Gilt Group, which pioneered the concept of luxury flash sales, has a new travel partner.
Luxury Link has taken the place of Jetsetter on Gilt, which shook up
the luxury travel world in 2009 when it partnered with Jetsetter to
offer deeply discounted travel in invitation-only, online sales.
TripAdvisor bought Jetsetter from Gilt in 2013, but it remained the
travel provider for Gilt members. In January, Luxury Link took over that
role, a move that Luxury Link CEO Scott Morrow hopes will help both
companies grow
Luxury Link operates on the same concept of offering insider prices for
excess inventory. The new partnership links Gilt shoppers directly to Luxury
Link, although one does not have to be a special member of either site to buy
packages from Luxury Link. Morrow said his company was a pioneer in online
travel, selling what he calls “curated authentic packages” for the past 18
years.
Morrow says he hopes the deal will help raise the visibility of
Luxury Link, and, most importantly, bring in that coveted group of next
generation luxury travelers, the millennials.
“Our core demographic tends to be a bit older, baby boomers, 45 to
65,” he said. “Gilt tends to be younger, 25 to 45. This is a great way
to extend our brand to up-and-coming buyers."
He added, "we think this deal alone has the potential to double the size of our company."
For Gilt, he said, the deal will help it expand internationally, as
Luxury Link has about 1 million users from high-wealth households in its
database and travel partners in 80 countries.
Morrow says 90% of Luxury Link’s partners are hotels, but it does have some rail and river cruise partners.
The difference between his company and Jetsetter, Morrow says, is
that Jetsetter for the most part takes rates that are also available in
the GDS. He says his company negotiates special rates that are generally
20% cheaper, and every hotel deal includes some kind of special bundle.
“It could be a wine paring, some type of charter boat experience at
the property,” he said. “It could be some kind of tour of a historic
location, depending on the property. In some cases it could be as simple
as transportation to the airport, a $100 credit on the property or a
late checkout. … We always do something beyond room and price.”