An exclusive interview with Alan Rogers, founder and CEO of Red Carpet Luxury Lifestyle

Red Carpet Luxury Lifestyle has been offering unique luxurious journey and wellness experiences to a spread of discerning prospects, each company and personal, since its inception in 1996. Their dedication to distinctive private service in creating curated itineraries mixed with their intensive expertise, depth of information and focused worldwide partnerships makes them a frontrunner within the demanding luxurious market. 

Our good pals over at Luxurious Way of life Awards (LLA) spoke to the founder and CEO, Alan Rogers, concerning the inspiration behind his firm, the philosophy they function by their biggest achievements, and their plans for the long run. 

LLA: What was your inspiration behind founding Purple Carpet Luxurious Way of life? 

Alan Rogers: Previous to beginning my firm, I used to be basic supervisor at London Luton Airport. Throughout this time, I used to be extraordinarily disenchanted with the service ranges and the way the airport cared for his or her passengers. Making an attempt to alter the service tradition was a problem, which is the place I noticed a possibility to begin a very service oriented firm. I wished to take care of folks and make them really feel particular, (it’s in our household’s DNA) I wished to function within the luxurious market, which is why I made a decision to call the corporate Purple Carpet. It doesn’t matter what services or products we had been going to offer sooner or later, they might be accompanied by impeccable service, sustaining the best doable service requirements. I secured workplaces in Knightsbridge as I used to be severe about working within the luxurious market and wished to point out we had been going to be knowledgeable and credible firm.   

LLA: What makes your organization stand out as distinctive within the market? 

AR: Inside a quick interval, we attracted demanding FTSE 100 and Fortune 500 firms as we had already achieved a repute for offering impeccable service. We received a significant contract with Barclays Premier as our bid proposal for his or her annual convention was progressive and distinctive, offering them with a distinct imaginative and prescient on how they checked out and delivered their annual conferences. 

This ultimately culminated in successful the Imaginative and prescient 100 award, an award that recognised the highest 100 visionary firms within the UK, in each the private and non-private sectors. We shared this award with some main UK manufacturers who turned shoppers of ours. We’re exceptionally good at establishing and constructing good relationships. 

We went onto win the entrepreneur of the yr awards with Coutts Financial institution and BT, together with one of the best advertising marketing campaign for our Dwell Like a Millionaire marketing campaign. We had been serving to firms develop profitably and serving to them increase their profile throughout the world market. 

Throughout this time (and even with massive teams), we stored receiving constant suggestions from shoppers saying our service was impeccable and we all the time made folks really feel particular. With each request, our angle has all the time been, whether it is bodily doable and authorized, we are going to make it occur. We created our strapline “The Reply is Sure, What’s the Query” which was our DNA. 

That is what makes us stand out and distinctive within the market. 

LLA: The place do your shoppers come from? Does your consumer record have a world flavour? 

AR: We actually have a world flavour. We now have discerning shoppers from all over the world. We now have catered for billionaire Russians to a beautiful woman within the UK who simply wished one thing particular for her son’s birthday. As we began to get extra inquiries from the USA, we determined to open an workplace in Hollywood. 

We now have shoppers throughout Europe, Australia, Canada, Finland, India, New Zealand, and throughout Asia. As now we have expertise of working with many numerous cultures and cuisines, this permits us to cater for everybody. 

LLA: Do you’ve got plenty of repeat enterprise with shoppers returning to design additional experiences? 

AR: In the course of the previous 25 years I can’t recall dropping a consumer. Shoppers’ tendencies and budgets change relying upon their circumstances. Nonetheless, probably the most gratifying state of affairs is when our shoppers’ youngsters change into shoppers as we taken care of them so properly after they had been youthful. Our shoppers are impressed by new and progressive experiences that we curate like our Street to Longevity Retreat that explains the straightforward components to dwelling a happier, more healthy, and longer life, while offering a leisure program of genuine life-style experiences. When our shoppers wish to have fun one thing actually particular, they all the time come to us first. 

LLA: What particular providers are you able to provide when arranging your journey experiences? 

AR: All our particular providers begin lengthy earlier than the consumer travels. Security all the time comes first, so we get to know their dietary necessities, their allergy symptoms, their likes, dislikes, and apprehensions. We get to know if something scares or actually excites them. We then get to grasp their aspirations, wants, and desires. Their favorite meals, drinks, most popular lodging, views, and select the suitable institutions for them to get pleasure from. We even match their favorite colors and flowers throughout the providers we offer (however we can’t reveal how we do that). We set up what is going to make their expertise additional particular. We contemplate comfort, from previous to leaving their houses, all through their keep within the vacation spot and returning residence once more. It goes with out saying that while they’re in resort, each element is taken care of together with every kind of transportation, selecting varied areas and locations of curiosity, menus and drinks selections, leisure, procuring, and most of all particular enhanced providers not obtainable to the general public. 

LLA: What rules does your organization function on to make sure it delivers a world-class providing? 

AR: Firstly, our enterprise is all about folks. We guarantee our workforce has the proper mindset with the proper ability set. We guarantee they’re totally educated to the best service requirements which embody Forbes Journey Guides luxurious requirements. Our rules are based mostly upon being caring, courteous, gracious, considerate, respectful, educated, skillful, and all the time offering a way of personalised service with knowledgeable immaculate look. Along with this, we are going to all the time take possession and supply anticipatory providers. Our shoppers don’t have to assume after they journey with us, every part is taken care of. 

LLA: Are you able to inform us about a few of the most outstanding experiences you’ve got organised because the begin of your organization? 

AR: Wow, this can be a troublesome one with so many experiences to select from. We now have organized for shoppers to fly fighter jets in Cape City. We employed a battleship for a boy’s 13^th birthday and organized for England footballers to play 5 a aspect soccer on deck with him and his pals. 

We curated a shock 10-day tour to France and Italy for a girl to have fun her husband’s 40^th birthday. The itinerary was wonderful, however the consideration to element was impeccable. We ensured his favorite (uncommon) snacks, meals and drinks had been obtainable onboard the non-public jet we chartered. A 40-year-old bottle of his favorite wine was ready chilled to the precise temperature on his precise birthday. We organised a yacht constitution in Portofino with non-public visits to a number of locations with a prestigious non-public chef catering for his or her each whim. 

We organised a twenty fifth marriage ceremony anniversary canal cruise in France. Shock VIP tickets had been ready to attend a live performance of their favorite artist, a non-public jet whisked them to Morocco to go to Ricks Café in Casablanca because it was their favorite Humphrey Bogart movie. We additionally flew in specialist tea, meals, and gadgets of clothes from Russia to make sure all components of residence consolation was obtainable throughout their anniversary journey. 

We now have taken our shoppers and their youngsters on a non-public jet to Lapland to go to Santa Claus. Throughout their go to they’d dinner in igloos, went husky racing, and rode with reindeers. We took them snowmobiling throughout frozen lakes, and we employed a non-public log cabin in the course of nowhere, the place Santa Claus and his elf’s visited to offer everybody a personalised Christmas present. 

LLA: What achievement or expertise are you most happy with? 

AR: In 1998 I used to be requested if I might assist develop tourism in Colombia. I agreed and travelled to Cartagena to collaborate carefully with the vacationer authority, native journey, and tourism firms. I felt they need to change their technique and the way in which they positioned Colombia at commerce reveals and exhibitions. They took my recommendation, and later that yr they attended world journey market with wonderful outcomes. They had been thrilled with my suggestions and stated they might be honored if I’d be a decide for his or her Miss Colombia contest, which was one of many largest occasions in South America. I stated I’d be honored to evaluate such a prestigious occasion and agreed. Over the six-day interval, I met many dignitaries, celebrities, many pretty folks and naturally eighteen lovely contestants representing every district of Colombia. Throughout this time, I skilled excellent hospitality, wonderful delicacies and general, one thing fairly extraordinary and particular. After efficiently judging the Miss Colombia contest and to my astonishment, I used to be handed the keys to the town.    

LLA: Do you personally have a favorite expertise that you’d advocate? 

AR: This actually is a troublesome query as over the previous 25 years there have been so many wonderful experiences. Royalty has hosted me when visiting the palaces of India and I’ve been a visitor on the Sultan of Brunei’s Palace. I’ve stayed in wonderful castles reliving the historical past of well-known folks equivalent to Andrew Carnegie at Skibo Citadel. I’ve watched the wildlife in Africa and been behind the scenes at Shamwari non-public recreation reserve observing how they give the impression of being after the animals, which was wonderful. 

I’ve flown a Hawker Hunter fighter jet in Cape City, pushed a Formulation 1 automotive, performed elephant polo, been driving on a glacier in Iceland, been to the Ice resort in Sweden, visited Santa Claus in Lapland, been husky racing, rallying and snowmobiling throughout frozen lakes in Finland and visited a few of the finest wine cellars and vineyards globally. 

My favorite…….. it’s not possible to decide on, however I all the time advocate one factor to shoppers. Other than the a whole bunch of experiences we are able to curate, take into consideration what’s most essential to you and what you actually wish to expertise or obtain while you’ll be able to. Then if you happen to can, do it now or you could dwell to remorse it in later life. 

LLA: What key classes have you ever discovered from 25 years within the luxurious journey enterprise? 

AR: Examine, double-check after which examine once more. The posh journey enterprise is private and emotional as individuals are searching for distinctive life experiences. It’s essential to plan rigorously, anticipate every part, don’t take something as a right, and all the time apply the what if rule. Select your employees and suppliers very rigorously and have clear and concise procedures for everybody to stick to. Practice and retrain employees frequently, sustain with know-how and tendencies, and most of all, hearken to your shoppers. At all times be open to progressive concepts and irrespective of what number of years you’ve got been in enterprise, you’ll be able to all the time be taught one thing new, so hear and hold an open thoughts. It’s crucial to be form and courteous to everybody no matter their social standing. 

LLA: Are you able to describe the state of the luxurious journey market at present? 

AR: It’s witnessing speedy progress as a result of improve in demand for distinctive and unique journey experiences that assist folks to cut back their stress ranges. The worldwide luxurious journey market is anticipated to generate a income of $1,369,103.8 million by 2028, rising exponentially at a CAGR of 8.8 per cent in the course of the forecast interval (2021-2028). Publish covid tendencies present luxurious travellers are searching for journey experiences that embody sustainability and duty, exclusivity and personalisation. There may be an emphasis on tradition, delicacies and heritage, individuals are searching for genuine experiences geared in the direction of training, studying, well being and wellness. Luxurious travellers require distinctive and memorable experiences with elevated ranges of service and have larger expectations. The market has clearly seen a rise in non-public jet charters, unique use of inns and villas with luxurious travellers wanting extra privateness. 

LLA: How has your organization been affected by the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic? 

AR: We now have been significantly affected like the remainder of the worldwide hospitality business. Nonetheless, we centered on areas that had been in our management and shaped partnership with firms that would add worth to our genuine and distinctive experiences. We launched a digital platform enabling firms and people to just about work together extra successfully. We designed and launched a brand new web site, opened an workplace in Hollywood and invested in a brand new model of spirits that we are going to be launching subsequent yr. I additionally agreed to assist college students and lecture on luxurious and wellness journey on the ESHTE Faculty of Hospitality and Tourism in Portugal. The primary lecture was aptly named, Time to Rethink Hospitality and Tourism. We used the time successfully which I’m certain will assist us and our shoppers sooner or later.    

LLA: What modifications have you ever seen and what do you expect for the long run within the luxurious journey market? 

AR: Based mostly on our analysis with shoppers and suppliers the modifications have been intensive. Individuals are extra well being and wellness aware and are involved for his or her security. Weight problems has sadly performed its half in deaths throughout Covid, so there is a rise in folks eager to shed some pounds, increase their immune programs, be fitter, more healthy, and dwell longer. Individuals’s expectations have elevated, they won’t settle for poor service, being crammed into eating places and ready for ages to be served. Subsequently, luxurious hospitality companies might want to present distinctive ranges of service, or they’ll face the implications. 

Sooner or later, I imagine the luxurious journey market will flourish in some ways. Individuals who possibly journey 4-5 occasions a yr, will probably solely journey twice a yr, with larger spending to make their journey extra luxurious, experiential, personalised and personal. Individuals can be ready to pay extra if the expertise is outstanding or contributes to their well being. Individuals’s mindset has modified as Covid has made them realise, there might not be a tomorrow. At Red Carpet Luxury Lifestyle, we don’t simply present luxurious experiences, we deal with folks, take care of their well being and wellness, and provides them and their households the life they’ve all the time wished to dwell. 

Go to redcarpet.co.uk for extra data.