p26-30 client_match Nov 09 23/11/09 13:17 Page 26
USA selling tips
Geoff Cooper Adjacent to the nearby 1,100-acre Kathryn Thomas
partner, McKinney Roughs Nature Park is the deluxe managing director,
Dovehouse Travel Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort. Concierge Travel Service
Sleep is almost guaranteed in the Hyatt’s
signature Grand Beds, which are found
Luxury: Texas in every one of the hotel’s luxuriously Luxury: New York and LA
N
ames like Beverly Hills and decorated rooms. This superb resort has
Palm Springs epitomise the fabulous facilities. Anyone who likes golf
luxury resorts we tend to expect can enjoy the resort’s own 18-hole
in the US because these are championship course, the Wolfdancer. T
he US has lots of fabulous luxury
hotels but it’s very important to
match your high-spending client to
the right hotel.
often the only ones that tend to be Three pools, a water park with a floating First, you must know your locations –
promoted either by tour operators or by river, tennis and equestrian centres, along for example in New York, you need to know
the tourist boards. But ask any American with hiking and biking trails, make up the where the restaurants, theatres and sights are
and they will happily reel off the names of facilities available for sports and adventure that your client will want to visit. Knowing
many other resorts, names that mean little fans. For more lazy guests, a fully equipped that will help you identify which location to
to us as they have, for years, been kept spa offers almost every treatment available put them in. For a cultural break, you need to
almost a secret by the American and under the sun and for children, the resort look at Upper Manhattan rather than Fifth
Canadian markets. also has its own Camp Tortuga kids’ club. Avenue, which is better for shopaholics.
Texas, where everything is expected to be Fine dining is another key feature of And over in California, coastal Los Angeles
big and brash, hides some of these hidden this resort which has something to offer is very different from Hollywood. The city has
treats. The second largest of the states, with everyone, irrespective of their age. all the big chains such as Ritz-Carlton and
one of the best sunshine records of any Lost Pines is available through various Hyatt Regency – a classic five-star hotel that
mainland state, Texas offers sensational operators, including Premier Holidays and everybody will know is the Beverly Wilshire,
cities, breathtaking countryside, nearly North American Travel Service, but by no a Four Seasons hotel, from Pretty Woman.
1,000 golf courses, working and guest means is it the only luxury resort to be But for something a little different and
ranches, spas and fabulous theme parks. found. Most states will have something exclusive, my clients tend to like Shutters on
A short distance outside the state capital similar; don’t be afraid to ask tour the Beach (pictured) near Santa Monica.
of Austin lies the historic town of Bastrop. operators for their own recommendations. Second, you need to match the hotel style
to the client – I have young clients who want
to stay in the more trendy boutique hotels in
New York, but you need to be realistic about
room sizes. In this style of hotel, the rooms
can be tiny so you need to manage your
clients’ expectations. If a small room is a
turn-off, then persuade them to trade up the
room grade or recommend a compromise.
Jumeirah Essex House and Loews Regency
Hotel offer the best of both worlds – they
are grand hotels that have had a modern
makeover – so the room sizes are bigger.
Third, if you’re booking a holiday some-
where the client has not been before, keep an
eye on new restaurants, hotel openings and
headline-grabbing shows.
I always ask clients to feedback to me on
their return where they ate and what they did
so I can pass their tips on to other clients.
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