Luxury travel advisors have a number of reasons to upsell
clients on vacation options — and, despite what you may think, it’s not all
about making more money.
Upselling a trip can deliver a dramatically different
experience if an advisor can clearly communicate what the additional spend will
bring.
We asked top luxury travel advisors how they upsell, and we
were surprised to learn that they don’t recommend it in every instance.
Sometimes, Less Is More
“Nobody comes to me wanting to spend more; they come wanting
the trip to work for them,” Vikas Dudheker, an advisor with Cozy Travel, told
Travel Pulse. “I listen for what a client actually wants, then show them which
line items deliver it, and which ones just make the invoice bigger.”
For example, when a couple tells Dudheker they want quiet,
the case for the room away from the pool bar writes itself. He says that he
still puts the cheaper option in front of them, however, and for a very
specific reason.
“If I'm never the one telling a client to spend less, they
have no reason to believe me when I tell them to spend more,” he said.
Lynn McCormick, founder of Luna World Travel, has a similar
ethos.
“As a trusted advisor, I value the relationship over the
transaction,” she said. “That also means I purposely don’t upsell everything.
Sometimes my advice is, ‘Save your money here.’ When clients know I’ll tell
them when an upgrade isn’t worth it, they trust me when I tell them it is.”
McCormick says her business credo is to build relationships
rooted in empathy, rather than approaching a client’s travel as purely
transactional — and she looks at upselling as a value proposition.
“When I see an opportunity to elevate a client’s experience,
I start with a story,” McCormick said. “I take them on the journey — what the
experience will feel like, what it adds to their trip, and why I believe it’s
worth the additional investment.”
Telling the Story
Painting a vivid picture of what an upgraded experience will
look like is key for luxury travel advisors who want to ensure their clients
will have the best possible trip.
Barbara Khan of Journeys By the Book, powered by Global
Travel Collection, says she engages in storytelling about a destination to help
clients feel what it’s like to be there.
“I sell a lot of Italy, and I will mention hotels I’ve
stayed at and describe how I was made to feel during my stay,” she told Travel
Pulse. “I talk about things such as the rooftop bar and sunset I enjoyed seeing
over cocktails, or the very personalized service I received when I was dining
alone.”
And then, there’s the story of the guestroom or suite that
costs a bit more than your basic run-of-house accommodation.
“I always talk about the beautiful view from my room and its
special comfort features,” Khan said. “I speak about how convenient the
location is to the city’s top sites that I know they want to visit. I always
say I’ll reach out to my contact there and tell my clients, ‘They will make
sure you have an amazing time.’ This little bit of storytelling leads them to
want to have that same experience, and then they are willing to loosen the
purse strings a bit.”
Jamie Mussolini of Beachfronts Travel says that hotels in
more convenient locations can cost more than those that don’t, but that that
value proposition needs to be explained.
“One hotel can have a higher rate than another, but the
location of that hotel pays for itself in terms of convenience rather than
countless taxi fares,” she said. “As far as room categories go, portraying the
access and inclusions a suite provides over a standard room category can
warrant its worth.”
Keeping it Simple
Addie Cole, also a luxury travel advisor with Cozy Travel,
cautions advisors not to get too technical with a hotel’s options.
“Describe; do not categorize,” she said. “A room category
means nothing to a client, but their first morning, jet-lagged and awake at 6
a.m., having coffee on their own terrace instead of in a lobby, means
everything.”
Cole’s advice?
“Translate the number into the experience,” she explained.
“A price difference in the abstract is easy to decline, but the same difference
described as seven mornings on a private terrace overlooking the ocean, or a
hotel with a 10-minute walk from the best dinner spot in town instead of a taxi
every night, is something a client can actually evaluate.”
And it’s not always about spending more on the hotel room.
According to Cole, investing in an experience rather than an elevated room
category might be the way to go.
“Often, the upgrade worth paying for is the private guide or
the extra night, rather than the suite,” she said.
This type of conversation often requires that clients have a
lot of trust in their luxury travel advisor. For that reason, advisors need to
show their value and worth to clients right up front.
Mussolini of Beachfronts Travel says it’s important to
highlight the VIP perks an advisor can extend to a client for booking with them
— everything from comped daily breakfast, resort credits, early check-in and
late checkout to even “guaranteed-upon-booking upgrades.”
“When comparing options for hotels with the client,
elaborating on the value of the included amenities offered at the property can
close the decision,” Mussolini added, noting that advisors who have strong
relationships with an in-house hotel team as well as its salesforce can deliver
an even more enhanced experience. “When you have access to direct contact with
that property, the client’s stay will surpass any other stay,”
Appearances Count
Advisors can instill even more trust with their clients by
presenting themselves in the most professional manner.
McCormick of Luna World Travel says that after the initial
trip-planning conversation with a client, she follows up with a polished
proposal.
“The proposal allows clients to see their options side by
side — with photos, details, inclusions and the information they need to
understand exactly what that additional investment buys them,” she said. “It
turns an ‘upsell’ into an informed choice about the experience they want to
have.”
Final Takeaways
Cole of Cozy Travel suggests letting go of disappointment if
a client doesn’t take your advice on where to spend their money — after all, it
all comes down to a balancing act.
“I tell them that if this is not where they want the money
to go, I will put it somewhere better in the same itinerary,” she said. “People
relax once they understand that a ‘no’ does not disappoint me!”
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