Inspirato wants to make sure that its members are impressed with more than their array of destinations and properties. So like many destination clubs they have two key types of staff on their member services team, who help with all aspects of travel. A Member Services Coordinator helps with planning and recommendations beforehand and an Onsite Concierge takes care of members during their stay.
The Member Services Coordinator is responsible for all Inspirato members within a specific geographic region. I talked to Alyssa Hopper (who covers the South Bay area) and Katie Earnest (S.E. Central US), who described how they immediately begin to build a portfolio of the individual's likes, dislikes, travel dreams and so on. The staff makes it their goal to build a personal relationship with each client, from the minute they become a member, through their entire vacation and beyond.
This knowledge enables them to tailor the perfect vacation, and also to make suggestions for other destinations or events. Alyssa gave the example of a new member who might wish to visit the Caribbean. By learning what sort of vacation they are looking for (activities, beach, etc.), and who is accompanying them, she can use her knowledge of the Inspirato properties to help find the island and home to suit their exact needs.
Once a member has made a decision about a destination, the Member Services Coordinator and the Destination Concierge Team work together with the client to take care of such pre-planning details as grocery shopping, meeting them at the airport, preparing the itinerary, and dining reservations. Katie emphasized that it is up to the member how much involvement they have at this stage. Some want to be very involved with the planning while others prefer to leave it in Inspirato's hands.
After the trip, the whole team liaises to evaluate the member's satisfaction. This also helps the Member Services Coordinator to build the guest's portfolio, by knowing what they might like to do on their next trip. Katie said that this careful attention to the member, "takes away a lot of the stress of vacation planning".
Milestones
Many members enjoy taking a trip to commemorate milestone events. Member Services and the Destination Concierge make sure that those little additional extras are provided for these occasions. It may be a champagne toast for an anniversary, cake and balloons for a birthday surprise, or a clam bake for the family reunion in Nantucket.
Celebrations
For some members, Inspirato Member Services becomes their go-to source for repeated celebrations. Katie mentioned one member who joined the annual cruise that is available only to Inspirato members. Each year, Inspirato charters a ship from Silver Seas to provide a carefully-curated cruise of handpicked destinations. "A true bucket-list opportunity" said Katie. These cruises also help to build community among members, many of whom later arrange trips together. This particular member wanted to propose to his girlfriend while on the cruise and so arrangements were made with the in-house photographer to plan the perfect moment. The couple then decided to hold their wedding at an Inspirato property in Vail, Colorado. They rented nine properties and asked Inspirato staff to curate an entire week's accommodation and activities for 60 people. Even the honeymoon, a last-minute trip to Florence, was booked through Inspirato's Jaunt program. The newlyweds are already planning to travel on next year's cruise.
Another family has carried on their tradition of holding annual reunions, even as the torch has passed from one generation to another. Each year, Nancy contacts Inspirato to organize a vacation for her husband and his extended family. The trips had previously been planned by her mother-in-law. When she passed away, Nancy continued the tradition, knowing that she could count on Inspirato's Member Services to assist with every last detail, thereby ensuring a memorable gathering.
When it comes to planning the unusual, both Katie and Alyssa stressed that "everything is always possible". They make sure that, when you join Inspirato, you become part of a family where your next trip of a lifetime is only a carefully-planned moment away.
