Four things Super Yachts can teach us about VIP operations.

So, the other week, a colleague opened my mind to the seemingly unlimited world of luxury yachting. I always knew that luxury yachting was expensive and outrageously luxurious, but it was Motor Yacht Loon (yachtloon.com) that made me think about what sets some of our highest-performing venues apart from the rest.

First up, here are a couple of things I didn’t know about superyachts:

• Weekly charter prices can go well above $US 2-3M for groups of 15-20 people.
• The vessel’s stated capacity refers to the number of guests on board and excludes the crew. Once you hit a certain guest count, it's considered a commercial craft.
• It’s normal for the crew to be much larger than the number of guests on board.
• The sea is public space, so yachts compete on toys, fittings, and first-class touches. Yachts frequently boast jet skis, home cinemas, ex-world-class athletes as fitness instructors, personal chefs, helipads, and glass-bottomed rooms. For the Motor Yacht Loon, this even includes a 3-ton marble bathtub!

So, the above got me thinking about VIP and how the offer is both positioned and delivered.

Inverted Capacity

First up, why so many staff? Simply put: If a guest suddenly decides they want to go kite surfing, a staff member has to be ready to drop everything and get the kites out. When you’re paying upwards of $2M a week, waiting for your sister to finish her instructed yoga class just won’t fly.

While the number of staff rarely exceeds the venue’s capacity, venues that do VIP well know that the highest levels of luxury service can only be reached with attentive, organized, and constantly available staff.

Think about how your servers and bussers move around the venue. Are they jack-of-all-trades and constantly busy, or have you given them the resources and support required to execute one or two things really well?

Novelty

Glass-bottomed rooms, cinemas on a boat, and a marble bathtub — these aren’t just elegant touches; they’re novelty. Novelty plays a huge role in creating unique and memorable experiences.

How might you execute this in your venue? There are countless ways. In his TED Talk, Will Guidara (linked here) explores the notion of Unreasonable Hospitality, a “discipline of seeking out ways to create extraordinary experiences and give people more than they could ever possibly expect.”

To do this, you’ll need to give your team the opportunity to prepare for guests and brainstorm ideas about ways you could leave them with the sense that something extraordinary has just taken place.

Experimentation

The Motor Yacht Loon team talks of constant experimentation with the newest toys and brands to bring experiences and offerings to their guests on board. This stems from the purest partnerships and collaborations with emerging businesses and luxury goods providers, seeking their input in bringing such experiences to life.

As a venue, consider how you might leverage both new and existing partnerships to do more. This could involve helping to activate a new local tequila brand or co-creating a unique brand or product-themed space within your premises. Choose something that creates a sense of distinction and uniqueness that your neighbours cannot match.

Impeccable Service Standards

Superyachts like Loon offer seamless and discreet service, anticipating guests’ needs without being intrusive. Upscale nightclubs are no different — attentive and discreet service is a baseline expectation.

Your staff training should focus on proactive service: offering drink refills at the right moment, clearing empty glasses, and knowing when to engage and when to step back. Again, look carefully at your team’s capacity to offer this kind of service and ensure they have adequate support.

Make Your Venue a Superyacht

There’s a lot to take in here, and you might be thinking, “That’s going to be expensive to execute!” However, by thinking of your venue as an elevated, exclusive, and memorable experience, you can set a price that reflects the value to your guest, not just the cost of liquor, wages, and margin.

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