“Of course VacationCompete is going to rock the travel world, just like its sister company, CruiseCompete.”
--Cynthia Boal Janssens
Former Travel editor of The Detroit News
Freelance travel/golf writer, editor and photographer
Past President, Society of American Travel Writers
VacationCompete.com is designed specifically to serve two audiences:
Travelers looking for quotes and useful, accurate information about hotels & resorts for their vacations and other travel.
Travel agents and travel professionals who would like to compete to book travelers looking for quotes and information about hotels & resorts for vacations and other travel.
VacationCompete is owned by Compete Ventures, which was founded by Bob Levinstein & Heidi Allison-Shane, the travel experts behind successful CruiseCompete, ExpertTravelAnswers and AllThingsCruise.
Compete Ventures is dedicated to making markets more efficient through competition by creating online marketplaces in specific niches, employing an online competitive-quote model.
VacationCompete, CruiseCompete, AllThingsCruise and ExpertTravelAnswers are Compete Ventures companies and are not owned by or affiliated with any travel agency.
Bob Levinstein, CEO
Levinstein co-founded CruiseCompete, LLC in 2003 and continues to serve as its CEO. CruiseCompete.com was launched in September of 2003. Since that time, more than 500,000 registered users have received nearly 7 million quotes from the site's 300+ travel-agency members. Kiplinger's named CruiseCompete one of its “Top 25 Travel Sites”, and the Washington Post labeled it one of “36 Web Sites You Should Know.”
Levinstein has been with working with electronic exchange concepts since 1988, when he co-founded National Employment Wire Service Corporation in California. This company became NationJob, Inc., one of the first online job web sites in 1995. Clients have included Bechtel, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Boeing Aerospace, Dow Corning, Ford Motor Company, the Mayo Clinic, Michelin, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, and many other household names.
Levinstein was the first to implement such now-common employment web site features as automatically e-mailing out new jobs to job seekers based on stored search criteria and generating niche employment sites from a master general database. Levinstein served as President and COO of NationJob until April of 2007, and remains a member of the Board of Directors.
Levinstein holds a BA in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University, and has completed two Ironman triathlons.
Heidi M. Allison, Executive VP & Group Publisher - Member SATW, Society of American Travel Writers
Allison co-founded CruiseCompete, LLC in 2003 and continues to handle public relations and special projects for the company.
Allison has a strong background in travel, online marketing, e-commerce and entrepreneurship. Most recent assignment with American Express, she was in charge of meetings, groups, and incentives for Ford Motor Company, including all brands - Lincoln, Mercury, Mazda, Volvo, Jaguar and Land Rover. Previously she had served as VP Sales & Marketing for American Express Group & Incentive Services (AEGIS) managing numerous Fortune 500 companies meetings & incentives. She served as a regional sales manager overseeing the key territories of California and Florida (which produce 1/3 of U.S. cruise travelers) for Princess Cruises and Norwegian American Line. Plus a short tenure with American Hawaii Cruises, responsible for the state of Texas. She also founded Allison & Taylor Inc., an online service specializing in background checks and pre-employment screening
She is an accomplished travel writer, maintaining current memberships in the Society of American Travel Writers, the Society of Incentive and Travel Executives, and the North American Travel Journalists Association. She has worked extensively as a consultant to the travel industry, specializing in online marketing.
press@vacationcompete.com
CruiseCompete was named by The Wall Street Journal and Kiplinger’s as best in Travel and TheStreet says it’s a best way to get a good deal and a good resource about cruising. Since 2003, over 1,500 cruise experts have provided over 7million quotes to more than 1.5 million quote requests.
VacationCompete saves consumers time and money with best deals on all-inclusive resort vacations. Consumers secure quotes from multiple travel agencies, resort operators and vacation wholesalers without contacting each one separately. For more information, visit www.VacationCompete.com.
AllThingsCruise is a portal for cruise enthusiasts, dedicated to the joy of cruise travel and planning the best cruise vacations ever. Its wealth of information includes valuable cruise travel tools -- from cruise reviews and feedback to helpful videos and information for choosing the right ship, from preparing for and enjoying a memorable cruise vacation. A valuable unique feature of AllThingsCruise is a complimentary e-card with vital cruise line and cruise ship contact information travelers can send to family members and others prior to departure.
ExpertTravelAnswers is trusted, experienced travel expertise. This new avenue for travel answers was developed to assist consumers seeking vital information for travel planning and to provide a venue for accredited travel experts to share their vast or specific knowledge.
VacationCompete, CruiseCompete, and AllThingsCruise and ExpertTravelAnswers are Compete Ventures companies and are not owned by or affiliated with any travel agency. Compete Ventures is dedicated to making markets more efficient through competition by creating online marketplaces in specific niches, employing an online competitive-quote model.
