“We provide the same excellent customer service to ordinary tourists as to the top business elite”
A single piece of information can tell you everything about the Russian-American Consulting travel company. The Administration of the Russian President uses the company’s services to book hotel rooms for Vladimir Putin in New York. Among other VIP clients of Russian-American Consulting there are many government delegations, senators, governors, and ministers.
Russian-American Business editor talked to Andrei Shuranov, the company’s president.
- Mr. Shuranov, in what ways does your company stand out from the multitude of other Russian tourist agencies that exist in the market today? Why did Russia’s political circles choose you?
- The key answer here would be, most probably, professionalism. We carry out our work with great skill.
Today, Russian-American Consulting is the single travel agency that is officially accredited by the Russian, the Ukrainian, the Belarusian, and the Kazakh Consulates in the United States, as well as by many other diplomatic missions [15 in total]. We have access to work with visas and passports directly – something that other travel companies cannot brag about. Most other travel firms work through us in this regard.
I am a professional diplomat myself. I graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and worked for the Ministry of International Affairs in Russia. Before starting Russian-American Consulting, I served as a Consul. I know the process quite well. The experience helps me in my work quite a bit. Airplane tickets and tours to and from Russia are offered by many companies. There are, however, no former Foreign Ministry officials among their employees and presidents.
- American businessmen who are traveling to Russia similarly rely on the services of Russian-American Consulting. How did you come to acquire this category of clients?
- We were able to attract these people chiefly because we do not offer fragmentary services – we offer a whole set of services. These include visas of different types and plane tickets from the U.S. to Russia, as well as within Russia and other C.I.S. countries. If a train ticket is necessary, we will be glad to help. We book hotels – of various classes – in any city of Russia and the former USSR republics. We also specialize in tours and river cruises in Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, etc. We’ll also buy and deliver theater or circus tickets. Should one need to be picked up at the airport, have a personal driver during a stay in Moscow, or order a charter plane, Russian-American Consulting will be ready to provide the services. We can provide interpreters and organize business meetings and conferences.
If an American businessman wants to find a partner in Russia, we can help. If a joint-venture company is to be established, we can conduct thorough legal research, translate the documents, and get all the technicalities done.
- At times, American visitors are scared by the required procedure of legally registering in Russia as foreigners. Do you help in this area?
- We certainly offer this service. Our Moscow and St. Petersburg offices handle the process.
- Where else does your company currently have offices?
- In the U.S., we have offices in New York and Miami. In Russia, our offices are located in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Our Canada office is in Toronto. The company has 40 employees, half of whom work in our central office in New York.
- When you send American tourists to Russia, you do not leave them to the whim of fate. You transfer them into the care of your personnel in Russia…
- In principle, yes. We give all our clients toll-free phone numbers, at which they can reach any of our offices. It is done just in case of any possible unexpected circumstances. What if an American businessman becomes sick in Moscow, while his visa is about to expire or his passport has been stolen – we help in any situation.
- Mr. Shuranov, everything is clear as to your treatment of VIP clients. How can you assist to ordinary people – your compatriots who live in the United States and their relatives in Russia and other C.I.S. countries?
- We do many things for these people. I should, for starters, note that we never classify clients by categories and work with everyone independently of his or her position, rank, and nationality. The principle of individualized service at Russian-American Consulting is the gold standard.
A popular service that we offer to citizens of Russia who live in the U.S. is the renewal of the foreign passport. Instead of having to fly to the nearest Russian Consulate, a person who needs to obtain a new passport can send all the documents to us. Soon, a new passport will be made and sent out. The same process applies to Ukrainian and Kazakh passports. We also help in receiving American passports for those who are U.S. citizens already and travel documents for people without American citizenship.
If anyone needs to invite business partners, friends, or relatives to the U.S., our company will be of assistance. What is to be done if a person has a flight from New York to Moscow in the evening, but somehow lost his passport? At Russian-American Consulting, we’ll do this procedure in half an hour and the person – quite happily – will be able to catch his flight the same day.
- Thank you for the conversation. Our best wishes to Russian-American Consultants.
45 West 34 Street, Suite 703,
New York, NY 10001
Tel 212-268-9336
Fax 212-268-9368
racc@RussianConsulting.com
www.RussianConsulting.com
