Presented at the CLIA UK & Ireland Luxury Cruise Expo, 2 & 3 September 2013, Dover Cruise Port

4. What makes a Smith hotel?
It's not about stars or diamonds
o originality of design
o attention to detail
o can you fit two in the bath?
o how comfortable is the bed?
o can the barman mix me a perfect martini?
o is the service attentive, not overbearing?
o quirky, individual touches that live long in the memory
Size may matter, but attitude is everything
● From small owner-run guesthouses for £100 a night to luxury £1,000-a-
night city stays.

5. Post Ranch Image

6. Cap estelle

7. Alila

8. Another image

9. Another image

10. Where Smith is at today
• Aiming to be the world’s most trusted travel brand to find and book the best boutique hotels
• Two websites: mrandmrssmith.com and smithandfamily.co.uk
• A growing collection of 900+ hand-picked hotels worldwide (+100 per year)
• Publishers of 9 coffee-table guides that have sold more than 300,000 copies
• 750,000 global members of our travel club (BlackSmith, SilverSmith and GoldSmith)
• Online booking engine, developed and managed in-house
• 24hr in-house Travel Team based in our offices in London, Melbourne and New York
• 100 employees worldwide
• 750,000 monthly unique visitors, 5 million monthly page impressions
• 15,000 room nights booked each month
• Multi platform: books, websites, iPhone app, social media
• Condé Nast Traveller Readers’ Awards – ‘Best Travel Website’ 2011 and 2012

11. Our Brands

12. What the press say...
‘Informed, witty and original'
Harpers' Bazaar
'City chic, coastal cool or contemporary
country retreats for discerning
holidaymakers'
The Times
‘One of the savviest travel brands to have
emerged in recent years’
Sunday Times Travel Magazine
'A fantastic guide to the most stylish
escapes'
Style Magazine

13. The Smith Customer
- Wealthy, discerning
- AB: 64%
- Avg age 40
- 60% female : 40% male
Urban Cool – Successful city
dwellers, couples with high
disposable income
Global Power Brokers – Wealthy
financial professionals
Serious Money – Very wealthy
families, older 'empty nesters'

14. How do we find them?
● PR
● Partnerships with like minded brands
● Large-scale media promotions
● E-commerce: PPC (pay per click), advertising,
retargeting
● Social: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+
● Apps
● Video
● Events
● Peer-to-peer advocacy

15. What do luxury seeking customers
want from us as a brand?
● To trust our recommendations – all our hotels are
reviewed anonymously by trusted tastemakers,
including Stella McCartney, Tom Aikens, Ricky Wilson
(Kaiser Chiefs), Mary Portas and Dita Von Teese
● To give them the inside scoop on what to do
● To be able to get advice and book the way they want:
online, phone, chat or e-mail 24hrs a day
● To know we’re here for them in case there’s a problem
● To not pay more than if they went direct to the hotel

16. ● First-hand knowledge of the product
● To be surprised and delighted by our efforts
● To take care of everything, cross every t and dot every i
● An understanding of the differences between different
levels of luxury: eg, business class compared to first
● Recognition: from us when they return and by the hotel
they are booking
● Not to be made to feel demanding
● To know their likes and dislikes
● To be intuitive
What do they expect from our
Travel Team booking service?

17. How do we deliver that?
● Product knowledge – familiarisation trips essential
● Manage expectations – under-promise and over-deliver
● Offer to take control of every detail, even if the
components do not increase margin
● Never commiserate about high prices, or agree that
they are high, instead highlight what the price gets you
● Deliver quotes with confidence: just because you
wouldn’t dream of paying £1,000 a night, doesn’t mean
your client feels the same
● Always highlight the importance of your client to the
hoteliers
● Leave nothing to chance

18. How do we stay in touch?
● Thoughtful CRM (customer relations management)
programme, on- and offline (DM)
● Preference centres – members choose how often
they want their communications and by what methods
● Outbound calls
● Automatic booking prompts
● Knowing their key dates – eg, birthdays and
anniversaries
● Loyalty scheme

19. A few travel trends
● The rise of the unique boutique hotel and guesthouse
● Understated luxury: less flash, more wholesome
● Provenance of ingredients
○ field-to-fork policies
○ ‘live’ kitchen gardens
○ Back-to-front kitchens
● Eco becoming more of a consideration while on your trip. Does the
hotel feel wasteful?
● Authentic private tours by locals not tour guides
● The bucket list – what's your Everest?
● Designer hotels: Armani, Bulgari, Missoni
● Luxury family hotels
● Getting mobile – responsive design

20. The Pig, Hampshire

21. QT Port Douglas, Australia

22. Missoni Hotel, Edinburgh

23. Borgo Egnazia, Puglia

24. Get a room!

25. Uncovering the world's
best boutique hotels since 2003
mrandmrssmith.com smithandfamily.co.uk

27. SeaDream - “Yachting Not Cruising”

28. Five words best to describe SeaDream
1) Exclusive 2) Boutique 3) Refined 4) Informal 5) Global

29. Some things that you may not know
about SeaDream
1. SeaDream is the highest rated cruise product in the world (Berlitz
Guide to Cruising)
2. Exclusive and yet very informal & relaxed
3. Almost a 1:1 staff/guest ratio
4. Alfresco Open Dining (‘Topside’) for all meals
5. Balinese Beds ‘sleep under the stars’
6. Boutique ports
7. Water sports ‘toys’ & swimming from the ship
8. Caviar ‘splash’ party
9. Incredible gourmet dining & service
10. Inclusive wines & all beverages (tipping neither required nor
expected)

30. Water sports

31. More Water sports

32. Informality & Alfresco Dining

33. ‘Top of the Yacht Bar’

34. ‘Prickly Pear’ Island

35. Caribbean Beach Party

36. Global Guest Mix
48%
20%10%
15%
7%
North
America
Scandinavia
Latin
America
UK
Other

37. Who are our guests?
 Affluent
 Well travelled
 Active & Young (51 yrs !)
 Informal
 Discerning
 Cultured
 Seeking ‘Soft Adventure’
 ‘Port Collectors’
 Thrill seekers
 You have them !

38. It’s Yachting not Cruising !

39. Thank you