June 28, 2023 • 31 mins
Are you ready to embark on your next unforgettable adventure? Join me as I chat with Rebecca Slater, founder of Rebecca Recommends, and uncover the secrets to crafting tailor-made luxury travel experiences that leave you wanting more. This episode takes us through Rebecca's journey of growing up in the hospitality industry, her love for America, and the birth of her representation company which connects discerning travelers with privately-owned properties of excellence across the globe.
Discover how Rebecca Recommends acts as a secret weapon for travel advisors and provides valuable assistance to smaller, individually-owned properties lacking the resources of larger brands. In our conversation, we explore the incredible destinations and properties that Rebecca's company represents, including the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka, Australia, Switzerland, and Ireland. Find out how Rebecca's partnerships with Red Carnation hotels and various Destination Management Companies (DMCs) open doors to unique experiences and help create memorable itineraries tailored to the traveler's profile.
As we delve deeper into the world of luxury travel, Rebecca shares her insights on the importance of due diligence when researching and selecting a representation company. She stresses the significance of building personal connections in the hospitality industry and how these relationships benefit both travelers and the properties they visit. So, if you're eager to elevate your travel experiences and learn more about the hidden gems of the luxury hospitality world, tune in to this captivating episode and let Robin and Rebecca guide you on this journey of exploration.
Thanks for tuning in!
Thanks for joining us on today’s episode of The Intrepid Traveler podcast! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please rate and review our
show to help us reach even more aspiring travelers. Don’t forget to check out our website, visit us on Facebook, Instagram or follow
us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on our latest epic travel adventures!
Use the following links when planning your own travel!
TRAVEL INSURED INTERNATIONAL
MEDJET
Thanks for joining us on today’s episode of The Intrepid Traveler podcast! If you enjoyed today’s episode, please rate and review our show to help us reach even more aspiring travelers. Don’t forget to check out our website, visit us on Facebook, Instagram or follow us on LinkedIn to stay up-to-date on our latest epic travel adventures!
Use the following links when planning your own travel!
TRAVEL INSURED INTERNATIONAL
MEDJET
VIRTUOSO
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:08):
Have you ever wondered how the pros put
together epic tailor-made traveladventures?
Welcome to the IntrepidTraveler Podcast.
I'm your host, robin Klein, andI'm going to explain to you
just how that is done during myconversation with today's guest.
When it comes to luxuryadventure and expedition travel,
the possibilities are endless.
(00:29):
In each episode, you'll hearfrom an expert in his or her
field about how theseexperiences, and more, are
created.
This episode of the IntrepidTraveler is brought to you by
Klein and Co Travel Consulting,a luxury adventure and
expedition travel planningcompany specializing in
un-Googleable experiences.
(00:49):
You can find us on the web atKleinandCoTravelcom.
On Instagram at Klein and CoTravel, we have a private
Facebook group you're welcome tojoin.
You can find us on LinkedIn orcatch the video version on
YouTube.
With that said, let's welcometoday's guest.
Today, i'm going to introduceyou to somebody that is I like
(01:12):
to think of as a traveladvisor's secret weapon, and I'm
going to let you in on thatsecret here as I introduce
Rebecca Slater of RebeccaRecommends.
Rebecca Recommends is arepresentation company, and
we're going to talk a bit aboutwhat that means as soon as we
(01:33):
hear a little bit from Rebeccaon her background and how she
got into this.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhere you grew up, how you ended
up in hospitality or in hotelsand so forth, and we'll carry on
Lovely Well.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
good morning, Robin.
Thank you so much.
It's a lovely, lovely to behere with you today and with
your listeners.
So I was fortunate enough to beborn into this amazing industry
of hospitality and travel.
I grew up in Chester, awonderful Roman city on the
border of North Wales.
(02:11):
It's a Roman city like Bath inYork and actually a lot of
Americans enjoy going there.
My father ran a hotel calledthe Chester Grove for the Duke
of Westminster for 32 years, SoI wasn't quite Eloise at the
plaza but I definitely spent alot of days, weeks, holidays
(02:34):
working at the hotel from a veryyoung age, probably a little
bit younger than other children,But I loved it.
I mean, I have such greatmemories of going around with
our head housekeeper with aclipboard and checking the rooms
and working in the kitchenreception, So it really sort of
had hotels in my blood from ayoung child.
(02:56):
My father also started acompany called Small Luxury
Hotels of the World.
That's a name I've heard before.
So one of the and it still isvery much in existence, although
he's not involved one of thetop marketing companies for
independently owned hotels togive them kind of global
(03:17):
presence in the marketplace, andso this really helped foster my
love for hotels.
I was privileged to meet somegreat hoteliers at a young age.
In fact, my father actually hadan East Coast rep company, or
representation company, and aWest Coast representation
(03:38):
company, and so I first think Imet travel agents, as you were
called then, when I was probablyabout seven years old, and we
would welcome these lovelyAmerican people to our house
because my mom is a wonderfulgardener And so my father would
invite everyone to our home fora drink to see my mom's garden
(03:59):
and then they'd be staying atthe hotel.
So I was just always around andunderstood about this industry,
and then, 20 years ago, idecided that I was going to try,
and when everyone's saying, no,you won't get a visa to work in
America because it'schallenging, i guess I wanted to
(04:19):
rise to that challenge and makeit a reality, which I did when
I moved to Pennsylvania back in2004.
Oh, okay, what part ofPennsylvania were you in?
So we were in niche hotspotsand Longwood Gardens and that
beautiful area outside ofPhiladelphia.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, I went to Westchester University.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Oh, come back there.
We both got in common as well.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, exactly, i did a lot of my horseback riding up
in that area, so that'ssomething we were talking about
before we started recordingtoday about.
we both have a great love forhorseback riding and riding in
various places around the worldas well, but anyway, well, back
to business.
We can talk about horses later.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Absolutely.
I can easily do that all day.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Yeah, right.
So it's not a stretch at all tosay not only is this in your
blood, but you were raised onthis as well, and so, but you
still have to have a love for it.
Even if it's something you'reraised in and it's in your blood
, you still have to have thatpassion for it, and I find, in
(05:30):
all of these podcasts that I do,that there is people that are
in this industry definitely havea passion, because we wouldn't
be in it otherwise.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Absolutely true, robin.
It's absolutely true.
And I think where we have beenlucky or you know, with Rebecca
recommends, we've had some ofour clients pretty much from
when I started the company.
The hotels that we work with,the hoteliers, the families that
own them, are equally aspassionate.
And then you know you mentionedat the beginning about how we
(06:01):
are sort of secret weapon And Ithink part of that is that we do
a lot of due diligence beforewe start to work with a client
And I'm sure they do their duediligence on looking at
representation and who is theright fit for them.
But really I always love tothink of as a sort of
matchmakers, where we'reintroducing you to these
(06:23):
wonderful in our case privatelyowned properties of excellence.
We only work with, withprivately owned properties And
then destination managementcompanies, these magic makers on
the ground, which can curatethese wonderful trips with you,
in collaboration with you, foryour clients, so that they have
all that special access and knowall those things.
(06:46):
So for us we have this amazingrole that I am so grateful for
and passionate about, that wecan connect you to these people
And I always think and I do saythis and genuinely mean it that
you know, if you're sendingclients to a destination, even
if you're not working with ourhotel there or our DMC or on
(07:07):
site, that I want your clientsto have the best experience.
So I'm still going to share myrecommendations, my secret tips,
with you and help you build oncreating an amazing trip for
your client.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow, that's in a.
It does and it does work thatway, which is fabulous.
I'm going to just walk it backjust for a second because I want
to make sure that everybodythat's listening is clear on
what exactly a representationcompany is in our business.
So and correct me if I'm wrongon this So the big, you know the
(07:41):
big names in the business.
You know if we're talking likeMarriott, hilton, hyatt, four
Seasons, things like that, youknow they've got the power to do
all their own marketing and totake care of all that for
themselves.
These properties that you'retalking about that are maybe
more individually owned orsmaller, like family.
You know groups of propertiesI'm thinking of red carnation in
(08:05):
particular They may not theyjust might not have that power
to get the word out to peoplelike people like me.
And unless I know about you andhow fabulous these companies
are, that you represent hotels,like we said, dmcs, etc.
(08:25):
Then it's harder for them toget some traction and get people
in the door that are theirideal clients.
So where you refer to yourselfas a matchmaker, we're a bit the
same, because we know ourclients well and we know once we
visited these places and metthe people that run them and so
(08:47):
forth.
We know which clients matchwith which properties.
So the representation companiesin our business do that for us
and it's sort of every everybodywins.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Absolutely.
It's so right, robin, and wereally consider ourselves as an
extension of all of our clients.
You know they only work with usas their representation company
.
We are effectively their USsales team based here, and so we
your point of contact foranything that you need from our
clients on your time zone.
(09:21):
And, of course, we can't knowevery single detail about every
destination.
That's what our DMCs are therefor.
But we do know a great deal andI like to think that we pride
ourselves on The fact that wehave these long relationships
with our clients means that weknow them intimately.
We travel to all theirdestinations at least once a
(09:43):
year, whether it's myself or oneof my great team members.
So, again, we're sharing withyou what's new, what's relevant,
what are the travel logisticsnow in that destination.
So all of that really helpfulinformation.
And you're right When you'relooking at these bigger brands,
these global brands that havehuge sales and marketing teams
(10:04):
and budgets for that.
Some of these little gems,which I take, again, great pride
in being able to introducepeople like yourselves too,
whether it's the Torridon up inthe Highlands of Scotland, that
is this wonderful property, butthey don't have the same budget
(10:24):
that Apple Seasons would, and sothis kind of collective working
with us allows them access tous to present and look after
their sales and marketing.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
So tell me before we.
I mean, i'm sure everybody'sanxious to hear about the
destinations of the propertiesand we're going to reveal some
of those for sure.
But I want to know at whatpoint did you feel like, okay,
i'm ready to go out and try thison my own?
Obviously you're now.
Were you working at the smallluxury hotels of the world?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So I was working at the Chester Grove.
I did a degree in hospitalitymanagement in Manchester, which
is a major university cityactually in Europe It's one of
the largest university citiesAnd so I was working at the
Chester Grove and I did thinkmaybe I could go and work in the
(11:24):
New York office with smallluxury.
That was an idea of my fatherwas chairman of SNH for many
years.
But then I started to thinkwell, i see this amazing role
that these representation peoplehave And in fact, Joanna
Heathcote, who still has herrepresentation company on the
West Coast she was.
(11:44):
I just saw her last week at acompany event and I did say to
her how much of a, how much sheinspired me when I was younger.
She was one.
She was the rep that wouldbring lovely people from
California, these travel agents,to our house.
So I think I was looking, i wassearching.
I did fall in love with America.
I fell in love with SanFrancisco and the Bay Area.
(12:06):
One of the other founders ofsmall luxury was also from San
Francisco and owned a wonderfulhotel called The Huntington at
Montenegro, and so we would comehere as a family.
I was familiar and I justannounced to my family.
One day.
You know, when I was a youngteenager, this is where I want
to live.
One day.
I think it really was kind ofin my subconscious that somehow
(12:28):
I wanted to get to America And Ilove a passionate about hotels.
And so how can I do that?
And I worked with animmigration attorney.
I set up my company.
I have my company sponsor mefor a visa, so everything was
very legitimate And I startedtalking to hotels in the UK.
I mean, that's what I, thepeople I knew.
(12:49):
So when I started, rebeccarecommends it was a small
collection of privately owned,independent hotels just in the
United Kingdom And then,obviously, from that, my company
has grown Right, Right, Yes.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
And speaking of growth, so we'll go ahead and
sort of pull back the curtain onthat And I'm going to reel off
some of the ones I know of andyou can fill in the gaps.
But so you've got yes, soyou've got UK, you've got Sri
Lanka, you've got Australiayou've got.
I know you have one hotel inSwitzerland now Ireland,
(13:23):
actually, we have a couple, acouple, yeah And I'm trying to
think like I don't have the listup in front of me right now,
but I know it's a good and ofcourse, america.
I mean you've got one, i knowyou've got one out there in the
wine country And yeah, yeah,exactly, and so you've got.
And then, but recently, fairlyrecently, have added red
(13:45):
carnation, which is, i thinkthere's all kinds of interesting
properties that you've got inclients, obviously, but that one
is a little more or not moreinteresting.
That's a poor choice of words.
It's got a unique story.
Tell us just a little bit aboutthat, because they're not only
in England but in Africa as well.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Yeah, Yeah, in Africa , and then, of course, another
jewel in that crown is AshfordCastle in Ireland.
So I think, first of all, sortof Rebecca recommends, it's
grown organically and a lot ofour clients have come to us
through referrals, which, as weall know, is the best kind of
business, and so sometimes I getasked well, where do you want
to have a client next?
(14:26):
And it doesn't really work likethat.
It's always just been the factthat wonderful people like
yourselves have said oh, i workwith this company, i think they
could, you could, help them, orour other clients actually refer
as to people.
In fact, today I have a callwith a company based in New
Zealand and we'll see if that'sgoing to be the right fit.
(14:47):
But we were talking to redcarnation.
I've admired their propertiesfor over 10 years and the
Tollman family have just reallybeen leaders in our industry in
many ways, especially on thesustainability front.
But their properties were sucha natural fit within Rebecca
(15:07):
recommends and I'll wrap up ourrather clients and hotels.
And so they do have sixproperties in London.
They have a countrysideproperty as well there, but then
the family Mr and Mrs Tolmansenior, you know originated from
South Africa, so their hotelcompany actually started there
with the Oyster box, and so theyhave properties in Africa and
(15:30):
their most recent property therewhich, if you haven't been
wrong and you have to put onyour list.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Yeah, it's on my list , Well yeah it is, it's really
on my list.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
It's just a matter of getting there.
Absolutely, and I was sofortunate to experience the
property last year, and it wasThat's in Botswana.
It is in Botswana And I wouldsay right now and of course you
might think I'm biased, but itreally is There's no large like
it in Africa at this moment.
I mean, it's so unique, it's soincredible.
(16:00):
The investment and the care.
Again, everything they do iswith such care and passion for
the community, working with 50African artists It's the largest
African art collection now, butit provides that perfect
martini that you might find inNew York, or those that are used
(16:20):
to air conditioning, and thefinest linens in China, in every
detail.
And then this food, and to thinkthat you are literally in the
middle of nowhere.
And I think for me, that's whatappeals so much about Botswana
is the fact that you can go andhave this incredible experience
in the wild, with wonderfulwildlife, but you're not really
(16:41):
seeing many other people And soit's at such a high level.
So, no, they do, they have.
And then they also have theirwonderful property in
Switzerland too, geneva.
We mustn't forget hotels onthis.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Yeah, that's right, i had forgotten that.
So yeah, obviously you wouldn't, though.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
We try not to have favorites, we try not to forget
anybody.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, i don't think it's a matter of favorites.
I think the nice thing is iseverything's so unique.
You know that everything It'snot like doing.
I mean, i'm not going to namenames, but some of the big
brands you can walk into one oftheir hotel rooms, like there's
one in particular that I've beenin in Egypt, las Vegas, Chicago
(17:23):
, another internationaldestination that I'm forgetting
right now And every one of thosehotel rooms I could do If I'd
closed the curtains.
I wouldn't be able to tell youwhich country I was in.
And that's the nice thing abouthaving a portfolio like you do
is it's very unique, it's veryindividualized.
And even I had the luxury ofbeing with you all on a trip in
(17:46):
March and seeing the RedCarnation hotels, and they are
each individual, even down tothe rooms.
I just loved it.
There's that one trademarkthing of the cloth, the wall.
That is just wonderful.
But everything is so individualAnd I think that that is really
(18:07):
important.
It kind of sets you apart toothat you're doing something of
that nature, i think.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, well, that's kind of what you say And again,
it's something that's integraland important to me and for the
company on our team that wereally work with places that
have a real sense of destination.
So to your point, and I thinkmore travelers now are looking
for that, of course there's somepeople that like to go to the
new opening or they are brandloyal and that's wonderful.
(18:37):
But for me, i want to know thatI'm sat in a hotel in Tel Aviv
and Israel, or at the incrediblelodge on the South Island, such
as with Blanket Bay or AshfordCastle that quintessential Irish
castle experience.
So all of the properties we dowork with you know exactly where
you are.
They want to support the localcommunity, So a lot of things
(19:01):
are sourced locally.
And, yeah, i think, as we're alltraveling and looking at where
we travel to, it becomes such animportant decision factor And
the people you know to know thatyou're going to meet people
from the destinations in thehotels and often that have had
huge length of service And Ithink, as a guest, if you return
(19:21):
, how nice to be recognized andknown.
And that also the hotels knowthat they're your clients and
guests.
So this is lovely communitythat we're all in, together,
working together.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Well, exactly, and I mean that to me is one of the
best ways to start off is if Iknow that's part of your
portfolio and I'm interested init, i know who to reach out to
at your company And if it lookslike a good fit, i ask for an
introduction.
And then you know right therethat's just opening doors wide
open that you know the beatsdoing any kind of research on
(19:54):
the internet.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Yeah, you know so.
Yeah, we have an extensiveblack book, you know, not only
with our clients, but beyondthat too.
So we always want to make surewe're introducing you to the
right person.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Absolutely.
And I thought about another onethe Caribbean.
You've got the Caribbean.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Yes, kurt Bluff, yeah exactly, and a lot of places
were you know, such as Kurt andBluff, which is an example of
you know.
It was one of the firstproperties in the Caribbean.
It was when you could.
You know building regulationswould allow you to build right
on the beach.
And then what's lovely aboutthe clients that go to Bluff is
now you're in the sort of likefourth generation of families
(20:32):
who've been travelling there.
And Shelley, the founder, isstill involved in the property
and again, the team there andall the team are local And it's
just wonderful.
So Now that comes across whenyou stay in these hotels, yeah,
yeah absolutely No, it really,it really does.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
And I do want to reiterate a little bit, though
that just again in the recordinghere that you work in, rebecca
recommends works with traveladvisors.
You don't work with the generalpublic.
So, when you refer to yourclients, you're referring to the
people that own the properties,and those are your clients,
(21:11):
whereas my clients are theconsumers, the travelers, the
people that are going.
So I just wanted to make surethat everybody's clear on that.
Absolutely, it could get alittle bit.
Yeah, no, i agree, yeah, andthen I find it.
I love the fact, too, that younot only represent properties.
(21:31):
I mean summer straight hotels,summer resorts, and also what we
call in the industry, as youmentioned earlier, destination
management companies, dmcs, oron sites, which is the same
thing basically.
So how do you find thatrepresenting a DMC and
properties goes hand in hand andis helpful sometimes?
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yeah, and that's a great question.
And we started to see this over10 years ago now, because
actually a lot of our DMCs orsome we worked with for over 10
years, so I would say, probablylike even 12 years ago that even
just in the industry and ofcourse, virtuoso, the company
membership you're involved withas well started to see this need
(22:14):
for on site DMCs.
So these are people on theground, in country, that work
with you, that have theconnections that can help you
with this bespoke trip, and whatwe could see is that we have
these lovely hotels in the UK,but you're not just going to
come and stay at one hotel,you're going to put together a
(22:34):
whole itinerary And for that youreally need somebody on the
ground And that's where the DMCcomes in.
So we actually find that havinga DMC and a destination where
we have hotels and that is a lotof them works incredibly well
because those DMCs are alreadyworking in partnership with
those hotels.
They're not going to be rightfor every single client, but a
(22:59):
lot of the time they're workingand collaborating together.
So I think for you it's reallynice when we have a DMC.
They're very established intheir destinations, they're they
open those doors, they helpwith all those wonderful people
to people experiences andthey're working alongside of our
clients.
I mean case in point with, say,resplendent salon, and I know
(23:20):
you've just spoke with Malik,sri Lanka and Ventors who we
have worked with and who've beenin business over 30 years.
They were working in Sri Lankaway before any of the kind of
hotels that we know that are nowwith us and have these
incredibly deep rootedrelationships.
And then, to extend around SriLanka, you are going to add
(23:42):
other places where resplendentsalon don't have hotels, so then
the DMC can come in and putthis wonderful itinerary
together with you for exactlywhat your clients want.
Every single itinerary isbespoke and none of our DMCs
ever repeat an itinerary And Iknow they're very proud to say
that Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Yeah, no, and it's so wonderful to work with DMCs
like that that you're not justgetting something off the shelf,
you're actually giving themyour client profile and telling
them exactly what the clientlikes And you can, like I said,
pick the right hotel, pick theright activities.
That's how we make the magichappen, so to speak.
I do want to talk for a minuteabout the Nair, because I got to
(24:24):
go there And I was veryintrigued with it before I went,
but I just like fell in lovewith it when I got there And
tell everybody just a little bitabout that property, because I
think it's one of those that is,it's a hidden gem.
It is a hidden gem.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And it's a great example, robin, of again where a
hotel can really benefit fromour relationships with advice as
such as yourself.
So Toby Ashworth, who is justan incredible hotelier, as you
now know, is probably one of themost connected people in
Cornwall And Cornwall down atthe very far the southwest of
(25:04):
England, which is a very populardestination for Britain.
But for American travelers it'soften more sort of the third or
fourth time they go back to theUK, or maybe even more for some
, and even still Americans arediscovering Cornwall.
But it has so much to offer Andthe Nair is this quintessential
(25:26):
English country house hotel bythe sea Cornwall has.
You can pretty much walk thewhole coastline, so lots of
national trails and paths andproperties that lead right from
this wonderful location of theNair.
And to me, what I love so muchabout the Nair, it's what
England does so well.
And when I say it'squintessential, it's always a
(25:48):
bit like stepping back in time,but in such a charming way It's
a slightly slower pace of life.
You know the roads are narrow,you never know if you might find
some sheep or some hikers asyou kind of come around the
corner, and then they do have amore moderate temperature.
So you've got these gorgeousgardens and then there's a
wonderful art scene down therefrom St Ives.
(26:10):
So Toby and I have been workingtogether for well over 10 years
And he has been, i think, reallyincredible doing a better job,
you know, than perhaps theEnglish tourist board on
promoting Cornwall and thedestination And that often is
the case with a lot of ourhotels that they really have to
(26:30):
take on the role of selling thedestination first, and then you
come and stay at our propertyAnd then there, you know, is the
highest rated hotel in Cornwalland it offers just a wonderful
location for your guests toexplore, your clients to explore
Cornwall from.
And yeah, it's a place that youdo need a good few nights to
(26:50):
stay because it takes a littlebit of time to get down there,
but there's a wonderful trainthat goes from London.
It's about four hours, a veryscenic coastal journey And of
course, their team is on hand tohelp you with whatever you need
for your clients.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, yeah, it was fabulous, and my love affair
with it all started with Poldark.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Oh yeah, i'm not sure if you've watched Doc Martin.
I have, that's the best.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I've seen I have, but he wasn't nearly as handsome as
Poldark.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
No, he was very true, i loved that period And there
were beautiful horses in.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Poldark, Yeah, And all the you know.
I mean I know that living atthat time wasn't quite as
romantic as the whole story madeit out to be, But I did love
watching that And that was oneof the things that I thought oh,
I've got to get to that part ofEngland.
And then, lo and behold, I wasable to get there.
So that was my We're happy thatyou both Yeah.
(27:51):
Well, i mean we could talk aboutall these properties all day
long, and but we'll maybe leavethat for another time.
I do want to ask you quickly,before we close Where did your
love?
I mean obviously growing up inEngland, where you did.
Obviously horses are a big partof life, but tell me how you,
what your introduction to yourlove of horses was.
How did that start?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Oh, thank you, Robin.
That's a really fun question.
So my godfather at the time wasinvolved with a hotel called
Penny Hill Park And actuallythat's still very much a hotel
that's operating today, thoughhe's no longer involved And they
had horses And there's reallyonly a handful of hotels now the
days where you can ride onproperty in the UK at least I
know in Ireland there are morelike Ashford Castle.
(28:32):
And I was probably three orfour years old and I was put on
this gorgeous big black horseand sort of was able to walk
around the estate with, i think,probably somebody holding me on
him, although I don't rememberthat part because he was really
a big horse.
They obviously didn't have anyponies at the time And literally
(28:52):
from that moment onwards I justfell in love and I just knew
that I would always have horsesin my life And I was very lucky
that my parents supported mylove and passion and was
probably spoiled and bought apony when I was sort of 11 years
old And I've been proud to saythat I've been able then to keep
(29:13):
a horse in my life.
I have two horses now, but youknow there was a time when I had
to support my riding hobbymyself and that is not easy, but
I found ways And actually whenI moved to the US close to 20
years ago I did bring my mareLottie to live with me in
Pennsylvania and she was therefor many years.
(29:33):
So I came back down to a hotelwith that horse.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Well, and you've gone right back to the beginning
because you have a beautiful bigblack horse.
now too, i do.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I do My first black horse, yeah, Basanti, which is
actually a Nepali name.
I love Nepal.
So she was named after Spring.
That's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Yeah well, we're going to have to compare horse
notes at some point, because mystory is a little similar.
I basically wore my parentsdown until they finally said OK,
we'll pay $300 for the pony.
Well, they had no idea thatthat was only Just a stock.
Yeah, The $300 was a drop inthe bucket compared to
(30:16):
everything that came along after.
So, like you, it opened so manydoors for me and I got to travel
around the world working withhorses, so it helped help to my
love of travel grow even more aswell.
So, yeah, so we've got all thatin common.
So, anyway, thank you, this hasbeen so nice.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Oh, we appreciate you , Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Robin Joining me today, and I'll look forward to
seeing you in person next time.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely, thank you .
I felt like we could havechatted with you all day, so
we're thrilled that we can helpyou with anything that you need
for your travelers and yourclients, and thank you for this
lovely opportunity.
It was so nice to be able totalk.
Absolutely All things travelwith you.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
That wraps up today's episode of the Intrepid
Traveler.
Thank you for tuning in andthank you to today's guests for
joining me.
I'll be back again in two weekswith another exciting episode
featuring another guest with astory that is sure to pique your
interest.
Please subscribe to theIntrepid Traveler on your
favorite listening channel andgive us a review.
(31:25):
Once again, today's episode hasbeen brought to you by Clining
Co.
Travel Consultinga luxuryadventure and expedition travel
planning company specializing inun-googleable experiences.
Have you ever wondered how the pros put
together epic tailor-made traveladventures?
Welcome to the IntrepidTraveler Podcast.
I'm your host, robin Klein, andI'm going to explain to you
just how that is done during myconversation with today's guest.
When it comes to luxuryadventure and expedition travel,
the possibilities are endless.
(00:29):
In each episode, you'll hearfrom an expert in his or her
field about how theseexperiences, and more, are
created.
This episode of the IntrepidTraveler is brought to you by
Klein and Co Travel Consulting,a luxury adventure and
expedition travel planningcompany specializing in
un-Googleable experiences.
(00:49):
You can find us on the web atKleinandCoTravelcom.
On Instagram at Klein and CoTravel, we have a private
Facebook group you're welcome tojoin.
You can find us on LinkedIn orcatch the video version on
YouTube.
With that said, let's welcometoday's guest.
Today, i'm going to introduceyou to somebody that is I like
(01:12):
to think of as a traveladvisor's secret weapon, and I'm
going to let you in on thatsecret here as I introduce
Rebecca Slater of RebeccaRecommends.
Rebecca Recommends is arepresentation company, and
we're going to talk a bit aboutwhat that means as soon as we
(01:33):
hear a little bit from Rebeccaon her background and how she
got into this.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhere you grew up, how you ended
up in hospitality or in hotelsand so forth, and we'll carry on
Lovely Well.
Speaker 2 (01:51):
good morning, Robin.
Thank you so much.
It's a lovely, lovely to behere with you today and with
your listeners.
So I was fortunate enough to beborn into this amazing industry
of hospitality and travel.
I grew up in Chester, awonderful Roman city on the
border of North Wales.
(02:11):
It's a Roman city like Bath inYork and actually a lot of
Americans enjoy going there.
My father ran a hotel calledthe Chester Grove for the Duke
of Westminster for 32 years, SoI wasn't quite Eloise at the
plaza but I definitely spent alot of days, weeks, holidays
(02:34):
working at the hotel from a veryyoung age, probably a little
bit younger than other children,But I loved it.
I mean, I have such greatmemories of going around with
our head housekeeper with aclipboard and checking the rooms
and working in the kitchenreception, So it really sort of
had hotels in my blood from ayoung child.
(02:56):
My father also started acompany called Small Luxury
Hotels of the World.
That's a name I've heard before.
So one of the and it still isvery much in existence, although
he's not involved one of thetop marketing companies for
independently owned hotels togive them kind of global
(03:17):
presence in the marketplace, andso this really helped foster my
love for hotels.
I was privileged to meet somegreat hoteliers at a young age.
In fact, my father actually hadan East Coast rep company, or
representation company, and aWest Coast representation
(03:38):
company, and so I first think Imet travel agents, as you were
called then, when I was probablyabout seven years old, and we
would welcome these lovelyAmerican people to our house
because my mom is a wonderfulgardener And so my father would
invite everyone to our home fora drink to see my mom's garden
(03:59):
and then they'd be staying atthe hotel.
So I was just always around andunderstood about this industry,
and then, 20 years ago, idecided that I was going to try,
and when everyone's saying, no,you won't get a visa to work in
America because it'schallenging, i guess I wanted to
(04:19):
rise to that challenge and makeit a reality, which I did when
I moved to Pennsylvania back in2004.
Oh, okay, what part ofPennsylvania were you in?
So we were in niche hotspotsand Longwood Gardens and that
beautiful area outside ofPhiladelphia.
Speaker 1 (04:40):
Well, I went to Westchester University.
Speaker 2 (04:42):
Oh, come back there.
We both got in common as well.
Speaker 1 (04:46):
Yeah, exactly, i did a lot of my horseback riding up
in that area, so that'ssomething we were talking about
before we started recordingtoday about.
we both have a great love forhorseback riding and riding in
various places around the worldas well, but anyway, well, back
to business.
We can talk about horses later.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
Absolutely.
I can easily do that all day.
Speaker 1 (05:07):
Yeah, right.
So it's not a stretch at all tosay not only is this in your
blood, but you were raised onthis as well, and so, but you
still have to have a love for it.
Even if it's something you'reraised in and it's in your blood
, you still have to have thatpassion for it, and I find, in
(05:30):
all of these podcasts that I do,that there is people that are
in this industry definitely havea passion, because we wouldn't
be in it otherwise.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
Absolutely true, robin.
It's absolutely true.
And I think where we have beenlucky or you know, with Rebecca
recommends, we've had some ofour clients pretty much from
when I started the company.
The hotels that we work with,the hoteliers, the families that
own them, are equally aspassionate.
And then you know you mentionedat the beginning about how we
(06:01):
are sort of secret weapon And Ithink part of that is that we do
a lot of due diligence beforewe start to work with a client
And I'm sure they do their duediligence on looking at
representation and who is theright fit for them.
But really I always love tothink of as a sort of
matchmakers, where we'reintroducing you to these
(06:23):
wonderful in our case privatelyowned properties of excellence.
We only work with, withprivately owned properties And
then destination managementcompanies, these magic makers on
the ground, which can curatethese wonderful trips with you,
in collaboration with you, foryour clients, so that they have
all that special access and knowall those things.
(06:46):
So for us we have this amazingrole that I am so grateful for
and passionate about, that wecan connect you to these people
And I always think and I do saythis and genuinely mean it that
you know, if you're sendingclients to a destination, even
if you're not working with ourhotel there or our DMC or on
(07:07):
site, that I want your clientsto have the best experience.
So I'm still going to share myrecommendations, my secret tips,
with you and help you build oncreating an amazing trip for
your client.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
Wow, that's in a.
It does and it does work thatway, which is fabulous.
I'm going to just walk it backjust for a second because I want
to make sure that everybodythat's listening is clear on
what exactly a representationcompany is in our business.
So and correct me if I'm wrongon this So the big, you know the
(07:41):
big names in the business.
You know if we're talking likeMarriott, hilton, hyatt, four
Seasons, things like that, youknow they've got the power to do
all their own marketing and totake care of all that for
themselves.
These properties that you'retalking about that are maybe
more individually owned orsmaller, like family.
You know groups of propertiesI'm thinking of red carnation in
(08:05):
particular They may not theyjust might not have that power
to get the word out to peoplelike people like me.
And unless I know about you andhow fabulous these companies
are, that you represent hotels,like we said, dmcs, etc.
(08:25):
Then it's harder for them toget some traction and get people
in the door that are theirideal clients.
So where you refer to yourselfas a matchmaker, we're a bit the
same, because we know ourclients well and we know once we
visited these places and metthe people that run them and so
(08:47):
forth.
We know which clients matchwith which properties.
So the representation companiesin our business do that for us
and it's sort of every everybodywins.
Speaker 2 (08:59):
Absolutely.
It's so right, robin, and wereally consider ourselves as an
extension of all of our clients.
You know they only work with usas their representation company
.
We are effectively their USsales team based here, and so we
your point of contact foranything that you need from our
clients on your time zone.
(09:21):
And, of course, we can't knowevery single detail about every
destination.
That's what our DMCs are therefor.
But we do know a great deal andI like to think that we pride
ourselves on The fact that wehave these long relationships
with our clients means that weknow them intimately.
We travel to all theirdestinations at least once a
(09:43):
year, whether it's myself or oneof my great team members.
So, again, we're sharing withyou what's new, what's relevant,
what are the travel logisticsnow in that destination.
So all of that really helpfulinformation.
And you're right When you'relooking at these bigger brands,
these global brands that havehuge sales and marketing teams
(10:04):
and budgets for that.
Some of these little gems,which I take, again, great pride
in being able to introducepeople like yourselves too,
whether it's the Torridon up inthe Highlands of Scotland, that
is this wonderful property, butthey don't have the same budget
(10:24):
that Apple Seasons would, and sothis kind of collective working
with us allows them access tous to present and look after
their sales and marketing.
Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (10:39):
So tell me before we.
I mean, i'm sure everybody'sanxious to hear about the
destinations of the propertiesand we're going to reveal some
of those for sure.
But I want to know at whatpoint did you feel like, okay,
i'm ready to go out and try thison my own?
Obviously you're now.
Were you working at the smallluxury hotels of the world?
Speaker 2 (11:02):
So I was working at the Chester Grove.
I did a degree in hospitalitymanagement in Manchester, which
is a major university cityactually in Europe It's one of
the largest university citiesAnd so I was working at the
Chester Grove and I did thinkmaybe I could go and work in the
(11:24):
New York office with smallluxury.
That was an idea of my fatherwas chairman of SNH for many
years.
But then I started to thinkwell, i see this amazing role
that these representation peoplehave And in fact, Joanna
Heathcote, who still has herrepresentation company on the
West Coast she was.
(11:44):
I just saw her last week at acompany event and I did say to
her how much of a, how much sheinspired me when I was younger.
She was one.
She was the rep that wouldbring lovely people from
California, these travel agents,to our house.
So I think I was looking, i wassearching.
I did fall in love with America.
I fell in love with SanFrancisco and the Bay Area.
(12:06):
One of the other founders ofsmall luxury was also from San
Francisco and owned a wonderfulhotel called The Huntington at
Montenegro, and so we would comehere as a family.
I was familiar and I justannounced to my family.
One day.
You know, when I was a youngteenager, this is where I want
to live.
One day.
I think it really was kind ofin my subconscious that somehow
(12:28):
I wanted to get to America And Ilove a passionate about hotels.
And so how can I do that?
And I worked with animmigration attorney.
I set up my company.
I have my company sponsor mefor a visa, so everything was
very legitimate And I startedtalking to hotels in the UK.
I mean, that's what I, thepeople I knew.
(12:49):
So when I started, rebeccarecommends it was a small
collection of privately owned,independent hotels just in the
United Kingdom And then,obviously, from that, my company
has grown Right, Right, Yes.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
And speaking of growth, so we'll go ahead and
sort of pull back the curtain onthat And I'm going to reel off
some of the ones I know of andyou can fill in the gaps.
But so you've got yes, soyou've got UK, you've got Sri
Lanka, you've got Australiayou've got.
I know you have one hotel inSwitzerland now Ireland,
(13:23):
actually, we have a couple, acouple, yeah And I'm trying to
think like I don't have the listup in front of me right now,
but I know it's a good and ofcourse, america.
I mean you've got one, i knowyou've got one out there in the
wine country And yeah, yeah,exactly, and so you've got.
And then, but recently, fairlyrecently, have added red
(13:45):
carnation, which is, i thinkthere's all kinds of interesting
properties that you've got inclients, obviously, but that one
is a little more or not moreinteresting.
That's a poor choice of words.
It's got a unique story.
Tell us just a little bit aboutthat, because they're not only
in England but in Africa as well.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Yeah, Yeah, in Africa , and then, of course, another
jewel in that crown is AshfordCastle in Ireland.
So I think, first of all, sortof Rebecca recommends, it's
grown organically and a lot ofour clients have come to us
through referrals, which, as weall know, is the best kind of
business, and so sometimes I getasked well, where do you want
to have a client next?
(14:26):
And it doesn't really work likethat.
It's always just been the factthat wonderful people like
yourselves have said oh, i workwith this company, i think they
could, you could, help them, orour other clients actually refer
as to people.
In fact, today I have a callwith a company based in New
Zealand and we'll see if that'sgoing to be the right fit.
(14:47):
But we were talking to redcarnation.
I've admired their propertiesfor over 10 years and the
Tollman family have just reallybeen leaders in our industry in
many ways, especially on thesustainability front.
But their properties were sucha natural fit within Rebecca
(15:07):
recommends and I'll wrap up ourrather clients and hotels.
And so they do have sixproperties in London.
They have a countrysideproperty as well there, but then
the family Mr and Mrs Tolmansenior, you know originated from
South Africa, so their hotelcompany actually started there
with the Oyster box, and so theyhave properties in Africa and
(15:30):
their most recent property therewhich, if you haven't been
wrong and you have to put onyour list.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
Yeah, it's on my list , Well yeah it is, it's really
on my list.
Speaker 2 (15:39):
It's just a matter of getting there.
Absolutely, and I was sofortunate to experience the
property last year, and it wasThat's in Botswana.
It is in Botswana And I wouldsay right now and of course you
might think I'm biased, but itreally is There's no large like
it in Africa at this moment.
I mean, it's so unique, it's soincredible.
(16:00):
The investment and the care.
Again, everything they do iswith such care and passion for
the community, working with 50African artists It's the largest
African art collection now, butit provides that perfect
martini that you might find inNew York, or those that are used
(16:20):
to air conditioning, and thefinest linens in China, in every
detail.
And then this food, and to thinkthat you are literally in the
middle of nowhere.
And I think for me, that's whatappeals so much about Botswana
is the fact that you can go andhave this incredible experience
in the wild, with wonderfulwildlife, but you're not really
(16:41):
seeing many other people And soit's at such a high level.
So, no, they do, they have.
And then they also have theirwonderful property in
Switzerland too, geneva.
We mustn't forget hotels onthis.
Speaker 1 (16:53):
Yeah, that's right, i had forgotten that.
So yeah, obviously you wouldn't, though.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
We try not to have favorites, we try not to forget
anybody.
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Well, i don't think it's a matter of favorites.
I think the nice thing is iseverything's so unique.
You know that everything It'snot like doing.
I mean, i'm not going to namenames, but some of the big
brands you can walk into one oftheir hotel rooms, like there's
one in particular that I've beenin in Egypt, las Vegas, Chicago
(17:23):
, another internationaldestination that I'm forgetting
right now And every one of thosehotel rooms I could do If I'd
closed the curtains.
I wouldn't be able to tell youwhich country I was in.
And that's the nice thing abouthaving a portfolio like you do
is it's very unique, it's veryindividualized.
And even I had the luxury ofbeing with you all on a trip in
(17:46):
March and seeing the RedCarnation hotels, and they are
each individual, even down tothe rooms.
I just loved it.
There's that one trademarkthing of the cloth, the wall.
That is just wonderful.
But everything is so individualAnd I think that that is really
(18:07):
important.
It kind of sets you apart toothat you're doing something of
that nature, i think.
Speaker 2 (18:16):
Yeah, well, that's kind of what you say And again,
it's something that's integraland important to me and for the
company on our team that wereally work with places that
have a real sense of destination.
So to your point, and I thinkmore travelers now are looking
for that, of course there's somepeople that like to go to the
new opening or they are brandloyal and that's wonderful.
(18:37):
But for me, i want to know thatI'm sat in a hotel in Tel Aviv
and Israel, or at the incrediblelodge on the South Island, such
as with Blanket Bay or AshfordCastle that quintessential Irish
castle experience.
So all of the properties we dowork with you know exactly where
you are.
They want to support the localcommunity, So a lot of things
(19:01):
are sourced locally.
And, yeah, i think, as we're alltraveling and looking at where
we travel to, it becomes such animportant decision factor And
the people you know to know thatyou're going to meet people
from the destinations in thehotels and often that have had
huge length of service And Ithink, as a guest, if you return
(19:21):
, how nice to be recognized andknown.
And that also the hotels knowthat they're your clients and
guests.
So this is lovely communitythat we're all in, together,
working together.
Speaker 1 (19:34):
Well, exactly, and I mean that to me is one of the
best ways to start off is if Iknow that's part of your
portfolio and I'm interested init, i know who to reach out to
at your company And if it lookslike a good fit, i ask for an
introduction.
And then you know right therethat's just opening doors wide
open that you know the beatsdoing any kind of research on
(19:54):
the internet.
Speaker 2 (19:55):
Yeah, you know so.
Yeah, we have an extensiveblack book, you know, not only
with our clients, but beyondthat too.
So we always want to make surewe're introducing you to the
right person.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
Absolutely.
And I thought about another onethe Caribbean.
You've got the Caribbean.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Yes, kurt Bluff, yeah exactly, and a lot of places
were you know, such as Kurt andBluff, which is an example of
you know.
It was one of the firstproperties in the Caribbean.
It was when you could.
You know building regulationswould allow you to build right
on the beach.
And then what's lovely aboutthe clients that go to Bluff is
now you're in the sort of likefourth generation of families
(20:32):
who've been travelling there.
And Shelley, the founder, isstill involved in the property
and again, the team there andall the team are local And it's
just wonderful.
So Now that comes across whenyou stay in these hotels, yeah,
yeah absolutely No, it really,it really does.
Speaker 1 (20:50):
And I do want to reiterate a little bit, though
that just again in the recordinghere that you work in, rebecca
recommends works with traveladvisors.
You don't work with the generalpublic.
So, when you refer to yourclients, you're referring to the
people that own the properties,and those are your clients,
(21:11):
whereas my clients are theconsumers, the travelers, the
people that are going.
So I just wanted to make surethat everybody's clear on that.
Absolutely, it could get alittle bit.
Yeah, no, i agree, yeah, andthen I find it.
I love the fact, too, that younot only represent properties.
(21:31):
I mean summer straight hotels,summer resorts, and also what we
call in the industry, as youmentioned earlier, destination
management companies, dmcs, oron sites, which is the same
thing basically.
So how do you find thatrepresenting a DMC and
properties goes hand in hand andis helpful sometimes?
Speaker 2 (21:54):
Yeah, and that's a great question.
And we started to see this over10 years ago now, because
actually a lot of our DMCs orsome we worked with for over 10
years, so I would say, probablylike even 12 years ago that even
just in the industry and ofcourse, virtuoso, the company
membership you're involved withas well started to see this need
(22:14):
for on site DMCs.
So these are people on theground, in country, that work
with you, that have theconnections that can help you
with this bespoke trip, and whatwe could see is that we have
these lovely hotels in the UK,but you're not just going to
come and stay at one hotel,you're going to put together a
(22:34):
whole itinerary And for that youreally need somebody on the
ground And that's where the DMCcomes in.
So we actually find that havinga DMC and a destination where
we have hotels and that is a lotof them works incredibly well
because those DMCs are alreadyworking in partnership with
those hotels.
They're not going to be rightfor every single client, but a
(22:59):
lot of the time they're workingand collaborating together.
So I think for you it's reallynice when we have a DMC.
They're very established intheir destinations, they're they
open those doors, they helpwith all those wonderful people
to people experiences andthey're working alongside of our
clients.
I mean case in point with, say,resplendent salon, and I know
(23:20):
you've just spoke with Malik,sri Lanka and Ventors who we
have worked with and who've beenin business over 30 years.
They were working in Sri Lankaway before any of the kind of
hotels that we know that are nowwith us and have these
incredibly deep rootedrelationships.
And then, to extend around SriLanka, you are going to add
(23:42):
other places where resplendentsalon don't have hotels, so then
the DMC can come in and putthis wonderful itinerary
together with you for exactlywhat your clients want.
Every single itinerary isbespoke and none of our DMCs
ever repeat an itinerary And Iknow they're very proud to say
that Yeah.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
Yeah, no, and it's so wonderful to work with DMCs
like that that you're not justgetting something off the shelf,
you're actually giving themyour client profile and telling
them exactly what the clientlikes And you can, like I said,
pick the right hotel, pick theright activities.
That's how we make the magichappen, so to speak.
I do want to talk for a minuteabout the Nair, because I got to
(24:24):
go there And I was veryintrigued with it before I went,
but I just like fell in lovewith it when I got there And
tell everybody just a little bitabout that property, because I
think it's one of those that is,it's a hidden gem.
It is a hidden gem.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
And it's a great example, robin, of again where a
hotel can really benefit fromour relationships with advice as
such as yourself.
So Toby Ashworth, who is justan incredible hotelier, as you
now know, is probably one of themost connected people in
Cornwall And Cornwall down atthe very far the southwest of
(25:04):
England, which is a very populardestination for Britain.
But for American travelers it'soften more sort of the third or
fourth time they go back to theUK, or maybe even more for some
, and even still Americans arediscovering Cornwall.
But it has so much to offer Andthe Nair is this quintessential
(25:26):
English country house hotel bythe sea Cornwall has.
You can pretty much walk thewhole coastline, so lots of
national trails and paths andproperties that lead right from
this wonderful location of theNair.
And to me, what I love so muchabout the Nair, it's what
England does so well.
And when I say it'squintessential, it's always a
(25:48):
bit like stepping back in time,but in such a charming way It's
a slightly slower pace of life.
You know the roads are narrow,you never know if you might find
some sheep or some hikers asyou kind of come around the
corner, and then they do have amore moderate temperature.
So you've got these gorgeousgardens and then there's a
wonderful art scene down therefrom St Ives.
(26:10):
So Toby and I have been workingtogether for well over 10 years
And he has been, i think, reallyincredible doing a better job,
you know, than perhaps theEnglish tourist board on
promoting Cornwall and thedestination And that often is
the case with a lot of ourhotels that they really have to
(26:30):
take on the role of selling thedestination first, and then you
come and stay at our propertyAnd then there, you know, is the
highest rated hotel in Cornwalland it offers just a wonderful
location for your guests toexplore, your clients to explore
Cornwall from.
And yeah, it's a place that youdo need a good few nights to
(26:50):
stay because it takes a littlebit of time to get down there,
but there's a wonderful trainthat goes from London.
It's about four hours, a veryscenic coastal journey And of
course, their team is on hand tohelp you with whatever you need
for your clients.
Speaker 1 (27:07):
Yeah, yeah, it was fabulous, and my love affair
with it all started with Poldark.
Speaker 2 (27:12):
Oh yeah, i'm not sure if you've watched Doc Martin.
I have, that's the best.
Speaker 1 (27:19):
I've seen I have, but he wasn't nearly as handsome as
Poldark.
Speaker 2 (27:24):
No, he was very true, i loved that period And there
were beautiful horses in.
Speaker 1 (27:30):
Poldark, Yeah, And all the you know.
I mean I know that living atthat time wasn't quite as
romantic as the whole story madeit out to be, But I did love
watching that And that was oneof the things that I thought oh,
I've got to get to that part ofEngland.
And then, lo and behold, I wasable to get there.
So that was my We're happy thatyou both Yeah.
(27:51):
Well, i mean we could talk aboutall these properties all day
long, and but we'll maybe leavethat for another time.
I do want to ask you quickly,before we close Where did your
love?
I mean obviously growing up inEngland, where you did.
Obviously horses are a big partof life, but tell me how you,
what your introduction to yourlove of horses was.
How did that start?
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Oh, thank you, Robin.
That's a really fun question.
So my godfather at the time wasinvolved with a hotel called
Penny Hill Park And actuallythat's still very much a hotel
that's operating today, thoughhe's no longer involved And they
had horses And there's reallyonly a handful of hotels now the
days where you can ride onproperty in the UK at least I
know in Ireland there are morelike Ashford Castle.
(28:32):
And I was probably three orfour years old and I was put on
this gorgeous big black horseand sort of was able to walk
around the estate with, i think,probably somebody holding me on
him, although I don't rememberthat part because he was really
a big horse.
They obviously didn't have anyponies at the time And literally
(28:52):
from that moment onwards I justfell in love and I just knew
that I would always have horsesin my life And I was very lucky
that my parents supported mylove and passion and was
probably spoiled and bought apony when I was sort of 11 years
old And I've been proud to saythat I've been able then to keep
(29:13):
a horse in my life.
I have two horses now, but youknow there was a time when I had
to support my riding hobbymyself and that is not easy, but
I found ways And actually whenI moved to the US close to 20
years ago I did bring my mareLottie to live with me in
Pennsylvania and she was therefor many years.
(29:33):
So I came back down to a hotelwith that horse.
I love that.
Speaker 1 (29:38):
Well, and you've gone right back to the beginning
because you have a beautiful bigblack horse.
now too, i do.
Speaker 2 (29:43):
I do My first black horse, yeah, Basanti, which is
actually a Nepali name.
I love Nepal.
So she was named after Spring.
That's wonderful.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Yeah well, we're going to have to compare horse
notes at some point, because mystory is a little similar.
I basically wore my parentsdown until they finally said OK,
we'll pay $300 for the pony.
Well, they had no idea thatthat was only Just a stock.
Yeah, The $300 was a drop inthe bucket compared to
(30:16):
everything that came along after.
So, like you, it opened so manydoors for me and I got to travel
around the world working withhorses, so it helped help to my
love of travel grow even more aswell.
So, yeah, so we've got all thatin common.
So, anyway, thank you, this hasbeen so nice.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Oh, we appreciate you , Thank you.
Speaker 1 (30:37):
Robin Joining me today, and I'll look forward to
seeing you in person next time.
Speaker 2 (30:44):
Absolutely, thank you .
I felt like we could havechatted with you all day, so
we're thrilled that we can helpyou with anything that you need
for your travelers and yourclients, and thank you for this
lovely opportunity.
It was so nice to be able totalk.
Absolutely All things travelwith you.
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (31:04):
That wraps up today's episode of the Intrepid
Traveler.
Thank you for tuning in andthank you to today's guests for
joining me.
I'll be back again in two weekswith another exciting episode
featuring another guest with astory that is sure to pique your
interest.
Please subscribe to theIntrepid Traveler on your
favorite listening channel andgive us a review.
(31:25):
Once again, today's episode hasbeen brought to you by Clining
Co.
Travel Consultinga luxuryadventure and expedition travel
planning company specializing inun-googleable experiences.
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Intentionally Disturbing
Join me on this podcast as I navigate the murky waters of human behavior, current events, and personal anecdotes through in-depth interviews with incredible people—all served with a generous helping of sarcasm and satire. After years as a forensic and clinical psychologist, I offer a unique interview style and a low tolerance for bullshit, quickly steering conversations toward depth and darkness. I honor the seriousness while also appreciating wit. I’m your guide through the twisted labyrinth of the human psyche, armed with dark humor and biting wit.