Gulfstream Aerospace today unveiled its revamped London Sales and Design Center. The upgraded facility in the UK capital’s upscale Mayfair district is drawing increasing numbers of aircraft buyers and prospective customers wanting to be directly involved in specifying cabin interiors, according to Michael Swift, the manufacturer’s group vice president for international sales.
The center, which opened in 2013, now features the 3D Cabin Creator design platform to help customers convey their preferences to Gulfstream’s interior designers. It also houses an extensive collection of textiles and leathers that can be selected, as well as cabin mock-ups representing cabin options for the G400, G700, and G800 models, and seats for the G500 and G600.
According to Swift, the London office is now drawing clients from all around the world, including visiting business leaders and family office groups. “We decided to renovate the space after customers saw what we could do in our Manhattan and Beverly Hills centers,” he told reporters. “We wanted it to be more experiential so that they could touch and feel all the materials, sit in the seats, and see renderings.”
Customers can work on the approval process for their aircraft while also using the office space to take meetings. In some cases, they might have an initial meeting in the London center and then continue discussions when they are in New York, Los Angeles, or Gulfstream’s headquarters in Savannah, where it also has a design center.
The manufacturer has two sales vice presidents based in London, as well as several regional managers. Additionally, the site is home to senior principal designer Michael Bryden and a number of sales engineers, who work closely with the company’s Savannah-based director of interior design, Tray Crow.
Uptick in First-time Jet Buyers
Swift and his team have seen a significant uptick in the number of first-time buyers engaging with Gulfstream through the design centers. “The aircraft itself is a big part of creating and delivering the finest aviation experience, but we take a lot of care to ensure that the whole experience [of buying a jet] is worth remembering, and is enjoyable and iterative,” he commented.
Crow explained that the interiors of the centers are all developed by Gulfstream’s own designers. The space features aviation-grade carpet and cabin materials on the walls and ceiling for customers to experience.
“We get to surprise and delight clients and bring their visions to life,” Crow said. “We have to ensure we have enough time to do that because the whole process can take anything from three months to a year.”
Using Gulfstream’s design software tools, customers and designers first map out the preferred cabin floor plan. Then they use the Cabin Creator app to closely inspect what all the elements will look like individually and collectively in three dimensions.
The cabin mockups in London feature leather inlays in the sidewalls and various options for wood surfaces and plating. Various seats include different leather finishes and levels of bolster for the back.