SPAA Dinner – 28 February 2013
‘Travel From the Inside’
by Ted Wake – Director, Kirker Holidays
Good evening my Lords, Ladies and gentlemen…distinguished guests, and fellow Sassenachs. You might be wondering what on earth is Ted Wake doing here, armed with a microphone? Imagine how I must feel about that… Normally the build up to the SPAA dinner is a very pleasurable experience. I prise myself away from the Kirker office in London a couple of days early and make my way North to God’s Own Country…in order to find time to visit the crème de la crème of the independent Scottish Travel Agency community – (as well as doing my best to find time to squeeze in a visit to Jimmy Martin’s office…. ) before preparing for a night out with the good and the great of the UK’s travel industry. In the old days, ‘Preparation for the night out’ used to involve a glass of my favourite Baillie Nicholl Jarvie scotch with a MacEwan’s chaser, or perhaps a vodka Red Bull if I was feeling a little tired and emotional. However, these days it involves a glass of milk and extra time to do up the top button of my shirt – to say nothing of the struggle I had with my trousers. And this particular evening, I am sure that you will all understand why I had to add an extra step in the procedure to include a double helping of Imodium…
So why me? What has possessed your SPAA Council? Is it perhaps an indication that the Age of Austerity has really begun to bite into the ‘entertainment’ budget? With Kirsty Wark still to come, I think we can all be reassured that SPAA finances are still in rude health… Is it perhaps because of my own deep-seated loyalty to booking my own family holidays in Scotland? (For the record, I take the Wakelets to the Island of North Uist in the Outer Hebrides every year. For those who have never been, it is an extra-ordinary and very wonderful holiday experience – including not only beautiful and totally unspoilt white, sandy beaches combined with plenty of fresh air – but you also get a luxury cruise thrown in on the journey at virtually no extra cost. The Caledonian MacBrayne ferry is the highlight of the journey for the Wakelets – oh how I like to spoil them…. I had better stop there, as I tend to get a little carried away discussing my Outer Hebridean experiences, and, I promised Lady Janice Hogarth, that I would stick to the script. I shall be available at the bar later to discuss tales from the Outer Hebrides with anyone who shares a passion for this unique part of the world.
Since the first Scots agents – or more particularly – ‘Passenger Steamship Agents’ founded the SPAA in 1921 and then organised the first dinner in 1930, the SPAA has been recognised as one of the most distinct and distinguished travel associations on the planet – and you have, in spite of the challenges from the Deep South maintained your unique style…The SPAA has not sold out, you have not compromised, and you are all the more respected because of your determination to remain independent and relevant..
In terms of my own credentials as an “Independent”, I wondered if the SPAA had Googled my forebear ‘Hereward the Wake’? I am proud to say that he was my Great Great Great etc Grandfather 37 times (according to Scottish genealogist Ian Moncrieff of that Ilk) and in 1066 Hereward was, according to legend, the last Englishman to hold out against William the Conqueror and the other French invaders. (Wouldn’t it be a wonderful irony if Alex Salmond felt I might be a good bloke to ask for advice on Independence….?) As I have mentioned the French, it would be remiss of me not to take the opportunity to say how sad we all are about the demise of the France rugby team…
So sorry to digress..Now, getting back to the SPAA, it has always puzzled historians, and me, why some nine years appear to have elapsed between the founding of the SPAA in 1921, and their first recorded dinner in 1930. On the other hand, perhaps it was simply that the first nine dinners were of such spectacular quality that the participants suffered a nasty attack of amnesia…and all records were lost?
My own recollection of my first SPAA dinner is a little hazy. However, I do have a very clear memory of being given some advice by veteran dinner neighbours on my table, who pointed out that it was best to get tanked up early as the supplies of alcohol dried up long before the first speech started… (I trust that none of you dinner virgins here tonight will fall for such a dastardly trick). It is fair to say that my two enthusiastic neighbours on that night then plied me with the appropriate measures of complimentary Drambuie and whisky to create industrial quantities of Rusty Nails (probably sponsored by old friends KLM and British Midland). It was a splendid night out – (I think the ‘View from the Inside’ on that occasion was given by some bloke from Thomas Cook…my how times have changed… Not only has the TC Board had the good sense to employ a lady to run their business, but the SPAA has chosen someone from a much smaller, but perfectly formed independent tour operator…rather than another of the Big Boys ). Other fond memories from that first evening include heading to the British Midland hospitality suite after dinner where I bumped into one of my dinner neighbours who bet me that I wouldn’t kiss Sir Michael Bishop as I bid farewell and ‘thank you’… History doesn’t relate as to who won the bet…such are the adventures of an enthusiastic Englishman in Glasgow.
To return to the matter in hand for a moment, what is my view of travel from the inside? In an age where consumers now have access to information as well as transparency pricing, one key principle that is critical to the success of all of businesses – whether you are an agent or operator –is the need to provide exemplary, and very personal, service. To succeed we have to exceed every client’s expectations before, during and after the client experiences their holiday. The difference over the last 5 years – especially for premium products at the luxury end of the spectrum – is that it has to be ‘smart service’, something that enhances the client’s experience. An action or thoughtful gesture that reminds the customer of the pleasure that can be derived from using an expert to help them arrange their holiday. In our own business, we no longer try to chase bookings from clients whose main priority is price – if they want cheapness, they are better off going on-line where they can find cheap holidays by the bucket-load. This strategy hasn’t been put in place because we have become complacent, it is simply that we cannot be a jack-of-all-trades – it is essential to know what we are good at, and then to focus on those clients who are pre-disposed towards buying service, typically clients who like to delegate.
Of course, at the back of many clients’ minds is the question where they ask themselves – Why did I use a travel agent? Why did I use a tour operator….? Couldn’t I have done this myself? We can help to reassure clients that it is ‘worth it’ by making a thoughtful gesture – something that shows we care – perhaps something that gives them a gentle tingling sensation down the back of their neck.
Talking of tingling sensations down the back of my neck, I can remember one particular incident when I experienced exceptional service that I have never forgotten. A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend the ABTA Convention in Acapulco – a while ago, but still very relevant of an example of outstanding service that impressed me at the time. I was staying at Las Brisas hotel – perched up on the hill overlooking the long, sweeping beach around Acapulco Bay. It had been a busy morning at the conference and I had persuaded Mr Kirker that it was time to head back to the hotel for a light lunch and some more Tequila research in the afternoon. Las Brisas has elegant, contemporary rooms – each with its own small garden and private swimming pool… Those were the days. Anyway, I got back to my room, had a quick shower, and was just towelling myself down whilst admiring the view (and reflecting on my brilliant decision to quit my career in botany & garden design to embrace the travel industry, firmly, with both hands). At this point I threw my towel to one side, stood in the buff and reached for a Camel cigarette whilst gazing across Acapulco Bay, …wondering where my lighter was – when, suddenly, the door flew open and in walked the charming Mexican garden boy who was responsible for looking after the exquisite Hibiscus flowers that decorated my private pool. So there I was, stark naked, in the middle of the room, armed with only an unlit cigarette, it was one of those moments when somehow events slip into a slow-motion phase… it was a little too late to rush for cover – so I simply stood there, and smiled. The charming garden boy walked straight towards me, wished me a ‘muy buenas tardes…’ and without batting an eyelid, took out his lighter to attend to my second most pressing need – which was to light my cigarette. I took a long drag, whilst gazing out across at the magnificent view, and reflected how I could really get used to this sort of service. And like all great service, it was seamless – and at the same time it was very thoughtful. The garden boy didn’t need to ask whether I wanted my cigarette lit – he instinctively knew it was the right thing to do. And probably a more sensible move than trying to help me with my towel.
I have often reflected on this moment and wondered how you can train staff to confidently take the initiative to create ‘perfect’ moments such as that for clients. I have also often wondered about precisely where in the Mexican hotelier’s Garden Boy training manual it says – if you stumble across a naked guest in the middle of the afternoon, with an unlit cigarette – wish them a very buenas tardes, light their cigarette, smile (don’t laugh) and then carry on with your job as if it happened all the time. The truth of the matter is that we all need to encourage our colleagues to take the initiative more often, to think about what their clients might need next – it is less about a book of rules, more about instilling them with a positive attitude that empowers them to apply excellent, ‘smart’ service, all the time.
One other great example of superlative service involved the Rambagh Palace hotel in Jaipur. I was staying there on a whistle-stop trip around Northern India researching for the Kirker programme and was lucky enough to be upgraded to the Maharajah’s suite. I returned to my room late at night, fully clothed… and realised that my suit jacket was missing a button. For a chap who is concerned about his suits, this was not a good end to the day, and a bit of a challenge for me knowing that I had to leave at 05.45 the next morning. Then I remembered the ’24 hour Butler Service’… So, shortly before midnight I dialled the magic number… And within 20 seconds, there was a ring at the door, and there was the Butler. He was charming, and reassured me that my jacket would be back by 05.30 the next morning…but could he also take my trousers as he would like to take the opportunity to press my whole suit.
The same Butler was back at 05.30 on the dot, my suit had been beautifully pressed, the button replaced…and they had also repaired the hanging loop in the jacket lining which had broken some time previously. It was a brilliant lesson in exemplary service – and how to exceed a client’s expectations. There was no fuss, no fancy packaging – just great service – and a very real sense that my needs were their responsibility.
The point about the need to provide exemplary service and expert advice before, during and after the booking has been confirmed, is particularly relevant to those of us who are independent members of the industry who – like me – do not have a vertically integrated product, and therefore do not control delivery of our own product. We rely on others such as airlines, transfer agents and hotels, such as those highlighted earlier, for the delivery of the product that we have sold as a ‘holiday’ – and although we may be very good at selecting the right elements to create an exceptional client experience, and we select our hotels and other suppliers very carefully, it is unlikely to be unique, and can be copied by others. Providing ‘good’ service simply isn’t enough to survive, and business is made all the more challenging in an age where consumers have access to the same information – as well as transparency on price.
The one part of the process where we can impress our USPs upon the client is the way we sell, the level of expertise we use at the point of sale – and, of course, the way we use our own branding and style to ensure that the client remembers us for next time. In addition to these points, it is essential that – having established what the client’s needs are, we don’t give them a choice – but do have the confidence to tell them what is good for them. We are, after all, the travel experts – and if they really wanted a choice, they could have spent all night looking at the internet – there is plenty of choice there. I was at an AITO presentation only yesterday where we were fortunate enough to have Telegraph Travel Editor Charlie Starmer Smith presenting on “The Future of Travel”. One of his key points (I have para-phrased this slightly) was simply that, in an age when the consumer is bombarded with a vast range of choices on-line, one of the most critical elements of the service provided by expert tour operators and travel agents, was simply to ‘select a holiday for the client’. By taking the responsibility for making the right choice on the client’s behalf we are already offering a valuable service – And the Telegraph editorial team are not alone in believing that, although the recommendation we make may not be the cheapest solution… for the client it is worth it, and represents better overall value for money.
If we look at other service industries and consider how we feel about being given a choice, increasingly I believe that being given a choice is an indication of poor customer service. Some years ago, when it was tricky to find out accurate information about holidays – one key aspect of delivering good service was all about giving the client more choice. Today, there is no shortage of information available on line – the breadth of choice is bewildering, it is overwhelming and continues to grow exponentially. Thus what clients really need from us is guidance – we need to take responsibility for making decisions on their behalf. If we can help them to sort out the wheat from the chaff – that is a service that adds significant value, and is a service that they will be happy to pay for.
Thinking of other professions for a moment, take the doctor for example – how do they look after clients? Their primary skill is in diagnosing the patient’s condition, and only having done a thorough diagnosis do they start to think about what to prescribe. (There must be a lesson here – find out first, before we start to sell…) And when prescribing the perfect solution, how many choices is the patient given? Probably none. How many choices does the doctor have offered by the the vast array of drug companies? Many hundreds. The doctor is a trusted, experienced, expert tells the patient what is good for them. How does the patient feel about this? In the vast majority of cases, the patient feels mostly cured even before the course of treatment has started. In my experience, I prefer not to be given any choice.
Sceptics have said for a number of years that there is no future in being a traditional travel agent – they argue that clients can either DIY and book their holiday on-line direct with airlines and hotels, or use an OTA. But in my experience, the demise of good agents is not actually reflected in what is happening in reality – I keep meeting specialist tour operators and independent travel agents who have reported record sales for the start of this year. This is certainly my own experience. Where there has been a problem is in the segment where agents or operators have endeavoured to offer the consumer ‘cheap’ holidays…these businesses have found life a real challenge – because in the internet era, it is impossible to be cheaper than DIY, and besides, there is no future in the business model where you train the consumer that you can offer a ‘cheap experience’…
This is a vicious circle whereby the consumer will only come back to you when they are next planning to do something cheap, and you will only win their business if you are the cheapest… Price matching is similarly bad news, and should be avoided. There is nothing particularly surprising in these observations, and it isn’t unique to the travel industry – you only have to look around at recent casualties in the retail sector such as Jessops and Comet, to know that life for businesses promising cheapness in the 21st Century is very dicey.
So, should businesses that elect to go up-market be more optimistic about the future? There are some very positive signs out there to suggest that there is a bright future ahead if you aim high – John Lewis is a good example at the moment where they have continued to do well in a challenging market – based on a strategy where they promise the consumer excellent service – rather than ‘cheapness’. Their strapline ‘never knowingly undersold..’ is brilliant – and suggests good value rather than cheap…although I am still not quite sure what it means. They have also invested heavily in their website service combined with an exceptionally efficient next day delivery service.
But I would argue that there are many more reasons to be cheerful for businesses that provide consumers with high levels of personal service and expert advice. Whilst we all need good websites, if you also deliver service using human beings – whether face to face or on the telephone, you offer the consumer a much more appealing proposition – because the Internet experience is soul-destroyingly dull, and furthermore – particularly in travel – has the potential to allow the consumer to create and buy a bad holiday, or perhaps more appropriately, the wrong holiday for their needs. Buying on-line for sophisticated consumers is a fatally flawed process. I am convinced that there are an increasing number of cases of ‘what I call’ (sorry if I am beginning to sound a little like Miranda Hart’s mother…) Internet Fatigue Syndrome.
Booking anything more complex than a basic commodity on-line, is a hateful experience – and one that many customers are bored of. There is an increasing realisation that if you want cheapness, the internet is likely to fulfill your wildest expectations – on the other hand, if you are looking for value for money, you are better off seeking out an intelligent human being. The consumer can chat up as many friends as they like when considering holidays, but without consulting an expert agent or operator, they run the risk of booking a bad or under whelming holiday experience. We can do a lot more to remind customers that life is far too short to risk it…but the good news is that the story down the pub is no longer only about the magic of shopping on-line, there are also some good stories about the frustrations of shopping on-line. One of the most recent pub stories I have heard involves my daughter, Miss Eliza Wake – the eldest of the Wakelets – who has booked to go to Magaluf with a group of 10 friends next June to celebrate the end of A levels, leaving school etc. No doubt she and her enthusiastic friends will shortly be consulting the Kirker Concierge for advice about booking a private walking tour around the fascinating Gothic Quarter of Magaluf’s Old Town. Anyway, as you might imagine, I have made a concerted effort not to get involved – because this is the crème de la crème of the internet savvy generation, and her friend who was given the task of making the booking is very experienced at booking apartments, knows how to use seat-scraper websites for flights, and is renowned for always getting the cheapest deal…. As discussed earlier….if all you want is cheap, it is pointless consulting an expert travel agent or operator, there is no better way to do it than some late night DIY internet therapy, and Bob’s Your Uncle.
Anyway, being the nosey parent that I am, I couldn’t resist glancing at the email confirmation for the flights and noticed that it was for one of those torture charter flights that leaves at 23.55, arriving back into Stansted the following day at 03.15. The date of return rang a bell – because that is the date I have been asked to take off work to join in the school leavers PTA party… and a quick query revealed that the unofficial group leader had booked the wrong return date… Well it took off on the right day at 23.55, but, sadly, arrived back on the wrong day at 03.15 – with the result that they would all miss the long awaited celebrations at the Leavers Party. I am pleased to say that the matter has now been resolved – but yours truly has had to fork out the £98 amendment fee. A simple but very costly error – to say nothing of the stress and hassle – not to mention a large helping of humble pie that has had to be consumed. On a positive note, I cannot help feeling that this first-hand experience is an excellent way to groom the next generation of clients coming through who have learnt that the internet is not all it is cracked up to be, …and further evidence that you don’t have to be old to know that life is far too short to risk it…
In terms of making decisions on behalf of clients, I have one final example which involves a call I took from a tour operator friend who is a Summer Sun specialist who rang up on a Wednesday and asked to speak to me personally. The conversation started with a South London “Err ’ello Ted. Sorry to bother you… I am going to Venice this weekend, it is my wife’s Silver Wedding…” I began thinking that this is a bit of a wind up, because I would have been aware if this chap had booked with Kirker. So having pointed out that it was probably his Silver Wedding too, I asked if he might need some free advice about water taxi transfers or perhaps a restaurant recommendation… My tour operator friend then confessed that he had a little problem… he had promised his wife many weeks ago that they were going to Venice to celebrate their Silver Wedding…but, unfortunately, he had omitted to book it.
So you can imagine how I felt at this moment – suddenly, this isn’t a request for free advice, here is an opportunity to help some needy chap who might well be obliged to buy a full margin holiday experience with all the trimmings. It was, needless-to-say the Redentore Festival in Venice – the Feast of the Redeemer. And yes, we would be delighted to help. It took quite a few calls, but I found a room by persuading my friend Mauro Zanotti to part with his very last one, we booked flights (one way Club Class) and I called my friend back, quoted the price…poor chap. He hadn’t realised that three High Season nights in Venice in a Junior Suite with Lagoon view, flights, water taxi transfers and museum tickets would cost £3000. Having got over the fact that, for the price of week’s family holiday, he could treat his wife to the perfect, romantic, weekend in Venice… (of course I helped him a little with the price…after all, who knows when I might find myself in a similar predicament?) and I then broke the news to him that I had asked the Kirker Concierge to book a table for a delicious dinner on Saturday night at the Danieli’s Panoramic Rooftop restaurant. At this point, my friend said “Gordon Bennett, Ted, how much is that going to cost??”
I estimated about €150 per person – not cheap, but a unique experience, and great value for money. Needless-to-say, the next instruction from this particular client was, “please cancel the table – I cannot afford that”. But, being an experienced ‘Lifestyle Manager’ and knowing that life is far too short… I said, I couldn’t cancel it now, because it would be impossible to find availability for a table again later – tables at good restaurants at this time of year were like gold dust…and surely, it was a very special occasion, surely his wife was worth it??!
I felt there was a relatively high degree of resistance, and so conceded that if he really wanted to cancel the table reservation, he could do so, but it was best to reflect on the decision, and do it when he arrived in Venice two days later.
And so the happy couple set off, our hero pleased (not to say relieved) that he had heroically booked such a wonderful weekend away to celebrate such an important occasion in style. Meanwhile, I was wondering whether or not, he had decided to cancel the dinner reservation…or whether he had decided to do the right thing, and dine in style??
They returned to the UK on the following Monday evening, and I waited in vain on Tuesday for news, then – at last – on Wednesday morning he rang with feedback. I was beside myself with excitement – I genuinely wanted to know how this very special occasion had gone (aren’t we lucky to sell pleasure for a living?).. and so, he then told me: “The flights were on time, the water taxi sublime, the hotel was delightful and my wife loved the Lagoon view room…” What about the dinner??? The tension was killing me… He proudly said he went ahead with the dinner, the restaurant table overlooking San Giorgio was spectacular, the food delectable, the wine exquisite…
“Ted, my wife looked at me through the candlelight and thought what a wonderful bloke I am – it was a great moment….. But, there was just one problem. As looked into her eyes, all I could think of was you……”
Ted Wake – 28 February 2013
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