It has certainly been a whirlwind couple of weeks.. what’s new? If you have followed me on twitter and Instagram you would have been following my recent adventures in the United States where I travelled to Las Vegas to attend Virtuoso Week under the kind invitation of the fabulous SmartFlyer Agency in New York whom I have recently formed a luxury travel alliance with. Now I have a New York City office too! So all of you international globetrotters, I can now service all of your luxury travel needs through my office there… along with my offices in Australia… Brent’s going global?? …. You bet!
It was an exhaustive week of meetings, 328 to be exact over 4 days and at 4 minutes each, that equates to almost 22 hours of talking ultra luxury travel with the best of the best… who says I don’t work! I spoke to GM’s, Sales Managers. Luxury Retreat owners and just down right fabulous travel folk from all over the world. It was an inspiring week and one I wont forget. Highlights were the Andalucian Palace turned luxury hotel Barcelo La Bobadilla in Spain, Sincerely Paul – the high-end luxury concierge service in the UK, the ultra chic ski lodge Aplpaga Megeve in France, a Napa Valley secret hideaway called Meadowood, the remote and refined Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in Canada…this is luxury wilderness at its best and THE best all-inclusive Riviera Maya resort, Grand Velas Riviera Maya – who knew “all-inclusive” could be so chic?? Many others I will cover in future posts as I could go on and on. Contact me personally for my recommendations of the latest and most fabulous resorts world-wide… I met them ALL at Virtuoso week.
In between meetings I retreated to my fabulous suite at The Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, one of the newer luxury resorts on the strip that is non gaming and non smoking… its location suited me after a long day of meetings over at Bellagio but I did miss the buzz of the casinos eventually, I mean I was in Vegas right??? Nights were spent whirling around Vegas at different restaurants… and drinks party invitations were never-ending and I did my very best to keep up of course! The invitation highlight of my week? Attending the Montage Hotel & Resorts CEO lunch at Sensi at the Bellagio Hotel, I felt humbled to be invited under my SmartFlyer affiliation surrounded by such esteemed industry luminaries such as Micheal Holtz , nominated at this years Virtuoso Week as “Most Innovative Advisor” and listed in Travel + Leisure “A List” 2012 as “THE” air travel expert, along with various other legendary, global “super-agents”. I admire the Montage group of Hotels & Resorts and I was inspired to meet and hear Alan J Fuerstman, the Founder and CEO talk so passionately about the history of the Montage group and of course the exciting vision for the future of this luxury and iconic hotel brand with properties opening in the Bahamas and Los Cabos next. So …. a big “thank you” to one of my very best travel buddies – Janet Kato White, Director of Leisure Sales for Montage Hotels & Resorts for sorting a coveted seat for me, it was a true highlight if my week, thank you Janet!
The rest of the week was an amazing round of drinks and dinners with my Aman Resorts buddies – Chrissie Lincoln & Carolyn Turnbull, the dashing Francesco Galli Zugaro (FGZ) from the ultra luxe Aqua Expeditions (who just won 2012 CN Traveler World Savers Award and who plan to expand their unique, luxury river boat experience down the Mekong River in early 2014) and of course I partied hard with my new Smartflyer family, Erina, Michael, Elena (who kept me amused all week!), Rob, Ansley, Claire, Owen, Erika, Lauren, Kara, Robert and of course the fabulous Stacy Small (if you haven’t heard of her you will, Stacy is Elite Travel Gal– THE number one social media travel super agent in the US and all round glamour girl)… Love my Stateside team!
Hottest couple of the show???? Hands down Mr & Mrs Dolder AKA Matthias Kaesweber and Anna Loeser, the glamorous faces of the ultra luxe Dolder Grand Spa & Wellness retreat in Zurich. They breed them beautiful in Switzerland!
Oh and by the way I will be checking in here after ILTM Cannes in December for some serious R & R!
Where's Brent Been? 