Client Documentation Pack

Paris Travel Service was a leader in many regards and in the particular case of their very extensive and very high quality Client Documentation Pack. It got better and better over the years and I was delighted to be involved in providing creative input and indeed, some rather innovative solutions.

We’ll look at each of the constituent products in turn below.

An example the parts that make up a typical Documentation Pack. The only item missing here is the AA Spiral guide to Paris

An example the parts that make up a typical Documentation Pack. The only item missing here is the AA Spiral guide to Paris

1: The Hotel KeyMap & Metro Map.

This was a neat little idea I developed that provided the company with an edge over the competition. There were around 120 different hotels contracted to the programme and these were spread out across Paris, even including some slightly out of the centre locations such as Puteaux. The idea was to provide each of their customers with the exact location of their hotel together with the relevant exit information from the metro on the front side, and on the reverse a smaller central area map of the metro itself.

As you may know, in a number of cases the exits from metro stations can be spread far and wide so you may find yourself exiting the metro on one side of a square only to find that you’ve now got to cross it to the other side and a number of other roads in order to reach your hotel.

And remember, this was a long time before Google maps and way way before smart phones of any description came along.

This product gave all the information a client required in order to have a stress-free start to their holiday. This particular product received very good feedback and several hundred thousand were provided over many years.

From a fulfilment logistics point of view, and to keep costs as low as possible, the hotels in the programme were grouped together on to cards that had similar passenger volumes. Head office staff needed only to pick out the required card number corresponding to the hotel number and insert to the Client Documentation Pack.

On average, per year, there were around 60 different cards covering the entire programme of 120+ hotels. Each had a different print-run depending on the total number of hotels and client volume combination.

Pars-Travel-Service-Hotel-KeyMap-Card6

The blue boxes contained the exit information for each of the recommended lines and stations and the blue street colour helped the guest to locate ‘their’ hotel. The side panel listed each of the hotels with their address and recommended the appropriate line number.

Paris-Travel-Service-KeyMap-card6-zoomed

You can clearly see the detail in this example. The information provided is exactly that which the client would see when alighting from the trains and into the circulating halls of the metro stations. It is worth noting as an example of the level of detail that I went to on these cards, that the exit for the hotels Champs Elysées  Sofitel Demure and du Roy via the Franklin D. Roosevelt station is by way of Line 9. Line 1 information was also provided if arriving passengers chose that route.

I had the pleasure of walking the streets of Paris one Spring locating each and every one of the 120+ hotels in the programme. The job also involved going into each of the nearest metro stations to make a note of the specific exit information, for example, the exit numbers and ‘names’ that the client would need to use in order to make the best exit to their chosen hotel.

Kept me fit going up and down stairs to the circulating areas of each station that’s for sure. As you can see from the Travel Trade Brochure on this page here, the hotels are spread far and wide and even out to the suburbs!

This is an example of the kind of exit sign you would find on the metro in Paris. This particular one, rather helpfully, is located on the platform so the passenger would know exactly which exit to head for right from the train. They're not always as helpful as that. Sometimes being located only at the circulating area which may be too late as an alternative route from the platform may have been more desirable.

This is an example of the kind of exit sign you would find on the metro in Paris. This particular one, rather helpfully, is located on the platform so the passenger would know exactly which exit to head for right from the train. They’re not always as helpful as that. Sometimes being located only at the circulating area which may be too late as an alternative route from the platform may have been more desirable.

2: Eurostar Ticket Wallet.

3: Street and Metro Map.

Provided to clients since the beginning of the programme, this product had been updated, upgraded, revised and relaunched with many new features, designs and useful information during our 16 year relationship.

This season I was invited to completely redesign the whole map top to toe inside and out. The street map inside was completely revamped adding new styles, typeface and colour scheme with places of interest highlighted. A number of photos were also added as well as the RER regional rail map. In addition, the folding was completely changed to be a much more user-friendly gate fold

This season I was invited to completely redesign the whole map top to toe inside and out. The street map inside was completely revamped adding new styles, typeface and colour scheme with places of interest highlighted. A number of photos were also added as well as the RER regional rail map.
In addition, the folding was completely changed to be a much more user-friendly gate fold. What would be the advantage of a gate fold? Good question. On a A2 size page folded first in half along the width, each of the subsequent concertina folds would allow the user to open out just the required amount of ‘page’ to view the detail they required. As I designed it, the two transport maps – Metro and the RER regional maps were positioned on one side of the long fold which allowed the client to open this side out and view either of the two maps with ease. Simple, but very effective.

4: The Passport to Paris booklet.

These neat little pocket guides of around 50 pages and an insert street map at the back were produced on behalf of Paris Travel Service by jpmguides, Lausanne, Switzerland (contact here) and featured my design of the metro system on the tip-in.

Paris-Travel-Service-Passport-to-Paris-book-with-metro-map

The tipped-in map in the back was very useful to guests and complemented all the other information they were provided with. Consistency across the board makes the brand of higher value and easier to connect with repeat holidaymaker business. That’s borne out by the increasing number of clients Paris Travel Service was able to achieve.

5: The Client Documentation Pack Folder.

The Client Documentation Pack folder. Absolutely crammed full of goodies. In the later years the paper folder was replaced by a rather snazzy fully branded cloth bag, sadly I don’t have an example of that so here is the paper one instead.

Paris-Travel-Service-customer-documentation-wallet-open

Personally I think its quite obvious that the people at Paris Travel Service really cared about their clients. The words say one thing and they’re meant, and those were matched with the deeds in all that they did, not just in the Client Documentation, which is easy to see, but also in the way that they had a full representation in Paris itself.

6: Client Booking Vouchers & Information.

This wallet contained all the details of the client’s booking from hotel address, to carriage, metro ticket information, check-in times, excursions, meal vouchers – everything the client needed specific information on.

All necessary information and vouchers unique to each booking

All necessary information and vouchers unique to each booking

7: Luggage Labels.

nicely branded luggage labels

nicely branded luggage labels.

8: UK Customs Information.

HM-Customs-leaflet-paris-travel-service-pack

So this completes the tour of Paris Travel Service Client Documentation Pack. But just before we go, here’s their last word on the complete offering:

the Paris Travel Service was rightly proud of their products and their longest serving General Manager, Alan Box, can take full credit for steering the business from strength the strength during his long and careful tenure.

Paris Travel Service was rightly proud of their products and their longest serving General Manager, Alan Box, can take full credit for steering the business from strength to strength during his long and careful tenure.