The Luxury Travel Magazine
The Luxury Travel Magazine
For many of us, travel is more than what we do, it is what makes us who we are. The ability to turn on the ‘Out of Office’ reply and to then set off for new adventures is a feeling of which we never grow tired. So for those of us with wanderlust, these past two years have been excruciating and beyond our worst nightmare. But for the hoteliers, travel innovators and everyone who keeps the travel world turning, it’s been a test of willpower, community, and grit. Luckily, for these travel icons, moving and shaking is what they do best. Beau Monde Traveler spoke to key people in the travel industry on how they are overcoming the trials and tribulations, and shaking up the status quo in post pandemic travel.
No one was prepared for when Covid19 swept the planet in a tidal wave of chaos. “We were navigating uncharted waters,” explains Rupert Longsdon, CEO of Oxford Ski Company, “We had clients who were caught out in the middle of their holiday in the Alps when everything came to an immediate halt and they needed our assistance to get home safely.”
The impact was immediate, and everyone faced the same obstacle: business had dropped off a cliff. “The immediate fallout of the 1,500 travellers who, at the last minute, had their holidays curtailed or cancelled was hectic for all involved”. Like many specialist travel teams, Rupert’s company was forced to act fast.
Tamara Lohan, CEO of Mr. and Mrs. Smith had just taken charge of the company, a curated collection of international luxury hotels, when the crisis was in full swing, “It was, in all honesty, overwhelming – in sheer volume, but also in what the cancellations meant to people. These weren’t just the odd frivolous nights. These were honeymoons, pop-the-question trips, family reunions, first romantic weekends away.” Tamara was thrown full force into the deep end.
A well-versed team of staff are the heart and soul of every traveler’s dream vacation. Phillip Barnes, Regional Vice President of Fairmont Southern California, came to realise the effect the pandemic had on employees of all ages. “Our industry is full of young people everywhere you go. They have never been through an experience like that. Hotels are bricks and mortar. What brings them to life is the people that work there.”
Reminiscing about March 2020, Phillip raises his hands. “This was the first time in my career that business conditions everywhere were the same. From Tokyo to Dubai, from London to LA, everyone was in the same boat. There was no way out, there was no way to avoid this.”
The weight of furloughing staff alongside abrupt closure had been heartbreaking. Managing 600 staff at his former role at the Savoy, London, Phillip knows all too well that travel is a tremendous operation. From the person who makes the sheets as crisp as we all love them, to the stakeholders and decision makers at the top. Loyal guests were reaching out to Phillip to check on the people that had helped create their memorable stays.
The travel and hospitality industry has been the ‘first hit, worst hit and last to recover’. The scale of this hit is enormous. As Jennifer Hawkins, CEO of Hawkins International knows, “The travel industry has a tremendous impact on so many world economies.” Losses in the industry amounted to almost US$4.5 trillion in 2020.
Jennifer Hawkins is a self-appointed ‘accidental entrepreneur’. She worked her way up from freelancing through connections, to becoming the leader of one of the world’s most recognised luxury travel PR agencies.
Tamara also saw the magnitude of this disruption. “Hotels themselves are the lifeblood of communities. The knock-on effect of their closure can ripple out across whole regions – from taxi drivers to taverna owners – everyone is affected.” Knowing the extent of the pandemic’s disruption is why these innovators understand that now, everyone in the industry needs to come together.
“From the beginning, we knew that the most important thing we could do was to communicate – with our clients, partners, staff and critically with the outside world,” explains Tom Marchant, Co-Founder of Black Tomato. “We sadly saw a lot of companies retract, but we didn’t want to go into hibernation mode and we’ve been determined to keep the lights on.” Black Tomato creates luxury trips such as Journeys to Come – once-in-a-lifetime experiences where you can swim with humpback whales beneath the midnight sun in Iceland, or see the eclipse from a private yacht in Antarctica.
Strategies needed adjusting if business was to survive and jobs were to be kept open. As Jennifer demonstrates, “The pandemic forced us to take a look at our own business acumen and make several changes…we are making smarter decisions by negotiating leases, re-negotiating contracts, and asking for discounts. It was an easy decision to cut expenses, whilst keeping our talented team.”
Jennifer also reminds us that an all hands on deck approach is nothing new, “Remember hotels are open 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. Their staff are so adept at rolling with the punches – they deal with the unexpected every day.” It is a sector that is resilient to the bone.
Behind the scenes teams are driving their business to meet the new needs. The mentality of the traveller is changing, with more focus seen on self-contained holidays, local exploration, and wellbeing getaways. Companies like Healing Hotels of the World, who have pioneered holistic healing hospitality, have a headstart on this trend. Anne Biging, Co-founder & CEO shares, “As health, resilience and self-care have taken centre stage, travellers are more interested than before in looking after their wellbeing.”
Whether it is wellbeing or appreciating the simpler things in life, re-evaluating our lifestyles and the way we travel has gone hand in hand. Tom Marchant explains how Black Tomato has seen this shift. “There has been a move away from larger booking sites and a dependence on travel advisors to be a port in the storm. People have realised the important role of experts and are looking for someone they can trust to take care of their travel.”
Those companies that have gained our trust also know that this is an industry where people and experiences are at the centre, as Phillip describes, “The relationships that you build in this business are the most important thing. People have felt a need for connectivity in a way they didn’t before.”
According to Tom Marchant, that connectivity is harnessed through travel. “Travel not only provides inspiring new settings, but is an experience to value, to spend meaningful time with friends and family, seeking to reconnect.” Tamara has also missed the luxury of discovery, “We’ve all realised the true importance of a change of scenery, and also just being in hotels generally; the people, the stories, the service, the buzz.”
Jennifer Hawkins adds, “There is a magic that happens when people are together in person and are able to share ideas, serious moments and also joyful distractions.” Bringing back that magic is the precise aim for everyone behind the scenes of post-pandemic travel.
Staying true to your goals, creating a community, remaining open-minded and, above all, having faith in the industry is key during this time of crisis. As Jennifer explains, “I can assure you that people are committed to travelling and exploring the world. People will continue to seek out destinations and resorts that offer them the ability to have some physical and mental freedom.”
Predictions for less crowded travel, a slower pace and more conscious travel choices post-pandemic are what all six icons agree on. As Tamara puts it, “We were all getting very close to ‘fast travel’ in much the same way fast fashion arose. The pandemic has certainly helped accelerate our thinking around sustainability, and how we can play our part in a more meaningful way.”
Perhaps this shake up was needed, to be more conscious of the way we travel post-pandemic. Tamara reflects on the more rewarding ways to travel, “To truly experience a destination, to feel its sense of place and belong, briefly, in its community, rather than just lightly graze its surface.”
“This experience has shown us that travel is a privilege rather than a right. It has heightened our awareness – what choices can I make to make my travel and hotel stays more sustainable and locally focussed, to travel with purpose?” Anne points out.
Phillip adds, “Business as usual? It just doesn’t exist, it’s not there. And nor should it be for all these reasons.” Travel is a changing industry, it is resilient, and now it is rising from the rubble, ready for its revival.
When it comes to travel, Tamara sums up what we have all learned from the pandemic, “We all took this privilege for granted and it was perhaps the wake-up call we needed.” With this monumental shift, these travel innovators all agree on one thing for post-pandemic travel, as Rupert puts it, “Adaptability is everything. With so many walks of life we become comfortable in our ways and for so long have been able to accept the status quo, but when things change suddenly and in such unprecedented ways, there is no room for complacency.”
