Imagine moving from curb to plane 97 percent faster at a modern, bustling airport like LAX.
A new VIP experience called The Private Suite is reducing the total footsteps from curb to plane from 2,200 down to just 70. TSA lines and long concourse strolls are a thing of the past.
Designed to mimic the experience of private air travel, The Private Suite at LAX is a private terminal tucked away in a guarded compound adjacent to the airport. Once through the gates, departing passengers are whisked directly to their personal suites while their luggage is transported to the plane.
After relaxing in their suite—which comes fully stocked with daybeds, snacks and beverages, toiletries, electronics accessories, children’s toys, and even emergency changes of clothes—guests are taken through the terminal’s private security checkpoint, then driven across the tarmac directly to their aircraft in a BMW 7-Series. For arriving passengers, a similar experience is offered in reverse: Upon landing, they are driven directly from the aircraft to their suite, where they can clear immigration and customs in privacy, and refresh and relax while waiting for their luggage and car or chauffeur.
In an exclusive partnership, Gavin de Becker & Associates — the private security firm behind The Private Suite, and Westfield are now bringing the same convenience, luxury, and intimacy of the LAX facility to Westfield Century City in Los Angeles.
Debuting in 2017 alongside the center’s $1.2 billion transformation, The Private Suite at Westfield Century City is an entirely new experience for high-profile and VIP customers. Members enter via a special ramp into the underground parking garage, then pass through a secure entrance before being taken to their suite. A dedicated team is assigned to each visiting member for a seamless VIP experience, and any service can be delivered directly in-suite, from massages to salon services, private shopping and fittings, even a concierge doctor.
In what is perhaps the most star-studded town on the planet, a service such as this is highly valuable for those high-profile and VIP individuals who wish to have highly choreographed, seamless, discreet experiences wherever they go, whether traveling, shopping, dining or more. No paparazzi, no waiting in line. Just a streamlined, comfortable and personalized experience.
Individually, both locations of The Private Suite are rapidly gaining a following among a growing user base, with rave reviews and media coverage by the likes of Forbes, Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg and others.
But perhaps what’s more exciting is how existing customers are beginning to pair the two facilities together for an incredible end-to-end experience. Imagine flying into LAX, being met and driven from your aircraft to The Private Suite, and then being transported directly to Westfield Century City for intimate, exclusive access to the center’s wealth of restaurants, boutiques and entertainment options.
For most of us, a service like The Private Suite is an aspiration, not quite a reality. But it may soon be. Beyond the VIP customer, the appetite for services that reduce friction and are tailored to your particular habits and interests is rightfully growing. Making valuable connections in consumers lives — the places they wish to spend time, how they shop, the way they want to travel, the business they need to take care of — that’s what is driving greater engagement and loyalty. And that’s the future of the customer experience.
