It has been many years since a brief stint in my daughter's travel agency led me to the Weissmann Travel Reports and then to a very successful partnership with Arnie Weissmann in developing Weissmann Travel Reports as an online service. Even in those olden days of the late 1980s we referred to Weissmann Travel Reports as a concierge resource. But more! Particularly in the luxury sector, frontline marketers are expected to have an MC degree -- Master Concierge -- and to offer services that reflect the best concierge mindset. The growth of "agent as concierge" is closely connected with at-your-fingertips Internet and telephone service on a global basis, to any destination.
We asked Weissmann, now editor in chief of Travel Weekly, to share his thoughts about this broader role, its impact on customer loyalty, upselling and more.
He cited industry consultant Bob Joselyn for leadership thinking in this area.
"Bob Joselyn had what I think is a terrific idea for travel agencies serving upscale clients," Weissmann said. "Many agents take the time to arrange custom services to make a trip special while their clients are traveling, but Joselyn believes that agents could profit from looking at all the implications a trip has for travelers, including their needs immediately before they depart and upon their return."
He offered a few examples:
- Offer to bring clients' pets to and from the kennel.
- Stop the newspaper and mail for them.
- Stock their refrigerator with perishables the day before they return.
- Arrange for limos to and from the airport.
All, of course, for a fee.
"Most travel agents ultimately limit their potential by having too narrow a definition of their potential duties," Weissmann said. "A traveler could be sold on trip-related, concierge-style services that occur before and/or after the actual timeframe covered by bookable travel arrangements."
Trend highlights: American Express Luxury Summit 2008
This year's American Express conference offered exceptional content and conversation, delivered in the exceptional environment of the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village in California, so I wanted to share some top-line insights with all of you. (Read more findings, and considerable color commentary from the 2008 Affluence and Wealth Survey by American Express Publishing and the Harrison Group, in coming days at www.luxurytravel360.com.)
Concern about the economy, and its impact on the purchase of luxury goods and travel, were top of mind.
Jim Taylor of the Harrison Group predicted there would be an 8% to 10% drop in expenditures this year. His hopeful guestimate was that by year's end things would be better again, nonetheless echoing Amex Publishing CEO Ed Kelly's comment that "It's not about the money but the mood."
How are consumers responding to the new environment? Kelly said people were searching in their shopping experiences for greater certainty of value and quality. And they are doing their homework to find it, getting intelligence from myriad sources:
- "Confident word of mouth" -- people they trust and respect;
- Fact-based (not emotion-based) magazine advertising that offers small details about what makes something truly extraordinary;
- A combination of online and in-store shopping.
"These customers are fully aware that they are your partners, not your subordinates, in a transaction," Kelly said. "They expect to be treated with a high degree of appreciation for their willingness to engage with you. This is the climate for excellence, and we are all being put to the test."
And now, a few nifty nuggets from the Harrison research:
Word of mouth? Just 10% of affluent and luxury shoppers have an inordinate impact on others.
Savvy purchasing can increase the value of affluent household income by more than 35%, freeing up more than $100,000 in after-tax cash flow in many households.
The top 10% of American households own 71% of American wealth.
When asked about conspicuous consumption, 82% of affluent and wealthy individuals said they believed in "stealth wealth": having money but keeping it under the radar.
Day-to-day running of upscale households is often managed by the female head of the household, and the "home executive team" is populated by the children of the family. They are deeply involved because parents value their opinions and the shared experience of decision-making. Cara David, co-director of the study and Amex Publishing's senior vice president for strategic insights, marketing and sales, said parents learn that "their kids are often more familiar with brands, particularly luxury brands, because they have been exposed to them throughout their lifetime."
Visit our Web site at www.luxurytravel360.com. While you're on the site, be sure to sign up for our biweekly newsletter. As a reader of Travel Weekly, you qualify for a complimentary subscription. Contact Hershel Sarbin, Luxury Travel 360 editor and publisher, at [email protected].