Inside Global Traveler’s First Globility Board Meeting: Key Insights

“When’s the next one?” asked Juergen Siebenrock, vice president, the Americas, Lufthansa, as his team wrapped up their innovative and interactive presentation for Global Traveler’s Globility Board.

Lufthansa was the third presenter in our inaugural Globility Board meeting. Last April we introduced the Globility Board: a group of well-traveled subscribers who act as a direct conduit of reader interests and insights for Global Traveler and for industry partners — airlines, hotels and travel brands these frequent travelers use regularly. The event brought board members face-to-face with hospitality and travel providers, created meaningful conversations between vendors and customers, and opened a forum for candid access and actionable feedback.

The first meeting convened Sunday, Jan. 27 at The Benjamin Hotel in New York City. Ten of the 20 board members flew in from across the country to provide candid feedback to Denihan Hospitality (parent company of The Benjamin), our hosts for the two-day event; South African Airways; Lufthansa; and the Global Traveler editorial team.

After a welcome dinner Sunday evening, the board met for a full day of sessions at The Benjamin. Each presentation took a distinct approach, but one constant remained: thoughtful, practical insights from the Globility Board that vendors could immediately use.

Katie Meyer, vice president of corporate communications at Denihan Hospitality, along with Cole Hernandez, assistant director of brand marketing; Lourdes Padilla Ramirez, sales associate; and Joe Gaeta, general manager of The Benjamin, introduced the Denihan portfolio and highlighted The Benjamin’s amenities.

Board members felt strongly that Denihan should better link its New York, Chicago and Miami properties online and in advertising. Presenting the brand as a unified collection of hotels rather than a series of separate properties would build a stronger “trusted brand,” which board member Mark Rizkowsky said creates “a comfort level important for the business traveler.”

Improving the brand’s web presence emerged as a priority. Seasoned travelers wanted to learn more about the chain from its website than they currently could; they felt the site lacked a clear, cohesive brand identity. As Donna Childs observed, “The web presence does not reduce the risk” a small business owner might feel when booking an unfamiliar Denihan property.

Such feedback is vital for Denihan; traveler impressions, suggestions and praise are the foundation for future improvements in the hospitality brand’s offerings and marketing.

“We were delighted to host the Globility Board at The Benjamin. In our business, all decisions must be based on customer input, and Denihan is relentless about that,” Meyer said. “Spending the day with experienced travelers — none of whom were shy about sharing their views — was both eye-opening and entertaining. The Denihan team took notes on the board’s feedback and plans to adopt some of the suggestions.”

Next, Gregg Truman, vice president of marketing for South African Airways, led a discussion with the Globility Board, prompting questions such as: Which airlines stand out? How do you define airline service? What would make you switch carriers? The conversation was followed by a formal presentation on the airline.

Truman welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with experienced travelers. “Collecting feedback in real time allowed South African Airways to hear a diverse range of opinions. This intimate setting enabled in-depth questions that provided sharp insight into how passengers view our brand, products and services,” he said.

One clear insight: the country’s tourism board could do more to promote South Africa as a destination. Paula Vogel’s view of travel time shifted when Truman described a trip to South Africa as “two movies, a nice meal and a good night’s sleep,” a practical framing that changed perceptions for both the airline and travelers.

The board’s definition of service emphasized personal attention: warm greetings, recognition, friendly staff, meal timing flexibility and quality food. Loyalty to airlines, alliances and status levels also emerged as a major factor. Members said meaningful incentives — for example, double elite qualifying miles or status-qualifying incentives — could prompt them to consider switching carriers. Many are also open to trying different airlines once they’ve secured their annual status qualification.

“Passengers expect quality service, and today more than ever airlines, hotels and travel providers must deliver and then go beyond expectations,” Truman said. “Once passengers embrace a brand, they will support it. Frequent-flyer points and awards remain a key driver of loyalty, as our session reinforced.”

Lufthansa took a more interactive route. During its session, the airline used polling software that let board members answer questions live; results were immediately displayed and discussed. Lufthansa presenters included Deborah Horn, global business development; Don Bunkenberg, director of sales, North America; and Juergen Siebenrock, vice president, the Americas.

The Lufthansa team sought advice on attracting more travelers to its first-class cabin — what would motivate customers to pay for upgrades and how to grow first-class business travel.

“At Lufthansa, we regularly gather customer feedback through advisory boards to ensure our products meet expectations,” Horn said. “But opportunities to hear directly from competitors’ customers are rare. When Global Traveler proposed a board of frequent travelers, we were immediately on board.”

Survey results showed most Globility Board members work for small organizations, fly primarily in business class even for leisure trips, book their own travel, and overwhelmingly (91 percent) book directly through airlines’ websites.

Lufthansa executives appreciated the depth of the discussion. “Our expectations were surpassed — the Globility Board members were avid, passionate travelers who stayed highly engaged. Their varied preferences helped us understand how they value bonus and status programs, specific product elements, and booking processes,” Horn said. “They also helped us see how Lufthansa compares to competitors. The participants were savvy and provided concrete feedback that will inform a new offer we plan to introduce.”

Finally, Global Traveler’s editor in chief, Lisa Matte, led a roundtable on the magazine itself, asking subscribers which sections they preferred, which 2012 cover was strongest, how they discovered Global Traveler, and what editorial changes they’d like to see.

The group’s favorite section was GT Tested. The April 2012 Hong Kong cover was the unanimous favorite for strongest cover; opinions varied on the Cabo (July 2012), wine (August 2012) and skiing (November 2012) covers.

Readers asked for more cruise coverage and suggested the monthly Calendar should preview events two to three months ahead. Regarding the relaunched website, members agreed interactive content would encourage repeat visits.

By day’s end, Globility Board members were eager for more sessions, agreeing they could easily participate in additional discussions. That opportunity will arise again when we next assemble this knowledgeable focus group of subscribers somewhere around the globe.

From The Board Our Globility Board attendees share their thoughts on their first experience at the event.

Donna Childs Jersey City, N.J. “I thought the process was perfect for our purposes. The discussions were most insightful.”	Paula Vogel Lake Oswego, Ore. “With the variety of comments, where we agreed was interesting.”
Steve White Los Angeles, Calif. “The group was very savvy; there is much to learn about upgrades and miles from this panel.”	Tom Linhard Parker, Colo. “It was interesting to see cultural differences between European and U.S. traveler expectations.”
Mark Rizkowsky New York, N.Y. “I feel many of our ideas were accepted and actually listened to.”	Celeste Linhard Parker, Colo. “I wouldn’t be surprised if The Travel Channel wanted a glimpse of one of our meetings.”
Joe Cestaro New York, N.Y. “Although opinions varied, everyone was passionate about the travel experience and eager to share their views.”	Mike Russo Colorado Springs, Colo. “There is nothing I can think of to improve the experience. I enjoyed participating and am glad I made it to New York.”
Frank Brightwell Seattle, Wash. “I learned from each presenter — not only about their products but about broader issues and other offerings as a result of our conversations.”	Jean-Christophe Murat North Bay Village, Fla. “The format and length were excellent; hearing industry professionals discuss company strategy was insightful and rare.”

Photos by Christopher P. Ottaunick