Arnie Weissmann
Internova has an explicitly luxury division, the Global Travel Collection, but within Travel Leaders Network, Internova's largest and most diversified brand grouping, a great deal of upscale travel is sold, as well.
In 2021, Travel Leaders Network senior vice president Perry Lungmus helped develop a Luxury Leaders Alliance within the network to identify members who are focused on bespoke, upmarket travel. This week, 50 Luxury Alliance members gathered in Dubrovnik to attend the group's first International Luxury Forum to speed date with high-end suppliers and, in pre- and post-forum tours, experience Croatia, with an emphasis on food and wine.
On those tours, Michelin-starred chefs, vineyard experiences that wouldn't be out of place in Napa Valley and properties ranging from intimate boutiques to historical, five-star palace hotels demonstrated how far Croatia has come as a luxe destination. (Forum hospitality sponsor Impresia, a soft brand of luxury properties, hosted many of the pre- and post- accommodations.)
Once in Dubrovnik, mornings at the forum were all business. I asked for a speed-dating table myself to meet with attendees; I was curious about how they approach luxe sales.
Jodi Moretti operates out of a brick-and-mortar agency in Manitowoc, Wis. (population 34,500), but has clients in all 50 states, some living in ZIP codes with the highest per-capita incomes in the nation. She has a simple opening line: Tell me your wildest dreams.
"They don't have a ready answer for that," she said. "Even wealthy clients don't realize that anything is possible."
Although she said that she's not in the same financial stratosphere as her clientele, she likes to dream big and demonstrate what can be done -- often as a surprise for them. "I once arranged for a skydiver to land and deliver a bottle of Champagne to a couple on safari," Moretti said. Another time, the wife of a couple going to the Middle East was nervous because her husband was complaining he would miss the Super Bowl on the trip. I arranged for a TV to be set up and hidden behind a sand dune so he could watch it."
Rosemarie Cacciatore of Framingham Travel in Framingham, Mass., said she chooses her words carefully when speaking to high-end clients. When arranging ground transportation, for example, "you don't say 'transfer.' You say, 'private transfer.'"
There was one point that was consistent among the advisors: Never directly ask what a client has budgeted for the trip.
Laurie Passard of Rapid Travel in Grand Rapids, Minn., learned that asking about budgets can backfire in unexpected ways. "I once offended clients by asking what they planned to spend. They felt insulted that I thought price was a consideration for them," she said.
Laura Sangster of the Journey Group in Boca Raton, Fla., takes an indirect route to suss out likely spend, asking what hotels new clients have previously stayed in. Selling to expectations, she said, is better than selling to numbers. "Once, someone told me that they had budgeted $25,000. They ended up spending $108,000."
Debbie Sebastian, owner of brick-and-mortar Thomas Travel in Danville, Ky., begins the qualification process by asking where new clients like to dine. But she also observes what car they drive, shoes they wear and purse they carry.
The topic of clients using loyalty points to book came up a few times. Sangster said she's fine with clients using miles for airline tickets, but when they bring up using points for accommodations, she suggests that they may be unnecessarily limiting their options within a dream vacation. "I tell them it might be better to use them for visiting family," she said.
One of her independent contractors, Marybeth Rubinacci, agreed. "If you're talking points, you're talking brands, and with brands, you won't necessarily get the authentic experience you say you want," she said.
Most of the advisors I spoke with charge fees. Pauline Churchill of brick-and-mortar Skyland World Travel in Hackettstown, N.J., feels it can be unfair -- not to herself, but to suppliers -- to not charge a fee to an unknown client who may be looking for information rather than intending to buy.
"Proposals have many components and can be a lot of work to put together," she said. "I don't want to waste a destination management company's time, so I charge a one-time, nonrefundable fee of $150 for new clients. It's a different ballgame once they hand over their credit card."
Paul Salamone of Pauls Worldwide Adventures in Spring, Texas, has no qualms about the value of his services. Although "they're going to spend a decent amount on their trip," he said he makes sure that, whatever is booked, he provides another third in value-added services: upgrades, spa treatments, transfers in luxury vehicles and private tours.
How does he manage that?
He gestured around the room. "The key is building relationships with suppliers."