CLIA Luxury Cruise Expo - James Lohan and Andy Macgowan presentations

What makes a Smith hotel?

It's not about stars or diamonds

o originality of design

o attention to detail

o can you fit two in the bath?

o how comfortable is the bed?

o can the barman mix me a perfect martini?

o is the service attentive, not overbearing?

o quirky, individual touches that live long in the memory

Size may matter, but attitude is everything

● From small owner-run guesthouses for £100 a night to luxury £1,000-a-night city stays.

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Cap estelle

Alila

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Where Smith is at today

• Aiming to be the world’s most trusted travel brand to find and book the best boutique hotels

• Two websites: mrandmrssmith.com and smithandfamily.co.uk

• A growing collection of 900+ hand-picked hotels worldwide (+100 per year)

• Publishers of 9 coffee-table guides that have sold more than 300,000 copies

• 750,000 global members of our travel club (BlackSmith, SilverSmith and GoldSmith)

• Online booking engine, developed and managed in-house

• 24hr in-house Travel Team based in our offices in London, Melbourne and New York

• 100 employees worldwide

• 750,000 monthly unique visitors, 5 million monthly page impressions

• 15,000 room nights booked each month

• Multi platform: books, websites, iPhone app, social media

• Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards – ‘Best Travel Website’ 2011 and 2012

Our Brands

What the press say...

‘Informed, witty and original'

Harpers' Bazaar

'City chic, coastal cool or contemporary country retreats for discerning holidaymakers'

The Times

‘One of the savviest travel brands to have emerged in recent years’

Sunday Times Travel Magazine

'A fantastic guide to the most stylish escapes'

Style Magazine

The Smith Customer- Wealthy, discerning- AB: 64%- Avg age 40- 60% female : 40% male

Urban Cool – Successful city dwellers, couples with high disposable income

Global Power Brokers – Wealthy financial professionals

Serious Money – Very wealthy families, older 'empty nesters'

How do we find them?

● PR● Partnerships with like minded brands● Large-scale media promotions ● E-commerce: PPC (pay per click), advertising,

retargeting ● Social: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+● Apps● Video● Events● Peer-to-peer advocacy

What do luxury seeking customers want from us as a brand?

● To trust our recommendations – all our hotels are reviewed anonymously by trusted tastemakers, including Stella McCartney, Tom Aikens, Ricky Wilson (Kaiser Chiefs), Mary Portas and Dita Von Teese

● To give them the inside scoop on what to do● To be able to get advice and book the way they want:

online, phone, chat or e-mail 24hrs a day● To know we’re here for them in case there’s a problem● To not pay more than if they went direct to the hotel

● First-hand knowledge of the product● To be surprised and delighted by our efforts● To take care of everything, cross every t and dot every i● An understanding of the differences between different

levels of luxury: eg, business class compared to first ● Recognition: from us when they return and by the hotel

they are booking● Not to be made to feel demanding● To know their likes and dislikes● To be intuitive

What do they expect from our Travel Team booking service?

How do we deliver that?

● Product knowledge – familiarisation trips essential● Manage expectations – under-promise and over-deliver ● Offer to take control of every detail, even if the

components do not increase margin● Never commiserate about high prices, or agree that

they are high, instead highlight what the price gets you● Deliver quotes with confidence: just because you

wouldn’t dream of paying £1,000 a night, doesn’t mean your client feels the same

● Always highlight the importance of your client to the hoteliers

● Leave nothing to chance

How do we stay in touch?

● Thoughtful CRM (customer relations management) programme, on- and offline (DM)

● Preference centres – members choose how often they want their communications and by what methods

● Outbound calls● Automatic booking prompts● Knowing their key dates – eg, birthdays and

anniversaries● Loyalty scheme

A few travel trends

● The rise of the unique boutique hotel and guesthouse

● Understated luxury: less flash, more wholesome

● Provenance of ingredients○ field-to-fork policies○ ‘live’ kitchen gardens○ Back-to-front kitchens

● Eco becoming more of a consideration while on your trip. Does the hotel feel wasteful?

● Authentic private tours by locals not tour guides

● The bucket list – what's your Everest?

● Designer hotels: Armani, Bulgari, Missoni

● Luxury family hotels

● Getting mobile – responsive design

The Pig, Hampshire

QT Port Douglas, Australia

Missoni Hotel, Edinburgh

Borgo Egnazia, Puglia

Get a room!

Uncovering the world's

best boutique hotels since 2003

mrandmrssmith.com smithandfamily.co.uk

SeaDream - “Yachting Not Cruising”

Five words best to describe SeaDream

1) Exclusive 2) Boutique 3) Refined 4) Informal 5) Global

Some things that you may not know about SeaDream

1. SeaDream is the highest rated cruise product in the world (Berlitz Guide to Cruising)

2. Exclusive and yet very informal & relaxed3. Almost a 1:1 staff/guest ratio4. Alfresco Open Dining (‘Topside’) for all meals5. Balinese Beds ‘sleep under the stars’6. Boutique ports7. Water sports ‘toys’ & swimming from the ship8. Caviar ‘splash’ party9. Incredible gourmet dining & service10. Inclusive wines & all beverages (tipping neither required nor

expected)

Water sports

More Water sports

Informality & Alfresco Dining

‘Top of the Yacht Bar’

‘Prickly Pear’ Island

Caribbean Beach Party

Global Guest Mix

48%

20%

10%

15%

7%

North Amer-ica

Scandinavia

Latin Amer-ica

UK

Other

Who are our guests? Affluent Well travelled Active & Young (51 yrs !) Informal Discerning Cultured Seeking ‘Soft Adventure’ ‘Port Collectors’ Thrill seekers You have them !

It’s Yachting not Cruising !

Thank you