What do you see when I say Aman and Opposite?

For the answer to my question, read today’s blog post!

Okay, so where was I in describing the 2011 Virtuoso Chairman’s Event when my eyes slammed shut last night? Right, now I remember. We had the opening meeting, an event so positive that we all kept discussing it on our ride to Opposite House, a unique hotel in the Chaoyang District. It sits among shops that are the originals that are copied in the Pearl Market and Silk Market . Opposite House, owned by Swire, the largest Coca Cola bottler next to Coke itself and owner of Cathay Pacific and a myriad of other recognizable named companies. Opposite House’s name derives from the placement of houses in a hutong

 

Entering Opposite House is walking into an organic piece of art! Reclaimed wood floors, native sandstone walls, rooms on the perimeter of a soaring roof high lobby that features two ribbons of woven stainless steel suspended from the center of the ceiling. Anthony Ross, Area GM, and his staff converted the lobby area into a contemporary dining venue and he hosted a most amazing contemporary Chinese luncheon. Service by servers dressed in eggplant tops and ballooning black jumpers was impeccable and the food (things I recognized and those that were a mystery to me) was a foodie’s delight! Meg Maggio, owner of the art gallery, Pekin Fine Arts, described the art scene and private art tour options available in Beijing. Meg, originally from Boston, practiced law in Beijing before turning her passion for collecting art into a full-time vocation.

 
The site inspection at Opposite House was no less spectacular than the meal and, I might add, cleverly tucked between the main course and dessert! Rooms and suites, 99 in total, are minimalist yet warm and inviting. Sweeping floor to ceiling windows provide a meld of inside and outside with electrically operated black-out shades ensure a good night’s sleep. A lower level restaurant and bar cleverly use the diffused light offered by the main structure and even provide light to the subterranean and spectacularly unique swimming pool. Can you tell I was impressed by this property? Who wouldn’t be?

 

We returned to Raffles with just enough time to layer up for our ride to the Summer Palace. Raffles, an iconic property, in the center of everything and a short walk to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, has a historic presence in Beijing. As Diane Baker, Raffles VP, described this property and the other unique properties in the Raffles group, as offering emotional luxury. How true! Scattered around the property are photos that provide a history of Beijing in the 20th century and all photos were taken on site!

 
We had a police escort on our drive to the Summer Palace, a replica of the West Lake area of Hangzhou (which I had the joy and privilege of visiting on a trip to China last month with Imperial Tours). We arrived in record time, actually ahead of schedule, and only Aman, who operates a hotel adjacent to the Summer Palace, could host this event and make it look effortless! We gathered at the edge of the lake and slowly watched the sun set. We also had a demonstration of a man practicing calligraphy on the pathway, using only a long handled brush and water, as his medium of choice. Just in front of the setting sun stood the famous bridge, 17 steps so at the top the emperor could be at 9, a number associated with the emperor and meaning longlasting.

 

After the sun had set we strolled through the grounds of the Summer Palace and came to an area cordoned off just for us Virtuosos. We then spent a fascinating couple of hours dining our way around a small lake while being entertained by traditional dance, chamber music, ancient Chinese music, dancers with swirling fabric, all accompanied by dramatic changes in the hues of the lighting. It was one of those evenings that I wanted to capture in my heart and mind to adequately describe it to you AND to my grandchildren. I can hear myself telling them about it when they are old enough to understand the rare opportunity their grandma experienced. In fact, someday they will probably say, “Grandma’s on her reminiscing roll again! Let her roll!”

 
Appropriately clad for an outdoor event (layers and more layers), I was still grateful to move indoors for the site inspection of the Aman Summer Palace. Having been newly baptized as an Aman junkie after my stay last month at Amanfayun, I was equally impressed with this property…and the warmth, too! Dessert, along with painting and craft demonstrations, was provided in the main hall before we reluctantly boarded our coaches for our ride back to the city.

 

This morning provided a very special shopping opportunity because Nancy Kim, Managing Director of Imperial Tours, assembled a group a vendors, offering us a chance to purchase some select items of clothing, jewelry and décor. You know, of course, that I had to purchase a few baubles, right?

 
Now we’re off to a luncheon ON the Great Wall of China, hosted by St. Regis hotels. Stay tuned!

Ready, set, shop, sight-see, dine and dance!

At 7:59 AM on Tuesday, October 19 the athletes had finished stretching, their muscles tensed, eyes focused awaiting the beginning of the race to the Presidential Suite at Raffles Hotel.  Perhaps I am exaggerating a bit…what I am describing was our anticipation of the beginning of the Virtuoso Shopping Bazaar, a display of unique items procured by Nancy Kim, Managing Director of Imperial Tours, and presented in a boutique setting in the Presidential Suite . Jewelry, clothing, cashmeres, private blend teas, and Tibetan ethnic goods were scooped up with enthusiasm and, as we boarded the motor coaches for our lunch on the Great Wall, we modeled some of our purchases.

An expert in the history and construction of the Great Wall was aboard each of the 4 motor coaches. David Spindler, our Guru of all things Great Wall, shared many details that fascinated me. A “great wall” actually is defined as a non-enclosed wall (like city walls in Xi’an or Dubrovnik) with a minimum defined thickness, height and length. China’s Great Wall is a series of walls joined together. The fired brick construction was see at locations near Beijing are the newest construction. Some of the oldest and still standing parts are actually tamped dirt.

There are certain areas round Beijing where the Wall has been restored and those locales are tourist friendly. This visit to the wall was my 3rd and the takeaway is that where you visit the wall matters. My first time I was in a sea of tourists. The second time, in 2008 with Gerald Hatherly of A&K Hong Kong, we went about an hour outside of the city center to an area that felt quiet and serene. This time, because of the large size of our group, we visited an area that was more populated than visit #2 and much better than my first Great Wall experience. I sound like I’m telling a spin-off of Goldilocks and the three bears, don’t I?

St. Regis Hotels hosted our Great Wall experience, an event that began with champagne on a terrace. Next we watched 7 young women in red, skintight costumes combine drumming and dancing in a chorus line type act. The main wow was our sit-down luncheon  on the Great Wall, highlighted by a menu of delicious courses served by scores of waiters who served all the tables simultaneously. One of our luncheon companions was William Lindsay, noted conservationist and Great Wall advocate. A lovely singer serenaded us with ballads and jazz favorites of the 1930′s.

Greg Nacco, Julie Nacco, and Kimberly Wilson Wetty were brave souls who actually ran a length of the Great Wall. Nancy Stein, of Aldine Travel in St. Louis, had a different Great Wall run, one of bad luck. Reaching the last step of the Wall returning to our motor coaches, Nancy’s foot rolled desiring in a broken bone. I hope your foot heals quickly, Nancy!

We made it back to Raffles in time to rest and change into our “party fashions” and to make the mental shift from the “lure of the past” to “the impact of the future” (the theme of our journey to China) as we made our way to the Water Cube, the 2008 Olympics swimming venue. Shangri-La Hotels hosted our evening, which began with a red carpet walk alongside an outside wall of the cube and led us indoors and up an escalator to what was normally the tennis courts but now transformed into a heavenly room dotted with sprays of blue hydrangeas. Liquid refreshment was served from a magnificently carved circular ice bar. I easy found my way to our assigned table and I had wonderful dinner partners including Priscilla Alexander and Tova Fink of Protravel International, Inc, Marina Linhares and Tomas Perez of Teresa Perez Tours in Sao Paulo, Brazil; Angie Goiricuria,Virtuoso’s Vice President of Alliances; Nancy Kim, Managing Director of Imperial Tours; and, our table host Wolfgang Krueger, GM of the Shangri-La Tokyo.

Needless to say the food was deliciously exquisite! Greg Dogan, President and CEO of Shangril-La Hotels welcomed us and Matthew Upchurch responded with gratitude to Greg’s welcome. If we felt we had overeaten,  we had the opportunity to dance off the calories as Beijing’s most popular DJ and a bevy of 1980′s clad disco dancers entertained us and helped remove any shyness about dancying! Matthew  Upchurch, Virtuoso’s CEO, and dance afficianado, was among the first on the dance floor followed quickly by Valerie Wilson and Rosie Goldberger. A personal highlight was watching the Chinese government officials dancing with the advisors. Proving the “Dancing with the Stars” element of the evening, I took a photo of the Vice Chairman of the Tourism Adminsitration with Kimberly Wilson Wetty and an Elton John wannabe!

What a day–a day of contrasts, elegance, and history. We truly spanned the centuries from the lure of the past to the pulsating contemporary feel of today’s Beijing. Having traveled all those years in one day, I was exhausted and ready for a good night’s rest. Sweet dreams!

 

If it’s Wednesday, it must be Beijing or is it Shanghai?

Wednesday, often called Hump Day, marked the last day in  Beijing and our first day in Shanghai. We squeezed in one more bit of sightseeing Wednesday morning in Beijing. We went to the Hutong area, one of Beijing’s last and oldest neighborhoods. A hutong is traditionally described as a quadrangle of houses with the main house in the North. North is a very important concept to the Chinese and many historic areas are on a North-South line. When the Communists took over, they changed the main emphasis to East-West. They built a broad, multi-lane road that runs for 30 miles on an East-West axis. In fact, Raffles Hotel sits on that boulevard. While the government felt the change was important, people still held to the North-South concept. The government has relented and when they built the two main structures for the 2008 Olympics, the Bird’s Nest and the Water Cube, they built them on a North-South line. The government now claims to be the custodian of the traditional China.

Our visit to the hutong began was a leisurely stroll through a market area and we were guided by Lijia Zhang, noted author and lecturer. Our next activity was a ride through the hutong area in rickshaws. We stopped along the way to admire the scenery and we spent some time in a park where our senses were bombarded by so many interesting sights and sounds–senior citizens exercizing, a man practicing calligraphy on the ground using a long brush and water, heated games of table tennis, grandparents and grandchildren playing together, and myriad of bicycles parked while people visited.

After a stop at the Westin Beijing to “test their plumbing” (one does NOT want to use the public restrooms, if possible!), we headed to the domestic terminal at the airport. We were escorted through the maze of people and queues and found our way to our gate for our flight to Shanghai. One last bit of elan, Imperial Tours had ordered each of us a takeout lunch of chicken and caesar salad to be delivered to the airport from one of their favorite delis.

The flight was uneventful (a good thing) and when we landed in Shanghai, we were greeted by our hosts for the second part of our journey, Patrick MacLeod and Gerald Hatherly and the staff of A&K. Once on our way in our motorcoaches, our guide gave us a brief history of Shanghai, often called “Paris of the East.” I love Shanghai! Michael and I have talked about renting a place for a month at some future day so we can fully embrace this city.

We exited the motorcoach and were surrounded by applause from the staff of the Ritz Carlton Pudong, who lined the way inside. They provided a lovely aperitif, we picked up our custom-made black velvet Mao jackets with brightly colored lining and headed to our rooms. My girlfriend, Sam, audibly gasped as we entered our room. “Oh my God,” she said, “this is wonderful!” The girl has good taste because recently Conde Nast Traveler rated the Ritz Carlton Pudong as the best hotel in the world!

Quick wardrobe change again and, voila, time to go to Flare, the loft-style restaurant and night club on the 58th floor. Food, food and more food–all of various Asian countries–was provided and we were entertained by a trio of female violinists playing pulsating and lively music.

Next stop was back to our suites and the oh so comfy Ritz Carlton beds. We are most definitely in Shanghai!

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.

Challenge 2:  Understanding How to Sell to Today’s Upscale Consumer
Today’s high-end consumer has changed. They possess a new mindset that we need to understand and engage in order for us to succeed with a sale. And, the best way to comprehend this mindset is through relevant conversation with your customers. 

Consumers are also taking a more collaborative approach with their travel advisors. Their wanderlust spirit and increased used of technology to search for information encourages them to bring more to the table than just their wallet.

They are seeking vacations that provide distinctive experiences and substantial value – not just financial but a value that connects to something personally enriching. This relates to why ‘voluntourism vacations’ is a trend that has seen growth in the past half-year.  Today’s luxury consumers also continue to be inspired by family travel opportunities.

Challenge 3:  Promoting Agent Value
You’ve worked hard to develop a reputation for your travel expertise. You’ve done your research.  You’ve spent time traveling in order to personally experience the offerings of hotels, cruises and tour companies around the world. And, you’ve cultivated relationships with global suppliers whom you can reach out to for special extras for your clients. 

Don’t be afraid to showcase the value you deliver to your clients—whether it’s conveyed through phone or e-mail conversation, featured on your agency’s website, or outlined in the travel documents you prepare for them.  Be your own champion.

As travel professionals, you possess a tremendous value that should be appreciated by your clients. Those are the customers you want to keep.

Challenge 4:  Effectively Harnessing Social Media
Incorporating social media into your business strategy is vital. If you continue to view technology as your enemy, it’ll continue to defeat you. It’s here to stay so embrace it. Your younger customers are, in all likelihood, completely connected and Internet savvy. Your older clients might surprise you with their tech abilities. 

We’ve become accustomed to an impersonal world, and social media is actually satisfying a need people have for a sense of community. They share stories, wishes and interests. People want to engage in conversation, and the anonymity of some social media platforms is highly appealing. Adapting to these changes shows your flexibility as a travel professional and enhances the value you provide your customers.

Since we know that conversation is key to sales success, don’t cut yourself off from the dialogue.

Challenge 5:  Combating the ‘Deals’ Mentality
Tout ‘quality, quality, quality’ and educate your clients on how that can be comprised for ‘the deal.’ Gently remind them that planning a luxury vacation should not be akin to the game show ‘Deal or No Deal.’ Holding out for a discount isn’t the same as designing the trip of a lifetime.

Although people are still cautious with their travel spending, we must encourage the importance of purchasing a travel experience based on ‘excellence’ as opposed to a shorter lead time. 


Signs are encouraging for the future, but we must remain realistic about our climb back to success. Agencies report better sales now than six months ago, and clients have given themselves permission to spend money on travel again, which is excellent news, but much of the statistics are compared to 2009, the worst year in the travel industry. None of us are the same as we were pre-recession – so we should take what we’ve learned and build a new strategic platform upon that. Travel advisors can shape themselves into more savvy vacation planners and redefine their role far into the future.