On April 25, we hosted an insightful webinar titled “High travel fares, high expectations, high personalisation,” sponsored by Connections Luxury. This event brought together travel companies from across the industry to focus on the critical role of personalisation in travel. The feedback has highlighted just how vital this topic is for enhancing travel experiences. If you’re keen to understand the future of travel, this was an event not to be missed.

To shine some light on this critical aspect of luxury travel, discuss how to stand out from the market, and give you ideas you can implement in your own business, we assembled a panel of expert speakers that included Alisdair Luxmoree from Vamoos, Ryan Conley from Hidden Iceland, James Bell from Turquoise Holidays, and Bella Roche, also from Turquoise Holidays.

What does personalisation look like in travel?

Not even luxury travel is immune from the cost of living crisis. Budgets are tighter, travellers are spending more time shopping around for the best quote, and the market is more competitive than ever. So, if your company doesn’t make a strong impression, it risks being lost in a sea of competing ships. But if you can deliver a memorable, high-quality experience, you can win over these cautious spenders. After all, a service becomes unforgettable when it’s so personalised it seems tailor-made for each individual.

“We’re looking at all sorts of ways that we can get closer to our customers and be able to communicate more effectively with them.” James Bell, Turquoise Holidays

Ryan and James both dive into what personalisation means for their companies. At Turquoise Holidays it’s about demonstrating the unbeatable service they provide. They respond to requests for quotes with short, personalised videos that enable them to authentically connect with potential clients right away, as well as using Vamoos’ messaging platform to offer clients instant on-trip contact. They’ve answered more than 7,000 personal messages from clients to date!

For Ryan, personal touches in the travel planning stage have the power to transform a standard trip into a luxury experience. With technology now automating much of the initial admin, Hidden Iceland can spend more time asking personal questions and tailoring the trip to the highest degree, which clients really notice. Instead of asking about dietary requirements, his team can ask ‘What inspires you about Iceland?’, giving them a valuable insight into what will make the holiday unforgettable for that client

Read now: The essential pre-travel communication guide for travel companies.

How do you execute successful personalisation on every trip?

We may be a travel technology company, but we’ll be the first to tell you you can’t automate every aspect of personalisation. To optimise the customer experience, the key is to strike the perfect balance between seamless technological integration and the magic of the personal touch that high-spending customers expect. 

“It’s not coming from an automated messaging service, it’s not coming from me, it’s coming from their dedicated travel expert” Ryan Conley, Hidden Iceland

James highlights the importance of having a dedicated team to handle the detailed, personalised aspects of client experiences that go beyond the booking process. From remembering the names and ages of children in the group to committing unique requests to memory, having a real person work in tandem with tech advancements significantly enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Looking at personalisation through the widest lens, Ryan even goes to the extent of trying to ensure any repeat bookers get the same guide and travel expert as they had on their first trip. Automating the entire follow-up process opens you up to losing business to companies offering a more personalised service.

What are the challenges of personalisation?

Ryan talks about the importance of being ready to say no to a client when the need arises. While it’s easy to say yes to every request, it’s not always realistic. An important part of personalisation is knowing what is going to give the client the best experience, even if it’s not exactly what they had in mind in the first place. 

“You can’t let the one that goes wrong stop you from doing the 100 that go right.” Alisdair Luxmoore, Vamoos

Alisdair adds that while going to extra mile pays off 99 times out of 100, you have to accept that once in a while it can go wrong.

How can Vamoos elevate your personalised service?

Joined by Vamoos CEO, Tom Rose, Bella runs through how Turquoise Holidays are already using Vamoos to take their personalised experience to the next level. Vamoos is designed to replace plastic travel wallets, endless emails, and piles of PDFs with one, unifying point of contact for any and all traveller’s requirements that they can carry in their pocket. 

Bella showcases the benefits of having a custom app. Even at the very first touch point when the client goes to their app store, your brand is front and centre, building brand recognition and offering a high-end experience. Using the Flights and Documents features, travel companies are able to link specific details to each passenger. So instead of everyone getting all the information across the group, each customer sees exactly what’s relevant to them, from baggage information to ATOL certificates. 

“As soon as a booking is confirmed, we’ll upload their personalised itinerary right into the app.” Bella Roche, Turquoise Holidays

Bella and her team also use timed, location-based, and forced Notifications to keep clients updated at every turn and, more importantly, preempt their needs and requests. When they do need to reach out, they use Messaging to contact the team instantly, with Turquoise Holidays responding to dozens of messages a day within minutes, reassuring clients that they’re always a priority. 

Read now: How Turquoise Holidays give clients a better journey, with fewer steps

Ready to up your own personalisation game?

Huge thank you to our expert guests for their time and invaluable insights. The one thing you can take away from this panel is that personalisation is the key to a true premium experience. To unlock your own hyper-personalised service in minutes, book a call with us today and see the benefits for yourself. 

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