|
PROFILE
I'm a New Orleans native, but Houston has been my home for the past 22
years. After working for nearly 25 years in an administrative capacity
primarily in the accounting and legal fields, I decided to turn a passionate
hobby into my career. BiddingForTravel.com is more than just a job, and
it's a lot more than just a reflection of my interests and expertise. My
business partner and mentor, Rolando Zamora, deserves equal credit and helps
me put into perspective the challenges we face and the way we deal with
them.
|
SHERYL'S ANSWERS
HOW DID YOU GET STARTED AS A TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL?
My interest in the travel industry began in 1996 when I started using the
Internet. A few years later, one of my job responsibilities included
handling the business travel arrangements for a few of my co-workers. As
someone who had previously only planned my own leisure travel, I was amazed
at the cost disparity, so I was always looking for creative ways to control
our travel costs. I began participating in online travel discussion forums
and reading everything I could get my hands on about the airline industry.
I learned about Priceline from their airline ticket product and then
explored their hotel product. It seemed too good to be true, so I
asked a co-worker if he would be my guinea pig and try Priceline for his
hotel stay in Boston. From that point, he was hooked, so a few weeks later,
I started up a Yahoo! Club as a venue for others to share their Priceline
experiences. By that time, I was well known on a number of travel forums so
I was able to build a userbase rather quickly. Within a few short months,
we outgrew the capabilities afforded to us by our Yahoo! Club and on the
recommendation of one of our participants, I moved our group to a full
fledged message board. That's what eventually became BiddingForTravel.com.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU FLY?
I fly about eight to ten trips per year.
IN A YEAR HOW MANY MILES/POINTS DO YOU EARN?
I'm a segment girl! That's because I primarily fly Southwest Airlines and
for the frequent flyer junkies, I usually earn two free tickets in a year.
WHAT CLASS OF SERVICE DO YOU MOSTLY FLY IN?
Southwest has only one class of service, but when I fly Continental, my
hometown carrier, I usually upgrade to first class using miles.
FAVORITE AIRLINE?
Southwest Airlines
FAVORITE AIRCRAFT?
On Southwest, the 737-700. On Continental, the 767.
FAVORITE HOTEL?
Whichever 4* Priceline puts me in!
FAVORITE HOTEL AMENITY?
High speed Internet access and a comfortable desk chair.
FAVORITE City?
San Francisco
FAVORITE AIRPORT?
Houston Hobby
FAVORITE AIRPORT TO PASS TIME IN?
Don't really have one.
FAVORITE ISLAND?
I haven't been to any islands
FAVORITE RESTAURANT?
Any place that has great sushi! I recently went to Matsuhisa in Beverly
Hills, and it certainly ranks up there with the best!
FAVORITE SPA?
Don't have one
AISLE OR WINDOW?
Aisle
ETICKET OR PAPER?
Eticket
TRAVEL AGENT OR ONLINE?
Online
FAVORITE TRAVEL COMPANION?
My laptop!
FAVORITE TRAVEL WEBSITE?
You have to ask? Why BiddingForTravel.com, of course!
IF YOU WERE STRANDED ON A TROPICAL ISLAND, WHAT THREE ITEMS WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE WITH YOU?
Probably best that your readers don't know this about me!
WHAT DO YOU HATE MOST ABOUT TRAVEL?
Getting there. I'm not the most flexible person. I also call myself a
freaky flyer. Thank goodness for understanding seatmates and flight
attendants!
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT TRAVEL?
Meeting new people, siteseeing and doing mundane things that I wouldn't do
at home.
BEST TRAVEL TIP:
Be nice to airline and hotel employees. Most of the time, any reasonable
request will be accommodated.
|
