Ernie Wiseman
Internova has a distinctly luxury division called Global Travel Collection, but within Internova’s largest and most diverse group of brands, the Travel Leaders Network, luxury travel is sold in bulk as well.
In 2021, Travel Leaders Network Senior Vice President Perry Langmuth helped build the Luxury Leaders Alliance within the network to identify members focused on tailored luxury travel. This week, 50 members of the Luxury Alliance gathered in Dubrovnik to attend the group’s first international luxury forum, speed date with luxury suppliers, and explore Croatia with a focus on food and wine on a pre- and post-forum tour. I experienced it.
These tours make Croatia an upscale destination through Michelin-starred chefs, vineyard experiences that would look right at home in Napa Valley, and accommodations ranging from intimate boutiques to historic five-star palace hotels. It demonstrated how advanced we are as a country. (The Forum’s hospitality sponsor, luxury hotel soft brand Impresia, hosted many of the pre- and post-stay accommodations.)
Once we arrived in Dubrovnik, the morning of the forum was all work. I asked for a speed dating table myself to meet the participants. I was interested in how they approach selling luxury goods.
Jody Moretti operates out of a brick-and-mortar agency in Manitowoc, Wisconsin (population 34,500), but has clients in all 50 states, including those in zip codes with the highest per capita incomes in the nation. Some people live there. Her opening line is simple. “Tell me your wildest dream.”
“They don’t have a clear answer to that,” she said. “Even wealthy customers don’t realize anything is possible.”
She said that although she is not in the same economic stratosphere as her clients, she dreams big, likes to demonstrate what is possible, and often wants to surprise them. “I once arranged for a skydiver to deliver a bottle of champagne to a couple on safari,” Moretti said. Another time, the wife of a couple traveling to the Middle East was nervous because her husband was complaining about not being able to attend the Super Bowl during the trip. We set up the TV behind the dunes and hid it so he could watch it. ”
Rosemary Cacciatore of Framingham Travel in Framingham, Mass., said she chooses her words carefully when speaking to high-end clients. For example, when arranging ground transportation, you might say, “We don’t say ‘transfer.’ We say ‘private transfer.’
One thing was consistent among advisors. Don’t directly ask your client’s travel budget.
Laurie Passard of Rapid Travel in Grand Rapids, Minn., has learned that asking about budget can backfire in unexpected ways. “I once pissed off a customer by asking them how much they were going to spend. They felt insulted when I was considering the price,” she said.
Laura Sangster of Journey Group in Boca Raton, Fla., looks for spending potential in indirect ways, such as asking new customers which hotels they’ve stayed in, and sells on expectations rather than numbers. He said it was better. “One time someone told me their budget was $25,000. We ended up spending $108,000.”
Debbie Sebastian, owner of brick-and-mortar Thomas Travel in Danville, Kentucky, begins the certification process by asking new customers where they like to eat. But she also observes what kind of cars they drive, the shoes they wear, and the wallets they carry.
The topic of customers booking using loyalty points has come up several times. Sangster said it’s fine for customers to use miles for flights, but suggesting that extending the use of points to accommodations may be unnecessarily limiting options for a dream vacation. did. “We’re telling them it might be better to use it for family visits,” she says.
One of her independent contractors, Marybeth Rubinacci, agreed. “If you’re talking about points, you’re talking about brands. With brands, you’re not necessarily going to get the authentic experience that you want,” she said.
Most advisors I’ve talked to charge a fee. Pauline Churchill, of Skyland World Travel, a brick-and-mortar store in Hackettstown, N.J., says not charging unknown customers who may be looking for information they didn’t intend is bad for the supplier, not herself. I feel it’s not fair. Buy.
“Proposals have many elements and can be a daunting task to put together,” she says. “We don’t want to waste the destination management company’s time, so we charge new customers a non-refundable one-time fee of $150. Once the customer hands over their credit card, it’s a different story.”
Paul Salamone of Paul’s Worldwide Adventures in Spring, Texas, has no doubts about the value of his services. “You’re going to spend a certain amount of money on your trip,” he said, but whatever you book, he’ll provide you with an extra third of value-added services, such as upgrades, spa treatments, luxury car transfers, and private tours. He said he is trying to do so.
How does he manage it?
He gestured around the room. “The key is building relationships with suppliers.”
