapes instead of transfer to Los Angeles in 1991. City Escape Holidays just celebrated its 20 anniversary, all the while selling its products exclusively through travel agencies.
Their product line-up is quite extensive and concentrates on land-only city packages, as well as Special Events programs. The City Packages include hotel nights, sightseeing, points of interest, dining, museums and shows.
USA: Boston, Branson, Dollywood, Los Angeles, Memphis, Nashville, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, San Antonio, San Francisco, San Diego, Seattle, Washington DC, Williamsburg.
CANADA: Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Vancouver, Victoria.
The Special Events programs cover major sports events (including the event tickets), music festivals and celebrations, plus Holiday Season packages.
SPECIAL EVENTS: Baseball All Star Game, Branson Christmas Shows, BCS College Football Championship, Cherry Blossom Parade, Country Music Festival in Nashville, Country Christmas in Nashville, Daytona 500, Elvis Week in Memphis, Essence Festival in New Orleans, French Quarter Festival, Holiday Season – NY, Indy 500, Jazz Festival, Kentucky Derby, Mardi Gras, New Years Eve-Times Square, Rose Parade, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl & New Year’s Eve in New Orleans, Super Bowl, Thanksgiving Parade in NYC, Shopper’s Weekends in NYC & New Years’ Eve in Times Square, US Open Tennis.
City Escapes has crafted its programs using a combination of factors that allow for flexibility, popular and familiar product inclusions and ease of sale for the travel agent.
NATURE OF THE PACKAGES
The company’s City Packages and Special Events programs cater to a wide range of customers: Couples, Families, Singles, Young, Middle-aged and Mature. Here are some reasons you should book with City Escapes:
- Sold Exclusively through Travel Agencies. Without exception, this is their only distribution system.
- Independent Travel. Specifically geared to customers who wish to do “their own thing” on their trip.
- Group Travel. The company handles groups of all sizes, but specializes in mini-groups! Average group size is 18 guests!
- Any Length of Stay. “Arrive any day and stay as long as you want” approach, beginning with a two night minimum; Extra Nights are always available and are shown in the brochures.
- Variety of Plans. Each length of stay has more than just one plan; for example, in New York, there are five different three-night plans, each with a different grouping of included features.
- Land Only. The travel agency takes care of the air, but City Escapes handles all the ground arrangements. Without packaged airfare, it is not necessary to re-price programs each week, so the published rates are always accurate.
- Mix/Match. The packages are like modules, allowing customers to easily combine two or more cities.
- Moderate to Deluxe Product. No budget hotels. The packages consist of mid-range to upscale hotels.
- Well-known Hotels. Mainly selling “the brands”: Hilton, Holiday Inn, InterContinental, DoubleTree, Wyndham, Crowne Plaza, Marriott, Renaissance, Radisson, Omni, Hampton Inn and Sheraton.
- Well-known Restaurants. Such as Brennan’s and Commander’s Palace in New Orleans; Sardi’s in New York; and the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington DC.
- Great Sightseeing. Gray Line is the primary sightseeing tour vendor, but City Escapes also works with some independent companies to bring you the most comprehensive and informative tours in each city.
- Exciting Activities. Such as the top museums in New York, the Natchez Riverboat in New Orleans, Muir Woods in San Francisco, SeaWorld San Diego,Graceland in Memphis and Universal Studios.
- Entertainment. The tour operator can book any Broadway Show in New York, including The Rockettes at holiday-time; plus Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry, as well as the top shows in Branson. Best available seats! Entertainment packages are the company’s specialty.
- Multiple Selection Vouchers. Most of their packages consist of vouchers from which the customer can select the feature of their choice, after arrival; this way they can custom-design their own program.
- Package Modification. The package line-up is extensive but if you still do not see what you want they are pleased to custom-design a program to suit every customer!
- Generous Commissions. Up to 13%
For more information or to speak with a live reservation specialist, visit their website at www.cityescapes.com or call toll-free at 800.222.0022.