As I walked through Mayfair and turned down the relative tranquillity of Sackville Street, I suddenly felt the inclination to switch-up, mentally.
It was as if my mind thought I was heading to a meeting with hedge fund partners to discuss the condition of my portfolio.
I guess in some ways that’s precisely why this location works; it’s a point of convergence for people of the vocation—and wealth —to purchase a private jet.
I was en route to the newly upgraded home for Gulfstream, to witness the evolution of customer service and private jet design.
“One of our taglines is ‘Creating and delivering the world’s finest aviation experience’, and that goes hand-in-hand with the bricks and mortar spaces.”
Mike Swift, Gulfstream Group, VP of Sales
Their first Sales & Design centre was launched in 2018, in Manhattan. That was the first time they really had to consider—at a granular level—all the elements needed to deliver a complete off-site jet designing experience from a process and planning standpoint. To give context, this includes all the mock-ups, the technology, the showroom, and the multitude of materials to guide clients through the experience of designing their own interior. An unmitigated success, this location was followed by a Beverly Hills variant in 2023, and now their first European Sales & Design centre situated in Mayfair.
As I stepped out of the lift on the top floor of no.15 Sackville Steet, I was greeted by warm smiles amidst the backdrop of life-size Gulfstream Jet cabins in all their grandeur; a symphony of enveloping couch-like leather seats, lush carpeting, and high polished woods.
“We have it located by the elevator as it’s the first opportunity for you to experience our product” Mike Swift, the Gulfstream Group VP of Sales informs me, “and experience all the great things of the interior that you’re now going to customise”.
And it was so true. Sitting in the seat and looking through the iconic oval windows while I unfolded the weighty-yet-balanced hidden table to enjoy my tea, it was very easy to feel what it would be like to have a darker carpet choice for instance, or to envisage the impact of a bolder contrast stitching on the surrounding leatherwork.
As I was later to find out, their own proprietary Gulfstream customisation software is as real as you can get without being on the jet. Its ability to digitise the cabin areas and reflect design features are exceptional, but it is another thing entirely to provide the true scale environment so the clients can get real context of their design choices and make better decisions.
At the end of the day, the better the client can contextualise their choices, the happier they’re likely to be at the end.
This especially is true when clients are trying to understand the merits of the different Gulfstream models. For even the most affluent customer it would be tricky to offer a side-by-side Jet comparison with any ease, but rather surprisingly this is something the showrooms can assist with. As Mike Swift puts it,
“There are very few environments where you’ll find a Gulfstream G700 and G400 parked next to each other”
While they don’t have the full cabins for all of their models, along with the living areas for the G800 and G700 models, they do have the seating for the G500 and G600, so customers can try those out.
“Seating is probably the most important element that we like to demonstrate as it’s where you spend 90% of your time when you’re flying.” Mike continues, “So making sure we get the seat details right is probably the most critical part in the cabin, and everything else just needs to support the experience and the customer’s mission.”
Across the rest of the showroom—or Sales & Design centre as they call it—the rooms and features are equally as impressive, with a suite for Gulfstream’s interior design team to guide customers through the seemingly limitless selection of finishes, veneers, floor coverings, leathers and textiles. Apparently, all of the carpets are bespoke, specially made to order. The typical interior design process can take around 9 months, and it’s easy to see why with options available that you wouldn’t think would be optional. You can even choose the material for your throws and cushions should you desire, and the level of soundproofing.
Clients are guided through their designs using technology such as the 3D Cabin Creator and exterior paint visualisation technology, instantly synced across all the Global sites and giving them access to all their design choices regardless of where they are in the world. This global flexibility in design allows them to offer a continuity service to their client base—many of whom are corporate, and very short in time.
In the hour or so time I spent in the show room, I hadn’t even finished choosing the type of quilting I want for my vegan leather G800 seats. I think I’m going to need a few more visits, maybe next time in Beverly Hills.
