TRAVEL AGENTS 2.0-

MAKING LUXURY TRAVEL BETTER WITH SPECIAL EXPERTICE

                                           By Larry Olmsted, Forbes Contributor

When high-end travel agent Chad Clark started “certifying” various travel experiences he was just trying to provide another level of personalized service for his demanding clients. But it turned out he was onto the biggest trend in the luxury travel business.

Almost all travel agents, even the highest-powered agents to the stars, book hotels and destinations they have never been to. It’s impossible for any person to go everywhere, and if a client demands a trip to XYZ and the agent hasn’t been there, they are going to still do what their client wants. But increasingly the shoe is on the other foot and clients are taking their travel lead straight from their trusted agents, the best of which have been repositioning themselves as travel advisors or consultants, part of an increasing trend of selling their personal expertise.

As documented before in this column, the travel agent is far from obsolete, and in many ways the increased access to online travel information and bookings has made the use of a quality travel agent more important than ever. The best travel agents routinely get clients better rooms, better guides and even better cabins on airplanes, often for the same cost – or less (See “Why You Need a Travel Agent” here at Forbes.com). As access to purchasing travel broadens, truly special or VIP experiences become scarcer, and frankly, if you are not using a top agent you are probably going to miss these. The segment of the industry that is getting squeezed out is the old school agent, basically a facilitator pushing buttons to complete turnkey transactions such as package trips, airline tickets and cruises. The ones who are thriving are those who add value, especially for the growing demographic of more sophisticated, worldly and well-traveled consumers who are increasingly looking for “something different.” The buzzwords in the luxury travel industry today are “authenticity,” “insider knowledge” and “experiential.” Better travel agents know that.

Clark, the principal of Chad Clark Travel in Scottsdale, AZ, which in turn is a member of the Virtuoso consortium of deluxe travel agencies (agencies pool together to get customers upgrades and extras), wanted to share his own passions for food, wine, golf and other travel experiences with his clients, so he started a casual list of hotels, restaurants and experiences he had personally tried, and then endorsed based on his critique.

“The certified thing just got started for fun, but it’s caused a stir in the travel community and now I get clients asking me, ‘Is it certified?’ These are only things that I’ve personally experienced, that are so good and so cool that I wanted my friends and clients to know about them. Whether it’s a great restaurant, a unique wine tasting, or an unbelievable hike in Australia, if it’s something local, authentic and worth doing, I’ll certify it.”

Clark’s list is certainly varied, from luxury hotels like the Santa Caterina on Italy’s Amalfi Coast to divey roadhouse bars in Texas to famed 24-hour Chicago hot dog stand The Weiner Circle, along with seaplane tours, golf courses and cooking schools. “I just took a two and a half hour martini master class at the Dorchester Hotel in London and I certified it. That’s the kind of thing my clients won’t know about otherwise, but when I tell them about it they all want me to arrange it for them. Most of my clients know London already – they expect me to deliver new ideas for special things and our whole business is about stuff you can’t find in guidebooks, things you might not otherwise know existed. Certifying it is just a way of saying that I’ve personally done this and you should not leave town without trying it.” His program began as informal tweets and notes to his customers but has become so popular that he trademarked it and started awarding certificates to recipients of “Chad Clark Travel Ventures Certified™ Experiences” – certificates which are now being proudly displayed by luxury hotel companies like Aman and Oberoi.

“Chad has done a great job with his Certified program,” says luxury travel industry veteran Janine Cifelli, whose company, Janine Cifelli Representation, does North American sales and marketing for a worldwide portfolio of luxury hotels, resorts, villas and private islands. Cifelli handles everything from Massachusetts’s Forbes 5-Star country manor Blantyre to billionaire Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz’ ultra-luxury Laucala private island resort in Fiji, and a big part of her business is educating travel agents across the continent about these boutique properties. As a result she keeps abreast of trends and has worked with most top luxury travel agents for two decades, and is currently seeing a sweeping change along the lines of what Clark has done. “There are travel agents who are just order takers, and then there is this new generation who educate themselves to the Nth degree so they can better serve their clients, pair them with the perfect places, and inspire travel rather than merely react. Chad markets his expertise directly to his customers, but if they still want to go to a particular hotel he hasn’t certified, he’s going to book it for them – it’s a win-win. Other forward-thinking agents are sharing very personal travel impressions and experiences through social media or doing experiential things like packaging a villa rental with a private wine tasting, cooking classes or a hot air balloon ride.”

Julia Douglas takes a somewhat similar tact to Clark in advising her clients. Douglas is the principal of Jet Set World Travel, based in Chicago but with its elite team of agents spread across the country. The firm is a member of Signature, a rival consortium of high-end travel agents to Virtuoso. “We put out a quarterly newsletter and only write about places we have personally been, and we also invite conversation with quick updates of places our advisors are just back from or where we are going next, and we get a lot feedback like, ‘Let me know how it is.’ Our newsletter is themed, so our latest was ‘Giddy Up’ and covered everything from the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs to the equestrian program at Tucson’s Miraval Spa to horseback safaris in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Our methodology has always been to soft sell relying on our own personal expertise and knowledge rather than pushing things on people. Even our phone system – if you are on hold you hear world music not a recording telling you about a promotion for a Seabourne cruise ‘if you book now.’ The notion of specialization has never been more important in travel and our team takes month long visits to individual destinations. There are many agents who purport to know all destinations well, but increasingly, sophisticated customers want to work with a true specialist.”

One Canadian travel consultancy, Toronto-based Truffle Pig, goes so far as to only sell properties and trips they have personally experienced, according to Cifelli. “Instead of selling every hotel in New Zealand, they go there and spend months, totally immerse themselves, pick the best and only sell the properties they know and trust.” Truffle Pig also puts out a newsletter to customers relating their recent explorations in detail.

SmartFlyer, another Virtuoso member agency, based in New York City, added a “Where in the World” section to its website that only showcases properties receiving the SmartFlyer stamp of approval, similar to Clark’s concept. “We’ve visited, work with, love, and recommend them to our clients,” said founder Michael Holtz, who added that, “we are in the process of launching SmartFlyer curated and branded trips geared towards more lifestyle – art, culinary, shopping.” When Holtz visited trendy yet remote Newfoundland eco-adventure lodge Fogo Island Inn, he personally wrote up a detailed review for the site covering everything from the particulars of the 29 rooms to the art classes available to the chef’s signatures. This kind of information really helps him paint a picture of the property for his customers.

Next-generation travel agents are combining a critical eye with personal experience and often adding or recommending little-known activities, meals or sights that would otherwise go unexperienced, and that is where the value of a travel agent is headed. Becky Powell, Senior VP, Global Member and Advisor Sales, for the Virtuoso consortium confirmed that this is a growing trend. “We are starting to see agencies put their own name on experiences or endorse particular products and destinations in an effort to position themselves as authorities, build their own brands, and up the level of customization they are able to offer clients.”

“Look at hotels,” said Clark. “They have always marketed themselves as destinations, talked about their suites and restaurants and spas, but suddenly they are marketing what to do beyond the hotel. Fancy hotels in Beverly Hills are now telling you why you should go to Gino’s Pizza, stuff in the neighborhood. It’s all part of this same trend.” As if on cue, for a recent visit to the Four Seasons Santa Fe, a glance at their website revealed a host of prominently displayed articles by outside experts on the Santa Fe dining scene, local hot restaurants, arts and day trips – none of them at the resort.

“We can add value by showing them the best things they can do with their time,” said Clark.
“You can spend your trip to Los Cabos trying to find the best taco, or I can send you to the not-to-miss street tacos at a one particular corner stand. As an advisor I see what we do as managing people’s most valuable asset, their time.”

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