Case Study | Gohagan & Company

To support reliable reporting at scale, Gohagan & Company pairs PEAK 15 Systems with Microsoft Power BI and an internal Microsoft SQL Server environment. This architecture supports exception-based decision-making while keeping day-to-day operations simple for travel teams.

• Governed source of truth: PEAK 15’s open API feeds operational data into Power BI, replacing fragile spreadsheets with trusted, refreshable dashboards.

• Faster, repeatable insights: Core dashboards refresh twice daily, enabling leaders to spot trends and exceptions without manual reporting.

• Connected data backbone: PEAK 15 data is combined with call center signals, website analytics, and marketing metrics to provide a unified, full-funnel view.

In 2021, Affinity Journeys LLC acquired Gohagan & Company and its sister company, AHI Travel. At the time, a Lotus Notes-based reservation tool was being used to run operations, but it had lost vendor support in 1999. This caused a clear and present single-point-of-failure risk and negatively impacted decision quality across departments. Core data was difficult to extract and often untrustworthy. Common problems included duplicate entries, bad addresses, and broken data relationships such as bookings that had only partial guest information attached.

• In an industry where occupancy equals profit, the lack of quick, reliable data on passenger and cabin availability meant the company could not effectively manage its allocations and ensure all vessels were filled.

• Reporting was fragmented and dependent on complex Microsoft Excel pivot tables that no one could use to their full potential.

• Without APIs, all data had to be updated manually.

• A single Controller used MS Access to create most outputs, skewing visibility toward finance and leaving sales, marketing, inventory, and service insufficiently supported.

• The lack of reliable data from outside the reservation system meant the company couldn’t track whether expensive marketing efforts were converting into actual bookings.

With no practical way to blend reservation data with website analytics, call center metrics, or survey results, leaders were unable to react quickly and could not measure full-funnel drivers. CEO of Affinity Journeys LLC, Eric Welter, sums up this challenge succinctly, saying, “I can’t manage what I can’t measure.”

CMO at the time, Welter spearheaded a search for new technology, relying on his skill set and knowledge of databases and BI tools to guide him. He looked at several travel industry-specific and generic BI platforms before choosing PEAK 15’s unified system to manage Gohagan & Company’s reservations, inventory, payments, guest communications, and performance.

By consolidating records and organizing historical information into one operating view, teams gained the ability to understand the entire business from a single source of truth. It was a shift that eliminated manual work, reduced errors, and restored confidence in day-to-day decision-making.

Because PEAK 15 is cloud-based, Gohagan & Company team members can securely access live booking, passenger, and inventory information from anywhere. This capability has been especially valuable for hybrid staff and overseas Travel Directors, allowing them to stay current on departures, manifests, and guest needs without relying on office-based systems or delayed manual handoffs.

Beyond reporting, PEAK 15 quickly became central to daily operations, supporting passenger sales, service, inventory management, and finance with workflows designed for how travel teams actually work.

Among the key capabilities Gohagan & Company implemented with PEAK 15 are:

• Eliminated duplicate and unreliable data

• Centralized records replaced fragmented systems, improving accuracy and trust across teams  

• Reduced manual work and communication overhead

• Automated workflows handle payment reminders, confirmations, passport alerts, and post-trip surveys  

• Gained real-time visibility into operations and performance

• Teams can access live booking, inventory, and passenger data from anywhere 

• Improved coordination across departments

• Sales, marketing, finance, and service teams now operate from shared, consistent data  

• Connected systems across the customer journey

• Open API integrations link operational data with websites, call centers, and marketing tools  

• Strengthened inventory and allocation management

• Clear visibility into cabin availability enables proactive decisions and improved occupancy 

Workflow automations have been a particularly significant win. With PEAK 15, email reminders are automatically triggered when payments are overdue, saving time and labor while improving consistency. Similar workflows support passport tracking, booking confirmations, and post-trip surveys, ensuring guests receive timely, accurate communication without increasing staff workload.

Welter says, “Workflows have undoubtedly enabled our passenger sales and service teams to operate more efficiently. They no longer have to send individual notices to guests.” He continues, “Many of the workflows are personalized with data pulled dynamically from related records, rather than data entered or copied and pasted into an email. They have also reduced data entry and communication errors.”

Inventory management also improved materially. Structured inventory blocks and allotments allow Gohagan & Company to clearly manage cabin availability by alumni association and partner group. This visibility enables proactive decision-making, equitable partner treatment, and stronger occupancy performance while preserving the exclusivity and service quality expected by travelers.

These capabilities replaced fragile processes and gave Gohagan & Company the clarity, speed, and flexibility required to scale while enhancing both internal efficiency and the guest experience.

PEAK 15 provides clear visibility into capacity, cabin mix, pacing, and partner allotments by departure. In a fixed-asset charter model where inventory is the profit engine, this allows teams to identify gaps early and scale what is working. Using these insights, Gohagan & Company increased average ticket value significantly. The 2026 average ticket value reached $9,500 compared to $6,800 in 2024, a ~40% lift driven by improved pricing and mix.

PEAK 15 also supports Gohagan & Company’s disciplined approach to overbooking. By analyzing historical cancellation patterns by timing and reason, leadership can confidently cap bookings at the point they deem appropriate. This data-driven approach reduces spoilage while protecting service quality and the guest experience.

Inventory blocks and allotments further enable fair, transparent partner decisions. In one example, a university alumni association was allocated 13 cabins for up to 26 guests and achieved near-full occupancy, validating both the allocation strategy and execution.

PEAK 15 has strengthened operational resilience across service and sales teams. Call center performance is monitored using integrated data, allowing leaders to track abandonment rates, answer speed, and conversion in near real time. During an unexpected staffing disruption that temporarily drove abandonment from its usual 4% to as high as 20%, PEAK 15 enabled rapid response. A newly trained team member was onboarded in just two days and immediately absorbed roughly one-third of the call volume previously handled by three full-time agents.

Workflow automations further reduce strain on teams. Automated payment reminders, booking confirmations, passport alerts, and surveys ensure guests receive timely, accurate communication without requiring staff to manage individual outreach.

PEAK 15 now powers approximately 120 of Gohagan & Company’s alumni microsites with up-to-date departure and availability information. The platform seamlessly delivers accurate and current information that reduces booking friction and improves the experience for both travelers and alumni administrators. After enabling online booking on select sites, the number of those bookings increased from 0 to 10% within weeks.

Teams now operate from shared, current information. Instead of relying on sprawling spreadsheets, executives focus on a concise set of dashboards that highlight variance to plan, risks to revenue or service, and standout opportunities.

Gohagan & Company has moved from complexity to clarity. Reactive reporting based on anecdotes has been replaced with evidence-based, proactive management. Revenue decisions are tied to live inventory and pacing, service decisions to abandonment and conversion rates, and digital decisions to site behavior and booking flow.

With a strong operational backbone in place, Gohagan & Company is positioned to scale with confidence. Upcoming priorities include departure-level P&L reporting, expanded personalization of guest documents and workflows, and the migration of sister organization AHI Travel onto the PEAK 15 platform, extending the same operational clarity across a much larger portfolio.