Company Details

Founded
2013
Host Type
Host Only
Franchise
Currently Accepting
Beginner Agents, Experienced Agents
Accepts Agents in
USA, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holy See, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Virgin Islands (U.S.)
# of Contractors
150
# of Agencies
Members US
Members Canada
Members w/storefront
Members home-based
Annual Sales
$125 million
Languages Spoken
English
Business Attributes
Network Sales
Profile Updated
10/25/2024
GDS
Sabre
Consortia
Accreditations
IATA
Members of
ASTA
Seller of Travel
E&O Insurance Included
Focuses
Adventure, Cruise, Disney, Groups, Leisure, Luxury, Honeymoon/DWs, FITs

Program Details

Ticketing Service for non-GDS Agents
Minimum Sales Requirement
$160,000
Required to use Franchise Brand
Charge for Ticketing
Lead Program
Lead Belongs to
Host Agency
Charge for Leads
Education Program
IC Education, In-person, On-demand
Allows Sub-agents

Pricing & Commission

Franchise Start Up Fee
Military/Veteran discounts
Accreditation Number Required
Start Up Fee
$500–$500
Location Requirement
Home-based
Annual Fee
$0
Monthly Fee
Commission Split Range
70% to 100%
Frequency of Commission Payments
Monthly
Method of Payment
Direct Deposit

Technology & Tools

Marketing Programs
Direct Mail, Consumer Magazine, E-mail Marketing, Social Media Tools
Leisure Tools
Air Booking Tool, Consumer Booking Tool, Hotel Booking Tool
Corporate Tools
Commission Tracking
Itinerary Builder
Forms and Templates
CRM
Website Program
Accounting
Booking Tool
Analytics
Payment Solutions

About Departure Lounge

Departure Lounge is an Austin, TX based luxury travel host agency established in 2013 by Virtuoso senior executive, Keith Waldon. Departure Lounge is open to agents of all experience levels and offers two compensation options: 1) a tiered commission-split program paying advisors 70-90% and 2) a $650 monthly flat fee program that pays 100% commission/fees. Departure Lounge is a Virtuoso-member agency with independent contractor travel advisors in the United States and throughout Europe.

Departure Lounge

Preferred Suppliers

Activities/Excursions

Project Expedition

Cruise lines

AmaWaterways

Azamara

Celebrity Cruises

Cunard

Norwegian Cruise Lines

Oceania Cruises

Paul Gauguin Cruises

Princess Cruises

Royal Caribbean International

Viking Cruises

American Queen Steamboat Company

Crystal Cruises

Holland America Cruise Lines

PONANT Cruises & Expeditions

Regent Seven Seas Cruises

Seabourn Cruise Lines

Silversea Cruises

Star Clippers

Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection

American Cruise Lines

Crystal River Cruises

Disney Cruise Lines

Hurtigruten

Scenic Cruises

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection

U by Uniworld

Un-Cruise Adventures

Windstar Cruises

Hotels

Fairmont

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group

The Ritz-Carlton

Intercontinental

Rocco Forte Hotels

Rosewood Hotels & Resorts

Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts

Accor

Bedsonline

Belmond

Hilton

Hyatt

Marriott

Starwood

Taj Hotels

Insurance

Allianz

Travelex

Rail

Rail Europe

Rocky Mountaineer

Rental cars

Hertz

Carey International

Resorts

Walt Disney World Resort Hotels

Red Carnation Hotels

Tours

Adventures by Disney

Rocky Mountaineer

Tauck

Walt Disney Travel Company

Disney Destinations

Abercrombie & Kent

African Travel

CIE Tours International

Classic Vacations

Delta Vacations

G Adventures

Globus Family of Brands

GOGO Vacations

Insight Vacations

Intrepid

Journese

Leisure Connect

Luxury Gold

Monograms

Railbookers

Roadtrips

Trafalgar

Travel2

Travel Impressions

Team Members

Keith Waldon
Keith WaldonOwner
Departure Lounge Team At Annual Meeting
Departure Lounge Team At Annual Meeting

Gallery

Full Screen