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Long airport lines have unfortunately become a summertime vacation staple, thanks to increasingly strict Travel Security Administration regulations and a lack of adequate staffing. This year, many travelers will wait in line for hours to go through security, but according to a recent Travel Weekly article, some of them might opt out altogether.
According to Travel Weekly, a report by the US Travel Association discovered that out of 2,500 people surveyed, almost a quarter will cancel a summer vacation flight or choose alternate means of transportation due to the media’s “saturation coverage” of long security checkpoint lines at the airport. US Travel Association CEO Roger Dow expressed in no uncertain terms that this disinterest in airline travel could pose a major economic problem, to the tune of $4.3 billion loss.
Dow called for a “national solution” to the TSA’s wait-time problem. While the Department of Homeland Security recently announced a plan to allocate staffing that will ease TSA wait times, Dow, despite acknowledging the plan as “encouraging,” noted that there was “little hope” that the plan would be enough to catch up to this year’s number of summer travelers. He expressed his hope that policymakers would continue to work on solving the TSA’s security system once peak travel season has passed.
In most cases, however, airline passengers’ plans for summer travel won’t be affected by long lines and the media hype that accompanies summer’s slow news cycle. The majority of respondents to the survey said they’d get around airport security problems by arriving at the airport earlier—it seems like for most people, waiting in line is worth everything that comes after. 17.9% of people said they wouldn’t change their plans at all, and this laid-back attitude should offer some encouragement to industry leaders like Dow.
At EmpireCLS, our Airport Concierge service offers an alternative choice to either waiting in interminable lines or cancelling your flight plans, whether you’re taking limo service to LAX in Los Angeles or LaGuardia in New York. This white-glove treatment gets you priority access through the security line, typically making your wait much shorter. In addition to expedited security lines, our Airport Concierge service means you’ll have access to VIP lounges, be personally escorted through the airport and have your luggage handled for you. Your concierge will also accommodate any special requests that you have and will stay in touch with you and your chauffeur in order to keep you updated on your flight’s status.
With Airport Concierge from EmpireCLS, you won’t have to choose between a difficult flight and none at all—your limo service to Atlanta airport and any other major airport will be smooth from start to finish. Learn more at http://empirecls.wpengine.com/Booking/airport-concierge.aspx.
Photo: flickr
No matter who you are, a good travel experience is bound to take up a not-negligible portion of your budget. Even the thriftiest among us tend to splurge when taking a vacation, or even a routine business trip—it’s part of the fun of travel. To allow for indulgences, many of us also tend to scale back on certain expenses, whether it’s seeking out “glitch fares” from airlines or eating like a local.
Or maybe your travel tricks aren’t about budget at all—in fact, you have no problem spending whatever it takes to have a unique, memorable experience. In either case, EmpireCLS commends you, but we also want to offer a word of warning. Disreputable travel agents and agencies do exist, waiting to take advantage of travelers. Make sure you don’t get taken in by these sadly common scenarios, and stick to providers with excellent reputations.
Many seasoned travelers like to claim bragging rights over those hidden-gem sites that offer little-known discounts. But sometimes, a so-called hidden gem is unknown for a reason. JustFly.com, a third-party airline ticket booking site, recently earned itself an F rating from the BB due to over 250 complaints lodged against it for price discrepancies, passenger name spelling mistakes and wrong flights being booked altogether. According to an ABC news report, JustFly.com has all of the hallmarks of a disreputable third-party site: no customer service, misleading information, outright scams, and offering low price that turns out to be a bait and switch and cutting corners.
In other cases, cheap fares are the result of outright scamming. Recently, a travel agency phishing fraud cost the industry $2 million. Phishing is simple scam tactic in which a con poses as official representative of a company to request sensitive information from users. In this case, Eric Donys Simeu of Cameroon used this tactic to target travel agency employees in the US and request their GDS information. From 2011 to 2014, Simeu used the phished information to book tickets for personal use or sell the ill-gotten flights to unsuspecting customers at deep discounts. Buy with caution: that deal might, indeed, be too good to be true.
Sometimes it’s not intentional deception that makes a travel agency bad news—it’s plain old poor business skills. Take the case of Ingrid Scott, a travel agent who was acquitted of 29 counts of intentional deception that she had been charged with after multiple customers complained that they could not use tickets she’d booked for them, due to non-payment. It turned out that Scott wasn’t conning or embezzling—she was just, well, bad at her job, and lost her own home trying to keep her travel agency running. The agency didn’t profit from the $25,000 worth of tickets that clients paid for but Scott never purchased. Instead, Scott had been using payments to cover previous orders from clients, setting up a credit scheme that ultimately ran her into the ground.
If you’re reeling a bit right now, take a deep breath. By and large, travel agencies are respectable. You can ensure that you’re working with a reputable one by working with a network like Virtuoso, a select group of travel agencies and other providers that has been in the industry for years. The network has earned a reputation of only working with truly trustworthy, high-quality travel providers (including EmpireCLS, which was recently accepted into the Virtuoso fold). Not only are you assured honesty and reliable business practices, but each provider has carved a unique niche in the luxury travel market. Your investment will be worth every cent.
Photo: flickr
For a time, luxury trains seemed to be a thing of the past. Millions of passengers travel to work each day by commuter rail, and longer trips in America and Europe are still commonplace enough, but taking a train for its own sake lost its popularity once commercial flight became affordable. The nostalgic appeal and leisurely pace of upscale train travel have found renewed favor among luxury travelers in recent years, however. Thanks to a recent Independent article praising Japan’s first luxury sleeper train, the Seven Stars line in Kyushu, this travel mode will likely be in even greater demand this year.
Called a “luxurious mini-cruise on rails” by the Independent’s Leslie Woit, the Seven Stars train isn’t your average Amtrak trip. The line is named for the seven prefectures of Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island, which is a far cry from the urban density of its best-known and largest island, Honshu. Visitors can take their pick of either a four-day, three-night trip, which circles around the entire island, or a briefer trip of only two days and one night, which sticks to Kyushu’s northern region.
Whichever package travelers choose, their trip will be a breathtaking one that hearkens back to the Golden Age of train travel. Nowhere is the sumptuous quality of this journey more apparent than in its deluxe suite, which includes a full bathroom (with shower), a writing desk, two beds, a sitting room outfitted with plush couches and floor-to-ceiling picture window for the ultimate viewing experience of the Japanese countryside (including spectacular sunsets over the East China Sea). Travelers will also enjoy both Japanese and French cuisine and free wine in the dining car, which, like the rest of the train, boasts luxurious interiors with cherry walls and parquet floors. By no means are passengers confined to the train, however. Seven Stars makes frequent stops to must-site Kyushu sites like the Yufuin hot springs, Kumamoto Castle and the Kakiemon porcelain works in Arita.
The only downside to the Seven Stars is the limited availability of tickets on the line, which takes only thirty passengers at the time. But if you can’t nab them, there are plenty of other rail travel options in Japan. Many travelers opt for regional travel passes (similar to those you might find in Europe, for example). And if you still crave a five-star travel experience, call our global luxury chauffeur service.
Photo: flickr
In a recent report, Luxury Daily observed how brands have used Instagram and other social media sites to forge connections with influencers (users who hold sway over a large audience), and stressed the importance of developing organic partnerships with influencers and other brands. We took notice because Luxury Daily’s findings reflect EmpireCLS’s own philosophy about brand partnerships.
From the start, the Luxury Daily report asserts that consumers can tell if a brand partnership or sponsorship—say, an influencer being gifted a product and asked to share it on social media—is gimmicky. With the proliferation of information available to consumers these days, the majority are able to spot a forced placement right away. This kind of contrivance is directly opposed to what today’s consumers want from brands: Real relationships, authenticity, and products that are tailored to their lifestyles.
On the other hand, several successful brands have earned their loyal customer base through fresh, genuine engagement with influencers who are also real customers. For example, denim brand Frame grew out of a niche that its founders, Jens Grede and Eric Torstensson, identified in the denim market—the perfect skinny jeans. By emerging from the very real desires of grateful customers and reworking the line around organic customer feedback (from Karlie Kloss, no less), Frame established itself as a responsive brand that closely engages with customer needs. The brand’s unpretentiousness, too, has hit a note with customers: “A lot of big brands analyze things to death,” says Grede, “and there’s something to be said for old-school gut feel.”
The core philosophy of brands like Frame and other successful luxury providers is that they focus less on profits and more on the actual product. The bottom line is, inarguably, an essential consideration, but the success of these engagement-driven brands clearly indicates that more than ever, consumers are most likely to become loyal buyers of products that are tailored to their specific needs and reflect their lifestyles. Luxury Daily notes that this experience-based philosophy of luxury has also expanded to brand flagship stores, which are reducing their supersize grandeur to reflect a more affordable, experienced-based, accessible version of luxury.
At EmpireCLS, we have long held the viewpoint that alliances with our hotel and airline partners must reflect a genuine relationship. Each of our partnerships has come about because of a shared understanding of what constitutes luxury and a strict adherence to the industry’s highest standards. We choose partners that we know will serve our customers well, and brands like Four Seasons know that our car service provides the same five-star accommodation that guests expect from their hotel stay.
To learn about all of our luxury brand partners, visit http://www/empirecls.com/partners.
Photo: flickr
In any hotel stay, even the most impeccable customer service and delicious dining do not a luxury experience make—not without a few essential details. For the most part, the heart of your hotel stay is in the comfort of your bed and bath. Plush pillows, inviting soap scents, and satiny sheets are all the hallmarks of a true luxury experience. And if you’ve ever been tempted to smuggle your hotel sheets home, now you can (legally)—thanks to Larry King.
Yes, that’s right. The bespectacled, suspender-clad journalist seems like an unlikely candidate for peddling plush terrycloth bathrobes and jacquard bed linen. But that’s exactly what’s happened, with King becoming business partner to his wife, Shawn, and launching their Sleep Like a King brand of luxury bedsheets and other bedroom accouterments.
The Kings were inspired to create Sleep Like a King after visiting the Wynn and Four Seasons hotels in Las Vegas and being particularly impressed by their bedding. Shawn King tells the LA Times that she made a point to visit the Four Seasons’ home shop and purchase a set of sheets for her own. After discovering that the sheets were manufactured by hotel bed linen supplier Sobel Westex, the Kings decided to partner with the company and create a line of luxury bedding at department-store prices. By using a direct-to-consumer model, the Kings explain, they can offer their customers opulent bed and bath wares without shelling out for a Four Seasons stay.
Drawing visual and conceptual inspiration from the Kings’ world travels, Sleep Like a King’s debut collection (launching Summer 2016) includes 100% cotton bed linen, lush bath towels, cozy blankets, alpaca throws, pillow, robes, candles, fragrance diffusers and soaps. The line has been carefully and lovingly designed to reflect the spirit of the Kings’ favorite locales, with sheets and scents named for Soho, Hollywood and Rome. Sleep Like a King’s sheets, in particular, reflect their luxury heritage. Sheets are available in 400,500 and 700 thread counts, in peaceful, muted colors like rose, cream and dove grey, and feature subtle details like Swiss dot jacquard or border embroidery.
Having these luxury sheets lull you to sleep will elevate the meaning of the word “staycation” to new heights. But if you plan to travel soon, whether to Las Vegas or elsewhere, our limo service will ensure your luxury ground transportation experience as soon as you step off the plane. And if you stay with one of our hotels partners in LA or NYC, you won’t just get five-star limo service—you’ll also experience the finest in luxury accommodation. And yes, that means the perfect bedsheets.
Photo: flickr
Global travel growth has slowed in recent years, but according to a recent Amadeus report, luxury travel remains untouchable. In fact, luxury travel is indisputably the industry’s fastest-growing segment. As reported by Financial Express, the Amadeus report looks at why and what must be done to continue the pace of growth.
First, let’s look at the numbers: Between 2011 and 2015, the compound annual growth rate for luxury travel (measured by business and first class tickets on outbound flights) was 4.5%, as opposed to 4.2% overall. The pace of growth is expected to accelerate between now and 2015—the compound annual growth rate for luxury travel is projected to be 6.2%, as opposed to just 4.8% for overall travel. Most of this growth comes from North America and Western Europe, though the BRIC nations also show significant luxury acceleration.
Why has luxury travel enjoyed such an intense growth spurt? Financial Express explains that the growth is due to consumers’ increasing desire for unique, personal, and exclusive experiences. The transition from investing in material goods to investing in experiences is a theme that’s cropped up in our posts several times over the past year, and the recent Amadeus report confirms that the trend continues to accelerate. The luxury travel sector is best equipped to give consumers the extraordinary experiences that they crave, from white-glove executive car service to boutique hotel experiences.
The luxury travel sector must continue to capitalize on its ability to provide unique experiences in order to ensure its continued success. As we have observed over the past few years, the luxury industry has already changed its nature to accommodate shifting consumer desires. The “new” luxury, according to Financial Express, is “curated, real-time, and experience-led.” The Amadeus report delves into the specifics of what else makes luxury travel so appealing, noting that luxury travelers are drawn to particulars like five-star quality, concierge service, exclusive VIP access, discreet security. The report affirms, that luxury travel service and product providers must focus and enrich their standards of quality and service to continue drawing in luxury travel consumers, and identifies distinct “tribes” based on buying behavior that will help providers curate end-to-end luxury travel experiences.
At EmpireCLS, our mission is to fulfill all our your luxury ground transportation needs, with consistently superb services and special offers like Airport Concierge and wedding limo service. Learn more at http://www.empirecls.com.
Photo: flickr
In the past few years, our culture has taken on the task of re-examining the role of women in society, and much of that discussion has focused on women in business. Thankfully, the leadership capabilities, strength, and intelligence of women are no longer up for dispute or under scrutiny, and more women than ever are being recognized for the roles as strong influencers, leaders, and employees. However, wide gender gaps in pay and in positions remain, and the travel industry is no exception.
Travel Weekly recently investigated the travel industry’s gender gap, delving into the relative lack of women at the top, and also the disparity between the scant presence of women in leadership positions and their broad power as sellers and buyers of travel. Featuring conversations with female travel leaders and examples of pro-woman business initiatives, the article is a snapshot of women’s current triumphs and struggles in the travel industry. Here are a few takeaways from Travel Weekly’s coverage:
The higher you go, the fewer women you see. Michelle “Mick” Lee, founder of Women in Travel (Winit), a 3,000-member professional organization dedicated to providing resources and tools for success to women in the travel industry, shared some insights with Travel Weekly. Lee is a 30-year veteran of the travel industry, and told Travel Weekly than the higher she progressed in her career, the fewer women she saw in boardrooms and C-suites. Much of her motivation behind founding Winit was to change those numbers. According to Travel Weekly, it is nearly impossible to find a major travel company with mostly women at the helm—on average, only 10% to 25% of director spots are held by women.
But in other sectors, women outnumber men. The lack of female representation at the top contrasts sharply with the number of women in different segments of the travel market. Travel Weekly notes that 70% of women make all travel-buying decisions, almost ¾ of travel agents are women, and, on average, 65% of the hospitality workforce is female. The gap between the number of women consuming and selling travel and the number of women present in high decision-making positions is troubling—for female economic empowerment as well as the travel industry’s ability to keep up as women gain more economic power. Lee’s assessment is that since the travel industry doesn’t need to focus on getting women in on the ground floor, businesses should hone their focus in on getting women up the ladder.
Pro-women initiatives are good for social equality and for the bottom line. There’s no question that affording women more economic opportunity in executive positions is a stride towards gender equality. And according to Travel Weekly, travel companies should make conscious efforts to narrow the gender gap because not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also a smart business decision. Ongoing McKinsey & Co. research has found that companies with more women at the top perform better than those with fewer female leaders.
There is still much to be done in the pursuit of workforce equality in the travel industry, and Lee herself says she won’t see the day her work is done in her lifetime. However, she is hopeful about the amount of change and engagement she has seen so far. EmpireCLS applauds these efforts towards equality and salutes all of the inspiring women in the travel industry, including those we’re proud to call members of the EmpireCLS team.
Photo: flickr
Lately, we’ve been focusing a lot on the future of luxury in everything from Boston airport limo service to classic European couture houses. Namely, we’ve taken note of the transition from an old-fashioned definition to a contemporary one. Old-world luxury is, primarily, characterized by a display of wealth: It means opulent materials, brand names with prestigious histories, and exclusivity. New-world luxury, on the other hand, is defined by its focus not on exclusivity per se, but rather its ability to hone in on customers’ desires for novel, authentic experiences and deliver them in thrilling and innovative ways. This week, our attention has been drawn to a classic brand that is dipping back into the past for a contemporary refresh of its brand image.
Jaguar Land Rover hardly needs an introduction. The auto company is responsible for the stewardship of two iconic marques of the vehicle world, and its Heritage division specifically deals with providing cars, services, and parts to owners of classic Jaguar and Land Rover models. This year, Jaguar Land Rover Heritage will be rebranded as Jaguar Land Rover Classic.
The rebranded division will continue to offer the same parts at services as before, with the additional capability to fully restore classic vehicles and provide repair and maintenance services on classic models. Restorations and repairs will take place at Jaguar Land Rover’s two classic workshops in the UK. The Classic division will also operate as a global supplier of more than 30,000 genuine parts for classic, out-of-production models. It will also be responsible for preserving the lineage of the Land Rover Defender model, which is ceasing production after 68 years. The company’s online Defender Journeys hub and Heritage Restoration Program will keep the legacy of this classic vehicle alive.
Jaguar Land Rover Classic, with its focus on midcentury auto design, embodies old luxury on the surface. However, the spirit of this rebrand is nothing but contemporary. Classic fits neatly into the new luxury because it is focused on providing customers with customized luxury experience, tailored to their lifestyles. Nowhere is this more apparent in customers’ opportunity to participate in the Classic Drives program with Jaguar Land Rover, including the Jaguar Classic Challenge, a racing series for Jaguar models build prior to 1966.
As a limo service serving the globe from Boston to Shanghai, EmpireCLS continues to keep watch on the latest luxury auto industry trends. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date.
Photo: flickr
As millennials gain more social and financial capital, it seems that media outlets are replete with articles speculating on how they will shape the future. The predictions range from dire claims that the smartphone-wielding generations heralds the death of civil society, to analyses that assert that these prophecies are all wrong, and that millennials are in fact here to save the world.
In the case of the luxury market, in any case, a recent report by Market Watch falls firmly in the latter camp. UBS, a Swiss financial services company, investigated the under-35 set’s attitudes towards luxury brands and spending, and found that millennials are far from the proverbial death knell for luxury manufacturers. In fact, they may be here to rescue it, whether the product in question is high-end French couture or limo service from the Denver airport.
The fact that millennials prioritize curated, unique travel and entertainment experiences above all other expense allocations has led some industry observers to fret over whether the luxury market could keep up with the younger generation’s demands. Namely, they wondered whether the concept of luxury itself was too old-fashioned to capture the loyalty of young consumers who seem to appreciate the thrill of the new more than anything else.
However, according to UBS, millennials aren’t just unopposed to luxury, but they openly embrace it. Millennials in the United States, the UBS study found, are actually even more engaged with luxury spending than the over-35 crowd. They spend slightly more on luxury goods, and appear to be more brand-loyal to traditional European luxury houses like Burberry, Gucci, and LVMH. Millennials also reportedly feel more positive about their financial futures than their older counterparts, which positions them for future expenditures that are even greater than they are currently.
Although millennials are sometimes lambasted for their high level of engagement with social media, UBS sees their hooked-in mindset as the key to luxury brands’ smooth transition to the younger consumer base. Digital marketing and maintaining a strong, visible online and social media presence with millennial consumers will capture their attention and brand loyalty, says UBS. We at EmpireCLS also surmise that given the high priority that millennials place on travel and entertainment, traditional luxury houses will do well to partner with brands like luxury limo service providers and boutique hotels to fully embody want millennials want out of luxury experiences.
Let us hear your thoughts on the future of luxury travel. Email us at sales@empirecls.com and tell us what you want out of your next travel experience.
Photo: flickr
Miami Beach, with its diverse neighborhoods, eclectic cultural mix, and famously fun-loving residents, is home to a vibrant artistic community, as well as Art Basel, one of the biggest art events in the country. This hub of creativity welcomes new ideas and rebellious thinkers possibly more than any other city. For that reason, Miami is perfectly primed to host this year’s LE Miami conference, the world’s first travel industry event centered around taking on ongoing shifts in the definition of luxury.
From June 6th to 9th, EmpireCLS will join other exhibitions, buyers, and industry leaders at the Miami Beach Convention Center for a conference intended to shake up how the travel industry—from limo service to hotels—thinks about its guests’ experiences. If the GBTA Conference is the decorous old guard of the travel industry—all facts, figures, and tailored suits—then LE Miami is like a free-spirited yet focused collective of avant-garde artists who aren’t opposed to getting their hands dirty or throwing some paint around in the pursuit of greatness.
LE Miami is bent on defining the changing state of luxury, and capturing what customers want through an electric exchange of ideas. Today’s luxury buyer demographic is younger, more creative, and more tuned-in than ever before. Eschewing old signifiers of wealth and taste, they prefer products that feel unique, culturally significant, and tailored to their interests. LE Miami’s participants will unite to discuss how they can create the authentic, memorable experiences that these customers want.
True to LE Miami’s forward-thinking intent, attendees will meet in a show space designed as much for play as it is for work—think a DJ booth, bar, art installations, networking events that are more like parties than sedate exchanges of business cards. LE’s “rebels with a cause,” as the conference proudly terms its attendees, will exchange their insights at the Ministry of Ideas conference, a TED-like event in which attendees will give presentations and host Q&As on the future of car and limo service and beyond. Plus, LE Miami will give out awards to industry rebels in categories like Sexiest Design, Greatest Guest Experience, and Best Interaction with Neighborhood.
We’re looking forward to exchanging ideas with some of our most creative peers in the industry. In the meantime, keep up with us on Twitter and Facebook.
Photo credit: flickr
