Headquarter Happenings: MAST Travel Network Eyes New Luxury Division

MAST Travel Network, the Chicago-based, member-owner travel agency network, is gearing up for the launch of a new luxury division that it hopes will meet the needs of members serving more and more affluent members.

The luxury division was one of several initiatives MAST announced during this year’s annual conference in May, along with a new education program and a new cruise booking engine powered by Traveltek. It is a big development for MAST and one that grew specifically out of a need among members, according to John Werner, who spoke to TMR this week.

The luxury interest from MAST, which has grown to over 205 member locations and 1,500 advisors, has grown significantly.

Werner told TMR that, speaking to members 10 years ago, they’d have a mix of business that included a slice of luxury, but that slice has grown to be a majority for a lot of MAST members, thus the need for something new.

“Things started changing. Our members were really starting to see their luxury business increase rapidly. They were getting requests for all kinds of international destinations, exotic places, and upscale hotels, and asking for a lot of personalized experiences. Not just doing cookie cutter type things,” he said.

Luxury travel is now “a huge percentage” of MAST business, Werner added, and the group has worked over the last number of years to add luxury suppliers to its growing list of preferred partners.

But there were issues for some members, including service quality issues that did not meet expectations from luxury clients, and a lack of luxury-specific education from some of those suppliers, something that members said was much needed.

So, last fall, Werner went to his board of directors with that, and other feedback from members on what they need to keep their luxury business growing. The group would then put together a separate, 10-member committee to explore how MAST could further grow into luxury.

“We had to define what it means to be a luxury seller, and not just that, but also a luxury supplier. We had to be clear on what we expect from suppliers in supporting our luxury business,” Werner added.

Currently, MAST is working with its current preferred partners to standardize expectations should they want to join that luxury division. A big part of those expectations is that suppliers provide that luxury-specific training for MAST members and provide 24/7 support, something needed even more in luxury as those clients “have higher expectations,” Werner said.

“There are elements that can help us market luxury while also servicing our agency customers,” Werner said. “It’s all about meeting those demands.”

The plan is to launch the division by the end of the year. Ultimately, Werner sees luxury as a major part of not just MAST’s future, but the industry’s future.

“Demand is there – there are just so many choices and so many experiences. People, if they have traveled, are looking for new places, and new experiences, but I also think that travel now is part of a person’s lifestyle, it’s part of their identity, they live through their travels. They have no problem spending to do that,” he said.