Luxury Network Evening 2016: Laura Mitchell

London – Laura Mitchell, marketing manager at luxury travel agency Brown & Hudson, explained to the audience at our Luxury Network Evening how bespoke travel is evolving and why consumers want to forget about the destination.

• Brown & Hudson is ideally placed to take advantage of luxury consumers’ increased interest in experiences rather than material luxury
• Its approach to creating bespoke holidays concentrates on developing a deep understanding of a client and its goals, rather than just key destinations it is interested in

Every trip that Brown & Hudson creates is unique. This is because each itinerary is based on building a deep understanding of the client rather than simply asking it about a desired location. After an initial consultation, Brown & Hudson conducts a more in-depth interview with customers before progressing to the research and concept stages. The team spend about 90 hours on each trip, which means that they only work with a limited number of clients each year.

The Brown & Hudson ethos is encapsulated in the Journey with no Destination service. The premise behind this product is that it starts with a client identifying a personal goal, such as confidence and serenity, and the travel agency creates a package that helps it to achieve that aim. Clients don’t discover the destination until they reach the airport, so they can concentrate on their goals without distraction.