Current Air Travel Security Measures Offer Opportunity for Luxury Hotels and Vacation Rentals Who Help Travelers Avoid Bag Checks
Aug. 16, 2006. Like all temporary crises, the new, more restrictive rules for airline travel offer an opportunity for those in the travel industry—both hotels and luxury vacation rentals –who are willing to act quickly to meet customer needs
Yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (subscription required) contained an article suggesting that the new security rules and long luggage waits may hurt business travel. The article by Scott McCarthy reports that, “With liquids banned from passenger cabins, more travelers will have to check baggage, even for one-night business trips. The time and uncertainty involved will likely discourage some business travelers who can drive or ride trains to destinations, or get by with conference calls and email.�
While McCarthy’s article focuses on the business traveler, the same is true for many vacationers. Many vacationers who are going away for a quick getaway are simply not about to go through the additional hassle of waiting a long time to retrieve their baggage, with the possibility of it not being there at all. As McCarthy reports, on average, one passenger among every 200 on big airlines ended up with a mishandled bag in the first half of this year.
The article reports that hotels have already begun to act, giving Wyndham Worldwide Corp. hotels as an example of hotels offering arriving guests complimentary bottled water, contact lens solution, hair spray, hair gel, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant and other personal-care products. Many hotels have long made these items available for guests who may have left something at home.
Fro luxury vacation rentals that depend to any degree on air travelers, it would be wise to follow the practice of hotels and stock these items. It would even be wise to advertise that these items are available for air travelers, and offer to have them in the vacation rental in advance for travelers who request them. Remember, any time the rules of a business change, the first to adapt to the new reality is likely to suffer the least disruption.
