At the 100 Club event held in Chicago last week, the Abercrombie & Kent (A&K) team hosted more than 100 top sales advisors to talk about the brand's new features, highlight what's to come, and highlight the brand's leaps and bounds. celebrated. The luxury travel industry has been working like never before since the pandemic began just a few years ago.
A&K, which kept more than 70% of customer funds in-house during the pandemic, has outperformed that period. Amy Wayman, A&K's managing director and vice president of marketing, said the company had its best year ever in 2023, and 2024 is on track to be even better. The goal for 2025 is to innovate and simplify for both Advisor his partners and guests.
“This is the most exciting time in A&K's future,” said Wayman.
This includes continuing to invest in digital products. According to Wayman, his 97% of A&K guests now receive their documents through the A&K app, and 90% of guests check the app multiple times during their trip. A&K has also added the ability for guests to book luxury shore excursions through its app.
For advisors, A&K recently launched a new portal in Crystal. A separate A&K advisor portal will also be coming soon, where advisors will be able to view sales reports, commission status, and assign roles to internal teams.
Continuing the advisor theme, A&K also continues to invest in the sales team that works with advisors. The company's reservations, product and sales office teams currently have a combined 1,700 years of travel experience and 1,000 years of A&K experience.
Each A&K brand also has its own dedicated sales team.
Demand remains strong
Demand for A&K's luxury travel products may be changing, but it remains strong.
Despite last summer's crowds, Europe remains popular with A&K guests. Stephanie Schmudde, A&K's senior vice president of global product strategy, said Europe offers great accessibility for North American consumers and, although still expensive, pricing. Being “better” than before is driving demand in Europe.
Outside of Europe, “bold” destinations are starting to trend higher among A&K customers. This includes East and Southern Africa, Patagonia, Peru, the Americas, Southeast Asia, and India.
To meet growing demand, Schmudde said, “We are building a global portfolio that includes bolder destinations.”
Some of these bold destinations are growing out of a desire to see wildlife. Ann Epting, senior vice president of private jet travel, and Santiago Dunn, CEO of A&K Latin America, both said wildlife and close encounters are what attract guests.
Future plans for A&K and Crystal Cruises
A&K executives have teased several new product launches planned for the brand over the next two years.
- The third lodge in Kenya will open in July 2025 and is currently in the planning stages. It will contain 16 units and is being built in Amboseli National Park.
- “Significant” upgrades to two other camps, Gorilla Forest Camp in Uganda and Bains Camp in Botswana.
- A new DMC in Mexico will open this year, following the opening of a new DMC in Costa Rica in 2023 and DMCs in Saudi Arabia, Namibia, Colombia and Canada in 2022. DMC will be led by a 13-year veteran of A&K.
- New private jet travel and exciting expeditions include:
- A new Geoffrey Kent journey on March 7 will take you to Raja Ampat and the Spice Islands.
- Two new wildlife journeys are planned for 2025. One in May (Hawaii – Palau – Sumatra – Nepal – Seychelles – Namibia – Brazil – Panama – FLL) and the other in September (Wildlife of the Americas).
- Jeffrey Kent's Around the World: An inspiring private jet expedition. Scheduled for the end of 2025.
- A new sanctuary facility in Mexico. A&K's first coastal sanctuary facility. Executives described it as a more nature-centered facility rather than a “beach” option.
- Patagonia's new lodge is still in the planning stages, with the company currently aiming to debut in 2026.
- This is a Crystal Cruises expedition ship scheduled to enter service within the next two years.
- South America's first riverboat sailing through Peru. The ship will make her maiden voyage in April 2025, offering three- and four-night itineraries in the Peruvian Amazon.
- Eleven new small group trips are planned for 2025, including three new trips in the Peruvian Amazon, a return trip to Cuba, and a new itinerary in India.
- A new luxury expedition cruise aboard Ecoventura to the Galapagos Islands. It will be launched in mid-May to coincide with A&K's new expeditions to Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Scotland and Ireland.
Wayman told 100 Club attendees that A&K's “secret sauce” is the DMC network the company has expanded around the world. This network includes a new DMC in Mexico and six DMCs in Africa. 4 locations in Egypt, the Middle East, and North Africa. 4 in Europe. three in Asia Pacific; Three in China and Southeast Asia. and nine in the Americas.
Stephanie Schmudde told attendees this week that as part of the simplifications her team is working on, they can now better segment customers. Schmudde went so far as to say that when advisors think about their clients, he thinks of them in two categories: those who prefer to travel in groups and those who prefer to travel alone.
A&K has added to its inventory for both of these groups, including a larger portfolio of both small group travel in 2025 and tailor-made travel to “satisfy a variety of customers” later on.
