Feature LUXURY TOURISM


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3 Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo 4 Rob Weeden, Vice President Sales and Marketing, EMEA, at Shangri-La International 5 Timur Senturk, Vice President Operations, Langham Hospitality Group


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“Luxury travellers demand tailored, unforgettable journeys and adventures. They do not like mass experiences. They prefer personal guides who are experts in their area of interest and want to be involved”


service, curating an experience that appeals to them on a personal level. “We believe that personalisation will remain


a focus for the next 50 years, however, the novelty factor of the personal experiences we provide will escalate and transform with time.” Debbie Duncan-Studart, General Manager,


Abercrombie & Kent, UAE, agrees: “Travellers will continue to seek authentic experiences and will want to get under the skin of the destina- tion, preferring to explore on their own or in the company of an expert guide. Convenience will become more important too, characterised by private jet travel and private home rental.” Timur Senturk, Vice President Operations,


Langham Hospitality Group, also acknowledges the rise of the unique experience as exclusive within the luxury segment. He says: “Luxury travellers demand tailored,


unforgettable journeys and adventures. They do not like mass experiences. They prefer personal


guides who are experts in their area of interest and want to be involved. “They want to swim with the whale sharks


in Western Australia, hike in the Swiss Alps, do a photography safari in Africa. “They do not just want to dine at Michelin-


starred restaurants, they want to actually participate in a cooking class with Michelin- starred chefs.” Some clients are also motivated by one-


upmanship, notes Duncan-Studart, and are looking to pass on tales about their holiday and descibe extraordinary experiences to friends, family and colleagues. “If you can visit a temple that has been


opened for you and your party, or experi- ence fine dining beneath the glow of one of the world’s masterpieces in its natural setting, then you have a conversation piece for dinner parties that will make you the envy of your social set,” she says.


SPECIAL SERVICE With a preference for personalisation comes the need to truly tailor service across the industry and as a result, more clients are taking advan- tage of concierge-style services, employing a personal travel consultant to manage their plans. It’s good news for experienced travel profes-


sionals like Gillian McLornan, a Dubai-based Travel Counsellor, who believes “service remains key and personalisation has become an expectation”. “The customer expects you to know his pref-


erences and to set up special requests or plan- ning requirements,” she says. “In the future, clients will use apps for hotel


pre-planning and will want to be continuously surprised and delighted. They will want a cultural connection to the destination through ameni- ties and services.” Rob Weeden, Vice President Sales and


Marketing, EMEA, at Shangri-La International, also expects that artificial intelligence will have


more of a role in service in the future, predicting traveller behaviour and “acting as a travel agent”. “It may even customise all of our travel expe-


riences, based on our precise likes and dislikes, and act as a bespoke travel guru, giving us in- sights about the destination it knows will appeal to us,” he says. “Smart technology will continue to play a


significant role in our industry and I see the use of VR becoming an essential part of travel.” Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts recently launched virtual reality as a global sales tool, which can instantly “transport” the viewer to the edge of Genghis Khan Square in Ulaanbaatar or inside the presidential suite of Shangri-La Hotel, Tokyo. “It is a completely immersive experience that


feels live and dynamic and gives the traveller a glimpse of what awaits them,” says Weeden. “This is a perfect example of high-tech and


high-end working hand in hand, and I predict this will become the norm of travel booking.”


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