Opinion / How well are luxury travel brands adapting to new protocols? Louis Vuitton and Hermès innovated with new pandemic-era strategies, but hotels and airlines are falling behind

Aug 6 , 2021

A luxury hotel room at the Harbour View in Hong Kong. Photo: Four Seasons

For most airlines today, the service and experience of first class can’t compare to before – but some international flight tickets still cost over US$8,000

Meanwhile, luxury hotels and restaurants are closing early and cutting down their menus, giving customers less reason to return

This article is part of Style’s Luxury Column.

This year, with travel restrictions easing and in-person meetings and events recommencing, I had several opportunities to travel first class overseas from the US and stay in luxury hotels. All of these experiences provided case studies of how the luxury travel and hospitality industry has changed in the face of Covid-19.

A luxury hotel room at the Shangri-La Paris. Photo: @shangrilahotels/Instagram

While I understand that certain protocols have to change during a pandemic, luxury brands should find a way to maintain quality service while incorporating these rules. Unfortunately, many companies have fallen behind – all while charging the same, if not more, than before. What is easily forgotten is that luxury is not about the price, but first and foremost about the value that is created.

For contrast, consider two luxury brands that performed well during the pandemic. French leather and fashion brands, Hermès and Louis Vuitton, innovated, excited and offered customers new categories and experiences. Most importantly, they offered exceptional service despite the restrictions that Covid-19 posed.

The Hermès spring/summer 2022 men’s collection show how the brand has continued to innovate during the pandemic. Photo: Hermès

On my first class international flights with several airlines, the pre-boarding experience took about twice as long as before, making me wonder why the airlines hadn’t come up with a customer experience strategy focused on minimising the hassle for their best customers.

In Brussels, on a connecting flight to Amsterdam, I arrived at the airport more than two hours early with only a carry-on and almost missed my flight. With all the documents that the four passengers ahead of me needed, it took more than 20 minutes for each to complete their check-in, even in the priority lane. The airline did not find another solution or assign an additional check-in agent.

The dawn of a new era in responsible air travel, or a premature sunset for carriers too stubborn to change? Photo: Getty Images

In Detroit, on a flight to Europe, the airline needed to meet Covid-19 protocols for all international passengers, which took almost an hour with two agents serving an entire flight. This easily could have been solved by making the customer experience the first priority.

Opinion / How well are luxury travel brands adapting to new protocols? Louis Vuitton and Hermès innovated with new pandemic-era strategies, but hotels and airlines are falling behind

For most airlines today, the service and experience of first class can’t compare to before – but some international flight tickets still cost over US$8,000 Meanwhile, luxury hotels and restaurants are closing early and cutting down their menus, giving customers less reason to return

For most airlines today, the service and experience of first class can’t compare to before – but some international flight tickets still cost over US$8,000

Meanwhile, luxury hotels and restaurants are closing early and cutting down their menus, giving customers less reason to return