Luxury Travel Advisor - May 2008 - (Page 6)

EDITOR© S LETTER What Luxury Really Means D Select phrases that will let your customers know that they' ll be enjoying a unique, enriching vacation when they work with you. id you read recently that there may be a shortage of rice and that as a result, the big stores like Wal-Mart and Costco may be limiting the amount of it that they sell? It made me think. What if that plain, regular white rice that we can enjoy in abundance now became a commodity that was hard to get? Why, we' d savor every grain, every morsel, because we wouldn' t know when we' d have it again. I wondered: Would that make rice a luxury item? If so, then anything we truly desire, yet have only limited access to, can be considered a luxury. Therefore, as a seller of luxury travel experiences, you should be focused on providing experiences that your client can enjoy only because you are able to deliver them because of your relationships and knowledge. Perhaps you know the general manager who runs that fabulous exclusive hotel in Italy. Maybe, because he values his relationship with you and because he' s an all-around good guy, he' s willing to personally greet your clients as they first set foot in his lobby because you' ve asked him to do that. The result is that your clients, who have spent a great deal of money on this trip, are over the moon because they' ve been singled out and recognized by the hotel' s top executive. This experience costs you and the general manager nothing, but your clients are heady with delight. And while the expensive suite you booked them in this very same hotel is no doubt over the top, it' s that simple, special moment you created for them that they' ll recall when they' re back home. You' re no doubt capable of creating many more luxury moments that require much more knowledge and expertise, such as customizing itineraries that include insider shopping and dining tips and the services of a private guide who can get your clients into a museum after it' s closed. These experiences are luxurious because they' re authentic. Paul McManus, president and CEO of The Leading Hotels of the World, says that today' s affluent consumer values things in a different way, enjoying bespoke goods alongside a $15 Karl Lagerfeld T-shirt from H&M. ª It' s not all about ostentatious wealth,º says McManus. These same clients want access to experiences that can help them learn how to do new things, whether it' s how to paint, arrange flowers or learn a new language. They also want a sense of the places they are traveling to. McManus also says that this type of client finds the term ª luxuryº cloying in marketing messages, responding more favorably to words such as rare, emotional, cultural and spiritual. Authentic, artistic and sustainable also elicit a positive response. And so while you are delivering what is in every sense of the word a luxury experience to your fortunate clients, don' t overuse the word luxury when communicating with them. Be sure to present an image that portrays a truly affluent aura, but select phrases that will let your customers know that they' ll be enjoying a unique, enriching vacation when they work with you. Speak their language of luxury and they' ll love you forever. RUTHANNE TERRERO, CTC Editorial Director rterrero@questex.com 6 LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR | May 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Luxury Travel Advisor - May 2008

Luxury Travel Advisor - May 2008 Contents Publisher's Letter Editor's Letter Park City Riviera Maya Italian Castles Rotorua China Villa Retreats The Ritz-Carlton, Powerscourt Rancho Bernardo Port Ghalib Dead Sea Spas Silversea The Professor The Pulse Jetset Report Sightings Source List

Luxury Travel Advisor - May 2008

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