The Langham Hospitality Group is set to introduce a new tool for agents to track their commission, after hailing its trade partners as a “significant portion” of its business.
“We are developing an electronic platform to make things easier and quicker for agents to check commission,” Bob van den Oord, chief executive officer of the Langham Hospitality Group, told TTG Luxury on Tuesday.
He also acknowledged that the current wait time for advisors to be paid is “too long”, before adding that these delays are an “industry-wide issue”.
The news comes just a few months after The Beaumont Mayfair unveiled its new policy of paying agents within 24 hours of guest departure, as well Crystal Cruises’ decision to pay commission 50 days prior to departure on standard cruise bookings.
Langham’s investment in its commission payment process is just one of many initiatives the luxury hospitality group has implemented to support the trade.
Its loyalty programme, Couture, is now its “fastest growing” segment for advisors year on year, with a significant increase in joiners from Asia and the Middle East (where it recently launched).
Invitation-only, the VIP club grants members a number of benefits, including credit for food, beverages, and spa, welcome amenities, early check-in and late check-out, and upgrades based on availability. There is also a commission structure of 10% on rooms and 40% on suites, as well as a ‘no walk’ policy (clients won’t be “walked” to another hotel in the case of overbooking).
“Couture is all about making the travel agent look good,” Van den Oord said. “We’ll put an amenity in the room personally from the agent. It’s powerful. The client will be happy, the agent is happy, that makes us happy.”
There will also be upcoming opportunities for agents to attend fam trips as the group prepares to welcome a number of new properties to its portfolio. The Langham, Custom House, Bangkok will open next September on the city’s famed Chao Phraya River, marking the company’s Thailand debut.
Featuring 75 rooms and suites, the new building will be constructed of glass and shaped like a wave to reflect its waterside location. It will be followed by the 2027 opening of The Langham Kuala Lumpur, which will be situated close to the Petronas Twin Towers in the capital’s Golden Triangle neighbourhood.
The Langham Kuala Lumpur is set to open in the Malaysian capital in 2027
Guests can expect 198 rooms and suites, a rooftop pool and Hong Kong’s three Michelin-star Cantonese restaurant, T’ang Court.
The group will also be expanding its European collection in 2027 with the opening of The Langham, Venice, which hopes to provide a retreat from the city’s well-trodden streets. Located in a former glass factory on Murano Island, the property will have 133 guest rooms and suites, a pool and a restaurant with both indoor and outdoor seating.
As for the long-term vision for the group, Van Den Oord says he hopes Langham – which is set to open 100 more properties across its four categories over the next decade – will ultimately become “a household name”.
“It’s very much my goal that we are known as one of the very best luxury hotel groups out there, and advisors play a big role in this.”