Receptive Services

As a receptive services operator working with student and adult tour groups we provide a variety of customized ground services for your USA tour.

Accommodations - Youth Hostels, college dormitories, camping grounds, motels and 2 star motels and hotels for groups on a tight budget, charming inns, bed and breakfast inns, park lodges, excellent 3 star hotels, upscale 4 star hotels, 5 star deluxe hotels, casinos, and mega resorts. On occasion special accommodations are provided for tour groups such as home stays for student sports groups, dude ranches, teepees, and rustic or “glamping” tent cabins. Initially we source the appropriate accommodations for the group. Once the tour is booked we setup the room block with the property along with event space and included meals, and negotiate the best group rates and flexible contractual terms and conditions. About one month prior to the group’s arrival we submit the rooming list(s) along with special needs, handicapped rooms, VIPs, room upgrades for group leaders and clients, and in-room amenity requests. One week prior to the trip dates we reconfirm all of the arrangements with the front desk manager, tour coordinator, or convention services manager. Following the tour we finalize billing and pass along any feedback from our onsite staff or the group leader.

Meals and Refreshments - Structured onsite meals, snacks, refreshments, afternoon tea, cocktail receptions, lauas, and other culinary experiences can be included in our land packages at hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, delicatessens, college student unions, cafes, bistros, brewpubs, clubs, and special venues. In addition to sit down meals we integrate a variety of other dining venues including buffets, picnics, barbecues, dinner cruises, dinner shows, and progressive dinners. We try to include special meals featuring ethnic cuisine and signature foods from the area. Each group has their own requirements and criteria for included meals. Most student groups include a hearty breakfast each day with a box lunch, cash allowance, or lunch on own at a fast food restaurant, food court, or cafeteria. Inexpensive student dinners be setup at pizzerias, cafeterias, college student unions, or buffet dinners at Chinese restaurants or chains like Golden Corral. Many student groups head to themed restaurants such as the Hard Rock Café, Buca di Beppo, the Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., and the Planet Hollywood or to other chain restaurants such as Chevy’s, Olive Garden, Chili’s, and Sizzler. Some student groups, particularly from affluent communities, prefer not to dine at themed restaurants and tend to enjoy more upmarket restaurants. Dining with entertainment options can be setup – Medieval Times, bowling parties, dinners at restaurants with a singing waitstaff like Ellen’s Stardust Café in New York City and Miceli’s in Los Angeles, Dave and Buster’s with arcade games, barbecue dinners with line dancing instruction and dancing, and dinner cruises with a disc jockey and dancing. Adults groups can enjoy a wonderful picnic lunch with wine at a special winery or a memorable dinner at a gourmet restaurant featuring celebrity chefs. Arrangements can be setup at famous restaurants such as Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, Commanders Palace and beignets at the Café du Monde in New Orleans, Sardi’s, Tavern on the Green and the Rainbow Room in New York City, Dim sum at Yank Sing in San Francisco, the Old Ebbitt Grill in Washington, DC, the Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills and the Magic Castle in Hollywood, the French Laundry and the Napa Valley Wine Train in the Napa Valley, or a high tea at the Empress in Victoria. Today most groups have individuals with special dietary needs such as lactose or glutent intolerant, food allergies, or for vegetarians and vegans. Our staff will work closely with each vendor regarding individuals with special needs. Special kosher and Halaal meals are available upon request but are subject to availability.

Sightseeing - Major sights featuring iconic scenery, behind the scenes tours, off the beaten path venues, tourist attractions, state and national parks, and theme parks. Themed tours such as Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM), American history, culinary tours, agritourism, art & museums, and experiential tours like voluntourism are our specialty. Enjoy a gondola ride along the Grand Canal at The Venetian in Las Vegas, take photographs at Antelope slot Canyon, enjoy a fun-filled interactive hip hop tour in Harlem, take a hot air balloon ride over the Napa Valley, get up close to Niagara Falls and get soaked on the Maid of the Mist cruise, watch a rocket lift off from the Kennedy Space Center, taking a jet boat trip up the Rogue River in Oregon, or take a sensational helicopter flightseeing tour over New York City or the Grand Canyon.

Cultural Activities - Private docent tours and art workshops at art museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan and the Getty Center in Los Angeles. A diverse range of activities include a walking tour of the trendy art galleries in Chelsea in New York City, watching a Broadway show and meet the actors afterwards with a post show dinner at Sardi’s, experiencing an authentic native Indian Salmon Bake with entertainment in Seattle, or enjoying an outdoor concert at the Red Rock Amphitheatre in Colorado.

Night-Time Activities - Groups can attend a Broadway or Off Broadway show, the New York Philharmonic, the New York City Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, or a concert at Carnegie Hall in the Big Apple. Piano bars, pub crawls, wine tastings, headliner shows, musical revues, dinner cruises and shows featuring a band or dj with dancing, sporting events, art galleries, dance halls, rooftop lounges, comedy shows, nightclubs, and after hours clubs. Your group can go on a pub crawl, enjoy a headliner show, or dance the night away at a trendy club in Las Vegas; enjoy some great music in Nashville or Memphis; or take a voodoo and ghost tour in New Orleans.

Classes, Workshops and Performances - Particularly for performing arts & continuing education groups. Musicians will have wonderful memories of recording a song in a professional recording studio, taking a workshop lead by the New York Philharmonic, and participating in a Disney Performing Arts workshop and performance at a venue at the Disney Resorts. Dancers will never forget taking a precision dance class with a former Radio City Music Hall Rockette, taking a private modern dance class at Martha Graham and then watching a rehearsal of the Graham II troupe, and performing at a venue like Madame Tussaud’s or the Disney Resorts. Sports clinics, games and fixtures can be arranged for student groups with local sports clubs, YMCA’s, public and private schools.

Shopping - From second hand stores to world renowned boutiques. From gift shops, local Costco’s, specialty stores, department stores, and factory outlet centers to shopping malls like Hudson Yards in New York City and Santana Row in San Jose. From farmers markets and Christmas holiday markets to popular shopping areas like Melrose Place in LA or the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

Recreational Activities - A variety of fun-filled activities can be integrated into our land packages for your USA tour including bicycling and escorted bike rides, horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, sailing, snorkeling, deep sea fishing, water skiing, parasailing, river rafting, downhill skiing and snowboarding with instruction, sleigh rides and snow ball fights, ice skating, snow mobiling, bobsledding, golfing, hot air ballooning, zip-lining, house- boating, sports clinics, sporting events, and spa treatments. Memorable adventures and experiences included a submarine cruise under the Pacific Ocean off Waikiki Beach, creating your own bottle of Merlot at a winery, kayaking past the sea lions and houseboats in Sausalito, taking a haywagon ride, hiking along footpaths through Bryce Canyon National Park, or running in the Boston Marathon or simply watching the race.

Tour Directors & Guides - Perhaps the most important element of the land package that we provide is our tour directors and guides. A tour company is only as good as their front line staff. U.S. Group Planners sets high standards for their tour directors and tour guides. They are an integral part of our team and are highly professional and experienced, extremely knowledgeable, personable and passionate, flexible, and extremely reliable. Our tour directors can be representatives of your company for private lable tours. Multi-lingual tour directors and guides are available.

Ground Transportation - Vehicles chartered for our groups include sedans, limousines, vans, minibuses, motorcoaches, shuttle buses, double decker buses, articulated buses, and luxury party coaches. We work closely with Amtrak for rail trips in busy coridors and throughout the country. Varied transportation options for groups range from hansom cabs to segues, from recreational vehicles to stretch hummers. From open top buses to motorized cablecars, from recreational vehicles to jeeps and all terrain vehicles to small planes and helicopters. Public transit passes for subways and public bus rides can be provided in major cities like New York City, Washington, DC, Boston, Chicago, and San Francisco. Spab buses and drivers available and transportation coordinators can be provided for multi-bus moves.

Miscellaneous - Gratuities for the drivers, tour directors, and guides and be included in our land package. Signage, porterage, and simcards can be arranged. In addition, although we are not a travel agency, we can assist with group airline ticketing, cruise packages, and recommending travel insurance brokers for your USA tour.