CANNES, France -- The 11,840-square-foot rooftop Penthouse at Claridge's in London is one of the world's most opulent suites, with a private heated swimming pool, 75 original artworks by Damien Hirst and a circular sofa that rotates to follow the sun. Among other things.
While there's no formal rate card, it rents for about $75,000 a night (that is, if you can pass Claridge's vetting process).
California travel advisor Stacy King has a client who has promised that when he reaches his net-worth goal, he will book a stay there with her.
Does she have that in writing?
Better than that. "He gave me a pinky swear," she said.
"He'll get there in the next five years," she said to Thomas Kochs, Claridge's managing director, and Sarah Pemble, Maybourne Hotels regional director of sales for London, at the International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM), held Dec. 1 to 4 in Cannes.
While at Claridge's booth, she also asked about their other suites, the spa, restaurants and who designed this year's Christmas tree (Burberry).
From left, Maybourne Hotels regional director of sales Sarah Pemble, travel advisor Stacy King and Claridge's managing director Thomas Kochs at ILTM. Photo Credit: Arnie Weissmann
Although she is only in her fourth year as a travel advisor, King has made an impression on luxury suppliers. Working out of the Global Travel Collection's Beverly Hills office with her maltipoo Penelope, she credits "Uncle Albert," aka Internova Travel Group executive vice president Albert Herrera, and "The Godfather," aka GTC vice president Mickey Weill, for helping her get started in the business. (To others in the industry, they are executive vice president, partner relations and vice president, advisor and partner engagement, respectively).
King was on her third visit to the annual luxe travel show on the French Riviera, but you wouldn't be blamed if you thought she was the mayor of ILTM. She couldn't walk 10 yards without a supplier stopping to air-kiss or hug her and ask how she was doing.
One supplier with which she works exclusively for her "VVIP clients" in Italy is Access Italy which, she said, can do anything, including arranging audiences with the pope. She had no sooner finished speaking about them than Simone and Marco Amorico, who run Access Italy with their parents, rounded a corner and greeted her excitedly with a hug.
While serendipitous meetups with previous partners strengthen bonds, King's goal at ILTM this year was to meet new suppliers to fill in gaps.
She had an appointment with Myths + Muses, a Greek destination management company. Although she visits Greece every year with friends -- she lives six months in Paris -- she wanted to find an expert who could help her find something new.
She listened intently to co-founders Nektaria Panagiotari and Christina Papavlasopoulos but stopped them suddenly when they said that she wouldn't have to worry if a problem arose in the middle of the night because they would straighten it out. "No, I would want to be involved in fixing it," King interjected. "My relationships with my clients are very important to me."
But she was also quick to acknowledge the critical role that suppliers like Myths + Muses play to make clients happy.
"It's a symphony," she told them. "The more we work together, the better the music gets."
Communicating value when hotel rates soar
Fine tuning his relations with advisors was on the agenda for Omer Acar, CEO of Accor brands Raffles and Fairmont.
Attendance at ILTM this year neared 10,000, and the three-level building it was held in was packed with advisors and suppliers. But Acar spent most of the conference in an exclusive lounge within a temporary Accor pavilion built on adjacent beachfront land.
Omer Acar
As was apparent during King's conversations with suppliers, the symbiotic relationship between luxury sellers and suppliers was evident in Acar's supplier-side thinking. And that relationship has been strengthened by the largest trend Acar is seeing in luxe travel: significantly higher rates in top-tier hotels.
Perhaps counterintuitively, the growing importance of building close relationships with luxury advisors is not simply the result of keeping profits and commissions high. Rather, Acar is aware of the dangers that high rates pose to luxury hoteliers and sees how advisors play a role in counteracting that threat.
"Prices have gone up significantly since Covid, and it's hard to justify a 30%, 40% increase on the rate for the exact same room the guests stayed in four years ago," he said. "They are more demanding, and rightfully so. Satisfying them can't be limited to just extra amenities.
"They're looking for memorable experiences that complement a stay," he continued, "so it's very important to create an emotional connection. They have to think, 'Yes, the prices went up, but [the hotel is] doing more, recognizing me more, personalizing the stay with my preferences."
And hoteliers cannot unearth guest desires by simply sending out a questionnaire in advance. "The ultrawealthy don't fill out forms," he said. "We have to do our homework before they arrive."
Which is where advisors come in. "The advisor can provide information about the guest to make it a seamless stay, to the point where the guest thinks, 'Wow, how did they know?'"
And while advisors are critical to success when times are good and rates are high, they're equally valuable when things get rocky. Acar is keeping an eye on metrics that might indicate an economic shift.
"The booking window is getting shorter and shorter because of economic uncertainty," he said. "We're seeing that 60% to 70% of the luxury business is coming in during the month of the stay. That's a lot."
He gestured around him to the Accor pavilion. "We do this for our travel advisors so they can meet with us comfortably. We'll continue investing in that relationship. It's more important than ever; a guest may stay with me once a year, but they're booking other places all year long with their advisor. To make the stay with us personalized and enjoyable is in the hands of the advisor communicating preferences to us."
He recognizes it's a two-way street. "We're both in the service business, and when advisors pick up the phone to talk to us about their clients, they also know they can rely on us to take good care of them."
If King thinks about the advisor-supplier relationship as a symphony, Acar sees the broader hospitality ecosystem as a triangle with equal sides representing owners, staff and guests.
Where are advisors in the picture?
"In the middle," he said. "They keep the triangle intact."
UPDATED: This report was updated on Dec. 15 at noon Eastern time to include the titles and affiliations for Albert Herrera and Mickey Weill.