Putting One’s Heart and Soul Into Travel

Selami Albayrak opened his first travel bureau in 2002 and included a café-bar, calling it a Café-Travel-Bar.
Putting One’s Heart and Soul Into Travel
12/3/2008
Updated:
12/13/2008
<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe121_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe121_medium.jpg" alt="The two-story Café Travel-Bar has enough space to provide a special section for smokers (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" title="The two-story Café Travel-Bar has enough space to provide a special section for smokers (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-137957"/></a>
The two-story Café Travel-Bar has enough space to provide a special section for smokers (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)

Selami Albayrak, a Turkish native, came to study in Germany in 1979. He has worked since the 1980s in a travel office. He opened his first office in 1989 and is now the proud owner of three travel offices

Albayrak is a seasoned world traveler. He says that he puts his heart and soul into travel. However, he has not taken a holiday for around six years. He opened his first Hamburg-Ottensen travel bureau in 2002 and included a café-bar, calling it a Café-Travel-Bar. He recently shared with us his success story of a business trend that he started in Germany.

ET: How did you come up with the idea of a Café-Travel-Bar?

Albayrak (A): I had a dream. I wanted to bring a new concept to the German market, something that no one had thought of in the past. I finally thought of this novel undertaking on September 11, 2001. The 9/11 attacks in the United States affected the finances of my travel business badly. I had to save the ship from sinking. The global traveler has become very cautious since that shocking event. Also, terror attacks, natural catastrophes such as the tsunami, and other incidents impacted the travel business negatively.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe122_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe122_medium.jpg" alt="The vacation begins by booking a holiday trip in an informal and relaxed environment, with coffee, cocktails, and a glass of Greek Ouzo or a Spanish Rioja. This is the way to collect information for the next vacation (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" title="The vacation begins by booking a holiday trip in an informal and relaxed environment, with coffee, cocktails, and a glass of Greek Ouzo or a Spanish Rioja. This is the way to collect information for the next vacation (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-137958"/></a>
The vacation begins by booking a holiday trip in an informal and relaxed environment, with coffee, cocktails, and a glass of Greek Ouzo or a Spanish Rioja. This is the way to collect information for the next vacation (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)

The Dominican Republic and Barbados are a little expensive for many travelers. Travel within Europe is generally by car. Aside from these, there are not many places left that people truly want to visit.

ET: Why did you decide on a combination of travel bureau and café-bar?

A: The travel business is a year-around business. Generally a global traveler undertakes one trip a year. But, for the business to be successful, one has to invest a lot of money for advertisement and marketing. On the other hand, the food business is a daily business.

So, I thought that the potential traveler should be able to look into his/her travel plans in a relaxed environment, where he/she can drink a cup of coffee, have a cocktail or munch on sushi. The idea is that “The vacation begins with the booking.”

ET: Did you find that this concept made the rounds?

A: One can say that it is working well. This combination has its advantages. If the customer is a repeat customer, we’ll get to know each other and as a result, I’ll be able to offer a travel itinerary with ease. I can market my products more effectively and my customers receive superior service. The service is offered by me, the person who provides the Internet and works with the computer. But one also needs to show some sympathy, give a smile and make eye contact while asking the customer, “How are you doing?”  The human touch is very much appreciated.

<a href="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe123_medium.jpg"><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/07/travelcafe123_medium.jpg" alt="Conversation is made pleasant because of the well-placed stereo and the sound-absorbing ceiling, despite the loud music (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" title="Conversation is made pleasant because of the well-placed stereo and the sound-absorbing ceiling, despite the loud music (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-137959"/></a>
Conversation is made pleasant because of the well-placed stereo and the sound-absorbing ceiling, despite the loud music (Wen Jiang/The Epoch Times)

We could easily, as so many others, have a counter, save on the waiter, and sell the coffee cheaper. But, I’m trying to be a little old-fashioned. Generally, if one goes out for a cup of coffee, one wants to be served. It should be fun. We don’t want to replace the human touch with technology, or we would destroy the serving factor and at the same time ruin the business.

The synergy between the café-bar and the travel bureau has its advantages. Those who feel like drinking a Greek Ouzo and a Spanish Rioja while booking the vacation trip can ask the travel agent to order the drink from the bartender. This is the special service.

ET: What other aspects does this concept hold for you?

A: Travel has a lot to do with gastronomy. Every country has its own kind of food and culture. I see the café-bar as an experience center. Customers can experience the different cultures they might encounter. To provide this experience, I provide my place to many people. They can tell their folklore and bring their cooking or product and market them to my other customers.

ET: Does one have to pay more for the trip in this Café-Travel-Bar?

A: No, the price is the same, but one gets better service at the same time.

ET: What experience did you gain when developing your concept?

A: With plenty of energy and the power of positive thinking, one can accomplish anything, even if one makes a mistake in the process. Energy is important. It is the power that allows one with little money but friendly help move forward.

I must say that the 9/11 incidence helped me come up with this concept. Because of that I found the energy to continue. This is much more important than capital. Everyone can achieve this. Anyone can do anything. But, one has to remain firm on the ground with both feet. One has to be able to gauge one’s energy and abilities when setting out to achieve something.

One also needs good friends who will help without asking for payment. One works fourteen hours daily, six days a week, without a vacation. I sometimes worked until 3 a.m. I have brought in and arranged all the furniture by myself instead of hiring someone. I love to do this.

ET: Did you travel a lot?
A: Yes, naturally. If you are a tourist consultant, you have to know the land, people and culture before one can sell one’s product. If I had experienced something myself, I can mirror the mood and the atmosphere and present it to my customers much more realistically.

ET: You re-arranged the Café-Travel-Bar over the past years. Did you do that for a special reason?

A: We’re always changing something in our concept in our daily business. We also have a workshop in the back. We gauge how the business and the customers react after we change something. Before, we had customers that were between 18 and 80 years old. But, since the last rearrangement, most of our customers are around 30 years old. This is actually our target audience. The younger people generally do not book the trip, but travel with their families.

ET: The rearrangements affect the customer?

A: Yes, that has to do with the light, the brightness and the music. This affects the customers. This time we sanded and polished the floors, painted the walls lighter and removed the mirrors. This way, the entire area became much lighter. We put in new chairs and small tables, where one can sit with one’s group and have a leisurely cup of coffee. We also put in larger tables, where one can sit and eat comfortably. There’s lounge music in the background. Despite the loud music, people can still talk with each other. This is not only because of the arrangement of the furniture, but also because of the acoustics. We installed a sound-absorbing ceiling. Many think that the stereo is the most important equipment. But, if one does not have good acoustics, one hears all the other noises and it is a problem

Do you see the table under the window? During the summer, it was rarely available. During winter, because it is next to the glass front and the small chairs, barely anyone wants to sit there. One should ask why? Does the table appear cold and uncomfortable during winter?

In the end, the earnings will show the success of a concept. 

Read this article in the original German: http://www.epochtimes.de/articles/2008/10/21/356373.html  
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