In the face of an increasingly discerning clientele, Asian outbound agencies reveal how they have upped their service levels this year and the rewards they received in return

Guldeep Singh Sahni
Managing director, 
Weldon Tours & Travels

How have you improved service levels this year?
We made it mandatory for staff to undergo training by completing various specialisation programs.

Next, we have a new system in place where we designated a specific person to handle a specific job based on their expertise. This way, every service is taken care of by a specialist who will maintain a high standard of customer satisfaction for that particular service.

We have also raised the service levels with our overseas handling agents. We are now dealing with their transportation departments and reservations directly. We have also made it point to call our clients regularly while they are on tour to check how things are going for them.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
One of our clients came to our office with his family, with a large bouquet and a bottle of champagne to thank us for the initial suggestions that we made and the level of service that he received during the tour. He also made sure to specially thank one of the staff who directly handled his booking.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
A client staying in a private villa shared that he is fond of Harley bikes and wanted us to arrange one for him during his stay. We managed to provide a brand-new Harley which obviously excited him to the hilt. – Rohit Kaul

Desmond Lee
Group managing director,
 Apple Vacations & Conventions

How have you improved service levels this year?
The company provided a lot of in-house training to frontline staff on personal conduct, how to treat and pamper guests, and how to communicate.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
Positive feedback from clients. Some who have been impressed by our services have also recommended us to their friends, and this has resulted in increased sales.
It is very noticeable this year as the outbound market is soft, yet Malaysians are still willing to spend on travel. They came to us because they wanted to be served by consultants with good product knowledge.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
A client who told us he didn’t eat beef insisted he wanted to try Kobe beef in Japan. He changed his mind all of a sudden at the restaurant, after the guide described the meat as “the best beef” in the world.
On top of this, the client wanted the beef to be complimentary. This client was earlier made aware by the guide that Kobe beef had to be pre-ordered and clients had to pay for the dish.– S Puvaneswary

Suresh Mendis
CEO, 
Classic Travel

How have you improved service levels this year?
We have developed a unique CRM programme which highlights clients’ requirements, and their visa and passport expiry date in advance. With this new tool, we are able to remind and assist our clientele in obtaining the necessary travel documents without creating any inconvenience to them at the last moment. In addition, we do online check-in for all clients so that they are aware of the seating and meal preferences in advance.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
As a company that specialises in corporate and leisure travel, our commitment in continuously improving our products and services has made us a leader in the travel arena.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Customers expect almost the impossible from travel agents when it comes to visa assistance. We encounter this mostly when it handling incentive tour groups to varied destinations.

We are first put under immense pressure by the airlines who want us to ticket the clients before the deadline for seat cancellation. Depending on the group size, some ticketing time limits are set one month before the group departure.Simultaneously, we struggle with the corresponding embassy to get visas issued on time.

When these two overlap, which happens pretty often, we are left with no choice but to issue the tickets and pay for ground arrangements, without any guarantee of the visas being granted.

In such instances, we tend to incur huge losses when visas are delayed or rejected due to various reasons beyond our control. – Feizal Samath

Yusuke Asami
Manager, travel marketing & 
strategy department, 
JTB Corp

How have you improved service levels this year?
Last year, we introduced six promises within our Ace JTB brand, which is aimed at higher-end customers, and we’re seeing the pay-off now.

Some promises we make to our clients include putting them in accommodation with a satisfaction rate higher than 80 per cent from previous guests and that they will have plenty of relaxation space; ensuring that the room they stay in will have a good view; and making sure that the photos of the meals in our brochures are identical to the ones served. Not all travel companies make that type of commitment.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
(Customers) who have gone on our Super View of the World trips telling us that they want to go on another one.

We have selected 100 destinations – such as the Italian island of Lampedusa, Machu Picchu or Victoria Falls – that are not easy to get to but have great views. Not all these places are famous, so we are also trying to introduce new destinations to Japanese travellers and generate new demand.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
I can’t think of anything for outbound tourist, but we do have misunderstandings sometimes with visitors coming to Japan from abroad.

For example, when we have pictures of women in onsens, they have a towel around them. We have to do that because we can’t use pictures of naked women. But sometimes, our foreign guests think that is how they are meant to bathe. It causes confusion, especially if they are sharing a bath with Japanese people who consider it to be bad manners. – Julian Ryall

Clifford Neo
Managing director, 
Dynasty Travel

How have you improved service levels this year?
Continuously improving our customer experience is a key driver of long-term customer loyalty, and our travel consultants can now provide travel consultancy at the customer’s place of convenience – be it at their home, café or golf course by using Dynasty Travel’s sole proprietary software iPad mini Tourix booking system.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
A group of VIP guests joined us on our inaugural Signature Series tour programme in Greece, which included luxurious hotel stays and visits to Michelin-star restaurants.

Their valuable feedback said it all: “The tour itineraries were well-planned and the pace allowed us to cover many places of interest without feeling rushed; all we needed to do was to focus on enjoying ourselves because the details were all well taken care of.”

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service  
A female traveller who expected our tour manager to provide freshly squeezed orange juice every morning. However, we had tried to provide whenever possible and thus she is still a strong supporter of Dynasty Travel. – Paige Lee Pei Qi

Anthony Akili
CEO, 
Smailing Tour

How have you improved service levels this year?
We have structured a Service Level Agreement with our clients and the implementation is monitored monthly by a third-party auditor. The feedback is taken seriously and implemented immediately.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
We have managed to achieve a very good client retention level of more than 90 per cent.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Nothing in particular. Each client is unique and they have different needs and expectations. We have a pre-engagement meeting before bringing clients on board. This meeting is to understand the scope of work, expectations, and terms and conditions. From there, we decide on the team structure, business process and monitoring system to avoid complaints and unreasonable expectations. – Mimi Hudoyo

Ronnie Ho
Chairman,
 Jetour Holding

How have you improved service levels this year?
We provide individual headsets to customers and free Wi-Fi service for specific tours. We have launched new products like overseas wedding trips and a new South America tour themed The Sky of Mirror at Bolivia. We have also set up a new event and travel management team, and also collaborated with local artists to adapt their art pieces into Jetour gift items.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
The South America tour was a key success – our bookings achieved a record high after the tour was launched in June. Moreover, our brand received massive media coverage in magazines and newspapers. We won two categories – My Favourite Tour of Europe and My Favourite Tour of South America – at the U Magazine Travel Awards 2015.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
Customers are more demanding but not unreasonable. We adopt a proactive approach to enhance our service in anticipation of the consumer’s needs. So far, customer feedback is very positive and shows that it can definitely enrich the travel experience. – Prudence Lui

Sue Badyari
CEO, 
World Expeditions

How have you improved service levels this year?
As an adventure travel company, we have to be responsive to changing conditions in the regions we travel to, but this was taken to a whole new level following the Nepal earthquake. We have responded to an overwhelming number of calls and emails from past clients who wanted to provide practical help by releasing a new suite of Rebuild trips within months of the disaster.

What has been the biggest reward as a result?
The success of the Nepal Rebuild projects is the achievement we’re proudest of this year. Besides a family trip and a trekking trip, we also have a number of confirmed school groups participating in the rebuilding effort.

An account of a client’s unreasonable expectation of personalised service
We had 170 people travelling with us in Nepal at the time of the earthquakes, and almost all were understanding and sympathetic to the situation as we worked to minimise disruptions for everyone. We had one client, however, who demanded to be airlifted out of the country immediately. – Rebecca Elliot

This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 11, 2015 issue, on page 10. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Additional reporting from  S Puvaneswary, Feizal Samath, Julian Ryall, Paige Lee Pei Qi, Mimi Hudoyo, Prudence Lui and Rebecca Elliot

Raini Hamdi picks some of the highlights of the year, as duly and diligently reported by TTG Asia and TTG Online network of reporters in the region

Deal of the year
Marriott International puts Starwood Hotels & Resorts out of its misery – and an end to months of speculation as to who would buy Starwood – by emerging the successful suitor. The deal, expected to be completed by mid-2016, will result in 1.1 million rooms, 5,500 hotels and 30 brands in the stable, probably enough to stand up to Airbnb’s claim of over 2 million accommodation listings and to break OTAs’ dominance, which pundits said was a reason for the merger. As we go to print, the industry is holding its breath as to who would emerge the buyer of Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, with AccorHotels currently at the top of the guesses. Hotel brokers and consultants, including Jones Lang LaSalle, expect further consolidation of the industry in the coming year.

Disrupter of the year
Without a doubt, it’s Airbnb this year. From Madrid (WTTC Global Summit) to Hong Kong (HICAP), no travel industry talkshop this year was complete without a discussion on Airbnb’s disruption to the way consumers buy accommodation. Its impact was starting to be felt by hotel chains and travel agencies in Asia. The CEO panel discussion at HICAP, for example, described Airbnb as “the Uber of the hotel industry”, pointing out it was not a generational thing and it was a threat that extended to luxury and business travel. The panel also contemplated how to compete or even embrace Airbnb – with no concrete solutions in sight.

Exit of the year
Kuoni Group shocked the industry with its announcement to exit the tour operating business, which was a key revenue earner for the company and was profitable. For many in the Far East to whom Kuoni had filled thousands of coach seats and roomnights, it was hard to imagine Kuoni no longer being a source but a B2B provider. The fact Kuoni was able to sell the units quickly (the European businesses went to Germany’s Der Touristik, while India/Hong Kong went to Thomas Cook India) showed there’s still a future for tour operating.

Unpopular fee of the year
Lufthansa Group’s move to slap a 16 euro (US$18) surcharge on all bookings for its airlines – Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS – made through intermediaries, was unpopular.
GDSs were up in arms over the fee, saying the move was not in the interest of either the end-traveller or the airline group and penalised both travel agencies and consumers.

Implemented in September, it hasn’t sent a flurry of copycat moves by other airlines. But these are early days; no doubt other carriers, eager to lower distribution fees and charging on with their direct-is-best policies, are watching closely.

Welcome of the year
Overall, 2015 was a boon year for visa relaxation by Asian countries. Japan did it and reaped huge windfalls, so much so it now has the happy problem of not having enough rooms, especially in Tokyo, to accommodate arrivals – although of course a huge part of its success was not just because of visa easing but because the yen devaluation made the country cheaper to visit. Indonesia rolled out visa-free entry, and Thailand introduced a multiple-entry tourist visa that allows foreign travellers unlimited border crossings for up to 60 days per stay within the visa validity. The year also saw Malaysia relaxing visa rulings.

Travel agency of the year
Hats off to Asia’s travel agencies that kept innovating through the year. You just have to turn to TTG Asia’s Innovators column to see that the Asian travel trade is thriving.

Among the ideas we love include Triip.me,a sharing economy space for tours and activities, the brainchild of Vietnam’s entrepreneur, Ha Lam, and travel agency on wheels, started by Asiatravel.com, which brings the retail shop to the doorsteps of people in the heartlands.

Even established companies such as Chan Brothers, which turned 50 years, kept innovating. Group managing director Anthony Chan said: “Many successful companies last for a long time because they were able to create new growth curve or the second curve. So we must look for this second curve to bring us forward to the next 50 years.”

Loss of the year
We’re still mourning the loss of our beloved photographer, Patrick Tan, who died on August 27 after a year-long battle with cancer.He was 53 years old.

This year also saw the passing away of Pakir Singh, father of Singapore’s hospitality training and a strong proponent of ASEAN regional tourism cooperation, on July 2 after battling Parkinson’s disease for many years.

And Susan Teng, a veteran who helped nurture the Singapore outbound and wellness market, died in April from cancer.

Bright spot of the year
What could be brighter than the Asian cruise industry which not only grew bigger this year in size but saw the announcement of initiatives that sealed its future growth.

Among the initiatives: Genting’s launch of a brand, Dream Cruises, specifically to cater to Asia’s premium cruise market. Then, a slew of international cruise lines also announced they were building new, made-for-Chinese ships. These include Carnival Corporation’s Carnival Cruise Lines, Aida Cruises and Princess Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line. And most recently, Indonesia’s lifting of sea cabotage – Christmas came early for the ASEAN cruise market.

Creep of the year
This goes to all the disasters and crises that happened this year: Hong Kong’s umbrella revolution, MERS in South Korea, earthquakes in Nepal and Sabah, bombing at Bangkok’s Erawan Shrine and, at the time of writing this, the Paris attacks and the Brussels lockdown. Everything from politics, economy and currency to Mother Nature, health disasters and terrorism – travel and tourism felt the brunt of it all this year.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 11, 2015 issue, on page 6. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.

Kicking off our year-end issue themed People Make Travel Go Round, Raini Hamdi invites three leaders to pen their thoughts on winning people through personalised acts

Changing consumer behaviour, really?

HANS LERCH
A partner at Abercrombie & Kent, Lerch is himself a demanding customer – and has always been and always will be. The customer, says Lerch, has not changed, and therefore there will always be space for companies that provide personalised service

When was it that consumers changed? When did it come to people’s mind that buying a US$9,000 Hermès handbag in the morning and a pair of Levis for 30 bucks in the afternoon was perfectly fine? That etiquette did not matter that much or do not matter at all. Was it 30 years ago, 40 years ago? And what else has changed with customers, i.e. with us people, since?

Nothing! And I mean: Nothing!

I often eat in the same restaurants. The waiters know me and they call me by my name when I walk in. I drink expensive wines, I tip them well, they give me outstanding, personalised service and I love it. Swiss (International Air Lines, SWISS) does the same thing. I’m a Black cardholder, in the top 100 of 17 million clients, and they call me by my name 20 times before I’m seated. It’s embarrassing but it feels good.

I live in Zurich, so what do I do if I want to spend my weekend in Vienna? I book my flight on the Internet, like everybody else. I call the GM of the Sacher hotel to book me a room and I call the Steirereck to reserve my table. It’s among the 10 best restaurants in the world and they know me there. Do I need a travel agent? Would that enhance the experience? No. Do I get personalised service? Yes. The last link in the chain provides that, although since I’m an experienced traveller I use other channels to book my trip.

Why is Abercrombie & Kent successful in luxury travel? It’s because of the brand and personalised service, as almost everything else can be copied. FIT clients are treated like royalty when they book, when they travel and after they have returned.

I know of another company in the UK which specialises in city breaks, a product which almost everybody book online. This company has many knowledgeable travel consultants who know the destinations well. Clients book the good old-fashioned way, by phone, and the consultant quotes the good old-fashioned way, by hand, whilst on the phone! After a sale is made, the company concierge calls up the client and helps with booking opera tickets, good restaurant seats and whatever else that could enhance the experience. And what is the result? Thirty million pounds (US$45.5 million) turnover, a gross margin of close to 40 per cent and an EBIT margin of 15 per cent. Prices are high and operational costs too but it’s a very good business because of its highly competent and personalised service!

What has changed are the channels, opportunities to buy, information load, competition, the knowledge each individual today possesses, thanks to the societies we live in and thanks to the changes the Internet has created over the years. But has the individual, the person, the client, the consumer, you and me, really changed that much? I seriously don’t believe that. We mortals still look for what we have been looking for all along. Appreciation. Recognition.
Because we are clients, whether we buy luxury or anything else.

Have a heart, not a CRM system

LINDSEY UEBERROTH
The president & CEO of Preferred Hotels & Resorts encounters an experience that makes her ponder what personalisation is not. In this inspiring essay, she pens the true meaning and acts of personalised service

I travel approximately 150 days a year, logging hundreds of hours on airplanes. I recently boarded a flight and was unceremoniously handed an index card by the flight attendant stating that I had just passed the one million mile threshold on that airline. There were no words of congratulation, no glass of champagne, or any attempt to make me feel special.

What should have been a momentous occasion honouring my loyalty to this airline only brought a sense of depression and disappointment, and made me reflect on the importance and power of personalisation.

Personalisation is taking the extra time to understand what matters to someone and showing them you care. There is a fine line between personalisation and personal intrusion, but when done right, tailored approaches create a desire to come back, to commit, and to care – key sentiments that are incredibly important to me when I think about our hotel partners, associates and guests.

Preferred Hotels & Resorts has built a culture around celebrating our associates’ successes to show them that we appreciate their dedication to helping our business succeed, and to create a work environment that fosters trust, loyalty and emotion beyond a pay check. I personally recognise every associate’s birthday or milestone anniversary with the company and reach out to celebrate major life events like a long-awaited marriage proposal. Marking these occasions that are happening inside and outside of the office makes the difference in having associates feel like Preferred Hotels & Resorts is a company they enjoy working with, not just a “job.”

We dedicate the same level of personalisation to our hotel partners by celebrating every contract renewal with a bottle of champagne and a note of thanks for their continuous trust and partnership. More importantly are the random acts of thoughtfulness that show we value them as so much more than a client, which could be mailing a copy of a great book to the client who is an avid reader, to sending an Uber credit to someone who recently undertook a two-hour commute as a respite from the daily drive.

These same small acts of recognition go a long way with guests staying in our hotels. I have countless stories of little touches that have made me feel at home when I am literally thousands of miles way. One of my favourite examples is when The Jefferson Hotel in Washington, D.C. placed a framed picture of my dog in the room along with homemade biscuits that I could take back home because they knew how much I missed her and how much she would appreciate the treats. And when Wequasset Resort in Cape Cod gave me a room amenity of Bumble & Bumble shampoo and conditioner because it noticed I travel with my own and was running out of them.

These memorable experiences had nothing to do with a fancy high-tech CRM system. At the end of the day, authentic personalisation comes down to a person taking the time to notice and to execute on the little things that are important to someone.

While I won’t hold my breathe that the next flight attendant I encounter will somehow know I never want the peanuts, I will be forever appreciative of all the little efforts when it comes to personalisation.

Lipstick and WhatsApp messages go together

WILLIAM HEINECKE
The founder, CEO and chairman of Minor Group still gets a lipstick message on the mirror (it’s not what you think) and this simple, old-fashioned act – along with today’s technology – gives him a lot to hope for in the industry’s continued capability to deliver personalised service

PERSONALISATION has always been a fundamental aspect of the luxury hospitality industry but never more so than today.

As technology has advanced and made the world much more instant, so has the need for hoteliers to make use of it to fully personalise their guests’ experiences. Whether it is allowing all of our hotels to know that a guest’s favourite drink is a Tanqueray gin and tonic because he orders it every evening at sunset when staying in one of our hotels, or giving guests the ability to contact one of our hotel GMs directly through email or WhatsApp, today’s world allows for more personalisation and helps us to know and understand our customers better.

We all have our own needs and wants, our own desire for personalisation, but these needs and wants are exactly that – personal. How we recognise that, allow it to flourish and remember it, will continue to set us apart from what other organisations are doing. Personalisation is the key to making a luxury hotel successful. We all have good beds, loyalty programmes, spas and restaurants but it is the emotional connection with the people that makes the difference.

I was recently on a trip to the Maldives and the team at the hotel had taken the time to write ‘welcome back’ to Cathy and I in lipstick on the bathroom mirror in our room. Not only does this make me feel good but I know that the team has taken the time (the rarest commodity we have) to do something that we will appreciate and make us feel special.

Personalisation is also important for our team members. The more the teams feel like they are part of a big family and that we know what is important to them, the more they will be inspired to deliver great experiences for our guests. The Heinecke Foundation scholarships were born out of us wanting to understand and support our most important assets – our people and the most important part of their lives, their children and their education.

In the coming months, Anantara will celebrate its 15th birthday. The brand has come from a very humble beginning on the beaches of Hua Hin in Thailand, and has since expanded into deserts, jungles and cities, growing into a collection of 34 luxury hotels and resorts in 10 countries – with two new countries to be added soon with Anantara resorts opening in Sri Lanka and Oman. Anantara was born in response to the emergence of discerning travellers seeking luxury with a sense of indigenous discovery. During the last 15 years the way people travel and experience the world has changed but Anantara continues to satisfy guest desires to connect deeply and personally with their travel destinations.

Have the demands of our guests changed over the last 15 years? Not necessarily. Travel trends have changed but the hospitality industry is still effectively the same – people still want incredible experiences. Technology has helped improve the guest experience but our people are still the most important part of the success of our brands and our company, and it’s our people who consistently ensure that our guests enjoy a fully personalised experience every time they stay at our hotels and resorts.

This article was first published in TTG Asia, December 11, 2015 issue, on page 8. To read more, please view our digital edition or click here to subscribe.