Style Archives - Arbiter Travel Co. : Arbiter Travel Co.

Lifestyle | Style

Field Notes

Lifestyle | Style

Field Notes

Lifestyle | Style

Field Notes

Lifestyle | Style

Field Notes

Travel | Lifestyle | Style

A Re-Introduction

Bookmarked under my ever expansive summer holiday

Bookmarked under my ever expansive summer holiday wishlist. Is Corsica on yours?

📷: @condenasttraveller

This week on THE SET... Meet @kirbykurzeka — mar

This week on THE SET... Meet @kirbykurzeka — marketing guru, co-founder of @artofbeingfemale, window seat, SNA/LAX, Aquarius, overpacker, red wine lover.

Kirby and I have so many mutual friends, I had always heard the best things about her but we never actually connected until last year, when our good friends @blairzyy + @tarynpilco finally put us in touch. Aside from being a boss, Kirby is a mama of two (you’d never know it by how put-together she is at all times) living in Newport Beach. She has travelled to some of the best hotels in the world and always looks flawless, so I was so excited to learn some of her secrets.

Link in bio + stories for the full Q+A! #THEarbiterSET

Not my current view. #ifonly

Not my current view. #ifonly

Hawaii is officially our most-requested destinatio

Hawaii is officially our most-requested destination of the spring. There’s an island + hotel (or house) for every vibe... Where do you see yourself? #arbitertravel

📷: @fslanai

Continuing on the theme of relationships, we wante

Continuing on the theme of relationships, we wanted to take a minute to share two very important relationships that allow us to operate as a full-service, established travel agency — even though we’re a small, relatively young business.

The first is our affiliation with @thesmartflyer, our travel agency partner. SmartFlyer is one of the world’s top agencies, and has been in business for over 30 years. They are made up of almost 200 of the country’s top independent agents, and hotels see all of our booking power pooled as one — so they clearly recognize the importance of treating each SmartFlyer client as a VIP. While we operate our business independently (and to clients, we are Arbiter Travel Co.), to hotels, we are a SmartFlyer agent, which is hugely powerful when negotiating space and upgrades.
@thesmartflyer community is also incredibly beneficial to us (and our clients) behind the scenes. We are collaborative and supportive, and share invaluable information — both firsthand, on-the-ground feedback, as well as feedback from clients’ recent stays. So even if we haven’t been to a destination personally, chances are one of our fellow “Smarties” has, and can share feedback that we can relay to our clients and use to curate the perfect trip.

The second is our partnership with @virtuosoltd, a by-invite global travel consortium made up of the top 1% of travel providers in the world. As a member of Virtuoso, our clients receive a range of value-add amenities (think free breakfast, resort credits, transfers, and upgrades) at all Virtuoso hotels (which is basically every 5-star hotel in the world). It also connects us to specific contacts at the hotels (ie General Managers, chief concierge), so that we can make sure our clients are taken care of personally. Virtuoso suppliers are also vetted annually, so we know that with that stamp of approval, they are going to be of the best quality to recommend to our clients.

So now you know — when you are #bookedbyarbiter, you are checking in with the elite status of being a @thesmartflyer and @virtuosoltd client as well.

Send us a note with any questions or to plan your next trip! #arbitertravel

We talk a lot about the perks that we get clients

We talk a lot about the perks that we get clients when we talk about the value of working with a travel advisor — and that is a big part of it (a comped $60 breakfast pp really adds up, and YES we get the same or better benefits you would with your AmEx!). But what we don’t broadcast as much, and what is equally — if not more — important, are the relationships and personal touch that travel advisors offer that simply can’t be replicated by credit card programs or online booking engines.

Every single client that is #bookedbyarbiter — whether for a one-night stay or month-long sojourn — is individually flagged as a “VIP” before check-in to our close contacts at each hotel.

So when we say “priority for upgrade if available,” we mean it. Before every single client stay, we reach out to our friends in high places at the hotels (many of whom we have met in person and become friends with) to remind them that our special guests are checking in. If you worked for a hotel and were looking at upgrade/check-in assignments for the week, would you give the upgrade to your friend’s client, or to a random credit card operator or discount booking engine’s client? And that’s exactly how it works.

And when it comes to welcome amenities, sure you’ll get a bottle of wine from AmEx. But will it be your favorite varietal, and be presented with a personalized note or a framed photo of your baby who you were sad about leaving for the first time? And will the hotel know you love chocolate so leave a little extra at turn-down service? Or that you adore design, and drop off an architectural guidebook to the city? Probably not. We live for that personal touch — it’s the little things that make our clients stays extra extra special.

It’s the little things that make working with a travel advisor invaluable.

#arbitertravel

ARBITER TRAVEL CO. +

Arbiter Travel Co. is an independent
affiliate of SmartFlyer, a VIRTUOSO agency.

Copyright 2019 ARBITER LLC. All rights reserved.

TRAVEL SERVICES +

FOLLOW ALONG +

Visit THE GUIDEBOOK

ARBITER TRAVEL CO.

Arbiter Travel Co. is an independent
affiliate of SmartFlyer, a VIRTUOSO agency.

Copyright 2019 ARBITER LLC. All rights reserved.

TRAVEL SERVICES

FOLLOW ALONG

Visit THE GUIDEBOOK