A Road Warrior’s Dream – Beds, Business Centers and the Internet

Being in the global hospitality and tourism business means I travel a lot – approximately two weeks every month! I consider myself a road warrior because of all the time I spend away from home – most of my travel brings me to Asia and India, although I also find myself traveling around the U.S. and Europe.

Through my 30-plus years in the luxury travel and hotel industry, I’ve been fortunate enough to develop contacts with general managers and marketing executive who help make my hotel stays as seamless as possible, and for that I’m most appreciative. By virtue of being outside the comfort of my home so frequently, you can imagine how much importance I impress upon the hotel I stay at.

Planning for the Rest of 2010

According to conversations I’ve had with my friends in the travel agent community, 2010 is shaping up to be a much better year than 2009, but many challenges still lie ahead as agencies look to climb the ladder of profitability. Doing better than last year is a huge plus, but the barometer you should measure yourself against is that of more profitable years from the recent past. We must keep reality in check.

Now that the first quarter of 2010 is over, I’ve outlined out what I perceive to be the five biggest challenges that remain for the year with some suggestions on how best to address them.

Challenge 1: Maintaining and Growing Your Client Base
Winning new clients and retaining current ones must remain a top priority. We all know very well that a healthy customer base is the foundation of a healthy business.

Stay connected via phone, e-mail and/or social media with your valued clients. Maintain ‘top of mind’ presence by keeping the lines of communication open. Impress your clients with how well you know them by presenting vacation suggestions sure to fit their individual tastes and preferences.

Encourage ‘word of mouth’ praise because the payoff to you is invaluable. Consider incentivizing your current clients to bring you new potential customers. That investment (in terms of an upgrade or special extra to enhance the luxury vacation experience) can yield huge rewards for you and your business.

Tap into local community events to build awareness of your depth of knowledge and the customized travel experiences you can deftly craft.

The Reinvention of Scotland

When you think of Scotland, world-class golf, tartan kilts and Sir Sean Connery might immediately come to mind – and they rightfully should! The fabric of Scottish culture is rich and dynamic, and the country has certainly made a name for itself on the world stage. What you might not realize, though, is that Scotland is actually a very ‘young country’ – its Parliament is only 10 years old following devolution in 1999 (when the Government of Scotland was given power to handle most of the country’s day-to-day issues including health, education, justice, rural affairs and transport).

With its newfound youth comes the opportunity for re-invention. This doesn’t mean that what has come to represent Scotland on so many levels gets dismissed. Instead, the new country that is emerging gets to embrace its distinguishing characteristics and showcase new aspects that celebrate not only the present, but the future of Scotland.

The strength of Scotland’s youth has generated a more powerful cooperative spirit, particularly among its tourism partners. This is particularly evidenced by the very successful Virtuoso Chairman’s Recognition Event, which was held in October 2009 at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland. Government officials, hotel and tourism executives, and various other partners worked for two years to put this event together. Their collaborative efforts demonstrated how triumphant the results can be when partners work together toward a singular goal of driving tourism to Scotland. Tourism yields tremendous benefits, including the generation of jobs and revenue as well as allows those who call Scotland ‘home’ to share a wealth of culture and sightseeing with travelers from around the world.

Luxury Summit for Insight & Inspiration

The luxury travel segment is not the only luxe segment that has suffered. One thing we’ve surely learned during this difficult time is the importance of sharing ideas among colleagues and formulating strategies that will lead us to success. Sometimes that inspiration and insight can be found by looking at what companies are doing in other industries such as retail and leisure goods. Staying ‘in the know’ will remain paramount in 2010, which is why I draw tremendous value from the annual American Express Publishing Luxury Summit, to take place at the Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas on April 25-27, 2010 (www.luxurysummit.com).

During the Summit, experts and authorities on culture and economics will illuminate the trends, tastes and attitudes that are forming on the horizon and will shape luxury marketplaces and appetites. Speakers include:

· Steve Sadove, Chairman & CEO, Saks, Inc.
· Daniel Lalonde, President & CEO, Louis Vuitton NA
· Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos
· Michael J. Kowalski, Chairman and CEO, Tiffany & Co
· Baba Shiv, Professor, Stanford University
· Mary Baglivo, CEO NY and Chairman & CEO Americas, Saatchi & Saatchi
· Henrik Fisker, CEO, Fisker Automotive Inc.
· William Taubman, COO, Taubman Centers Inc.
· Marian Salzman, President North America, EuroRSCG Worldwide PR
· Vineet Nayar, CEO, HCL Technologies
· Ted Teng, President & CEO, The Leading Hotels of the World
· Geoff Vuleta, CEO, Fahrenheit 212
· Fred Dust, Partner, Ideo
· Christopher Cowdray, CEO, Dorchester Collection
· Irwin Gottlieb, CEO, GroupM

There will also be two terrific overviews by four senior executives from the global offices of McKinsey & Co. from Shanghai, London and Paris, New York and Washington, as well as the annual Survey of Affluence & Wealth in America presented by Dr. Jim Taylor, Vice Chairman, The Harrison Group.

This “must attend” event will be jam packed with data and information to help you better understand today’s luxury consumer and the trends within the marketplace. For more information or to register, visit www.luxurysummit.com.

Snow Bliss at Snowmass & Aspen

It appears that Aspen and Snowmass (http://www.aspensnowmass.com) are weathering the economic downturn fairly well. After ending last year about 7% down, the Aspen Ski Company reported it is 5.5% ahead of last year at the end of January with all indications that if March is a good month, they will have had a good season. While these statistics are encouraging, the economic downturn is certainly having an effect in Aspen. Some retailers and restaurants are going out of business, and there is vacant retail space in prime locations. Even, the best book shop in Aspen (at Little Nell), has disappeared after more than 20 years of providing a fine selection of books, DVD’s and newspapers.

Snowmass continues to develop although the much talked about Little Nell development is shuttered. The foundations have been laid but work has stopped while the developers try to renegotiate loans.

The good news for all Snowmass devotees is that the new Viceroy Hotel is open (http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/snowmass/), and it is a wonderful addition to the selection of accommodations in the area.

Putting on the Ritz

The investment being poured into new hotel development throughout Asia continues to amaze me. As I’ve mentioned before, cities like Beijing and Shanghai are in grave danger of becoming overbuilt with too much capacity – but nonetheless, brand after brand make their way – or expand their presence – in the market.

There are a handful of luxury hotel operators, though, that have mapped out very strategic plans making them key players in the region – and the one that immediately comes to mind is Ritz Carlton. For the past 20 years, Ritz Carlton (www.ritzcarlton.com) has developed an impressive network of grand and luxurious properties, starting in Hong Kong and expanding throughout Asia – in Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Jakarta, Singapore, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Osaka, Tokyo, Sanya, Shenzhen and Guangzhou.

The brand is continuing its growth in Asia with a second property opening in Shanghai in May and one in Hong Kong in November of this year.

An Eye on Hotels in Beijing & Shanghai

I just spent a week in China visiting new luxury hotels, and I am astounded as to how rapidly the country is growing. My last visit was only a year ago, and in that time the landscape has dramatically changed. New properties have opened or are about to open, and the country is raising its accommodation standards for luxury, style and service.

Since Asia is indeed fresh in my mind, I wanted to share with you my thoughts on some of my favorite hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, cities that never fail to intrigue me.