Your Travel Connection To Japan

Your Travel Connections: Conversations with the people behind exceptional travel experiences around the world.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Meet Avi Lugasi, the owner of Windows to Japan — a DMC (destination management company) that’s been in business since 2005. They specialize in creating experiences that bring guests closer to the heart of Japan by going beyond the usual sights. You can’t do what Windows of Japan does without deep local knowledge and long-standing relationships built over years of living and working there. Here’s my conversation with Avi, who gives us an insider look at how they make magic happen for their guests.

Beth: In a world where travelers increasingly value personalization, what’s one detail your team obsesses over that most guests never notice but will definitely feel?

Avi: There are quite a few, but one very important detail is the “matchmaking” process behind the scenes between the guest profile and guides and other partner suppliers they will meet on the way. We have close personal relationships with most of our partner suppliers and know their story, style, and way of doing things. So we try to best match guests to the right guides, which can greatly impact the experience.

Beth: Hospitality is often described as “anticipating needs before they’re spoken.” Can you share a recent example where your staff turned a potentially stressful moment into a memorable experience?

Avi: We had guests traveling for 2 days with a driver but no guide. One of the days was expected to be a rainy day, so the team with the driver switched itineraries to fit better with the weather, which also required checking opening availability of different locations and experiences as well as adjusting some pre-made arrangements.

Beth: What does genuine luxury mean to your brand today and how do you keep up with how each guest defines it?

Avi: Genuine luxury means that the guests will experience what they deeply wished for and sometimes it is even things they didn’t know they wanted. It is specific to them as well as specific to the timing of their trip. In 21 years we have not had 1 tour exactly the same as the other. The result is usually a transformational experience of the guests and exceeding expectations.

Beth: Travelers see the polished final product, but what happens behind the scenes every day to ensure guests feel cared for from arrival to departure?

Avi: This is a big question because so much is going on behind the scenes. We have 5 different teams working on each tour, and a lot of communication and close collaboration between them. Moreover, the actual tour creation and operation is the tip of the iceberg of a LOT of hours and years of developing relationships with vendors, learning them, endless inspections around the country, trainings of the team, internal discussions, and again and again fine-tuning of all that we do. So it is a consistent work ethic of being better today than what we were yesterday and pushing ourselves out of the comfort zone in order to constantly improve what we do.

Beth: What qualities do you look for when hiring frontline hospitality staff, and how do you cultivate a culture of warmth and attentiveness across the organization?

Avi: I look for independent and open-minded people who challenge their comfort zones and have the confidence to challenge the way we do things, even from the first day they join us. I also look for qualities which are related to human connection. As for cultivating the culture of warmth, attentiveness, and hospitality, the staff are as valued as the company’s guests alongside our partner suppliers and our partner agents. Hospitality is part of the bigger puzzle of this culture — it is deeply woven into our daily life, work, and discussions. It is the way we approach different situations, it is the way we reflect on our actions and study case sessions, as well as during weekly team meetings and yearly programs which train and deal specifically with these aspects.

Beth: What are today’s travelers seeking emotionally from a vacation or travel experience that they weren’t necessarily looking for before?

Avi: We see a strong shift from the “traditional” way of sightseeing travel into more human connections, the story behind the people and places visited. We see a deeper need for deep immersion in the people’s way of life. We've noticed that guests are looking for deeper meaning in their travel which carries some transformational qualities and impacts their life much after they travel.

Beth: How do you empower employees — from housekeepers to concierges to excursion teams — to create moments of connection with guests rather than simply providing service?

Avi: It starts first by making sure everybody deeply understands that what we do at its essence is not travel but touching lives. You might call it something else, like creating dreams, memories, etc., but I guess you can understand what I mean. And then the team has complete freedom to be hands to create it the way they believe is best for each guest. Our evaluation process is based on the spirit and culture we do things, not the profit one brings the company.

Beth: What’s one misconception travelers have about operating a hotel, resort, cruise line, or tour company that you wish more people understood?

Avi: We do not sell travel! — We touch lives. And with this in mind, we create our guests’ journeys in Japan, which means we really want to know as much as possible about the guests, and then create and match the best of what we have to offer specifically for them. We do not know when the touching lives moment happens, but we can create the environment that helps it to happen.

Beth: In your opinion, what separates a “good trip” from a truly unforgettable hospitality experience?

Avi: Unforgettable hospitality experiences start from the attention to detail in the planning stage of the tour, where we design the tour to meet and exceed expectations and create the right conditions for the specific guests of the tour to have truly meaningful moments. It goes into seamless and exceptional execution. It also includes those surprise moments where something is offered that makes the guests feel deeply seen and appreciated.

Beth: Technology is constantly reshaping travel — from AI concierge tools to app-based check-ins. Where do you believe technology enhances hospitality, and where should the human touch always remain central?

Avi: I might say nothing new, but for me first and for all, Tech and AI will free my team to concentrate on what makes the tour from good to exceptional. It will take away a big part of the operational details and stress and will free them to have the space for creation.

Beth: Can you share a story of an employee whose dedication or creativity perfectly embodies your company’s hospitality philosophy?

Avi: Not long ago, we had the most complicated (and expensive) tour we ever had. The guest was very demanding with constant changes day and night. One of the team members took it upon himself to work 24/7 for the duration of the tour and managed to keep up with constant changes and challenges the tour presented. He had also to be very creative with out-of-the-box solutions as well as demonstrating exceptional hospitality in adjusting and attending to the guests’ requests.

Beth: What inspires you about your work?

Avi: Creating new experiences means I meet new people, new communities, and this always inspires me. To tell their story, their dreams, their wishes, and their fears, and then also through tourism being able to support them and their communities. Sometimes people and communities I meet in Japan do not see how special and heartwarming their community is, and by coming as an outsider, they are reminded of their value. I love the opportunity that tourism gives my team and me to do things that are beyond tourism itself and do make a difference.

Beth: Thank you Avi, for giving us an insider’s look at how your business strives to exceed expectations!

Windows of Japan partners with professional travel planners and advisors like me, so contact me or your favorite travel advisor to make it happen!

 https://windowstojapan.com