Mainstream and luxury customer ‘crossover’ presents opportunities, says Crystal sales chief

The “crossover” between mainstream and ultra-luxury customers could “surprise” agents, according to Crystal’s new vice-president of trade sales for the UK and EMEA.

Luke Smith said customers with a luxury budget may make mainstream bookings when holidaying with larger family groups, but could be open to ultra-luxury experiences for themselves.

Speaking to Aspire’s sister title Travel Weekly, Smith advised agents to compile a list of customers with an overall annual spend of more than £10,000 and contact them about ultra-luxury options.

“The beauty of ultra-luxury customers is that you don’t need hundreds of them because the revenue is higher, so you’re working smarter, not harder,” he said.

Marketing to ultra-luxury customers should not be price-focused, according to Smith, because such clients are “less impacted by constant flux and change” in the economy.

However, he said prospective ultra-luxury customers should be made aware of the experiences available with a higher budget because “where luxury becomes ultra-luxury is when the personalisation of the experience is in every element of the cruise”.

He highlighted Crystal’s on-board Nobu restaurant, which guests are able to dine at twice per cruise, and pre and post land experiences with sister operator Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) as examples of “the incredible value for money that ultra-luxury can represent”.

Online and social media advertising and physical materials such as high-quality brochures are other ways to engage high-end consumers, Smith said.

To raise awareness of the different techniques available to tap into ultra-luxury customers, Smith plans to invite marketeers from top travel agencies to the Crystal and A&K offices to discuss “brand identity”, “customer profiling” and marketing strategies.

He also hopes to grow the brand’s fam trip programme to allow agents to experience the product first-hand alongside consumer ship visits.

Smith said Crystal has “very large growth plans for the UK market”, and agent partnerships are a “key aspect” of that.