Meet the agent who plans luxury trips for US former presidents and world leaders
(CNN) - On a personal trip to Ethiopia in 2015, the former president of the United States, George W. Bush, found a pleasant surprise.When he reached the ancient Christian city of Lalibela, dozens of children with navy blue hats of the Texas Ranger, one of the favorite sports teams of the Texans, gave him a warm welcome.
"We prepare many interesting surprises in that trip," tells CNN Travel Jaclyn Sienna India, founder of the Sienna Charles luxury lifestyle company.
"I try to think of great ways to make (travelers) get excited, so I bought around 100 caps of the Texas Rangers. And when Bush arrived in the village, all the children had put them on."
Personal touches, exclusivity, security, discretion: these are the things that world leaders expect while traveling.
"It is very similar to the theater: world leaders have this vision of how this place could be, how exotic and amazing," adds India."And we want to meet that vision with special moments."
Bush was not the first world leader he worked with.His agency has planned more than 100 trips for at least 15 presidents, prime ministers and leaders since 2012.
publicidad"Either an former president, a billionaire or a celebrity, everyone is an individual," he says."If you understand what motivates them and why they make that trip, it will be a successful relationship."
Offering custom experiences
In 2015, Luxury Travel Specialist Jaclyn Sienna India accompanied former President George W. Bush to the Omo Valley in Ethiopia. Sienna Charles Cortesy
India learned everything about the art of luxury hospitality in the now closed le bec end, at that time a haute cuisine restaurant with three Michelin stars, where he worked while obtaining a degree in art history at the Tyler School of Art of theTemple University of Philadelphia.
"I fell in love with maintaining the net ultra high value," he recalls."I really stood out and understood their needs. That has really been the success of my career: understand the needs of each person and then be able to provide that experience."
After the University, India, Native New York, he moved to Palm Beach, Florida, with his then boyfriend and now husband, Freddy Charles Reinert, where he quickly realized that the level of service in tourism of "Luxury"paid compared.
"It simply did not make sense to me; in the restaurant, you sat for three hours and spent between US $ 5,000 and 10,000," he recalls.
"Seven people with (dishes) of silver were waiting for you; the sommelier knew all the grapes and winemakers; the chef approached your table and knew where the foie gras came from."
Everything was obsessive and service -oriented at the restaurant, he says, but that is not in luxury trips.
"The same type of clientele would spend US $ 100,000 on a trip to Italy or France, but the (travel agent he designed) the trip has not even been there," says India.
Sienna Charles has even made her customers have private access to the Louvre.frédéric release / Corbis / Getty Images
Striving to offer a better alternative for high -patrimony travelers, the couple launched Sienna Charles in 2008.
Each trip adapts to customer needs, whether a multigenerational retirement in Umbria or a private island in Indonesia.
"I personally examine all my recommendations and I am obsessed with quality and service," he says.
An adventure by Egypt
"We Closed Down Monuments For (The Leader), and they just waceted to Dig deaper Ir their personal passion," Recalls India of a trip to luxor, Egypt She planned in 2012.khaled desouki/AFP/Getty Images
In 2012, Sienna Charles had the opportunity to plan and execute a trip for a world leader for the first time.
When he spoke with India, the client (whose name cannot be shared due to a confidentiality agreement), had his eyes on Egypt.
The leader had previously visited the country for work reasons and was "really interested in Egyptology," says India.
So the travel expert organized a 12 -day adventure with several stops that was filled with historical and cultural discussions with several professionals and academics.
The trip took the world leader from Cairo to a Cruise for the Nile on a private yacht, with several stops in historical places along the way.
They finished the trip in the old capital of Luxor, nicknamed the "largest outdoor museum in the world", where there are some of the oldest tombs and temples in the country.
"We close monuments for (the leader), and he just wanted to deepen his personal passion," recalls India."He had this romantic sense of the world where they couldn't wait to discover this place."
Thanks to the references and this first successful trip with a world leader, India went on to plan trips for George W. Bush, among several others.
Bush in Ethiopia
In 2015, India meticulously choreographed a trip to some of the most remote corners of Ethiopia for Bush, his wife Laura, four friends, his doctor and 30 members of the secret service staff.
Due to the huge entourage, the voice was run on the trip.
"We care about discretion and privacy," says India."But with so much staff and secret service agents, it simply became a media frenzy. Some world leaders simply go with a security agent and a baseball cap, and nobody knows they are them."
Lalibela, Ethiopia, is famous for its beautiful churches excavated in the rock. EDWIN REMSBERG / VWPICS / UNIVERSAL IMAGES GROUP / GETTY IMAGES
She says that Bush chose Ethiopia because she had been there during her presidency, but did not have enough time to leave and explore more thoroughly.
"He told me that he visited around 80 countries during his presidency, but that he was going to a beautiful monument like Taj (Mahal) and never saw anything (due to demanding schedule)," adds India.
To immerse the former president in culture and history, he planned a several stages trip from the remote Valle del Río omo, home of some of the most isolated tribes in the world, in the south to Lalibela in the north.
The logistically challenging trip required several modes of transport, from SUV to helicopters, private jets and river boats.
"Lalibela has to do with Christianity, that was amazing," says India, referring to Bush's religious affiliation."When we were in the Omo Valley, (the villagers) made a ceremonial dance to welcome him."
All about personal touches
"When you are willing to pay, it is a really easy conversation," says India about how Sienna Charles managed
India's team attended very specific requests for food and drink, since "the trip is about them."
For example, he says that Bush likes comforting meals such as peanut butter sandwiches and pasta when traveling, so India made sure that all her favorite meals were available even in the most remote parts of Ethiopia.
"For world leaders, the service is at a level of madness in their homes and have executive assistants wherever they go," he explains."So when they travel, they really have great expectations, and it's understandable."
Since the hotels in Ethiopia did not meet India's expectations, she worked with local partners to build luxury camps for the former president and his entourage.
They bought new furniture, bedding and sheets, building beautiful accommodations from scratch.
The good thing about working with world leaders, he says, is that they know how to delegate.
"I tell you what we are thinking and let me move forward with that. They are people who run countries, so they understand the power to hire experts and can give (control) people who are good in what they do," says India.
Once, he helped a world leader to celebrate his wife's birthday covering the entire floor of a private villa with exotic Rosas "Cherry Snow" brought from Ecuador, she says.
On another occasion, he worked with producers of stylism movie and expert scenarios to create a Parisian cinematographic scene in the heart of Miami, where the famous chef Eric Ripert designed a special menu.
And in Italy, he made arrangements for a world leader to enjoy a private visit with a famous jewelry designer.The leader helped to design a unique gift for his wife: a gold navette ring with an oval size facet and 24 round -size diamonds for US $ 714,000.
Discretion, security and exclusivity
In most cases, India says that her clients go to her with a vision of what they expect to experience on a trip.
Perhaps that is to immerse yourself more deeply in Chinese culture, launch next to the pool in St. Barts or simply rent a house and be a grandfather for a week in Italy.
After an initial consultation, India, who has traveled to more than 80 countries and insists on experiencing each first -hand recommendation, will generally suggest three to five options, describing the pros and cons of each.
From there, the travel expert works in close collaboration with the Chief of Personnel, the Personal Assistant and the Security of the Client to solve the details.
"From the type of room to food allergies, what kind of restaurants do they like, what time do they like to wake up, what newspapers do they want in the room, what kind of tour guides like ... We take into account every detail," he says.
Transport tends to be relatively fluid since 100% of its customers have their own yachts, helicopters and private jets.
As part of the security protocol, Sienna Charles often needs to close the main monuments and museums so that customers can experience them alone.
"We have closed Sydney's opera, Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, the Louvre, Versailles, Giza's great sphinx, Machu Picchu ... tons of monuments," says India."When you are willing to pay, it is a very easy conversation."
In general, Sienna Charles first tries to arrange a visit outside the hours of attention.If that is not possible, they try to make a donation of between US $ 20,000 and US $ 100,000.
"We do not need to spend money for the simple fact of spending money," he says."You just have to know who to call. But if you can see it privately, it is a victory."
Leaving space to spontaneity
Security is much more challenging, especially when working with world leaders who tend to travel with at least one security agent.
"They have a lot of security, and security needs an itinerary," he says."They want it to be mapped as many steps we have to take from the car to each monument and each restaurant."
Initially, this was quite frustrating for India because he believes that "traveling is about being fortuitous."
"The trip takes place while (our customers) are traveling. We learned quite quickly after that first trip (in Egypt) that we will prepare a minute story of what we are going to do for security equipment, but we also have toManage the client, ”he says." And if the client feels that it is a great trip, for me it is a victory. "
That means, sometimes, venturing outside the itinerary minute by minute.For example, when he took Bush to Ethiopia, India had the unexpected opportunity to visit a remote tribe in the OMO River Valley.
But the group would have to get off a very steep road with little visibility to get to the river and then take a boat to get there.
"I asked his staff if he could do it so that (Bush) could see more. And they said no," says India.
"But this would be the only way we would have a moment with this tribe, so I asked Bush directly and said: 'Absolutely'".
"I learned to respect the security and personnel who want to keep the person safe, but that (strict itinerary) can also prevent him from enjoying things," he says.
A new era for the cost of control '
Jardines of the 'Orangerie' of the Palace of Versailles.Stephane de Sakutin / AFP / Getty Images
Pandemia has not affected the trips of the ultra -ups and elites, says India.
"There are many places like Fiji and Thailand that began to let private planes in about six months ago," he says."It is an advantageous moment to be a person with an ultra high net worth. Because, as in anything else, money speaks. People are willing to spend money to do what they want."
He has noticed several ultra luxury travel trends driven by the pandemic.For example, Indian clients tend to plan trips at the last minute, sometimes only one or two days in advance, due to the uncertainty of border restrictions and quarantine requirements.
The intermediaries have also begun to skip completely, buying their own private yachts and jets and buying vacation houses.
In addition, India says that discretion has become the norm.
"They do not travel by the simple fact of traveling. But when they do, the rich no longer share online," he says."When much of the world is spending trouble, they will not publish photos aboard their megayate."
Even so, the money spent on trips at this time is "crazy," he adds."People just want what they want. If they are renting, it will be the most expensive yacht. And they are not getting into the staff that does not know how to deal with them."
Before the pandemic, India helped its customers rent yachts for approximately between US $ 200,000 and 300,000 a week.Now, they are reserving ships that cost up to US $ 1 million a week.
When it comes to properties and vacation houses, the expense has shot an average of US $ 10,000 per night at US $ 35,000 or more for Sienna Charles customers.
"The expense is certainly out of control," says India."It's generalized. People are simply willing to pay for exclusivity and be in the right place at the right time."
viajes
