Upmarket clients don’t just expect a luxury holiday – the high-end experience starts much earlier than that, and agents ensure they go the extra mile right from the start of the process.
Agents told Indulge they work around the client – such as offering an out-of-hours visit, going to see a busy client at their workplace, taking them for lunch, or setting up a separate office to create the perfect ambience for luxury customers.
As one agent put it: “I tailor the experience around the client, not the other way round. That includes opening the shop for private, out-of-hours appointments, offering Teams/Zoom consultations, and for larger bookings, travelling to a client’s home or workplace to go through everything and confirm it there and then.
“When clients are investing more than £10k, convenience and trust are everything. By making the process seamless, personal, and available on their terms, it shifts the experience from a standard booking to a concierge-level service and that’s what converts enquiries into those bigger bookings.”
Homeworker Katey Robinson has just opened an office in a village near Swansea in a bid to attract more upmarket clients.
The Your Holiday Booking agent, who runs Booking the Bucket List, said: “I opened my office last month and facilitate pre-booked private appointments for luxury clients. Having worked in retail shops before, I have noticed that there’s a certain type of clientele that won’t use a high-street branch and that’s the clientele I want.
“People who are happy to spend that little bit more money and who like to have that luxury, want the personal experience that goes with booking the holiday. I make sure I’ve got my signature scent, which is the White Company Seychelles, on the reed diffuser. I make sure I’ve got nice music in the background and really create an ambience, so they appreciate and understand they are surrounded by nice things in the room.
“If you smell good, if you look good, if you are wearing nice clothes, then you create the right ambience. Even before they have parted with their money, they feel they have had something special.
“I’ve had customers that have come to me and said they used to travel all the way to London from Wales to make sure they booked with the right agent. Now, they are staying in Wales because I can deliver that experience. There’s clearly a market for it.”
Nathalie Hopley, who runs The Booking Lounge, has also recently opened an office for upmarket clients.
She said: “I added the location in October with the intention to be able to offer the more bespoke service from a travel expert. It’s a trial to see if the demand is there as I’m established as an online agent with a national client base. I wanted to see if it grew demand for locals.
“It has added value and has been a great meeting place for new customers or customers that don’t use social media and prefer a face-to-face.”
Wirral-based agent Andrew Doyle has just set up After Hours Travel as part of his Travel by Inspire business.
He said: “It is a concept where my laptop is my shop. Wherever my client is, I will arrange a place to meet them at a time that suits them. Customers love it. I’ve been known to go to places of work too, which customers also love.
“Some clients very often work so hard, and with the added responsibilities means more time restraints. One client in particular works seven days a week and I fit around him. The service is so important.”
Designer Travel agent Ally Toner, who is based in Basingstoke, Hampshire, said: “I’m a homeworker and often go to clients’ homes or meet for lunch at a garden centre or café. They love it and so do I.
“Next week I’m meeting clients for lunch who I have booked for years and never met. They are doing a multi-centre trip in Canada and requested me to go through their travel documents.”
London-based Independent Travel Agent Michelle Vanlint goes to the same gym as a lot of her clients. “We often have a discussion about the holiday in the café,” she said, while Hays Travel agent Julie Mattison, from Newcastle upon Tyne, said: “I use Calendly on my Facebook page where they can book a phone call with me at a time that’s convenient to them.”
Clare Lake, who runs Elite Travel Studio in Chatham, Kent, said: “For luxury bookings, I’ll always have Teams or Zoom calls. They also have option to come to my office or for me to go to visit them. I fit in around their schedule, rather than the other way round.
“When I’m presenting the itinerary, I always try to walk them through it on a video call, so I can share images and make it more immersive and interactive. For honeymoon couples, I often tie in a meeting with them at their chosen wedding venue. This works really well as they are already in a ‘love bubble’.”
One agent told us: “I do Zoom calls and also get a supplier in on the call, such as Africa & Beyond, Inside Japan or Latin Routes. My clients love that.”
Another agent, who also does a lot of business over video calls, said: “The beauty of video calls is that we can share our screens to show destinations, hotels and itineraries in detail while keeping things personal.”
And another said: “I’ll offer client house visits for complex luxury trips – multiple if that helps them – or Zoom calls. But it depends on the clients’ preference. Some love the convenience of a voice note or WhatsApp if they are busy people.”
