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friends and relatives, the company
grew and Pham Ha recruited more and
more experienced members of staff to
support him.
Beside the head office in Hanoi,
Luxury Travel also has a joint venture
in Cambodia and representative of-
fices in the United States. The com-
pany also operates a fleet of 10 of the
latest Mercedes cars used for its own
clients as well as for rent. This fleet
will shortly be supplemented by 20
new top-of-the- range vehicles includ-
ing BMW, Audi, Rolls Royce, Bentley,
Porche and limousines.
Attention to detail
2013 was a difficult year for many
businesses, but the profits of Luxury
Travel Ltd increased by 30%, and the
company penetrated more new mar-
kets. The company aims to increase
revenue by almost two thirds 2014. It
has also been nominated as Vietnam’s
leading tour operator at the prestigious
World Travel Awards.
To ensure a significant increase in
business the company must offer ex-
clusive products, excellent service and
truly memorable holidays, Ha explains.
In the luxury travel segment, trav-
ellers expect to be transferred by lim-
ousine, helicopter or private seaplane,
stay at unique and high-end resorts or
sail on luxury private cruises.
However, luxury does not mean
everything must be extravagant. Lux-
ury travel is all about the experience
as well. There are resorts built from
bamboo, but to stay there can cost
thousands of dollars per night. Accord-
ing to Ha, apart from luxury hotels and
cars, luxury is also created by attention
to detail, ensuring that every minute of
every day the customer is meticulously
cared for.
Before every trip, Luxury Travel
staff always work closely with custom-
ers to make sure they have met every
request, and to get to know clients’
characteristics and interests so that
they can deliver services tailored to
them. Keeping clients informed is also
paramount, so if their journey will take
a little longer because of road works,
they will be informed in advance so
they know what to expect.
“Our brand of experiential tourism
provides the wow factor for the most
sophisticated customers, and this is
the secret of Luxury Travel’s success
because happy customers spread the
word,” says Ha.
However, to reach out to custom-
ers, each of the Luxury Travel staff,
who he fondly calls ‘Luxers’, must also
have a good feeling about their role in
the success of the company. He deeply
believes that happy staff mean happy
customers and to be able to inspire
clients the Luxers must put themselves
in their clients’ position to better under-
stand their requirements.
Thus, Luxers are professionally
trained to serve the most demanding
customers. They believe in themselves
and are proud of working for the com-
pany and in the luxury travel industry.
Their positive attitude is key to making
customers happy.
With three college degrees, being
fluent in both English and French, and
having visited 40 countries, Ha often
comes into contact with the rich. He
says his own luxury style lies deep in-
side him thanks to a mix of his experi-
ence and knowledge.
For Ha, luxury is also simplicity.
Sometimes he enjoys a seafood meal,
a glass of beer on the street or a morn-
ing coffee on tree-lined Phan Dinh
Phung street in Hanoi. This is pure lux-
ury for this busy entrepreneur who has
turned his passion into a successful
tourism business while driving Luxury
Travel Ltd to become one of the lead-
ing specialist luxury tour operators
in Vietnam.
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