I recently attended an advisory board meeting of the Ataway Exchange Conference in Washington, D.C., at the Mexican Cultural Institute. Questex Hospitality + Travel just acquired the Ataway conference, which brings together a cross section of travel industry marketing executives and thought leaders in the technology sector. As we sat around the board room and discussed the challenges of companies today, all of the participants, representing companies large or small, agreed they all need to understand the customer better. The conclusion was that there is no secret sauce or web program that can do it all and that knowing the customer is the key to success.
As luxury travel advisors, I know you all know your customers very well. But don’t just settle for that and market on a small scale. Use the best practices of social media and database management. Engage via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Use a proper CRM tool to store what’s in your head about your clients.
I recently stayed at The St. Regis Mexico City. Pictured here are General Manager Rui Reis and Director of Sales & Marketing Florencia Gonzalez Deibe. St. Regis is a top brand that markets big, but the end result is a small hotel feel with high-touch service that transcends from hotel to hotel throughout the St. Regis brand. The St. Regis Mexico City’s J&G Grill, a Jean-Georges restaurant, was another amazing experience that secures this hotel as a must on your travels to Mexico City.
For you, as advisors, the end result is that you will develop a deeper relationship with your customers, and they will appreciate your big marketing and intimate customer service.