Travel in Style with Elli Travel Group

Every local business has a story worth sharing with the community. This series is as much about supporting companies as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Our spotlight today is on Kristen and Juan Fernandez of Elli Travel Group.

Business: Elli Travel Group
Owners: Kristen & Juan Fernandez
Website: ElliTravel.com
Address: 1967a Palmer Avenue Larchmont NY
Contact_Info: Kristen Fernandez, Kristen@ellitravel.com, 914 327 4666

How did you come up with the name?

The name is a combination of the first letters of our kids name. (Emilio, Liliana,Lucas and Isabela).

Why choose that location? Why start a business in this town?

We moved our family to Larchmont in 2002 and my husband actually grew up here.

Briefly, what business are you in?

Travel Agency

What’s the most difficult moment or challenge you’ve faced as a business owner?

The biggest challenge is explaining the benefits of using a Travel Planner. In general we save people time, add special perks, receive the same prices as the internet and we charge no Planning Fees...

Were there any challenges that made you second guess your decision to be an entrepreneur?

The largest challenge is navigating all the different aspects of the business. From Payroll to social media, it takes time to service clients and manage the ins/out of our business.

What’s been your favorite moment or proudest achievement since opening?

We love how this community supports local business. This has been the biggest contributor to our success.

What’s the most innovative idea your employees or customers have had that you put into practice?

One of our clients kept pictures of her “Travel Bucket List” on Pinterest. She recommended that we start building boards about our favorite destinations. Its been a great resource...

How do you deal with difficult customers?

Communication before travel is really the key to avoiding problems. We provide printed documents so our clients have all their information at their finger tips. When problems arise we are lucky to have a network of trusted providers who help in correcting any issues that may arise.

How does your business give back or get involved in the community?

This year we have sponsored teams with the Larchmont Little League, Donated items for auction at the Chatsworth Avenue Parents Night Out and Fordham Prep School. We look for other opportunities to give back to the community.

The plan behind this series at Patch is to shine the spotlight on all our favorite local businesses, and to learn a little about the ones we may not know that well.

This is as much about supporting local businesses as it is about celebrating the places and faces that make our community special.

Click here to get to a simple form where local business owners can answer a few quick questions to be part of this ongoing feature.