Skift Take
Aman wants to create more customers for life by catering to families with kids and teenagers. It's a smart long-term strategy, but the company will need to involve younger travelers in a way that makes sense for a luxury brand.
Editor’s Note: This is one of a series of video interviews from the Skift Take Studio, presented by KDS, that were filmed at last year's Skift Global Forum.
During the 2017 Skift Global Forum in September in New York City, we heard from a host of the travel industry’s top leaders from across every sector. And after first speaking to them on stage in front of an audience of more than 1,100, we took another few minutes with them to get more insight in our backstage Skift Take Studio.
Global luxury chain Aman Resorts is finding some success in attracting millennials, Chief Operating Officer Roland Fasel said during Skift Global Forum last year.
In our behind-the-scenes conversation, he acknowledged that the company is also looking to cater to even younger potential guests.
“Right now, we’re not really in the family space,” Fasel said. “We decided we want to be in the family space.”
He said the company is in the process of figuring out how to integrate kids and teenagers into the Aman concept.
“So it’s not about building a kids’ club,” he said. “It’s about creating staff for that particular segment, for them to be getting engaged in our Aman culture and Aman world so they will be there for generations to come.”
With 33 hotels, resorts, and private residences in 21 countries, Aman already has a brand built on creating “access in some of the most fascinating corners of the world,” Fasel said. Modern consumers are demanding more activities and opportunities to learn new skills, he said.
The company is working to create “transformational experiences” — a real buzz phrase in the luxury travel sector — to cater to those customer desires.
“Those trends which everybody is talking about, it’s part of my DNA really,” Fasel said.
He said it is crucial in the travel business for companies to continuously reinvent themselves.
“If you’re not innovating and if you’re not creative, I think that’s the end of your brand,” he said. “The only true competitive advantage comes through creativity.”
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Tags: aman, luxury, sgf2017, skift global forum, sts 2017
Photo credit: Aman Chief Operating Officer Roland Fasel spoke in the Skift Take Studio about luxury trends and his company's desire to cater to families. Skift