New Act Travel

Located in the high-profile business district of Century Park East in Los Angeles, New Act Travel has positioned itself as a specialized travel agency with a history dating back to 1993. According to its official website, the agency was founded to serve a discerning clientele with precision and a personal touch. It focuses on three key areas: corporate travel, entertainment and production travel, and luxury travel. With a team of over 150 agents across multiple offices and annual sales exceeding $200 million, the agency claims significant buying power and deep-rooted industry relationships, which it leverages for its clients' benefit. Furthermore, New Act Travel is a member of Virtuoso, an exclusive, invitation-only network of the world's top travel agencies, which implies a commitment to high standards and access to exclusive perks for clients.

Services and Market Position

New Act Travel offers a comprehensive suite of services tailored to its specialized markets. For its corporate clients, it emphasizes efficient travel management, cost-saving opportunities through its buying power, and the use of technology like Concur for expense tracking. The entertainment division handles the complex, time-sensitive logistics required for film productions and music tours. For individuals, the agency's leisure travel department designs bespoke vacation packages and custom itineraries, promising a high level of personalization from experienced professionals. The agency states its agents have, on average, over 20 years of experience in the industry, suggesting a deep well of knowledge in complex travel planning.

A Critical Look at the Client Experience

Despite its professional presentation and longstanding presence, public feedback on New Act Travel is exceptionally limited. The most significant piece of public commentary is a detailed, one-star review from a past client. While this review dates back several years, the issues it raises are fundamental to the role of a travel consultant and merit careful consideration by any prospective customer. The client reported a deeply negative experience with a specific agent, citing a severe lack of professionalism and poor communication. The review alleges that the agent was difficult to contact and reacted poorly to requests for updates on an expensive and complex trip.

More critically, the experience resulted in a substantial financial loss for the client, reportedly amounting to 4,300 Euros. This loss stemmed from a hotel booking with a rigid cancellation policy. The client claims the agent failed to provide two key services: first, a recommendation to purchase travel insurance, and second, a clear warning about the hotel's strict, non-refundable terms. When the client had to cancel due to a documented illness, the hotel was reportedly inflexible, and the agent's alleged personal connections with the hotel's management proved ineffective. This account stands in stark contrast to the experience the same client had with a different Virtuoso agent, who successfully booked the originally desired trip with ease and secured a better deal.

Important Context for Potential Customers

It is crucial to frame this negative feedback with proper context. Firstly, the review is not recent. Secondly, the agent named in the complaint, Antoinette Delio, is still listed as a "Luxury Travel Designer, Entertainment Division" under New Act Travel on the Virtuoso website, which was last updated in July 2002. This indicates she remains associated with the agency, making the past review potentially relevant to current operations. The incident described highlights the critical importance of a travel agency's role in risk management, which includes advising on insurance for flight booking and hotel reservations.

Evaluating the Pros and Cons

For anyone considering New Act Travel, the decision requires weighing the agency's stated strengths against the serious concerns raised by the available client feedback.

• The Positives: The agency has been operational for decades, which suggests a stable business with a consistent client base, likely within the corporate and entertainment spheres where public reviews are less common. Its membership in the prestigious Virtuoso network signals that it meets certain industry standards for luxury and service. The scale of its operations and claimed $200M+ in buying power could translate into tangible benefits and competitive pricing for clients.
• The Concerns: The only detailed public review is profoundly negative and points to failures in core responsibilities: communication, client advocacy, and financial safeguarding. The alleged lack of advice on travel insurance is a significant red flag, as this is a fundamental duty of a professional travel consultant. The absence of a larger body of positive reviews to offset this single, detailed complaint makes it difficult to dismiss the account as a one-off anomaly.

Ultimately, potential clients of New Act Travel should proceed with a strategy of proactive diligence. The agency's specialization in luxury travel and complex corporate accounts means it is accustomed to dealing with sophisticated clients. Therefore, customers should not hesitate to ask direct questions based on the concerns highlighted. Inquire specifically about their communication policies, their standard procedures regarding travel insurance recommendations, and how they handle unforeseen cancellations or disputes with suppliers. Clarifying these points upfront and ensuring the responses are satisfactory is the most effective way to determine if this long-established travel agency is the right partner for your travel planning needs.