In our latest issue, we focus on all things luxury travel, and as you can read in the cover story, "Luxury Vacations Have Changed — This Is How the Ultra-Wealthy Want to Travel" there is no hotter market for travel advisors today. With eager clients booking vacations in droves, budgets have largely been thrown to the wind, and after two years stuck at home, people want to splurge on dream trips like never before.
One of the challenges of this market, however, is that this boom is happening at the same time suppliers are facing staffing shortages and supply chain hiccups. These obstacles can make delivering a luxe vacation tricky.
Some clients are more demanding than ever just at a time when agents need them to be more understanding.
At a recent lunch with the general manager of a luxury property in the Northeast — where he told me that his hotel was still frantically training hundreds of employees before the summer crush — I suggested that his clientele might be more forgiving because they are aware of the challenges businesses are facing.
“That’s not happening,” he said. “The expectation is that we deliver just like we’ve always done. No excuses.”
He went on to say that he understands — and even appreciates — how demanding his customers can be. After all, he said, they are paying a lot for a dream vacation and they deserve to get what they pay for.
This dilemma is one that many advisors face, as well. Some clients are more demanding than ever just at a time when agents need them to be more understanding. But like the hotel GM said, it would be a mistake to think that luxury clients are going to be forgiving when things go wrong. It may not be fair, but meeting customer expectations is still the marker for successful trip planning.
Often, the best an advisor can do is be fully transparent with customers and let them know what is and is not possible, so they can adjust their vision to current realities. If that means losing their business, you are probably better off in the long run. As always, it’s important to under promise and over deliver whenever possible. Hopefully, you’ll get those clients coming back next time.
