Travel agencies are notoriously crowded and messy. Brochures are constantly appearing in the mail and a large amount of equipment must be available for each agent. Psychologists have conducted studies that prove that the environment has a great impact on individual performance and therefore productivity. In the course of my visits to travel agencies over many years, I have identified a few principles that can make designing a productive travel agency simpler and more straightforward.

space allocation

First, it is important to allocate an appropriate amount of space for each staff member. Generally speaking, 100-150 square feet per employee seems to be a good ratio. You can have a 400 square foot office to yourself and a conference room that takes up another 200 square feet. Otherwise, the ratio should hold.

When considering your design, group specialties, for example, business, vacation, or group travel. A physical space must be designated for vacation sales. Similarly, it is necessary to establish a separate space for business sales. The specific requirements of these two areas will be discussed later.

Please note that vacation agents deal with the public and must be near the public entrance. Commercial agents do not serve the public and can be located in a back room. Ticket production and the physical ticket disassembly process should be located near an exit to reduce dealer traffic through the office. It is advisable to have your main computer in a separate room.

Vacation Department Design

First, you need to decide what business you are in. If you’re selling point-to-point tickets, the ideal setup is a counter for the general public to come up, get their tickets, and leave. Delays are discouraged, but they can be handled efficiently, as airlines found out long ago.

However, if you are in the business of advising vacationers, then a space more conducive to discussion, such as small conference tables with an agent at each table, would be appropriate. A shelf at each conference table should contain resource material. We recommend not putting any kind of reservation automation on these tables. Tables should be open, spacious and attractive. Agents must be disciplined to keep the space clear and free of piles of papers. The reservation system for retail agents in this type of layout should be located at a computer workstation in the back of the room. The same discipline in terms of keeping the station tidy applies here.

Vacation agencies around the world are experimenting with video displays of destinations. Such a facility, if you can afford it, is extremely attractive and enticing to the general public. A small room with comfortable chairs and a video screen can double as your waiting room. Again, the key is to keep the space tidy, attractive, and as spacious as possible within the constraints of your facility.

One of the main obstacles in an attractive holiday office is the proliferation of brochures lying in piles on the floor, in boxes under desks and dripping from wall shelves. If you are going to keep brochures in your office, it is extremely important to establish a formal library. Someone should be assigned the duty of maintaining this data bank. Up to a point, there is little that can be done to make a large number of brochures attractive. Therefore, we recommend that brochures be kept in filing cabinets out of view of the general public. These brochure files must be maintained, and outdated brochures removed on a regular cycle. Clearly, for these archives to work, a neat indexing system must be in place so that agents know where to find a brochure for a particular destination.

An electronic message board in a holiday office adds a degree of light, color and interest to the visiting client. A message board can display special fares, packages, and destinations.

Commercial Department Design

Commercial travel agents essentially function as order takers. Their space requirements are considerably less than those of a vacation agent. There is a need for more coordinated activity in a commercial reservation center and therefore the supervisor needs to be centrally located, with clear visibility to all areas within the reservation center. Ideally, to improve visibility, this area should be raised six to eight inches off the ground on a platform. We recommend a glass enclosure built around the supervisor’s platform to provide privacy without losing visibility.

Because agents typically have less work space, the retail area needs to baffle the sound to keep the noise level below a distracting threshold. We recommend channel furniture for sales agents who provide a 14-inch fabric panel that surrounds each workstation.

Raceway is a type of furniture developed for high-density work areas that includes a “race” or channel for all cables and wires for each work station. It works particularly well for computer workstations. It also usually comes with sound baffling “privacy panels” around each workstation.

Electronic message boards also find application in the Commercial Department, serving as vehicles for communicating important, last-minute messages, such as fare changes or even airline bankruptcies or major weather emergencies. They can also be used to boost productivity by tracking how close agents are to a target sales target.

computer room

Many of the automated accounting systems available to travel agencies run on mini-computers that require a controlled environment. ADS and ABS fall into this category. These computers should be placed in a small room with a tiled floor. There should be no workstations in that room. There should be no equipment or supplies stored in that room. Ideally, there should be no printers in that room. Ticket printers produce dust. Office supplies collect dust. Dust and static electricity are the enemies of a mini computer.

Every time someone walks past a computer, the possibility of static discharge arises. Static discharge can cause a head shock, putting your computer out of action until a repair person can be dispatched. Head crashes are extremely expensive in terms of downtime and potentially dangerous in terms of data loss.

Remember, your goals when planning your installation are:

• Provide enough space for your staff,

• Comply with the particular space requirements of each specialty area, and

• Create an uncluttered atmosphere that leads to greater efficiency and agent appeal.

A well thought out and well designed office can maximize your professional image, minimize your expenses and boost productivity.