China Business Travel: Luxury VS. Budget

Online, December 3, 2009 (Newswire.com) - Businessmen traveling to China have a handful of options, when choosing among companies offering business assistance during the trip to "middle kingdom". Some business travelers arrange their trip remotely by themselves, not knowing the current state of affairs at their destination. Unfortunately when it comes to China, most ways to overcome various obstacles, often used in other parts of the world, become obsolete, and sometimes downright worthless.

China is not just about etiquette dos and don'ts, a topic of choice in every other business handbook and etiquette guide. Of course, knowing about face "mianzi", connections "guanxi", as well as understanding Chinese dining etiquette, and what to expect on a business meeting, is something that every business traveler to China should learn about. However, when the airplane finally lands, it all comes down to basics; Where to find a suitable place to hold a meeting? How to choose an appropriate venue for a luscious banquet? Where to meet a capable and knowledgeable personal assistant, who will stand by your side, when you finally meet your Chinese counterpart?

What's the point of learning all the theory, if you miss the appointment, while being stuck in a traffic jam? How will you wiggle your way out of the situation, where you accidentally invited your new business partner to a diner meeting at a restaurant, which has already been torn down?

Wouldn't it be great to have someone you can trust, and you know works solely for your benefit? Someone reliable, punctual, who behaves appropriately and is able to provide a solid advice on current matters. Someone local, who knows the city well, but is also westernized enough to understand foreign logic and western mindset.

Until now, business travelers were stuck with inexperienced English major students, (biased) administrative staff, provided by a hosting company, and freelance tour guides, always eager to recite dull facts, memorized from an outdated guide book. Good personal assistants are always hard to find, but in China "hard" turns to "almost impossible".

Concierge anyone?

Hiring an experienced and reliable personal assistant, lifestyle manager, or concierge, who can help with anything, from picking up the dry cleaning, to finding tickets for tonight's ball game, booking flights or making reservations at your favorite restaurant, is becoming more and more common in the western world.

In China, the Global Ambassador Concierge provides such services to English speaking travelers and business people from abroad.

Since 2006, Global Ambassador Concierge (GAC) , based out of Washington D.C., has been providing travel and business assistance to high level CEOs, seasoned travelers, celebrities, mid-level government officials, and other high net-worth individuals visiting China, steadily growing their business, as more and more foreign business people visit China, to profit from its growing economy.

"At the beginning, we mostly helped business travelers who came to China to meet their potential partners and clients, but recently, we are getting more and more requests that fall under the domain of luxury travel as well," GAC Director of sales, Janko Kosi said. "Some of our clients are of somewhat "celebrity status" and look to us for a special treatment. We try not to turn away anyone, regardless of how demanding their request might sound, but some requests are still hard to realize due to numerous strict government regulations"

Ambassador Concierge was founded to meet the need for high-level service for incoming business and leisure travelers. The founders are the former Chairman of Carey International Limousine and the founder of Air Chef Private Jet Catering - seasoned and respected travel industry leaders who saw an opportunity to create the kind of service that they would want to use.

"Our clients call for professionalism and require reliable and efficient VIP service," pointed out Mr.Kosi, and added: "Usually they fly in first class, sleep in the best hotels, and prefer the finest restaurants in town. They do not have any time to waste, and have very little tolerance for mistakes. They are frequently very demanding people, who know exactly what they want, and how they want it. They have traveled around the world, experiencing high-end services wherever they went, and they expect the same standards of service when they come to China."

Airport Meet & Greet package is GAC's most commonly requested service, providing clients with a VIP diplomatic channel processing, and a lavish welcome package. Among others, Global Ambassador Concierge also arranges Chauffeured Luxury Vehicles, provides a Shopping & Travel Butler, or appoints a personal Concierge, who seamlessly handles client's request at any time, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

As for the VIP visitors to China, GAC provides Close protection officers, Luxury &Sports car rentals, or takes care of Exclusive access to sightseeing &nightlife venues.

Most services are charged by the hour, so clients can simply call, whenever the assistance is needed. On the other hand, GAC can appoint designated Concierges to provide non-stop support for clients throughout their entire trip.

Certainly not a budget oriented, with fees almost comparable to those in US, Ambassador Concierge attracts primarily businessmen and luxury travelers. But even though their prices place them in the upper end of China's hospitality market, their highly trained staff, international standards of service, and remarkable attention to details sets them apart from local businesses, and raises the bar for the hospitality industry standards in China.