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Tami Hodges recommended by the blog "Families Going Places" October 15, 2008 Read the full recommendation on the blog's Family Travel Agency page.
Casto Announced as a Recommended Vendor of VCOMA October 3, 2008
VCOMA, a leading trade group in the Venture Capital industry, has recently awarded Casto the status of "Recommended Vendor." In order to acheive this status multiple VCOMA members must recognize the vendor as exceptional in their field, and that they are able to provide services to the unique needs of the Venture Capital community.
How The Economy Is Affecting Travel September 19, 2008 A recent Travel Trade article discusses the affect of the economy upon the travel industry. The article discovers that the effects are not unverisally negitive as Suzette Covell, director of the vacation division of Casto Travel, comments: "It certainly has been a topic of conversation, however, clients are still making reservations all the way through 2010." To read the whole article click here. Josh Friedman quoted in the Nob Hill Gazette September 17, 2008
Josh Friedman one of Casto Travel's top luxury agents was quoted in the No "Luxury hotels in Southeast Asia come at a much lower cost than, say, Europe. For $400 a night you can be in a modern, chic hotel where they pamper you while you stay in a lavishly decorated suite." To read the whole article click here . Also to read and link to the hotels featured in this article see Josh's Blog post on Casto's blog Destinations . Liz Spander voted #1 Agent in the Bay Area August 19, 2008
Casto Travel’s own Liz Spander has been voted #1 travel agent in the Bay Area by the readers of Jewish News Weekly. Every year the readers of the Journal vote for who they think is the best individual in various categories in J’s annual Readers Choices Awards:
Maryles and Marc Casto featured in the book A.IQ: Achievement IQ Moments By Stanley F. Bronstein
KQED Forum Interviewed Maryles about family owned businesses July 11, 2008
To hear the interview click of the Link to Family Owned Business: http://www.kqed.org/epArchive
Marc Casto Interviewed on San Francsico's KRON 4 July 5, 2008
"On Saturday, Marc Casto was interviewed by award-winning KRON 4 anchorwoman Ysabel Duron regarding the changing nature of the travel industry. During the course of the interview Marc advised that for the Summer of 2008 we will be seeing "significant delays, cancellations, and frustrations for travelers" as airlines continue to contend with the affects for expensive fuel.
In order to minimize challenges for travelers this summer, Marc advised the following: Casto Quoted in San Jose Mercury News about Travel Service by Foreign Airlines
June 27, 2008
"We are returning to the days when people actually want to fly," said Marc Casto, President of Casto Travel in a recent news article featured in the San Jose Mercury News regarding the exceptional service offerings by foreign carriers. As mentioned in the article, Casto is strongly in favor of the new travel service offerings provided by foreign airlines catering the US marketplace, particularly the San Francisco Bay Area. For the full article please visit: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9716247?IADID=Search- Casto hosts Conference for "Women's Forum West." June 26, 2008
In May 2008 Casto was honored to provide travel services to the prestigious members of Woman's Forum West for their annual conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The conference featured a number of incredible speakers as well as an international guest list for the program "Woman Leaders Rising." Following the program Casto arranged for a number of custom and specialized travel programs for attendees, including tango lessons, food and wine excursions, tours from the the Amazon to Patagonia, and much more.
Maryles Casto Wins Award for the Second Largest Woman Owned Company June 20, 2008
On June 18 Maryles Casto received an award from James MacGregor, Editor of the San Jose / Silicon Valley Business Journal, as the second largest woman owned company in Silicon Valley. In her acceptance letter Maryles was quoted as saying her success in growing Casto was due to "Having the best travel professionals in the industry as employees, an incredible list of clients, and a company that is willing to say 'Yes!' when others in the industry can only say 'No.'"
Casto featured on the 'Today Show' June 20, 2008 As featured on NBC’s Today Show on 6/18/08, Casto Travel, Inc., a Virtuoso agency, is proud to offer its popular Wedding and Honeymoon Registry. With the new demand for custom honeymoons, Casto experts can help you plan a getaway that fits your style exactly: adventure, cultural experience, food and wine tour, cruise, romantic beach, resort or secret desire. Read more... The Business Travel Beat Profiles Casto Travel May 28, 2008 Jay Campbell of the Business Travel Beat interviewed Marc Casto business trends, employee incentives, managing company culture, technology, offshore servicing and the "broken" model of supplier and global distribution system revenue streams. The company has 150 U.S. employees. An excerpt of the interview follows. Campbell: What are your biggest advantages? Casto: When we are in a competitive bid situation, what stands out for us are commitments to service and the ability to demonstrate it. Any incentive compensation that we have for the corporate agent team is tied to the value we're able to demonstrate in savings for the client. We don't do incentives based on call volumes or transaction volumes or any of these metrics that don't correlate with client satisfaction, but we will incentivize based on whether we can save $500 on a ticket, were able to get a no-show hotel room [fee] waived or could provide an upgrade. Clients appreciate that our services and commitment are in line with their own needs. Campbell: So the incentives are paid to individual agents? Casto: It's all on a team basis. We have 15 corporate teams, and each tracks on a scale of 18-20 items: Were they able to find a lower fare than was  originally offered? Could they get an upgrade for someone unable to get one on their own? Were they able to promote someone into a higher-level loyaltylogo-the-beat-new.gif program status? Were we able to find a consortium rate? They are very specific and measurable items that have immediate need for travelers as well as the company. On a monthly basis, the first place team gets $150 per person. The second-place team gets $75 per person. We started it about eight months ago, and you don't see the same people winning but you do see the consistent volume increasing in the amount of savings.
For a full copy of the interview please visit http://www.thebeat.travel/home.php. Registration is required.
May 15, 2008 "There are few certainties in the travel industry, but one is the demand for Asia will continue to increase," said Marc Casto, president of Santa Clara-based Casto Travel, which books $60 million a year in international tickets for corporate clients. "The thing I like about this is, any new carrier coming into this market puts pressure on the existing carriers to step up their performances," he added. Read more...
Maryles Casto Featured in 3-Minute Interview with the San Francisco Examiner April 28, 2008 A native of the Philippines, the founder and owner of Silicon Valley-based Casto Travel is among the honorees at the Commonwealth Club of California’s 20th annual Distinguished Citizens Award Dinner, being held Wednesday in San Francisco. Individuals recognized this year are “immigrants who embody the American dream.” Read more... Sofitel Creates Travel Agent Advisory Board with Casto Manager Fabio Castellotto April 10, 2008 Sofitel Luxury Hotels announced the creation of the first Sofitel North American Travel Agent Advisory Board (TAAB), assembled from owners and executives of top producing travel agencies for the brand. The panel includes twelve travel agents, including Casto Vacation Manager and Travel Agent, Fabio Castellotto. Read more...
Casto Becomes Founding Member of HRG North American Affiliate Program April 8, 2008 Hogg Robinson Group (HRG), the award-winning international corporate services company, has launched a new North American Affiliates Program with four founding members. The Affiliates Program will provide pre-approved and selected large regional business travel companies with the resources they need to be competitive with large multi-national travel management companies (TMCs). HRG’s worldwide network will provide the Affiliates with access to a range of products and proven international expertise as well as the opportunity to bid on large national, regional and international accounts not previously accessible to them. Read more... San Jose Mercury News Recommends Casto Visa | Passport in Travel Q&A 
April 6, 2008
Q. Do I need a visa for a three-week visit to Ho Chi Minh City? What about vaccinations?
Casto's Blog Catching on With Clients April 4, 2008 Just a month and one-half after launching, Casto Travel's "Destinations" blog is the third most popular page on the agency's Web site. According to Suzette Covell, director of the vacation division of Casto Travel, the company expects the blog to be its most popular Web site page within a few months. Read more... Maryles Casto Honored with Distinguished Citizen Award by Commonwealth Club March 28, 2008 The Commonwealth Club will honor six immigrants to the U.S. selected for having best achieved the American Dream at the group's 20th Annual Distinguished Citizen Award Dinner on April 30 at the Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco. Those recognized will be ... travel guru and owner of Casto Travel, Maryles Casto from the Philippines. The event awards immigrants who embody the American Dream.
Luxury Stays in Your Client's Backyard March 21, 2008
Travel agents can benefit from the growing weekend travel trend. Though older travelers still take longer trips, younger travelers find they rarely have the time for long trips and, instead, turn to more frequent long weekends. In addition, many weekend travelers tend to be more affluent and are unwilling to trade down, just because their trips are shorter. Comcast Interviews Maryles Casto March 14, 2008 Jack Hanson from Comcast NewsMakers interviewed Maryles Casto regarding her involvement with the Commonwealth Club and how she came to start Casto Travel 34 years ago. Watch the interview... Destinations Travel Blog Launched by Virtuoso Travel Agency, Casto March 14, 2008 Casto Travel, Inc., a Virtuoso agency, recently launched its new informative travel blog aptly named Destinations. The blog is a place for Casto’s well-traveled staff and featured guest bloggers to explore travel ideas, recommendations, and advice with the public. Read more...
Vacations Agents Highlighted in Virtuoso Video March 12, 2008 Casto Vacation agents Josh Friedman and Helen E. Land were highlighted in Virtuoso's You Tube premiere video segment. Read more...
CarbonRally.com Awards Casto Vacation Agent Top Prize March 9, 2008 Casto Vacation Agent, Joanie Fisher, was awarded CarbonRally.com's top prize for highest individual impact for the month of February. Joanie, who tracks her carbon savings at CarbonRally.com along with other Casto employees, reduced her C02 emissions by 1 ton. Overall, Casto's team is ranked fourth and has reduced their carbon emissions by 5.12 tons to date. Tour Group Profile for Senior Travel: Rascals In Paradise March 1, 2008 Rascals In Paradise was featured on About.com by Nancy Parode for their senior travel vacations and tours. Visit their profile online.
Maryles Casto Honored as Woman of Influence February 29, 2008 Maryles Casto was honored by the Silicon Valley / San Jose Business Journal as a Woman of Influence. She notes that "global opportunities are tremendous for women entrepreneurs interested in starting their own business," a testament to her greatest achievement of starting Casto over 34 years ago.
Rascals In Paradise Featured in When You Go Travel Series February 17, 2008 Rascals In Paradise was featured in the Dallas Morning News "When You Go" travel series as a resource for those travelling with grandchildren. Casto Announces Hiring of New Vice President of Global Sales February 4, 2008 Casto Travel, Inc. announced the hiring of James Kareka as Vice President of Global Sales. He will be responsible for Casto’s global sales and account management for corporate travel and concierge services. Read more...
Maryles Casto Featured As Smart Leader in Smart Business Magazine February 1, 2008 Maryles Casto discusses how to find the right employees with Mike Cottrill of the Smart Business Magazine. Read more...
Mercury News China and Southeast Asia Travel Trends January 6, 2008 Marc Casto was quoted in the Mercury News regarding travel trends to China and Southeast Asia. Read more... Casto is the Second Largest Travel Agency in the Bay Area
January 4, 2008 Casto is the second largest travel agency in the Bay Area, according to the 2008 San Francisco Business Times Book of Lists published on January 4, 2008. Casto moved up two places from number four in 2007. |
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