現(xiàn)在這個(gè)時(shí)候,,本來(lái)應(yīng)該快到旅游旺季了。
過(guò)去18年里,,格溫·布克斯一直經(jīng)營(yíng)著加州一家高端旅游公司,?!拔业霓k公室正對(duì)著花園,”布克斯談起在家工作時(shí)說(shuō),,“我的工作環(huán)境很舒適,,也能啟發(fā)靈感,。”
布克斯的客戶為硅谷“高凈值人士”,,以及“年輕的科技巨頭億萬(wàn)富翁,、房地產(chǎn)大亨、時(shí)裝設(shè)計(jì)師和一些電影演員”,,她為他們提供量身定制的度假和旅行計(jì)劃?!八麄冾l繁的全球旅行,,都靠我們來(lái)安排行程,”布克斯說(shuō),。
布克斯2015年曾被《好萊塢報(bào)道》譽(yù)為“夢(mèng)幻度假經(jīng)紀(jì)人”,2019年被《硅谷現(xiàn)代奢華生活》雜志譽(yù)為“最佳生活方式禮賓顧問(wèn)”,。她說(shuō),,她的業(yè)務(wù)純靠口碑推薦。“我們的網(wǎng)站不是為了吸引新客戶,,網(wǎng)站只是為了方便客戶了解目的地,、酒店和旅行體驗(yàn),。”
布克斯說(shuō),,他們不提供”千篇一律“的旅行,,所有行程都是專門(mén)定制?!安┛彤?dāng)中推薦的酒店我基本都親自住過(guò),客戶也信任我,?!?/p>
最近,《財(cái)富》雜志采訪了布克斯,,談及新冠病毒如何影響她所在的行業(yè)及未來(lái)規(guī)劃,,也聊到了她在面對(duì)疫情時(shí)如何管理自身情緒和財(cái)務(wù)狀況,。為簡(jiǎn)明起見(jiàn),以下對(duì)話內(nèi)容有所刪減,。
《財(cái)富》:每年這時(shí)候生意怎樣,?在沒(méi)有疫情的時(shí)候,通常一天或一周是怎么過(guò)的,?
布克斯:正常情況下,,這時(shí)我們會(huì)忙著做各種旅行規(guī)劃,預(yù)訂酒店,、航班,計(jì)劃春假和暑期活動(dòng),,列出詳細(xì)行程單,。今年,前往墨西哥,、希臘和大峽谷安縵酒店的春假旅行全都取消了,。夏天還說(shuō)不好。
《財(cái)富》:你什么時(shí)候意識(shí)到新冠病毒爆發(fā)會(huì)影響到你的生意,?目前情況怎么樣?
布克斯:1月31日,,我離開(kāi)美國(guó)去約旦和埃及,,出了兩周的差。當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)爆發(fā)病毒的新聞剛傳出來(lái),,我沒(méi)覺(jué)得我的旅行有危險(xiǎn)?;貋?lái)后,,我們細(xì)細(xì)檢查了接下來(lái)的每項(xiàng)行程,建議客戶取消預(yù)訂,。大多數(shù)酒店都能靈活處理,提前24到48小時(shí)即可取消,。杜卡普酒店一開(kāi)始要提前30天取消,,后來(lái)他們改過(guò)來(lái)了,不過(guò)目前我們還沒(méi)取消6月下旬去那邊的行程,。
我們也建議客戶等一陣,,考慮重新安排行程,,而不是全部取消。如果直接取消的話,,航空公司很少退款,。但如果等一段時(shí)間,等到航班取消,,航空公司就只能退款而不是只給積分。斯坦福大學(xué)閉校后,,我們?nèi)∠艘粓?chǎng)龐大的希臘之旅,,但去希臘的航班我們一直等到了航班取消,后來(lái)拿到了全額退款,。酒店能接受取消預(yù)訂,我們?cè)谘诺涞穆眯猩鐖F(tuán)隊(duì)慷慨地退還了原本不可退的押金,。需要時(shí)我們會(huì)提供退款。意大利旅游服務(wù)的退款一直很慢,但估計(jì)當(dāng)?shù)毓緯?huì)全額退,。
我們剛剛為一位年輕的高管和家人取消了溫布爾登網(wǎng)球公開(kāi)賽的行程,,他之前還買了中心球場(chǎng)的貴賓票。好幾位客戶都把重要行程推遲到了明年,。不過(guò)他們?nèi)匀粺釔?ài)旅游,這點(diǎn)我們很高興,!
《財(cái)富》:等一切結(jié)束后,,你認(rèn)為旅游業(yè)要怎樣才能復(fù)蘇?時(shí)間需要多久,?
布克斯:我認(rèn)為旅游業(yè)格局在很多方面會(huì)發(fā)生變化,會(huì)出現(xiàn)全新的商業(yè)模式?,F(xiàn)在,,旅行中介都在家工作。大型旅行社可能關(guān)閉實(shí)體辦公室以減少開(kāi)支,,他們會(huì)用上遠(yuǎn)程工作新系統(tǒng),。多數(shù)公司有獨(dú)立承包商,,而沒(méi)有獨(dú)立承包商的公司可能也會(huì)用上新系統(tǒng)。旅行社員工數(shù)量可能會(huì)縮減,,我就認(rèn)識(shí)不少被強(qiáng)制休無(wú)薪假的人,。
在時(shí)間和信任方面,家庭和上年紀(jì)的游客可能不愿意去繁忙的城市,。一些原來(lái)坐普通飛機(jī)的客人可能現(xiàn)在選擇私人包機(jī)。在美國(guó),,旅行者希望找到可靠來(lái)源獲知準(zhǔn)確信息,,但政府并未提供可靠的信息。
游輪會(huì)比較麻煩,。因?yàn)樾袆?dòng)全在船上,,所以對(duì)游輪旅行,,旅行者會(huì)非常非常猶豫。新聞報(bào)道里那些可怕的游輪感染的故事仍然鋪天蓋地,。游輪業(yè)要完善退款政策,,我在一些私人社交媒體賬號(hào)里提到,,退款政策這方面,游輪不是很慷慨,。
航空公司可能愿意修改傭金結(jié)構(gòu),他們之前給旅行社的傭金越來(lái)越少,,但現(xiàn)在,,航空公司急需旅行社帶來(lái)旅客,他們從來(lái)沒(méi)有像現(xiàn)在這樣那么需要旅行社,。
酒店業(yè)的話,我知道多切斯特酒店等品牌還在支付員工薪水,,疫情過(guò)去后,,他們復(fù)蘇會(huì)比其他酒店快,倫敦的博蒙特酒店也還在給員工支付工資,。
《財(cái)富》:非常時(shí)期,,除了工作之外,,在情緒和心理方面你是怎么應(yīng)對(duì)的?
布克斯:自從我在家辦公以來(lái),,日常工作沒(méi)變,。工作必要的設(shè)備齊全,可以100%正常工作,。我可不會(huì)趴在餐桌邊,,坐在非人體工學(xué)椅上工作,。
做好計(jì)劃后,,我就很高效,。有時(shí)會(huì)晚睡,或者早上多看幾份旅游雜志,。我每天都在辦公室里至少待上五個(gè)小時(shí),。我在期間寫(xiě)博客,,翻閱大量旅游雜志尋找靈感,注冊(cè)參加9月以后的旅游峰會(huì),,我還會(huì)觀看有關(guān)財(cái)務(wù)策略的網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討會(huì),,我也參加了旅游寫(xiě)作的網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討,。
我認(rèn)為疫情是件喜憂參半的事。我們?nèi)∠艘恍┬谐?,但保留?2月圣誕季期間的活動(dòng),還幫12位朋友安排了2021年一場(chǎng)重要的南非之旅,。
我沒(méi)法去健身房,,不過(guò)我在家有健身器材。我也會(huì)找朋友散步,,相互之間保持近2米距離,她是一家奢侈品雜志的編輯,,我們經(jīng)常一起討論創(chuàng)意,。我覺(jué)得這些鍛煉,讓我工作時(shí)更積極,,而且我也可以利用鍛煉時(shí)間進(jìn)行創(chuàng)造性的思考,。旅行也有同樣的效果,,在這種隨意偶然的時(shí)間里,我腦中就不會(huì)有日常商務(wù)瑣事的噪音,,更容易專注于思考,。
客戶感謝我們能退款,也感謝我們及時(shí)建議取消行程,。我們的客戶群穩(wěn)定而忠誠(chéng),,他們也贊賞我們的主動(dòng)作為,。有些客戶給我們發(fā)來(lái)一些很棒的感謝信。這種互信,,我在社交媒體上稱之為“客戶之愛(ài)”,。
我是不是有點(diǎn)瘋狂?沒(méi)錯(cuò),!我熱愛(ài)旅行,,只要能出門(mén),,我立即就會(huì)啟程。這周本來(lái)幾位年輕的科技行業(yè)高管預(yù)訂了大峽谷安縵酒店的房間,,當(dāng)然后來(lái)取消了,。安縵酒店有個(gè)新的豪華露營(yíng)區(qū),,預(yù)計(jì)4月30日開(kāi)放,我收到了邀請(qǐng),,只要一開(kāi)門(mén)就馬上會(huì)去參觀。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
責(zé)編:雨晨
現(xiàn)在這個(gè)時(shí)候,,本來(lái)應(yīng)該快到旅游旺季了,。
過(guò)去18年里,格溫·布克斯一直經(jīng)營(yíng)著加州一家高端旅游公司,?!拔业霓k公室正對(duì)著花園,,”布克斯談起在家工作時(shí)說(shuō),“我的工作環(huán)境很舒適,,也能啟發(fā)靈感,。”
布克斯的客戶為硅谷“高凈值人士”,,以及“年輕的科技巨頭億萬(wàn)富翁,、房地產(chǎn)大亨,、時(shí)裝設(shè)計(jì)師和一些電影演員”,她為他們提供量身定制的度假和旅行計(jì)劃,?!八麄冾l繁的全球旅行,都靠我們來(lái)安排行程,,”布克斯說(shuō),。
布克斯2015年曾被《好萊塢報(bào)道》譽(yù)為“夢(mèng)幻度假經(jīng)紀(jì)人”,,2019年被《硅谷現(xiàn)代奢華生活》雜志譽(yù)為“最佳生活方式禮賓顧問(wèn)”。她說(shuō),,她的業(yè)務(wù)純靠口碑推薦,。“我們的網(wǎng)站不是為了吸引新客戶,,網(wǎng)站只是為了方便客戶了解目的地、酒店和旅行體驗(yàn),?!?
布克斯說(shuō),他們不提供”千篇一律“的旅行,,所有行程都是專門(mén)定制,。“博客當(dāng)中推薦的酒店我基本都親自住過(guò),,客戶也信任我,?!?/p>
最近,《財(cái)富》雜志采訪了布克斯,,談及新冠病毒如何影響她所在的行業(yè)及未來(lái)規(guī)劃,,也聊到了她在面對(duì)疫情時(shí)如何管理自身情緒和財(cái)務(wù)狀況。為簡(jiǎn)明起見(jiàn),,以下對(duì)話內(nèi)容有所刪減,。
《財(cái)富》:每年這時(shí)候生意怎樣,?在沒(méi)有疫情的時(shí)候,通常一天或一周是怎么過(guò)的,?
布克斯:正常情況下,,這時(shí)我們會(huì)忙著做各種旅行規(guī)劃,預(yù)訂酒店,、航班,,計(jì)劃春假和暑期活動(dòng),列出詳細(xì)行程單,。今年,前往墨西哥,、希臘和大峽谷安縵酒店的春假旅行全都取消了,。夏天還說(shuō)不好。
《財(cái)富》:你什么時(shí)候意識(shí)到新冠病毒爆發(fā)會(huì)影響到你的生意,?目前情況怎么樣,?
布克斯:1月31日,,我離開(kāi)美國(guó)去約旦和埃及,出了兩周的差,。當(dāng)時(shí)中國(guó)爆發(fā)病毒的新聞剛傳出來(lái),,我沒(méi)覺(jué)得我的旅行有危險(xiǎn),。回來(lái)后,,我們細(xì)細(xì)檢查了接下來(lái)的每項(xiàng)行程,建議客戶取消預(yù)訂,。大多數(shù)酒店都能靈活處理,,提前24到48小時(shí)即可取消。杜卡普酒店一開(kāi)始要提前30天取消,,后來(lái)他們改過(guò)來(lái)了,,不過(guò)目前我們還沒(méi)取消6月下旬去那邊的行程,。
我們也建議客戶等一陣,考慮重新安排行程,,而不是全部取消,。如果直接取消的話,航空公司很少退款,。但如果等一段時(shí)間,,等到航班取消,航空公司就只能退款而不是只給積分,。斯坦福大學(xué)閉校后,,我們?nèi)∠艘粓?chǎng)龐大的希臘之旅,但去希臘的航班我們一直等到了航班取消,,后來(lái)拿到了全額退款,。酒店能接受取消預(yù)訂,我們?cè)谘诺涞穆眯猩鐖F(tuán)隊(duì)慷慨地退還了原本不可退的押金,。需要時(shí)我們會(huì)提供退款,。意大利旅游服務(wù)的退款一直很慢,,但估計(jì)當(dāng)?shù)毓緯?huì)全額退。
我們剛剛為一位年輕的高管和家人取消了溫布爾登網(wǎng)球公開(kāi)賽的行程,,他之前還買了中心球場(chǎng)的貴賓票,。好幾位客戶都把重要行程推遲到了明年,。不過(guò)他們?nèi)匀粺釔?ài)旅游,,這點(diǎn)我們很高興!
《財(cái)富》:等一切結(jié)束后,你認(rèn)為旅游業(yè)要怎樣才能復(fù)蘇,?時(shí)間需要多久,?
布克斯:我認(rèn)為旅游業(yè)格局在很多方面會(huì)發(fā)生變化,,會(huì)出現(xiàn)全新的商業(yè)模式。現(xiàn)在,,旅行中介都在家工作,。大型旅行社可能關(guān)閉實(shí)體辦公室以減少開(kāi)支,,他們會(huì)用上遠(yuǎn)程工作新系統(tǒng)。多數(shù)公司有獨(dú)立承包商,,而沒(méi)有獨(dú)立承包商的公司可能也會(huì)用上新系統(tǒng),。旅行社員工數(shù)量可能會(huì)縮減,我就認(rèn)識(shí)不少被強(qiáng)制休無(wú)薪假的人,。
在時(shí)間和信任方面,,家庭和上年紀(jì)的游客可能不愿意去繁忙的城市。一些原來(lái)坐普通飛機(jī)的客人可能現(xiàn)在選擇私人包機(jī),。在美國(guó),旅行者希望找到可靠來(lái)源獲知準(zhǔn)確信息,,但政府并未提供可靠的信息,。
游輪會(huì)比較麻煩。因?yàn)樾袆?dòng)全在船上,,所以對(duì)游輪旅行,,旅行者會(huì)非常非常猶豫。新聞報(bào)道里那些可怕的游輪感染的故事仍然鋪天蓋地,。游輪業(yè)要完善退款政策,我在一些私人社交媒體賬號(hào)里提到,,退款政策這方面,,游輪不是很慷慨。
航空公司可能愿意修改傭金結(jié)構(gòu),,他們之前給旅行社的傭金越來(lái)越少,,但現(xiàn)在,,航空公司急需旅行社帶來(lái)旅客,他們從來(lái)沒(méi)有像現(xiàn)在這樣那么需要旅行社。
酒店業(yè)的話,,我知道多切斯特酒店等品牌還在支付員工薪水,,疫情過(guò)去后,他們復(fù)蘇會(huì)比其他酒店快,,倫敦的博蒙特酒店也還在給員工支付工資,。
《財(cái)富》:非常時(shí)期,除了工作之外,,在情緒和心理方面你是怎么應(yīng)對(duì)的?
布克斯:自從我在家辦公以來(lái),,日常工作沒(méi)變,。工作必要的設(shè)備齊全,可以100%正常工作,。我可不會(huì)趴在餐桌邊,,坐在非人體工學(xué)椅上工作。
做好計(jì)劃后,,我就很高效。有時(shí)會(huì)晚睡,,或者早上多看幾份旅游雜志,。我每天都在辦公室里至少待上五個(gè)小時(shí)。我在期間寫(xiě)博客,,翻閱大量旅游雜志尋找靈感,,注冊(cè)參加9月以后的旅游峰會(huì),我還會(huì)觀看有關(guān)財(cái)務(wù)策略的網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討會(huì),,我也參加了旅游寫(xiě)作的網(wǎng)絡(luò)研討。
我認(rèn)為疫情是件喜憂參半的事,。我們?nèi)∠艘恍┬谐?,但保留?2月圣誕季期間的活動(dòng),還幫12位朋友安排了2021年一場(chǎng)重要的南非之旅,。
我沒(méi)法去健身房,,不過(guò)我在家有健身器材,。我也會(huì)找朋友散步,相互之間保持近2米距離,,她是一家奢侈品雜志的編輯,,我們經(jīng)常一起討論創(chuàng)意,。我覺(jué)得這些鍛煉,讓我工作時(shí)更積極,,而且我也可以利用鍛煉時(shí)間進(jìn)行創(chuàng)造性的思考,。旅行也有同樣的效果,在這種隨意偶然的時(shí)間里,,我腦中就不會(huì)有日常商務(wù)瑣事的噪音,更容易專注于思考,。
客戶感謝我們能退款,,也感謝我們及時(shí)建議取消行程,。我們的客戶群穩(wěn)定而忠誠(chéng),,他們也贊賞我們的主動(dòng)作為。有些客戶給我們發(fā)來(lái)一些很棒的感謝信,。這種互信,我在社交媒體上稱之為“客戶之愛(ài)”,。
我是不是有點(diǎn)瘋狂,?沒(méi)錯(cuò)!我熱愛(ài)旅行,,只要能出門(mén),,我立即就會(huì)啟程。這周本來(lái)幾位年輕的科技行業(yè)高管預(yù)訂了大峽谷安縵酒店的房間,,當(dāng)然后來(lái)取消了。安縵酒店有個(gè)新的豪華露營(yíng)區(qū),,預(yù)計(jì)4月30日開(kāi)放,,我收到了邀請(qǐng),只要一開(kāi)門(mén)就馬上會(huì)去參觀,。(財(cái)富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:梁宇
審校:夏林
責(zé)編:雨晨
The high season for the travel industry should have been just around the corner.
Gwen Books has been running her own boutique luxury firm in Atherton, Calif. for the last 18 years. "My office opens up to my garden," Books says about working from home. "It’s an inspiring, comfortable environment."
Catering to "high net worth individuals" in Silicon Valley (as well as "young tech titan billionaires, real estate magnates, fashion designers, and a few movie actors"), the agency provides highly-tailored vacations and journeys. "They rely on us to design and implement their frequent worldwide travels," Books says.
Books—who has been lauded by The Hollywood Reporter as a "dream vacation agent" in 2015 and by Modern Luxury Silicon Valley as the "Best Lifestyle Concierge" in 2019—works strictly by referral. "Our website is not up to garner new clients," she explains. "It is up for the sole use of our clients to read about some of the locations, hotels, and journey experiences we offer. Each journey is bespoke; we don’t offer ‘canned’ trips. For the most part, I have stayed in all the hotel properties featured on the blog posts, and my clients trust me to know the perfect property for their escapes."
Fortune spoke with Books for a new series, The Coronavirus Economy, to ask about how COVID-19 has affected her business and her plans for the future, and to get a sense of how she has been handling this news, both emotionally and financially. The following Q&A has been condensed and lightly edited for clarity.
Fortune: What's your business normally like this time of year? What did a typical day or week look like before this happened?
Books: We would be inundated with planning and reserving hotels, flights, and activities for spring break, summer planning, and itineraries. We’ve canceled all spring break trips to Mexico, Greece, and Amangiri in the desert. Summer is still on hold.
When did you realize that the outbreak of COVID-19 was going to affect your business? How has it so far?
I departed the U.S. for Jordan and Egypt on January 31 for a two-week business journey. The virus news in China was just percolating then; I didn't feel there was any danger in my travels. When I returned, we went through each and every upcoming itinerary and advised clients of cancel options. Hotels, for the most part, have flexible windows, i.e. 24- to 48-hour cancel [windows]. Hotel du Cap has a 30-day window; they have since modified their cancel window. We have not yet canceled a two-week stay there in late June.
We also advised our clients to wait and think about rescheduling rather than canceling their trips. Airlines—rarely, if ever—provide a refund. If one waits, and the airline cancels flights, they have to provide a refund rather than a credit. We canceled a glorious trip to Greece when Stanford sent kids home to parents; we waited to cancel airfare, and we're happy to achieve a full refund. Hotels accepted cancellations, and my touring teaming in Athens graciously refunded a non-refundable tour deposit. We’ve made refunds when necessary. Italy has been slow to refund for touring services, but we expect the [local] firm to fully refund.
And we just canceled Wimbledon for a young executive and his family who had tickets for Centre Court in Debenture seats. Several clients have rescheduled significant trips to next year. But we are happy they are still enthusiastic about traveling!
When this is all over, what do you think it will take for the travel industry to recover? And how much time do you think that would require?
I think the travel landscape will change on many fronts, a new business model. Agents are now working from home. Large travel agencies may close physical offices to cut their overhead; they know the new system works. Most have independent contractors, and those who don't may navigate to that system. I know many agents who have been furloughed.
Time and trust: Families and elderly travelers may be reluctant to head to busy cities. Some who fly commercial may decide to fly privately. In the U.S., travelers need to find a reliable source for accurate information; our government is not providing reliable information.
Cruise ships: Travelers will think twice, if not three times, about being confined on a ship. Visible horror stories still dominate the news. The cruise industry will need to refine their refund policies. I’m in some private social media posts that mention cruise ships are not being particular generous in cancellation policies.
Airlines may be willing to modify their commission structure, but they need agencies now. They have become very stringent in commissions; they will need the industry more than ever.
Some hotels, like The Dorchester brand, is paying its employees; it will ramp up quicker than other hotels. The Beaumont in London is still paying its staff.
Aside from business, how have you been coping—emotionally, mentally—from day- to-day during this tumultuous time?
Since I work from a home office, my routine has not altered. I am set up with the necessary equipment to function at 100%. I’m not sitting at a kitchen table in an uncomfortable, non-ergonomic chair.
I function best with structure. I may sleep later and read more travel magazines in the morning. I’m in my office every day for a least five hours: writing blog posts, pouring over my piles of travel magazines for inspiration, registering for travel conferences for September onward, watching webinars on financial strategies. I took a travel-writing webinar.
I look at this time as a mixed blessing. We are canceling some trips, but we are reserving December festivities, and coordinating a significant South Africa safari for 12 friends in 2021.
I have workout equipment at home since I can’t go to the gym, and I walk with a friend, six feet apart. She is the editor of a luxury magazine, and we brainstorm stories. I feel it has provided time to be more proactive in my business and allows me time to think creatively. When I travel, I find my head is clear of the day-to-day business noise, and this less structured time has provided that same benefit.
Our clients have been grateful for refunds, and for keeping them appraised of cancelations. We have a strong, dedicated client base, and they appreciate our proactive approach. It has inspired tangible loyalty; we have received some lovely thank you notes. "Client love" is how I phrase it on social media.
Am I a little stir crazy? Yes! I love traveling, and the moment we can depart, I will be out the door. A couple of our young tech execs had reservations for Amangiri this week, which of course, were canceled. Amangiri has a new glamping tent area, Camp Sarika, which is supposed to be opening on April 30. I have an invitation to visit the moment they open.