April 30, 2025 • 28 mins
Welcome back to episode 8 of our 10-part Special Hospitality Series in collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide! This week, we continue our "Leaders Behind the Stars" spotlight with two groundbreaking announcements from CEO Hermann Elger, shared at The Summit in Monaco.
First, Hermann revealed ATELIER CX, a pioneering consulting studio dedicated to reshaping the customer experience for brands worldwide. Helmed by Silvia Nauta, a luxury hospitality executive with over 20 years of experience, ATELIER CX is poised to revolutionize how brands design and deliver exceptional customer journeys.
We also hear from Alyssa Bushey of BOND CO.LAB, a unique platform fostering impactful collaborations between luxury hotels and ultra-luxury consumer brands. Together, these partnerships are redefining how service providers meet the expectations of modern travelers.
One recurring theme emerged from our conversations with Silvia and Alyssa that challenges traditional hospitality norms: "Take care of your team, and they’ll take care of your guests." This human-centered philosophy resonates deeply in today's landscape, showcasing how internal team bonds and external partnerships are key to creating unparalleled experiences.
For a new generation of luxury consumers, including experience-driven millennials and Gen Z, these innovative approaches deliver the kind of personalized, memorable moments that define true five-star hospitality.
New episodes drop every Thursday! Stay tuned as we feature industry leaders across the globe—from Beverly Hills to the Seychelles.
Season 5 Launched Jan 15th. New Episodes Every Weds! Check out our first 4 Seasons.
https://www.traveltrendspodcast.com/
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
I actually don't agree with the fact that the
general manager's main job is totake care of their customers.
Their main job is to take careof the team.
If that team will walk on firefor you, they will take care of
your guests.
Recently I read a study thatGoogle sort of went out and
asked their team how do youmeasure success for yourself?
Because they were almostoverwhelmed with the amount of
(00:24):
KPIs that they had.
And the leaders came back andsaid you know, did we meet our
goals?
The mid-management said what isour relationship to the owners?
The team members all said theculture.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hello everyone and welcome back to season two of
our special hospitality seriesin partnership with our friends
at Forbes Travel Guide.
As you've heard over the lastseven episodes of Hello everyone
, and welcome back to season twoof our special hospitality
series in partnership with ourfriends at Forbes Travel Guide.
As you've heard, over the lastseven episodes of this special
10-part series, the focus hasbeen on the leaders behind the
stars.
We've heard from manyexceptional hotel general
managers from around the worldthat have earned their five-star
(01:00):
rankings or are on theirjourney to or, as we saw with
Malcolm in our first episode,someone who's been on that
journey for 10 years and isdetermined to maintain that
status, given all the benefitthey see from the partnership
with Forbes Travel Guide.
Now, one of the other excitingdevelopments at the summit in
Monaco was listening to HermanElger, the CEO of Forbes Travel
Guide, announce a few bigreveals, and two of them are
(01:23):
going to be the focus of today'sconversation Atelier CX and
Bonn CoLab.
I was thrilled to see both ofthese featured on stage, because
there clearly is such a perfectfit with the Forbes Travel
Guide brand, and today we'regoing to feature two incredible
leaders that are at theforefront of these projects.
First we're going to speak toSylvia Nata, who heads up
(01:45):
Atelier CX, which is aconsulting studio dedicated to
mapping the customer experiencejourney, and they work with
brands worldwide.
They actually work beyond justtravel.
They're in fashion and retailand aviation and private clubs
and really what their focus isweaving the art of service
excellence into company culture.
And I'm really keen for you tohear this conversation with
(02:06):
Sylvia because her background isso impressive and highly
relevant to this area ofexpertise.
She has more than 20 years ofexperience in luxury hospitality
and a decade specificallyleading the learning and
development at Forbes TravelGuide, so she really is an
expert on crafting exceptionalcustomer experiences.
And then we're going to welcomeAlyssa Bushy into the
(02:26):
conversation, who heads up BondCoLab, where she's going to
share a number of insights onthe launch of Bond CoLab.
I was so excited to see a numberof them on stage, but I don't
want to steal any of her thunderbecause when I looked at some
of the hotels and the luxurybrand partnerships, I was like
that is a perfect fit, and sothey are clearly looking to
expand these partnerships andopportunities through Bond CoLab
(02:49):
and I'm.
There's some amazingpartnerships to highlight and I
think this is, in many ways, thefuture of retail for these
luxury brands that are actuallyhere at the conference as well,
(03:11):
and we're going to be speakingto a couple of them in our final
episode.
So today this is episode eightof our special 10 part series,
and don't forget that we postclips and highlights of all
these conversations on oursocial channels, both at Forbes
Travel Guide and at TravelTrends Podcast on LinkedIn and
Instagram, so be sure to checkus out there, and I look forward
(03:32):
now to welcoming in Sylvia andthen Alyssa into the
conversation.
But welcome, sylvia.
So great to have you on thisspecial hospitality series.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Thank you so much for having me on, Dan.
We're so excited to belaunching Atelier CX
specifically at this conference.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
For sure, and your background you've been with
Forbes over 10 years is thatright?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I have been with Forbes Travel Guide for 10 years
.
I am a hospitality girl atheart, having worked with Four
Seasons, mandarin Oriental, theBreakers, palm Beach, etc.
So it's really a highlight tobe here.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, no, and obviously they've picked someone
from the inside to run this newdivision, which is really
exciting.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat Atelier CX is.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Absolutely so.
Atelier CX's mission is toweave customer experience
excellence into company culturesand what we found over really
the last seven to eight years.
I'm passionately called withinForbes Travel Guide Special Ops
because whenever we have ahighly customized project
outside our traditional ratingsenvironment meaning I work with
(04:32):
any brand or company outside thehotel, restaurant, spa or
cruise line and what we do is weprovide consulting services and
help them derive a serviceculture that sort of mirrors
that five-star environment andreally get to know them to be
able to assist them withproviding service excellence to
(04:52):
their clients, patients,consumers, because we are in so
many fields.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
That's exciting.
So tell us why.
Now for bringing this to life,especially given I mean, I think
it's really exciting because Ithink there's so much potential
here.
But yeah, how did this comeabout for 2025?
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Absolutely Well.
As you know, Herman is a bigvisionary, our CEO, and as we
continue to grow and evolve andwork with the likes of Genesis
Motor Canada, who's actuallyhere, meaning that we're working
with the automotive industry,We've done work with Xcaret
Parks, which is an amusementpark.
We've worked with high-endluxury retail Hermes and the
(05:35):
likes, it became really relevantand important that we
identified ourselves and stoodindependently as a brand so that
we could really have a widerreach.
As to how is it that we can,you know, really make a name for
ourselves in that market wherewe saw such a big need to be
able to support that customerservice experience?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, it's really fascinating.
You kindly share with me the 10key tips for revitalizing your
service culture, and a number ofthem really resonated with me.
I mean from something moresimple about moving beyond the
nine to five, but moreimportantly, things about, you
know, moving away from commandand control, dismantling rigid
hierarchies and cutting throughbureaucracy.
And I think you know a lot oflarge organizations are here and
(06:17):
there's a lot of largeorganizations that are in the
hospitality space, and I thinkthose are important things for
them to consider.
You also have like upgradingoutdated technology, which for
sure is an issue across ourindustry.
But tell us a little bit aboutmore, I guess about the
philosophy of this and the tipsand then how you guys actually
work with organizations toassist them in improving their
(06:40):
customer service and culture.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, thank you for that question.
You know, what's reallyinteresting is on our side of
the business, the companies wework for.
There's no rating here at theend of it, so we're not going
after a rating.
These companies have to bedeeply committed into investing
not only on the physicalproducts or the car or the yacht
or the private jet, but in thepeople side of it.
(07:04):
I often joke and say you knowgreat, you're going to spend
$500 million on the renovation.
How much of that are you givingto the people?
Because they're the ones thatare going to make the difference
sort of what we heard earliertoday in a lot of the panels of
the symposium.
When we look at service cultures, we have really found that you
know the key drivers.
Looking at what today'sgeneration is expecting from the
(07:26):
workplace and I think it'salmost societal to an extent is
they want authentic leadership.
They want to have an impact inwhat it is that they're doing
every single day.
They want great leaders, butyou don't have to be a perfect
leader.
They also want a leader thatsays you know, I don't have the
answer or we don't have.
You know, all the right answersare the time where we made a
(07:48):
mistake.
They also want thatpsychological safety at the
workplace, to be able to have anidea and raise their hand and
say, hey, have we thought aboutthis?
Let's collaborate together.
So a lot of these 10 tips andI'll be sharing some of this in
my discovery session leadertoday here at the summit is
about how do you weave thatservice excellence into your
(08:11):
experience.
I actually don't agree with thefact that the general manager's
main job is to take care oftheir customers.
Their main job is to take careof the team.
If that team will walk on firefor you, they will take care of
your guests.
Recently I read a study thatGoogle sort of went out and
measured the success.
(08:31):
You know asked their team howdo you measure success for
yourself?
Because they were almostoverwhelmed with the amount of
KPIs that they had.
And the leaders came back andsaid you know, did we meet our
goals?
The mid-management said what isour relationship to the owners?
The team members all said theculture.
Do I like to come to work everysingle day?
That's how they measuredsuccess and I think that's an
(08:53):
overarching sort of theme thatwe're seeing.
That can be carried over fromthe hospitality industry and a
lot of these entities that wework with are really investing
tremendous amounts of money.
We heard from Delta today inthe people side of things.
Which will, you know, deliverthose results?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Fascinating.
That's really interesting.
I think there's a few thingsthere that you said that stood
out for me and I guess this iswhere you know Forbes Travel
Guide is well known for thefive-star rating system, but
many of the GMs that I've hadthe privilege to meet last year
in Vegas and here in Monacothey've highlighted exactly what
you described.
Almost everyone to a T will sayteam first and that's obviously
(09:34):
why they are a three-stargeneral, as I refer to in
certain instances where you'vegot your five-star for the
restaurant, for the spa and forthe hotel, of course.
And Mark Langevin, who is thegeneral manager in Grand Cayman
and I saw him last night and hewas one of the three-star
generals I got a chance tointerview and he was one of the
first people that said to methat it's all about the team and
(09:55):
it's to exactly your point.
And I was like trying to pickup on what are these consistent
elements of these leaders andwhy they've elevated this
position and why they've beenable to maintain that position
is because they are highlyrespected by their colleagues
and their team members.
So it's interesting that youpoint that out.
It's not about the generalmanager being focused on the
guest experience.
They're the ones that has toset the standard for their team
(10:18):
to follow so that they candeliver on that amazing customer
service.
So, anyway, this is reallyfascinating.
I'm glad we're having thisconversation.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Tell us where you're headed over the next year as you
launch this division and howyou see it growing and evolving,
having been part of thearchitecture of that.
But really, how is it that weexpand into different industries
able to have wider range?
Our mission, as I said, was toprovide service excellence and
consulting and advisoryassistance to any company that
(11:01):
really wants to put service atthe forefront and is really
committed in doing so.
We, of course, work veryclosely with the academy that's
part of Forbes Travel Guide inthe training piece, and we even
implement quality assessments.
We can come in and do mysteryinspections.
We're doing them now in thecommercial space, the
residential space, like Imentioned, the amusement parks,
(11:23):
et cetera.
So it's been a great adventurefor us, and even for you know,
some of our evaluations team tobe able to venture outside of
our traditional hotel,restaurant, spa and cruises and
work with so many dynamicindustries that really are
looking for that secret sauceright in the five star
environment.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, for sure.
Tell everyone what you're goingto be talking about in the
discovery session coming up,because I was attending a few
yesterday and I found themreally fascinating.
So tell us a bit about what thediscovery sessions are for the
listeners that are obviouslydon't have the privilege to be
here, and some of the thingsyou're going to be talking about
.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Excellent.
Well, we're actually going tobe talking about some of the
elements that we talked about.
It's developing a cult-likeculture.
So all about how is it that youderive and develop a service
culture within your organization.
We've had an opportunity topeek behind the curtain with a
lot of these companies thatwe've worked with and have some
really great advice as to how isit that you can take back some
(12:16):
of these elements and tools todrive your leadership to really
model the behavior that they'relooking for.
You know, as I mentioned, itstarts with that purposeful
value system and not onlyfocusing on results or financial
results, but looking at how isit that we model the behaviors
that we expect from our team tobe able to derive the service
(12:39):
excellence model.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Well, that's great.
Now I'm sure we've inspiredmany people from this
conversation to learn more aboutAtelier CX, so tell everyone a
little bit more about how theycan find out more information
about the organization, connectwith yourself and partner with
you in 2025 and beyond.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Absolutely so.
We do have our own LinkedInpage, atelier CX.
You can find us on LinkedIn.
We have our own web page,ateliercxcom, and you can reach
out to any of the currentcontacts that you already have
within Forbes Travel Guide.
Our partner services team havebeen great supporters and you
can either leave us an inquiryor reach out to me directly.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Fantastic, sylvia.
It was great to meet you.
I'm glad we had thisopportunity to speak.
I'm really excited to regroup ayear from now in 2026, wherever
we are, and to see where you'vegotten to over the next year.
But I know it's going to be.
There's a bright future aheadand it's a really exciting time.
So I wish you the best of luckover the next year and I look
forward to keeping in touch.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Thank you so much Dan .
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Thanks so much to Sylvia for sharing all those
valuable insights on everythingthat's happening at Atelier CX.
Now I have the privilege towelcome Alyssa into the
conversation to talk about BondCoLab.
Welcome, Alyssa.
Great to have you on thisspecial hospitality series.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Thank you so much, Dan.
I'm thrilled to be here.
This is fantastic.
Where are you based?
So I'm based in the UnitedStates, I'm based in Florida,
and I have had the pleasure ofworking with Forbes Travel Guide
now for a little over a year,helping them as we are looking
to forge new brands, develop newideas for them, finding other
ways that we can cater to theluxury consumer and really
(14:14):
elevate the hospitality industry.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Very cool.
Now I heard about yourinitiative on the first day,
which is really exciting.
It's called Bonco, is thatright?
So tell us what is Bonco Lab?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Absolutely so.
In speaking with Herman Elger,the founder or the CEO of Forbes
Travel Guide, we startedchatting about how there was
this opportunity within thetravel and travel industry and
the hospitality space that it's.
It's now extending beyond thephysical hotel.
The consumer is seeking theirultimate experience, and
(14:45):
especially with a risingdemographic of Gen Z and
millennials that are looking forthat experience-driven
experience, collaborations aresomething that they're seeking
highly, and so we decided whydon't we set up an agency that
can offer this as a service forhospitality professionals, that
(15:09):
can offer this as a service forhospitality professionals, and
so we developed Bond, and it'sto seamlessly help them partner
with whether it's people orproduct companies or production
companies or purpose-drivencauses and find ways that we're
innovating for them and helpingthem take this to market.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, very cool.
Now I love the name.
First off, I don't think manyof our listeners know this, but
my mother's maiden name is Bond.
Fantastic and my brother's nameis James no.
Oh, my goodness he alwayswished that they didn't change
it, and so when I saw Bond Coand I'm genuinely a huge fan of
the James Bond franchise andseries yes, yes, yes and of the
James Bond franchise and series.
(15:44):
Yes, yes, yes.
And so tell us, how did youcome up with the name and is
there any connection, if youwill, to the legendary Bond
figure?
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Well, it was convenient that we were having
the summit in Monaco this year,so it was a perfect place to
launch this, and, out of thenames that my team developed,
that was the one that rose tothe top, and so Herman and I
talked about.
We were like we love this.
It instantly tells you what weare helping people do and we're
helping them bond.
We're helping them create a newbrand and a new synergy in
(16:15):
between the two companies.
Very cool, yes.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So let's talk about some of those examples, so tell
us about some of thecollaborations.
I saw some of theacknowledgements at the
beginning.
There was a couple of awardsthat went out for collaborations
between luxury brands andluxury hospitality, which truly
is a perfect fit.
It's almost like when you gothrough the airport and it is
really a boutique to connect youto these brands.
It's not necessarily just aboutwhat they're purchasing on site
, like Tumi Luggage.
(16:38):
I know Bugatti and some ofthese high-end brands which are
clearly here in Monaco, butthey're trying to connect with
high-end hospitality, absolutely.
They have a captive audience ofluxury consumers, ultra-high
net worth individuals that canlearn more about their brands in
a setting where they are onholiday and they're like.
(16:58):
So it's a perfect synergy.
So, yes, I love the concept forBond Co, but yeah, tell us a
little bit more some of thepartnerships you've established.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I think a good example of this is one of the
companies, or two of thecompanies, we recognized
yesterday, which is Ritz Parisand Frame, which is a fashion
company based out of SouthernCalifornia, and this is such a
fascinating collaboration, asRitz Paris obviously known to be
established, polished, highestpedigree, fantastic hotel.
(17:30):
And then Frame is this hip,cool, very high end, but more
casual brand, and so when youblended their consumer bases?
First of all, we always look atit from four different
perspectives.
Is it something that will drivemedia attention?
Is that what they're lookingfor?
Is it something that they canreach a broader audience with
(17:52):
that?
In this case, that was mostdefinitely one of the goals with
it is how are we tapping intoeach other's audiences and
exposing them to it?
Sometimes it's just offering anew guest experience.
We just want something new andfresh for our consumer, which
Ritz Paris definitely wanted outof this too.
(18:18):
And then the last one is oftenpeople want to collaborate to
just show a cost lift off oftheir operation, so they don't
want to compromise theirexperience in a hotel such as.
We still want to offer a luxuryskin care product by the pool,
but our P&L really no longersupports us being able to do
that in volume, right, and sowe'd like to partner with a
high-end skincare brand thatcould provide that for us, and
they love the access to theconsumer directly.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, exactly, it makes total sense.
The other one that yourecognized yesterday and I said
to my colleague that was sittingnext to me I'm like there's a
perfect partnership was LouisVuitton and the Atlantis in
Dubai.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So tell us a bit more about that partnership and what
you did there.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That one's fabulous.
So this was when we were soproud to recognize that they
created these unbelievableinstallations, that larger than
life, these Vivienne's and Ican't even recall all of the
names right now but thesebeautiful sculptures across the
property, that just helped.
Well, it was for the one yearanniversary, though, and I think
(19:14):
so often we think, oh, we'lljust celebrate this because it's
about us.
It's about us, oh, one year.
We are excited to celebrate allabout us.
That is OK as a news point anda media driving point, and that
is OK as a news point and amedia driving point, but what
makes it so much more impactfulis if you can say it's one year
and come and see thisunbelievable art installation,
and that is what thatcollaboration offered.
(19:37):
So the next year is ripe withopportunity, even just here,
because we really just launchedit here.
We've we have already beendoing things behind the scenes
and have a ton of partnershipsin the background, but yeah, and
we've established some moresince we've been here.
(19:58):
I think the first step thatwe're doing with each of these
companies, though, is having aninnovation session and making
sure that we understand fromthem really what is their
primary goal.
I always say you have to decideup front if you want to make
money or you want to make noise,but you can't decide.
You want both right out of thegates, and so we're doing an
innovation session with themfirst and then digging into
(20:19):
those people, products,productions, potentially, or
purpose-driven causes that willhelp support that goal.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Very cool, that's exciting.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
It's very exciting.
Does that mean more travel foryou?
It means a lot more travel.
I think yes, so we may see eachother on the road quite a bit.
Yes, so a lot more travel andalso making sure.
The biggest thing with this,too, is I know just I worked.
I worked on the property sideor in the corporate side for
many years, and oftencollaborations are very reactive
(20:47):
.
You pick up the phone, someonesays they want to collaborate
with you.
You have a high end product andyou think, oh, it's not going
to hurt my brand.
Sure, we'll give it a shot, butis it actually achieving your
goal as well?
And that's where that's wherewe're coming in as an agency to
say help, let us help you andguide you through this process
to make sure that we're settingup mindful collaborations that
(21:08):
will also drive results.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Very interesting.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
So, yes, and so, how many of these do you want to try
and do each year Is theambition I mean infinite no
truthfully to be, to be bespokeabout it, to be mindful about it
and to be just very curatedwith it.
I think it is going to take aminute to figure out how we're
scaling.
No, kidding Because out of thefloodgates.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
we're getting so much interest that yes, so many of
these incredible partners andsuppliers, certainly here.
That's one of the things thatstood out to me last year.
Speaking to Felipe Arnaldo fromFrette on this series.
You also, our listeners, willhear from Mark Friedland.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Oh great.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And so you've got this like the incredible
community of really high-endsuppliers that are tapped into
the Forbes Travel Guide Network.
Absolutely, it only makes sensethat they would want to take it
one step further and partnerwith the actual high-end hotels
and these general managers.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
So it's a perfect synergy.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
That's why I wonder how many you're going to do?
One a month.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Well, hopefully more than that, and because we want
to make sure we're this issomething that we're looking to
service our community with amuch greater thing that can help
all of them.
But I will say, some of themost interesting collaborations,
too, are the ones that areunexpected.
So a lot of these.
Again, no one would haveassumed frame based in Southern
(22:27):
California, it was not an on thenose partnership with with Ritz
Paris Like oh no, they areSouthern California and high in
Paris and how do those connect?
However, it's the fact that itwas unexpected that made it work
too, and that's what we'reseeing with so many of the—I
mean, there are great examplesacross so many different
industries that I follow.
(22:49):
The fashion industry does a lot,but Adidas is a good example.
So Adidas partnered with Legoto launch an entirely new
children's shoe brand—orchildren's shoe line.
Yeah, and it was fantasticbecause they put little marks on
the bottom that look like Legos, and so children walk across
the playground and they'remaking little Legos on the
ground Right, and it sold outlike that.
(23:10):
Both Tiffany and Nike did aninteresting partnership and it
was the beautiful Tiffany boxand you opened it and it's a
pair of Nikes and, yeah, on theresale market.
They're going for three to fivethousand dollars for for a pair
of ties shoes so, and it seemsto be um like supreme was a good
example as well right yes
Speaker 2 (23:28):
a lot of high-end partnerships yes, and it almost
seemed like that was the onethat sort of set the standard
for many companies that openedthem to this opportunity, and it
seems to be unique to the highend, for whatever reason that I
mean these collaborations.
They work best with two highend brands that come together to
cross over their audiences andto grow reach on both sides.
(23:48):
So it's always interestingabout trying to find that brand
synergy and I guess ask thatquestion given the examples
you've just shared, how do youidentify that perfect fit, Right
?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
I think it is through .
It's through one determiningwhat their goal is first of all,
is it really that you wantbroader audience or is it that
you want new audience?
And I say that because for 25years now, I think Target, the
mainstream retailer in the UShas partnered with very high end
.
That's why, they're calledTarget.
Target.
Yeah With luxury brands, though, such as Diane von Furstenberg
(24:22):
and oh gosh, lily Pulitzer, theydid a line Michael Graves was
one of the first ones so theypartnered there to bring those
brands to an approachable level.
So that's an example of broaderaudience, not or a new audience
, not broader in their one nichenew audience not broader in
their one niche, and so thoseare the ones.
I find fascinating too that Ithink a lot of our consumers are
(24:47):
looking at how do we make surewe're relevant, timely and
staying ahead of the trends withour new yeah, the next
generation of luxury consumercoming down the pipe?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Amazing, amazing.
So I'm sure we've inspired alot of people listening to this
that are very intrigued withthis concept.
So please, alyssa, tell us howour listeners can get in touch
with you or as a team, to workon a partnership.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Please just check out bondcolabcom all one word
B-O-N-D-C-O-L-A-Bcom and pleasereach out to us.
We would love to help you andstart setting up some really
customized programs with you.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
That's fantastic.
It's wonderful to see ForbesTravel Guide going from strength
to strength.
I mean I had the privilege ofbeing there in Vegas last year
and being here in Monaco seeingthe international audience this
year.
I mean it's many new faces andmany people I've had a chance to
speak to that it's their firsttime coming to Forbes Travel
Guide, because obviously it'sthe first big event and they're
proud to be the first travelagency in Australia or the first
(25:42):
media partner in Dubai, and soa lot of people.
It's not only their first, butthey're also just starting to
understand and appreciate thevalue of this powerful brand.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
It's a wonderful company and the leadership
Herman has provided, the growth,the innovation and creativity
that he has brought to thecompany too, to help them find
new ways to again serve thiswonderful community of people
that that are seeking more andwould highlight it, these
collaborations which obviouslyframe in the Ritz, paris and
(26:22):
Louis Vuitton and the Atlantisthe Royal, and it was one of the
highlights of yesterday's event.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That was the announcement, so congratulations
.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Thank you so much.
Thank you, that's very kind.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
No for sure.
I'm thrilled that this is allcoming together and I'm sure
it's going to be a great successand we'll have a chance to
revisit this next year to hearabout what all happened in 2025.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
So a real pleasure to meet you, alyssa.
Likewise, dan, thank you somuch for having me on.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Thanks so much to Alyssa and Sylvia for joining us
on this special hospitalityseries in partnership with our
friends at Forbes Travel Guide.
I'm going to be so excited tosee their progress when we
regroup again in Monaco for thenext summit in February 2026.
Wishing you both all the bestfor the next year ahead.
It's very exciting and brightfor you both, and clearly we
(27:05):
wanted to include you in thisseries because you are
definitely rising stars andleaders behind the stars, and
actually rising stars is one ofthe other initiatives that
Forbes Travel Guide has underway.
And next week's episode we'regoing to be featuring Scott
Campbell from the Hammock BeachGolf Resort in Augustine,
florida.
It's an extraordinary placewithin America the oldest city
(27:28):
in America.
And then we're also going tospeak to Jeff, who runs the
Meadowood in Napa Valley.
So we're headed to Napa,california and Florida for
episode nine.
And then we have severalleaders to wrap up our
conversations in episode 10,including a few of the luxury
suppliers that you heard ustalking about over the course of
(27:48):
this series.
So a lot to look forward to,but please make sure that you
are registered on the streamingplatform of your choice for new
episodes as they go out everyThursday, and don't forget to
check out both at Forbes TravelGuide and at Travel Trends
Podcast for clips and highlightson our social channels.
Until next time, safe travels.
I actually don't agree with the fact that the
general manager's main job is totake care of their customers.
Their main job is to take careof the team.
If that team will walk on firefor you, they will take care of
your guests.
Recently I read a study thatGoogle sort of went out and
asked their team how do youmeasure success for yourself?
Because they were almostoverwhelmed with the amount of
(00:24):
KPIs that they had.
And the leaders came back andsaid you know, did we meet our
goals?
The mid-management said what isour relationship to the owners?
The team members all said theculture.
Speaker 2 (00:39):
Hello everyone and welcome back to season two of
our special hospitality seriesin partnership with our friends
at Forbes Travel Guide.
As you've heard over the lastseven episodes of Hello everyone
, and welcome back to season twoof our special hospitality
series in partnership with ourfriends at Forbes Travel Guide.
As you've heard, over the lastseven episodes of this special
10-part series, the focus hasbeen on the leaders behind the
stars.
We've heard from manyexceptional hotel general
managers from around the worldthat have earned their five-star
(01:00):
rankings or are on theirjourney to or, as we saw with
Malcolm in our first episode,someone who's been on that
journey for 10 years and isdetermined to maintain that
status, given all the benefitthey see from the partnership
with Forbes Travel Guide.
Now, one of the other excitingdevelopments at the summit in
Monaco was listening to HermanElger, the CEO of Forbes Travel
Guide, announce a few bigreveals, and two of them are
(01:23):
going to be the focus of today'sconversation Atelier CX and
Bonn CoLab.
I was thrilled to see both ofthese featured on stage, because
there clearly is such a perfectfit with the Forbes Travel
Guide brand, and today we'regoing to feature two incredible
leaders that are at theforefront of these projects.
First we're going to speak toSylvia Nata, who heads up
(01:45):
Atelier CX, which is aconsulting studio dedicated to
mapping the customer experiencejourney, and they work with
brands worldwide.
They actually work beyond justtravel.
They're in fashion and retailand aviation and private clubs
and really what their focus isweaving the art of service
excellence into company culture.
And I'm really keen for you tohear this conversation with
(02:06):
Sylvia because her background isso impressive and highly
relevant to this area ofexpertise.
She has more than 20 years ofexperience in luxury hospitality
and a decade specificallyleading the learning and
development at Forbes TravelGuide, so she really is an
expert on crafting exceptionalcustomer experiences.
And then we're going to welcomeAlyssa Bushy into the
(02:26):
conversation, who heads up BondCoLab, where she's going to
share a number of insights onthe launch of Bond CoLab.
I was so excited to see a numberof them on stage, but I don't
want to steal any of her thunderbecause when I looked at some
of the hotels and the luxurybrand partnerships, I was like
that is a perfect fit, and sothey are clearly looking to
expand these partnerships andopportunities through Bond CoLab
(02:49):
and I'm.
There's some amazingpartnerships to highlight and I
think this is, in many ways, thefuture of retail for these
luxury brands that are actuallyhere at the conference as well,
(03:11):
and we're going to be speakingto a couple of them in our final
episode.
So today this is episode eightof our special 10 part series,
and don't forget that we postclips and highlights of all
these conversations on oursocial channels, both at Forbes
Travel Guide and at TravelTrends Podcast on LinkedIn and
Instagram, so be sure to checkus out there, and I look forward
(03:32):
now to welcoming in Sylvia andthen Alyssa into the
conversation.
But welcome, sylvia.
So great to have you on thisspecial hospitality series.
Speaker 1 (03:40):
Thank you so much for having me on, Dan.
We're so excited to belaunching Atelier CX
specifically at this conference.
Speaker 2 (03:47):
For sure, and your background you've been with
Forbes over 10 years is thatright?
Speaker 1 (03:50):
I have been with Forbes Travel Guide for 10 years
.
I am a hospitality girl atheart, having worked with Four
Seasons, mandarin Oriental, theBreakers, palm Beach, etc.
So it's really a highlight tobe here.
Speaker 2 (04:02):
Yeah, no, and obviously they've picked someone
from the inside to run this newdivision, which is really
exciting.
So tell us a little bit aboutwhat Atelier CX is.
Speaker 1 (04:11):
Absolutely so.
Atelier CX's mission is toweave customer experience
excellence into company culturesand what we found over really
the last seven to eight years.
I'm passionately called withinForbes Travel Guide Special Ops
because whenever we have ahighly customized project
outside our traditional ratingsenvironment meaning I work with
(04:32):
any brand or company outside thehotel, restaurant, spa or
cruise line and what we do is weprovide consulting services and
help them derive a serviceculture that sort of mirrors
that five-star environment andreally get to know them to be
able to assist them withproviding service excellence to
(04:52):
their clients, patients,consumers, because we are in so
many fields.
Speaker 2 (04:57):
That's exciting.
So tell us why.
Now for bringing this to life,especially given I mean, I think
it's really exciting because Ithink there's so much potential
here.
But yeah, how did this comeabout for 2025?
Speaker 1 (05:11):
Absolutely Well.
As you know, Herman is a bigvisionary, our CEO, and as we
continue to grow and evolve andwork with the likes of Genesis
Motor Canada, who's actuallyhere, meaning that we're working
with the automotive industry,We've done work with Xcaret
Parks, which is an amusementpark.
We've worked with high-endluxury retail Hermes and the
(05:35):
likes, it became really relevantand important that we
identified ourselves and stoodindependently as a brand so that
we could really have a widerreach.
As to how is it that we can,you know, really make a name for
ourselves in that market wherewe saw such a big need to be
able to support that customerservice experience?
Speaker 2 (05:56):
Yeah, it's really fascinating.
You kindly share with me the 10key tips for revitalizing your
service culture, and a number ofthem really resonated with me.
I mean from something moresimple about moving beyond the
nine to five, but moreimportantly, things about, you
know, moving away from commandand control, dismantling rigid
hierarchies and cutting throughbureaucracy.
And I think you know a lot oflarge organizations are here and
(06:17):
there's a lot of largeorganizations that are in the
hospitality space, and I thinkthose are important things for
them to consider.
You also have like upgradingoutdated technology, which for
sure is an issue across ourindustry.
But tell us a little bit aboutmore, I guess about the
philosophy of this and the tipsand then how you guys actually
work with organizations toassist them in improving their
(06:40):
customer service and culture.
Speaker 1 (06:41):
Yeah, thank you for that question.
You know, what's reallyinteresting is on our side of
the business, the companies wework for.
There's no rating here at theend of it, so we're not going
after a rating.
These companies have to bedeeply committed into investing
not only on the physicalproducts or the car or the yacht
or the private jet, but in thepeople side of it.
(07:04):
I often joke and say you knowgreat, you're going to spend
$500 million on the renovation.
How much of that are you givingto the people?
Because they're the ones thatare going to make the difference
sort of what we heard earliertoday in a lot of the panels of
the symposium.
When we look at service cultures, we have really found that you
know the key drivers.
Looking at what today'sgeneration is expecting from the
(07:26):
workplace and I think it'salmost societal to an extent is
they want authentic leadership.
They want to have an impact inwhat it is that they're doing
every single day.
They want great leaders, butyou don't have to be a perfect
leader.
They also want a leader thatsays you know, I don't have the
answer or we don't have.
You know, all the right answersare the time where we made a
(07:48):
mistake.
They also want thatpsychological safety at the
workplace, to be able to have anidea and raise their hand and
say, hey, have we thought aboutthis?
Let's collaborate together.
So a lot of these 10 tips andI'll be sharing some of this in
my discovery session leadertoday here at the summit is
about how do you weave thatservice excellence into your
(08:11):
experience.
I actually don't agree with thefact that the general manager's
main job is to take care oftheir customers.
Their main job is to take careof the team.
If that team will walk on firefor you, they will take care of
your guests.
Recently I read a study thatGoogle sort of went out and
measured the success.
(08:31):
You know asked their team howdo you measure success for
yourself?
Because they were almostoverwhelmed with the amount of
KPIs that they had.
And the leaders came back andsaid you know, did we meet our
goals?
The mid-management said what isour relationship to the owners?
The team members all said theculture.
Do I like to come to work everysingle day?
That's how they measuredsuccess and I think that's an
(08:53):
overarching sort of theme thatwe're seeing.
That can be carried over fromthe hospitality industry and a
lot of these entities that wework with are really investing
tremendous amounts of money.
We heard from Delta today inthe people side of things.
Which will, you know, deliverthose results?
Speaker 2 (09:10):
Fascinating.
That's really interesting.
I think there's a few thingsthere that you said that stood
out for me and I guess this iswhere you know Forbes Travel
Guide is well known for thefive-star rating system, but
many of the GMs that I've hadthe privilege to meet last year
in Vegas and here in Monacothey've highlighted exactly what
you described.
Almost everyone to a T will sayteam first and that's obviously
(09:34):
why they are a three-stargeneral, as I refer to in
certain instances where you'vegot your five-star for the
restaurant, for the spa and forthe hotel, of course.
And Mark Langevin, who is thegeneral manager in Grand Cayman
and I saw him last night and hewas one of the three-star
generals I got a chance tointerview and he was one of the
first people that said to methat it's all about the team and
(09:55):
it's to exactly your point.
And I was like trying to pickup on what are these consistent
elements of these leaders andwhy they've elevated this
position and why they've beenable to maintain that position
is because they are highlyrespected by their colleagues
and their team members.
So it's interesting that youpoint that out.
It's not about the generalmanager being focused on the
guest experience.
They're the ones that has toset the standard for their team
(10:18):
to follow so that they candeliver on that amazing customer
service.
So, anyway, this is reallyfascinating.
I'm glad we're having thisconversation.
Speaker 1 (10:37):
Tell us where you're headed over the next year as you
launch this division and howyou see it growing and evolving,
having been part of thearchitecture of that.
But really, how is it that weexpand into different industries
able to have wider range?
Our mission, as I said, was toprovide service excellence and
consulting and advisoryassistance to any company that
(11:01):
really wants to put service atthe forefront and is really
committed in doing so.
We, of course, work veryclosely with the academy that's
part of Forbes Travel Guide inthe training piece, and we even
implement quality assessments.
We can come in and do mysteryinspections.
We're doing them now in thecommercial space, the
residential space, like Imentioned, the amusement parks,
(11:23):
et cetera.
So it's been a great adventurefor us, and even for you know,
some of our evaluations team tobe able to venture outside of
our traditional hotel,restaurant, spa and cruises and
work with so many dynamicindustries that really are
looking for that secret sauceright in the five star
environment.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, for sure.
Tell everyone what you're goingto be talking about in the
discovery session coming up,because I was attending a few
yesterday and I found themreally fascinating.
So tell us a bit about what thediscovery sessions are for the
listeners that are obviouslydon't have the privilege to be
here, and some of the thingsyou're going to be talking about
.
Speaker 1 (11:54):
Excellent.
Well, we're actually going tobe talking about some of the
elements that we talked about.
It's developing a cult-likeculture.
So all about how is it that youderive and develop a service
culture within your organization.
We've had an opportunity topeek behind the curtain with a
lot of these companies thatwe've worked with and have some
really great advice as to how isit that you can take back some
(12:16):
of these elements and tools todrive your leadership to really
model the behavior that they'relooking for.
You know, as I mentioned, itstarts with that purposeful
value system and not onlyfocusing on results or financial
results, but looking at how isit that we model the behaviors
that we expect from our team tobe able to derive the service
(12:39):
excellence model.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
Well, that's great.
Now I'm sure we've inspiredmany people from this
conversation to learn more aboutAtelier CX, so tell everyone a
little bit more about how theycan find out more information
about the organization, connectwith yourself and partner with
you in 2025 and beyond.
Speaker 1 (12:56):
Absolutely so.
We do have our own LinkedInpage, atelier CX.
You can find us on LinkedIn.
We have our own web page,ateliercxcom, and you can reach
out to any of the currentcontacts that you already have
within Forbes Travel Guide.
Our partner services team havebeen great supporters and you
can either leave us an inquiryor reach out to me directly.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
Fantastic, sylvia.
It was great to meet you.
I'm glad we had thisopportunity to speak.
I'm really excited to regroup ayear from now in 2026, wherever
we are, and to see where you'vegotten to over the next year.
But I know it's going to be.
There's a bright future aheadand it's a really exciting time.
So I wish you the best of luckover the next year and I look
forward to keeping in touch.
Speaker 1 (13:36):
Thank you so much Dan .
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Thanks so much to Sylvia for sharing all those
valuable insights on everythingthat's happening at Atelier CX.
Now I have the privilege towelcome Alyssa into the
conversation to talk about BondCoLab.
Welcome, Alyssa.
Great to have you on thisspecial hospitality series.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Thank you so much, Dan.
I'm thrilled to be here.
This is fantastic.
Where are you based?
So I'm based in the UnitedStates, I'm based in Florida,
and I have had the pleasure ofworking with Forbes Travel Guide
now for a little over a year,helping them as we are looking
to forge new brands, develop newideas for them, finding other
ways that we can cater to theluxury consumer and really
(14:14):
elevate the hospitality industry.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
Very cool.
Now I heard about yourinitiative on the first day,
which is really exciting.
It's called Bonco, is thatright?
So tell us what is Bonco Lab?
Speaker 3 (14:22):
Absolutely so.
In speaking with Herman Elger,the founder or the CEO of Forbes
Travel Guide, we startedchatting about how there was
this opportunity within thetravel and travel industry and
the hospitality space that it's.
It's now extending beyond thephysical hotel.
The consumer is seeking theirultimate experience, and
(14:45):
especially with a risingdemographic of Gen Z and
millennials that are looking forthat experience-driven
experience, collaborations aresomething that they're seeking
highly, and so we decided whydon't we set up an agency that
can offer this as a service forhospitality professionals, that
(15:09):
can offer this as a service forhospitality professionals, and
so we developed Bond, and it'sto seamlessly help them partner
with whether it's people orproduct companies or production
companies or purpose-drivencauses and find ways that we're
innovating for them and helpingthem take this to market.
Speaker 2 (15:23):
Yeah, very cool.
Now I love the name.
First off, I don't think manyof our listeners know this, but
my mother's maiden name is Bond.
Fantastic and my brother's nameis James no.
Oh, my goodness he alwayswished that they didn't change
it, and so when I saw Bond Coand I'm genuinely a huge fan of
the James Bond franchise andseries yes, yes, yes and of the
James Bond franchise and series.
(15:44):
Yes, yes, yes.
And so tell us, how did youcome up with the name and is
there any connection, if youwill, to the legendary Bond
figure?
Speaker 3 (15:54):
Well, it was convenient that we were having
the summit in Monaco this year,so it was a perfect place to
launch this, and, out of thenames that my team developed,
that was the one that rose tothe top, and so Herman and I
talked about.
We were like we love this.
It instantly tells you what weare helping people do and we're
helping them bond.
We're helping them create a newbrand and a new synergy in
(16:15):
between the two companies.
Very cool, yes.
Speaker 2 (16:17):
So let's talk about some of those examples, so tell
us about some of thecollaborations.
I saw some of theacknowledgements at the
beginning.
There was a couple of awardsthat went out for collaborations
between luxury brands andluxury hospitality, which truly
is a perfect fit.
It's almost like when you gothrough the airport and it is
really a boutique to connect youto these brands.
It's not necessarily just aboutwhat they're purchasing on site
, like Tumi Luggage.
(16:38):
I know Bugatti and some ofthese high-end brands which are
clearly here in Monaco, butthey're trying to connect with
high-end hospitality, absolutely.
They have a captive audience ofluxury consumers, ultra-high
net worth individuals that canlearn more about their brands in
a setting where they are onholiday and they're like.
(16:58):
So it's a perfect synergy.
So, yes, I love the concept forBond Co, but yeah, tell us a
little bit more some of thepartnerships you've established.
Speaker 3 (17:05):
I think a good example of this is one of the
companies, or two of thecompanies, we recognized
yesterday, which is Ritz Parisand Frame, which is a fashion
company based out of SouthernCalifornia, and this is such a
fascinating collaboration, asRitz Paris obviously known to be
established, polished, highestpedigree, fantastic hotel.
(17:30):
And then Frame is this hip,cool, very high end, but more
casual brand, and so when youblended their consumer bases?
First of all, we always look atit from four different
perspectives.
Is it something that will drivemedia attention?
Is that what they're lookingfor?
Is it something that they canreach a broader audience with
(17:52):
that?
In this case, that was mostdefinitely one of the goals with
it is how are we tapping intoeach other's audiences and
exposing them to it?
Sometimes it's just offering anew guest experience.
We just want something new andfresh for our consumer, which
Ritz Paris definitely wanted outof this too.
(18:18):
And then the last one is oftenpeople want to collaborate to
just show a cost lift off oftheir operation, so they don't
want to compromise theirexperience in a hotel such as.
We still want to offer a luxuryskin care product by the pool,
but our P&L really no longersupports us being able to do
that in volume, right, and sowe'd like to partner with a
high-end skincare brand thatcould provide that for us, and
they love the access to theconsumer directly.
Speaker 2 (18:38):
Yeah, exactly, it makes total sense.
The other one that yourecognized yesterday and I said
to my colleague that was sittingnext to me I'm like there's a
perfect partnership was LouisVuitton and the Atlantis in
Dubai.
Speaker 3 (18:50):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (18:50):
So tell us a bit more about that partnership and what
you did there.
Speaker 3 (18:53):
That one's fabulous.
So this was when we were soproud to recognize that they
created these unbelievableinstallations, that larger than
life, these Vivienne's and Ican't even recall all of the
names right now but thesebeautiful sculptures across the
property, that just helped.
Well, it was for the one yearanniversary, though, and I think
(19:14):
so often we think, oh, we'lljust celebrate this because it's
about us.
It's about us, oh, one year.
We are excited to celebrate allabout us.
That is OK as a news point anda media driving point, and that
is OK as a news point and amedia driving point, but what
makes it so much more impactfulis if you can say it's one year
and come and see thisunbelievable art installation,
and that is what thatcollaboration offered.
(19:37):
So the next year is ripe withopportunity, even just here,
because we really just launchedit here.
We've we have already beendoing things behind the scenes
and have a ton of partnershipsin the background, but yeah, and
we've established some moresince we've been here.
(19:58):
I think the first step thatwe're doing with each of these
companies, though, is having aninnovation session and making
sure that we understand fromthem really what is their
primary goal.
I always say you have to decideup front if you want to make
money or you want to make noise,but you can't decide.
You want both right out of thegates, and so we're doing an
innovation session with themfirst and then digging into
(20:19):
those people, products,productions, potentially, or
purpose-driven causes that willhelp support that goal.
Speaker 2 (20:25):
Very cool, that's exciting.
Speaker 3 (20:27):
It's very exciting.
Does that mean more travel foryou?
It means a lot more travel.
I think yes, so we may see eachother on the road quite a bit.
Yes, so a lot more travel andalso making sure.
The biggest thing with this,too, is I know just I worked.
I worked on the property sideor in the corporate side for
many years, and oftencollaborations are very reactive
(20:47):
.
You pick up the phone, someonesays they want to collaborate
with you.
You have a high end product andyou think, oh, it's not going
to hurt my brand.
Sure, we'll give it a shot, butis it actually achieving your
goal as well?
And that's where that's wherewe're coming in as an agency to
say help, let us help you andguide you through this process
to make sure that we're settingup mindful collaborations that
(21:08):
will also drive results.
Speaker 2 (21:09):
Very interesting.
Speaker 3 (21:10):
So, yes, and so, how many of these do you want to try
and do each year Is theambition I mean infinite no
truthfully to be, to be bespokeabout it, to be mindful about it
and to be just very curatedwith it.
I think it is going to take aminute to figure out how we're
scaling.
No, kidding Because out of thefloodgates.
Speaker 2 (21:31):
we're getting so much interest that yes, so many of
these incredible partners andsuppliers, certainly here.
That's one of the things thatstood out to me last year.
Speaking to Felipe Arnaldo fromFrette on this series.
You also, our listeners, willhear from Mark Friedland.
Speaker 3 (21:46):
Oh great.
Speaker 2 (21:47):
And so you've got this like the incredible
community of really high-endsuppliers that are tapped into
the Forbes Travel Guide Network.
Absolutely, it only makes sensethat they would want to take it
one step further and partnerwith the actual high-end hotels
and these general managers.
Speaker 3 (22:01):
So it's a perfect synergy.
Speaker 2 (22:03):
That's why I wonder how many you're going to do?
One a month.
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Well, hopefully more than that, and because we want
to make sure we're this issomething that we're looking to
service our community with amuch greater thing that can help
all of them.
But I will say, some of themost interesting collaborations,
too, are the ones that areunexpected.
So a lot of these.
Again, no one would haveassumed frame based in Southern
(22:27):
California, it was not an on thenose partnership with with Ritz
Paris Like oh no, they areSouthern California and high in
Paris and how do those connect?
However, it's the fact that itwas unexpected that made it work
too, and that's what we'reseeing with so many of the—I
mean, there are great examplesacross so many different
industries that I follow.
(22:49):
The fashion industry does a lot,but Adidas is a good example.
So Adidas partnered with Legoto launch an entirely new
children's shoe brand—orchildren's shoe line.
Yeah, and it was fantasticbecause they put little marks on
the bottom that look like Legos, and so children walk across
the playground and they'remaking little Legos on the
ground Right, and it sold outlike that.
(23:10):
Both Tiffany and Nike did aninteresting partnership and it
was the beautiful Tiffany boxand you opened it and it's a
pair of Nikes and, yeah, on theresale market.
They're going for three to fivethousand dollars for for a pair
of ties shoes so, and it seemsto be um like supreme was a good
example as well right yes
Speaker 2 (23:28):
a lot of high-end partnerships yes, and it almost
seemed like that was the onethat sort of set the standard
for many companies that openedthem to this opportunity, and it
seems to be unique to the highend, for whatever reason that I
mean these collaborations.
They work best with two highend brands that come together to
cross over their audiences andto grow reach on both sides.
(23:48):
So it's always interestingabout trying to find that brand
synergy and I guess ask thatquestion given the examples
you've just shared, how do youidentify that perfect fit, Right
?
Speaker 3 (23:58):
I think it is through .
It's through one determiningwhat their goal is first of all,
is it really that you wantbroader audience or is it that
you want new audience?
And I say that because for 25years now, I think Target, the
mainstream retailer in the UShas partnered with very high end
.
That's why, they're calledTarget.
Target.
Yeah With luxury brands, though, such as Diane von Furstenberg
(24:22):
and oh gosh, lily Pulitzer, theydid a line Michael Graves was
one of the first ones so theypartnered there to bring those
brands to an approachable level.
So that's an example of broaderaudience, not or a new audience
, not broader in their one nichenew audience not broader in
their one niche, and so thoseare the ones.
I find fascinating too that Ithink a lot of our consumers are
(24:47):
looking at how do we make surewe're relevant, timely and
staying ahead of the trends withour new yeah, the next
generation of luxury consumercoming down the pipe?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
Amazing, amazing.
So I'm sure we've inspired alot of people listening to this
that are very intrigued withthis concept.
So please, alyssa, tell us howour listeners can get in touch
with you or as a team, to workon a partnership.
Speaker 3 (25:07):
Please just check out bondcolabcom all one word
B-O-N-D-C-O-L-A-Bcom and pleasereach out to us.
We would love to help you andstart setting up some really
customized programs with you.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
That's fantastic.
It's wonderful to see ForbesTravel Guide going from strength
to strength.
I mean I had the privilege ofbeing there in Vegas last year
and being here in Monaco seeingthe international audience this
year.
I mean it's many new faces andmany people I've had a chance to
speak to that it's their firsttime coming to Forbes Travel
Guide, because obviously it'sthe first big event and they're
proud to be the first travelagency in Australia or the first
(25:42):
media partner in Dubai, and soa lot of people.
It's not only their first, butthey're also just starting to
understand and appreciate thevalue of this powerful brand.
Speaker 3 (25:52):
It's a wonderful company and the leadership
Herman has provided, the growth,the innovation and creativity
that he has brought to thecompany too, to help them find
new ways to again serve thiswonderful community of people
that that are seeking more andwould highlight it, these
collaborations which obviouslyframe in the Ritz, paris and
(26:22):
Louis Vuitton and the Atlantisthe Royal, and it was one of the
highlights of yesterday's event.
Speaker 2 (26:27):
That was the announcement, so congratulations
.
Speaker 3 (26:29):
Thank you so much.
Thank you, that's very kind.
Speaker 2 (26:31):
No for sure.
I'm thrilled that this is allcoming together and I'm sure
it's going to be a great successand we'll have a chance to
revisit this next year to hearabout what all happened in 2025.
Speaker 3 (26:40):
So a real pleasure to meet you, alyssa.
Likewise, dan, thank you somuch for having me on.
Speaker 2 (26:44):
Thanks so much to Alyssa and Sylvia for joining us
on this special hospitalityseries in partnership with our
friends at Forbes Travel Guide.
I'm going to be so excited tosee their progress when we
regroup again in Monaco for thenext summit in February 2026.
Wishing you both all the bestfor the next year ahead.
It's very exciting and brightfor you both, and clearly we
(27:05):
wanted to include you in thisseries because you are
definitely rising stars andleaders behind the stars, and
actually rising stars is one ofthe other initiatives that
Forbes Travel Guide has underway.
And next week's episode we'regoing to be featuring Scott
Campbell from the Hammock BeachGolf Resort in Augustine,
florida.
It's an extraordinary placewithin America the oldest city
(27:28):
in America.
And then we're also going tospeak to Jeff, who runs the
Meadowood in Napa Valley.
So we're headed to Napa,california and Florida for
episode nine.
And then we have severalleaders to wrap up our
conversations in episode 10,including a few of the luxury
suppliers that you heard ustalking about over the course of
(27:48):
this series.
So a lot to look forward to,but please make sure that you
are registered on the streamingplatform of your choice for new
episodes as they go out everyThursday, and don't forget to
check out both at Forbes TravelGuide and at Travel Trends
Podcast for clips and highlightson our social channels.
Until next time, safe travels.
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