INSPIRING TRAVELS
For decades, Abercrombie & Kent has built a legacy of luxury throughout all of its itineraries. Regional Managing Director Sujata Raman talks about the company’s passion for taking its clients out of their comfort zone in comfort.
Abercrombie & Kent has built a legacy of luxury throughout all of its itineraries.
Sujata Raman, Abercrombie & Kent’s Regional Managing Director Australia/Asia Pacific, believes that luxury is at the heart of the brand. “I feel luxury is part of Abercrombie & Kent [A&K] heritage, it’s part of our DNA,” she says. “I think while A&K is a vastly different company to what we were when we started in the 1960s, we are essentially still the same.”
The company began in East Africa in 1962 with a safari, and for more than half a century it has been redefining luxury travel. These days the company boasts 55 offices around the world, and has more than 2,500 travel experts on the ground offering travellers unforgettable experiences.
“We have the same values and vision – taking people to amazing places in style,” Raman says. “I have been with A&K for almost 28 years and I always feel I have to be a bit apologetic for that, as people don’t generally stay around for that long. Organisations change, people change, and it’s always a balance because you have to change constantly but remain faithful to your core promise. I think that’s the challenge that leaders always face.”
Staff at A&K do have a real passion for travel, and an interest in the world more than just wanting to go somewhere glamorous. “A lot of people think that because we are at the luxury end, we are a bit staid, but we take people out of their comfort zone in comfort,” says Raman. “The A&K guest is looking for the intrinsic difference – it’s much more about the experience. They are great learners. They want to stay somewhere and have a great meal and a lovely glass of wine – but it’s more than just that. Now guests have certain expectations. You may be in the middle of Mongolia, but guests still expect a good meal and a decent glass of wine. Those are just a given these days.”
In the competitive world of travel – and especially the luxury end of the market, where many travel companies can and do make extraordinary claims of exclusivity with never-before- seen experiences – A&K are always looking
“Luxury is part of A&K heritage, it’s part of our DNA.”
SUJATA RAMAN
for new markets, and are nimble in getting their product to the people. “With a company like ours you really need to investigate the product, dry run it and conduct health and safety checks. You can’t just decide we will go to Armenia – it takes about two years to put it together. Geoffrey Kent [founder, chairman and CEO of A&K] has a series of trips called Inspiring Expeditions, where he takes groups to the South Pole. That trip was four years in the making. You have to get the details right,” explains Raman.
This exceptional level of detail is simply what clients expect – and like all the best travel experiences offered, it comes down to building the best relationships and partnerships.
“We use our own people on the ground. That’s how we open doors,” states Raman. “You can’t buy that. Getting the experts is all relationship based. Our customer is well informed – a lot of guests research quite widely and are well travelled. It’s a much less passive view of the world, our guests really want to get involved.”
A&K Philanthropy is run as a separate division and is completely funded by A&K. Raman says they work with 40 projects around the world. “Sometimes projects come through our local relationships, and sometimes we work with our partners. There’s a stringent process with how we choose our projects, and we like ones our guests can get involved with. There’s a real sense of people wanting to make the trip worthwhile. It’s very popular with multigenerations.”
The company has seen a growth in multigenerational families travelling together. “As people get busier, they see this as a way to catch up,” states Raman. “Because of the places we go, teenagers aren’t going to be holed up with a device.”