Gulfstream appears to have largely abandoned traditional business aviation conventions as a way of meeting existing and prospective customers.
Instead, the US manufacturer has been focusing on invitation-only direct client events, at its Savannah base and at smaller events around the world.
It has also been investing in interactions with customers by expanding its small collection of city showrooms. Its latest sales and design centre – a 511sq m (5,500sq ft) facility in London’s Mayfair – is a near-replica of establishments in Manhattan and Beverly Hills, opened in 2018 and 2023, respectively.
The location – a gemstone’s throw from the Ritz and the Dorchester hotels – is in an area of the capital where many of Gulfstream’s jet-set customers come to stay or shop and have properties or family offices, according to Michael Swift, Gulfstream’s London-based vice-president of international sales.
The site was – and still is – Gulfstream’s UK headquarters. However, most of the 5th floor that the company occupies has been converted to a set of plush customer lounges and meeting areas, with cabin mock-ups, design room, and a 163in interactive screen, or “power wall”.
Because it mirrors the New York and Los Angeles showrooms, customers can start the process of specifying a cabin in one place and continue in another, something that happens frequently, suggests Tray Crow, director of interior design.
The three sites allow Gulfstream to reach almost all its customers worldwide, ruling out the likelihood of showroom openings in other continents, according to Gulfstream. “It’s rare that someone we deal with doesn’t regularly visit one or more of these locations,” says Crow.
Opening the centres has not only improved customer experience but has helped cut the sales team’s air miles. “We used to joke that if you saw someone at an airport carrying three enormous black cases, they were selling business jets,” remarks Swift.
And while visiting the customer directly with a selection of renderings is still a service offered by Gulfstream, he maintains that more and more buyers want to touch and feel furnishings and materials as they go through choosing details of their interior.
“Customers no longer just want to look at their airplane on a piece of paper. They want to sit on the seats and get an idea of what the actual cabin will look like,” he says.
While most visitors to the London centre are likely to be existing Gulfstream customers – or their representatives – who are amid the typically three- to 12-month process of choosing an interior, an increasing number are new to business jet ownership entirely.
“We are seeing a massive uptick in first-time buyers in recent years,” says Swift. “We use the space to educate them about the options and take them through the journey to a sale.”
Gulfstream – which also has its main European service centre near the capital at Farnborough airport – does not shout its presence in central London to the world. Invitees arrive at the ground floor of a smart but nondescript modern office complex just off Piccadilly, home to various investment firms.
The company has taken a more discreet approach than Steve Varsano’s nearby The Jet Business, a used aircraft brokerage that has a full-size Airbus Corporate Jet cabin mock-up in its shop front, visible from Park Lane.
The first engagement with the Gulfstream brand comes when they step out of the 5th floor lift to see mock-ups of a G400 and G700/800 cabin, complete with sidewalls and a selection of seats and divans.
The array of seats helps customers decide which best meets their requirements for comfort and style. With a typical Gulfstream customer spending 400h a year on their aircraft – and the majority of that time sitting down – the choice is one of the most important they make, says Swift.
Next door is a design room, which on first impression seems rather minimalist. However, open the drawers and cupboards that line the walls and there are hundreds of examples of carpets, surface materials, and other design features, not to mention the others that can be made bespoke.
Finally, a huddle of chairs faces a giant screen or “cabin creator”, where thousands of permutations of configurations and designs can be displayed at the touch of a salesperson’s iPad.
While the centre enjoys plenty of natural light – large windows on the morning in May we visited revealed a panorama of Georgian rooftops under blue skies – London weather can be temperamental. “On a dark and wet afternoon in November, we rely on our interior lighting experts,” says Crow.
Gulfstream asserts that its decision to open showrooms in London and both coasts of the USA sets it apart from its competitors. “Delivering an unparalleled experience for our customers is what defines the Gulfstream difference and is something we are continuously investing in,” says president Mark Burns.
“Our curated portfolio of strategically located sales and design centres offers customers an opportunity to personally explore our aircraft cabins, seating options, and outfitting materials so they can tailor their own aircraft to their liking. This redesigned London space is the latest to bring this bespoke experience to life.”
