This year’s iconic Virtuoso Travel Week is the ultimate annual global travel community event which is responsible for travel advisors and suppliers, all gathering together to shine light on the industry’s most extraordinary accommodations & experiences.
My voice took near one week to return following 8 days in Las Vegas of continuous networking of what is the world’s largest luxury travel show & includes all of the top names in the industry. With near 6,000 attendees investing their time & incurring the expenses to be here from 103 countries, this in itself may confirm the truth, that those of us in the travel industry feel that these interactions are invaluable to our business & the ideas we gather for our you, our valued clients.
We have the opportunity to learn about things before they are happening & be the ones who are “in the know” of any changes, such as hotels being renovated, new luxury companies coming out with yachts & even partners like Crystal Cruises now offering Private Charter flights internationally for our clients in the most opulent way while allowing us to be among the first to walk on to this aircraft & see it with our own eyes.
Crystal Cruises Presents Crystal Skye Private Jet
There are several nights where we gather for a formal gala dinner to showcase the the top destinations & experiences while also highlighting the advisors in travel who have really stood our within the industry. We recognize what we in the industry vote to be the “Best of the Best” at the 29th annual Virtuoso Travel Week, and one of those evenings if focused on the top hotels & resorts, with over 1,200 hotels, resorts, villas and private island retreats in competition for these awards as part of the world’s most prestigious hotel program.
Check out some of this year’s winners from the Hotels & Resorts gala:
Hotel of the Year: Palazzo Seneca, Norcia, Italy
Best Achievement in Design: Six Senses Douro Valley, Lamego, Portugal
Best Dining Experience: La Terrazza – Hotel Eden Rome, Rome, Italy
Best Bar: Bar Hemingway – Ritz Paris, Paris, France
Best Family Program: The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, Naples, Florida, U.S.
Best Wellness Program: Canyon Ranch, Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Best Virtuoso Experience: Andaz Mayakoba Resort Riviera Maya, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
Best Virtuoso Newcomer: Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, New York, New York, U.S
Sustainable Tourism Leadership: Cavallo Point – the Lodge at Golden Gate, Sausalito, California, U.S.
It is great to be part of an organization who is at the forefront of it all & is truly the leader in the luxury travel market. Very proud to represent Luxury Ventures by Victoria & Camelback Odyssey Travel at Virtuoso Travel Week (my 8th year in attendance, my gosh how time flies). My main goal in attending this annual event is to “shop” for my clients & get lots of new and interesting ideas that provide unique experiences that cannot be replicated online. It is about tailoring travel plans that are completely customized to you & your loved ones.
Thank you to the Bellagio in Las Vegas for hosting our group and creating an “all hands on deck” week where their staff of 5,000+ is all there to ensure it is the best week if can be for all of us in attendance. We were also welcomes by special surprise guests such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Rachel Hunter, Erik Qulman while enjoying entertainment for our group from icons Cher & Britney Spears (well those may have been hired tributes & not the real person but fun nonetheless).
Sarah Jessica Parker Debuts at Virtuoso Travel Week
So a few hundred “speed-dating” one-on-one appointments, nightly galas, countless training sessions & 20+ miles of walking between meeting spaces throughout the week, I would not have it any other way (well maybe just a little bit of vitamin d & sunshine) but this experience helps me the best advisor I can be. Always an exhausting week, but so exhilarating & well worth every minute!
I love to put ideas together & make magic happen when planning for my clients, because that is what we as advisors do so begin considering where you would like to travel to next? I like to live my life by the following phrase & take this info serious consideration when planning for my clients “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is a quote by Maya Angelou which relates to travel & the importance that it has on our lives.
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