The world of luxury travel concierges is one of anticipated needs and ice cold champagne. Photo / Getty
From private visits to Italy’s Ferrari factory to mountaintop spa days in New Zealand, luxury concierge companies create out-of-this-world experiences for worldly travellers, writes Jessica-Belle Greer.
When you are a luxury traveller, the world is your oyster – but having so many options can feel overwhelming, and it’s best to prize pearls of wisdom. Luxury concierge companies offer exclusive opportunities – from private access to some of the world’s wonders to meet and greets with national treasures – with dedicated managers who know each member’s preferences and what will be most worth their time.
Based in England and Europe, S2 Lifestyle Management offers a full range of luxury services, and when it comes to travel, it focuses on what is priceless, at least, directly so. “If you are working with ultra-high net worth individuals and family offices, these people have pretty much access to everything,” says co-founder Ali Samli. “What they need is money can’t buy experiences.”
For a member who wanted to book the notoriously busy Osteria Francescana in Modena, Italy, they not only secured a table but permission from the Ferrari family for their client (a car collector) to visit the famed car factory, as well as VIP access to the Ferrari Maranello Museum, while in town for their meal.
Seemingly active relaxers, their members want to explore all sides of their holiday destinations. On a recent trip to Colombia, a member shared dinner with the family of the late great artist Fernando Botero, as well as an audience with Pablo Escobar’s favourite niece and nephew at his former private estate.
It’s not always the big-name places that attract travel specialists’ attention. Nota Bene Global looks after “quiet money” members and, says co-founder Anthony Lassman, “they want to go to those little secret places that you only know about by being exceedingly well-travelled”.
The Nota Bene Global team personally visit each spot and, unbothered by other markers of success, wants to know if they will make their guests feel special. “We’re not interested in whether your hotel is the Leading Hotels of the World, or whether you’re a part of Relais & Châteaux, whether you’re a Michelin star,” says Anthony. “I think this does come down to trust. Trust, discernment, taste, all of those things that really, really matter.”
Anthony and his wife and co-founder, Elaine, are now based in Lisbon, Portugal, and recently arranged bespoke itineraries at the Arco contemporary art fair. This included access to private galleries, collections and artist studios, as well as VIP access to the public galleries. In between visits, meals were booked nearby, including at a club on the beach, with their feet in the sand.
Organising private cars, helicopters, and planes makes tightly-packed itineraries feel like a breeze, too. “We can make three days feel like a week,” says Anthony.
Knightsbridge Circle has noticed that many of its members are not waiting to take once-in-a-lifetime trips with their families anymore. “With all this other stuff that’s going in the world, it’s how do we really do something really special?” says managing director Hannah Westaway. “It’s never a complacent decision.”
On a birthday trip to Bangkok, one family had a police escort to the Mandarin Oriental (where they had booked an entire wing), took private rocket boats through the old canal communities and had a traditional Chinese Tea at a private residence. Lunch was at a royal Thai riverside villa, before they toured the city’s landmarks on customised tuk-tuks. Nine senior monks gave a special blessing, and “side-door” access to the Reclining Buddha temple, closed off to other tourists. The festivities ended with a party at a historical 100-year-old villa with tropical gardens in central Bangkok, with dinner by renowned Thai chef Ian Kittichai. “They want cultural experiences as well as the luxury element,” says Westaway. “They want to learn more about the world.”
Throughout these adventures, a Knightsbridge Circle personal manager (who only looks after four members each) is on speed dial. “You have someone on the end of the phone, who has the knowledge, knows what you like, and they can just make it happen,” says Westaway. “Getting what you want, when you need it, I think, is the height of luxury.”
At Ellidore, director of travel Ed Farrelly is interested in taking members out of their comfort zone, in the most comfortable way possible. “A really good travel advisor will try to get an understanding of who the client is and what you can press (and what you need to not press) to be able to take them somewhere that they never thought would be possible,” he says. “You really have to build up that trust and be on that journey with them together.”
On a member’s upcoming trip to Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean, Ellidore is organising, among other things, a chance to see polar bears in the wild, with a team that uses small icebreaker boats, equipped with snowmobiles, to get closer to the wildlife.
Ellidore has “a few” New Zealand and Australian members and are especially good at showing off their own hometown of London. At the Tower of London, they have arranged for members to be invited by the Beefeaters to their private pub, The Keys, after the Ceremony of the Keys, which closes the landmark to other tourists for the evening. “The richness is not just in the cost of a trip, it’s in the experience, it’s in the personal touches,” says Farrelly.
New Zealand travel company Touch of Spice’s bespoke itineraries have included taking a helicopter to a Champagne breakfast at the top of the Mt Earnslaw glacier, with tables, chairs and a chiller sculpted from ice, an exhilarating snowmobile journey up Garvie Plateau, which was met by a pop-up spa complete with heated massage beds and personal therapists, and lunch behind a waterfall found in Earnslaw Burn with white-gloved service.
Touch of Spice also has an exclusive collection of premium properties to rent. When guests arrive, the fridge and wine cellar will be stocked to their requirements and a private chef briefed on their meal preferences. At a villa in Queenstown, Fergburger was invited to make the famed burgers in-house.
Marketing manager Nora Zenasni believes New Zealand is “up there” in offering world-class experiences with breathtaking scenery and cultural connections. “We’re very proud of New Zealand and we want to showcase it to the best of our ability,” she says. “Real connection and authentic experiences are really important.”
Like all those interviewed for this story, Zenasni notes that time is the most precious commodity when it comes to luxury travel. “It’s about making sure that that time is spent really at the highest quality possible for them with their loved ones.”
Again, an ultimate luxury during a Touch of Spice trip is anticipating needs before they arise. “It gives them the reassurance that they can just sit back, relax… and know that they’re just going to get this absolutely ‘wow’ experience.”
Like any memorable travel experience, it can take a lot of planning to get there, but the best moments are spontaneous.
“Those unforgettable moments can be created up to a point, and then the rest have to sort of happen,” says Lassman. “It’s that very special moment in time that you carry with you through your lifetime.”