Business Travel Gets an Upgrade at the Airport

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photograph by John Christenson

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photograph by Chris Crisman

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Business Travel Gets an Upgrade at the Airport

We see our kiosk customers falling into three categories: those buying headphones or a game to escape travel headaches, those looking for something that would make their flight more productive, and those who need a last-minute gift. We've seen double-digit sales increases since rebranding the kiosks."

Atousa Ghoreichi
Senior Director of Marketing, North America
HMSHost
Bethesda, Maryland

Oasis in the Desert

Atousa Ghoreichi, 37, develops new restaurants for HMSHost, the $2 billion U.S. division of Autogrill, which runs concessions in more than 100 airports. These include her own concepts as well as chefs' visions that she translates into airport dining, like Nancy Silverton's La Brea Bakery at LAX.

"By the time passengers get to the gate area from ticketing and security, they're stressed out and looking for an oasis. So we're creating environments that don't feel like they're in an airport. At O'Hare last year, we opened La Tapenade, a Mediterranean café. We've hung photos of olive groves and seasides that you might see in the Mediterranean, chosen tile work inspired by France or Italy, and used a subdued green-and-salmon color palette. They work together to create a soothing atmosphere.

I also helped create a grab-and-go kiosk called Ciao. To evoke an Italian market, we went with bright red and mango to make the space pop and added beautiful photos of dried fruits and nuts. Stainless-steel lighting fixtures complement the colors and give the space a bright, energized feel. Customer response has been so positive, we're going to debut six more Ciao kiosks around the country within the next year."

Mike Caro
Vice President
BAA Boston
Boston, Massachusetts

Local Flavor

Mike Caro, 40, supervises the construction, leasing, marketing, and management of 90,000 square feet of retail space at Boston Logan's Terminals B and E. Terminal B's $25 million redevelopment for American Airlines debuted this fall.

"We're the last thing people see of Boston before they take off, and we want to leave them with a good impression. We can make local travelers feel comfortable and also give people coming in from other places some Boston flavor. You need to build customer trust first, though, and that means balancing local retailers with well-known regional and national brands. Dunkin' Donuts and Au Bon Pain are New England institutions, but they're also well-established brands that are the anchors that allow us to add smaller local companies into the mix.

For example, Local Charm is a jewelry store whose original location is in Faneuil Hall, a huge tourist attraction. It sells unique, fashionable jewelry that appeals to female passengers coming through Logan, who are typically stylish and have money to spend. The more varied the mix of retailers we have here, the more money passengers are willing to spend, and the happier they are to be spending it."