IMAGE: THE SORBET BUTLER JUMBA BAY
report | concierge
What makes the concierge concept work financially is charging service fees that compensate for the work and expertise involved. In an era of eroding commissions, the fee-based concierge approach makes sense
expertise and services clients can’t easily find online is a way to prosper in the internet age. Former travel agent and consultant Nolan
Burris, president of Visionistics Enterprises and a frequent presenter at travel industry conferences, is seeing increased interest among travel agents in making the transition to a fee-based, concierge-style business model. Among the agents he’s counseled is Jennifer Terzi of Travel Professionals
International,
a Disney specialist who calls herself a ‘Pixie Dust Concierge’. “She plans the entire trip for her clients. Not
just the transportation and accommodation, but she makes their dinner reservations, arranges their snorkeling activities — whatever they need,” Burris says. “Being a travel concierge means handling a lot of details that agents traditionally have steered away from.” Te concierge model also means being available
to assist clients at any time while the trip is in progress, according to Gillick. He notes that the proliferation of communication channels means clients increasingly expect on-the-spot service and detailed travel plans. “Travel agents who relish the growth of
their business will invoke time management techniques that allow them to be available, virtually or otherwise, on a 24/7 basis,” he says. “Te consumer may have desires they didn’t think about before — perhaps they want to upgrade their accommodations or secure tickets to a Las Vegas show — and they want them fulfilled now.” What makes the concierge concept work
financially is charging service fees that compensate for the work and expertise involved. In an era of eroding commissions, Burris believes the fee-based concierge approach makes good business sense. “It’s a new way of thinking,” he says. “Agents
are used to promoting someone else’s products, but not themselves. If you get into the concierge world, it’s all about promoting you.” n
52 | ASTAnetwork | summer 2014 CASESTUDIES
CRANKY CONCIERGE The company specializes in air travel assistance, including booking and flight monitoring. Along with providing help during routine flight delays and cancellations, it has come to the aid of clients stranded in Cairo during civil unrest as well as those caught out by storms and other disasters. Cranky Concierge was founded in 2009 by
Brett Snyder, a former airline employee with a popular blog called Cranky Flyer. “My readers were coming to me for advice and I wanted a way to make a living from this,” he says. Today, Cranky Concierge employs a team of
independent contractors assigned to monitor the flights of each client and assist with rebooking. The company charges $15 each way to monitor a domestic flight for up to four people and $30 for an international flight. It also offers trip planning and booking services. Cranky Concierge frequently works with
agents, and Snyder says that because so many of them dislike handling air arrangements, they frequently call on his company to assist. “Agencies can refer their clients to us, directly book our services themselves and then pass on the cost to the client.”
crankyconcierge.com
ONE CONCIERGE Founded in 2008, One Concierge is a lifestyle management company promising to provide “a complete personal care solution that encompasses and caters to every aspect of a client’s life.” Staffed by a team of ‘lifestyle managers’, it provides services in 115 global locations and has a client list including celebrities, heads of state, royalty and executives, according to CEO Anwar Motiwalla. Entry to One Concierge starts with a
membership fee, which ranges from $1,000 a year to access its travel services to $18,000 a year for an array of additional services, including lifestyle consultation, public relations counsel and property management. One Concierge also handles incentive travel programs and other motivational services for corporations. When it comes to travel, Motiwalla says his
clients are often seeking unusual and exclusive experiences. “For a trip that includes the Cannes Film Festival or the Monaco Grand Prix, we’ll get our clients access to gala events and yacht parties,” he says. “We handle every aspect of the trip for our clients, not just air and hotel but any special request they have.”
oneconcierge.com
Antigua’s Jumby Bay has a Sorbet Butler
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