Clienteling · Private clients
What to do after a private client event
The thank-you is the easy part. Here is how to decide who replies, what they say and how quickly.
Most follow-up problems start before the event. A guest asks a host a question, the host promises someone will be in touch, and three days later nobody has been. This guide is for luxury retail and hotel teams who want the evening to lead somewhere.
Decide who owns the reply before invitations go out
Agree who records a request, who answers it and how a host passes a guest on to someone else. It sounds basic, and it is the step most often skipped.
A hotel host may know why a guest came, while a boutique adviser knows the piece they asked about. If both write, the client gets two messages that know nothing about each other. One person should own each relationship, and the other should brief them.
Treat the thank-you and the follow-up as two messages
A thank-you acknowledges the time a guest gave you. A follow-up answers something they asked. Here is the difference, in sample wording:
Thank you for coming on Tuesday. It was a pleasure to show you the collection.
You asked about the emerald earrings you tried on. They are in the boutique until the 14th, and I can keep Thursday at four for you. Shall I?
The second one only works if somebody wrote down the earrings.
Keep the record short
The team needs enough to fulfil the request. Four things will usually do:
- Who replies
- What the guest asked for
- What was agreed, and by when
- Whether it has been done
Leave out guesses about wealth or buying intent. If you wouldn’t be comfortable with the client reading a note, it doesn’t belong in the record. Keep everything in the company’s approved system and off personal phones.
Check what you have permission to do
Before client details pass between a hotel and a brand, or anyone joins a marketing list, check that you are allowed to do it. In the UAE, Federal Decree-Law No. 45 of 2021 generally requires consent to process personal data, with some exceptions, and free zones such as the DIFC and ADGM have data protection rules of their own. Your legal or compliance team can confirm what applies to you.
The simplest arrangement is often the best one: each company keeps its own client records, and the guest decides whether to be introduced.
A handover, step by step
Here is an invented example. A guest at a hotel viewing asks to see another piece at the boutique. The host tells the adviser that evening. The adviser checks the piece is available and writes to the guest the next day.
The hotel only needs to know the handover happened. What the guest says later in the boutique stays with the boutique.
Promise a time you can keep
Agree reply times your team can meet. If an answer depends on a workshop abroad or a specialist, acknowledge the question today and give a date for the answer.
For Dubai events with travelling guests, ask when and how they would like to hear from you, since someone back in London isn’t working to your day. If a guest says they would rather not be contacted, record it and stick to it.
Look for what slipped
A week or two later, pull up the list of requests and see which are still open, and why. The usual causes are an unclear owner, a product detail nobody had to hand, or a promise made before anyone checked availability. Fix those in the next host briefing.
For the wider programme, read clienteling across luxury retail and hospitality or see how Eva works on private-client events and clienteling in Dubai.
Private clients