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'Virtual fieldwork' is no substitute for travel

Oct. 10, 2015| FT | Tyler Brule
From time to time this column takes on the part-time role of concierge for its readers. The requests that come across this desk are not unlike those that greet the men and women sporting clefs d'or at the world's finest hotels and resorts, and no request is too difficult or strange to tackle.

The most regular are for lodging and restaurant tips in cities you'd expect FT Weekend readers to frequent. "Can you suggest somewhere good for coffee and pastries in Stockholm?" Of course, sir. Have you tried Mellqvist? Nice crowd, super coffee and plenty of bearded gentlemen.

"Can you recommend a good news-stand in New York that is open late?" Absolutely, madam. I'd advise you to head downtown and pull up in front of Casa News on Hudson Street for the best selection of international and indie titles.

This column also takes on the role of consultant in the hospitality sector, fielding questions from entrepreneurs in the start phase of launching a bed and breakfast to budding assistant managers preparing to step up to the post of general manager at a prestigious property.

"I want to open an eight-room hotel on the coast of Liguria. Should I do a communal dining table for our guests or separate tables?" While I do like a communal table, I think it works better in a larger format. If you're aiming for a more intimate, cosy set-up, I don't think everyone's going to want to eat together unless you're aiming for a kibbutz-style feeling.

"I need to do a presentation on the traveller of the future. Any ideas what that type of hotel guest might want?" Hmmm. I think this is a set-up, if you don't have most of the answers already and need to write me a note. I traded in my crystal ball a while ago. In fact, I sold it to Swarovski for a tidy sum and I've used the proceeds to underwrite the travel budget for this column.

The topic "Where is the world going and how will it apply to my business?" pops up a lot. While managers in the travel and hospitality sectors make up a big part of the constituency, the question also comes from people in pharmaceuticals, local government, assorted ministries and, obviously, finance. Occasionally, I ask them what sources they use for getting a read on the market and what systems they have for interpreting it. Other times, if they happen to narrow the topic, I might offer up my views. Most of the time, however, I ask them how much they get out on the road and take time to absorb what's around them.

Frequently, I hear that company cutbacks make travel too much of a chore, so many choose not to go out on the road. More alarming are those who defend the dreadful concept of "virtual fieldwork". (If you haven't come across this awful term, it's basically a dressed-up way of saying time spent at your desk doing web searches.) "It's too expensive to go out and experience the real thing, so it's best to just assess it virtually," is a standard response. Quite aside from this type of person seeming to be out of step with the core values of this column, I worry for their clients, who are clearly being duped by all the "research" they're being charged for.

As many readers of this newspaper are now in the thick of forecasts for 2016 and beyond, a few thoughts. If you've been tasked with giving a candid view on what's over the horizon, get on your bike, on the train or on a plane and check out what's going on. Have your pen at the ready, your notebook open and, whatever you do, stay off your phone as you shuttle from station to hotel or branch office to airport. Look up and challenge what you see, and challenge it again with colleagues.

Once you've completed your tour, take a look at your budgets for the year ahead and consider how much you're spending on consultants and maybe how little is left for staff travel. Instead of adjusting the numbers to reflect inflation and modelling, why not cut the amount spent on bringing in other people to tell you how they see the world and invest more so that your colleagues get out and see, touch, taste and smell it for themselves? For my money, I'd always vote for boots on the ground rather than remote observation.

Tyler Brule is editor-in-chief of Monocle magazine; tyler.brule@ft.com

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