Luxury travel brands often overlook an essential audience: the B2B audience. B2B is frequently positioned as a heartless internal business exchange; however, a B2B audience approach just means targeting a business’ decision-maker. It still involves targeting people; it’s just a different set of people with different values than consumers.
For a business decision-maker, a brand’s value focuses more on relationships, emphasizing trust-building, problem-solving, and long-term value with longer sales cycles.
We Love Travel Advisors
For those of us in hospitality, the business audience refers to travel advisors or a network of advisors, such as Virtuoso. Those advisors are the B2B audience that marketers should embrace. What’s important to remember is that when it comes to how affluent travelers plan trips, they lean on the experts to ensure their trip is exceptional.
One of the most significant changes since 2019 has been the rise in the use of travel advisors, which nearly doubled from 34% in early 2019 to 63% in 2022, according to Luxury Travel Advisor.
Understanding the B2B audience and developing relationships with them can have long-lasting value for luxury hospitality brands and greatly influence the end consumer.
Why Travelers Love Travel Advisors
According to Luxury Travel Advisor, 85% of luxury travelers believe in using travel advisors. Advisors can provide unique offers, convenient itineraries, and tailored experiences, especially for luxury guests or older travelers who want a one-stop shop and a single point of contact.
For consumers, there are lots of benefits to using a travel advisor. Here are a few of our favorites:
Forgo the hassle — they save time and eliminate hassle by taking the guesswork out of planning and being able to handle issues that arise.
Relieve the stress — advisors take the stress out of travel planning by preventing problems based on their experience and taking care of the details.
Enjoy concierge treatment — they offer expert recommendations. They know what to do, whether it’s reservations or advice on the best times and worst times to travel.
Help when needed — they can handle the unexpected. They know the drill and can advocate if something goes wrong.
Above all, you can always count on a travel advisor to be well-traveled, giving them first-hand experience and knowledge to help travelers see the big picture and stay out of the details. This way, travelers can focus on having the most enjoyable experiences they have ever imagined.
What Hoteliers Love About Travel Advisors
If your luxury marketing brand is not already doing so, you should embrace your network of advisors. Providing unique offers for advisors to extend to their clients helps them prioritize their relationships with their customers.
Travel advisors are in the unique position of going above and beyond. They are the ones who understand what motivates luxury consumers. They know what people want.
Unforgettable — a unique experience they will never forget.
Premium — exceptional quality (and they’re willing to spend more to get it).
Tailormade — personalized service and customized experiences (e.g., reservations at the hottest restaurants).
Do Not Disturb — destinations that offer a sense of privacy and exclusivity.
When you know what’s important to people, you can be important to people.
Travel advisors are an audience with their own needs and expectations. You can offer them the same high-touch experience their clients value. You can make them feel catered to and special.
Last (But Not Least)
A few final thoughts about what brands can do to leverage relationships with travel advisors:
- Go above and beyond to treat them well and encourage them to flex their influence to complement direct-to-consumer efforts.
- Explore media relationships that use sponsorships and events to deliver unique access for travel advisors.
- Make it easy for them to create experiences for their clients who take expensive and complex trips.
All in all, just remember your B2B audience when marketing for the luxury traveler.
