If you’re jetting between global conferences, linking up business trips and family vacations and spending upward of $200,000 a year on travel, luxury membership-based concierge services might just be for you. Founded last year by U.K. luxury travel services veteran Stefan Di-Finizio, The Prelude assigns you a lifestyle manager (each overseeing only a handful of clients) for fast service, seamless booking and perks like ticket and event access—all supported by an app and online platform, providing at-a-glance itineraries for convenience.
U.S. airport lounge perks keep getting more luxe, with new-generation credit card-sponsored lounges. Sign up for your bespoke business-travel card of choice to experience lounges by Chase Sapphire (pre-flight caviar experience bookings), Amex Centurion (whisky bars, massages, celebrity chef food plus wine tastings) and Capital One Venture X (Peloton fitness room, nap pods, shower suites).
Airlines have long reflected their national culinary styles, and new Lufthansa business class service delivers the bread and butter of German cuisine. A German former World Baker of the Year has created bespoke, fresh-baked and additive-free breads (the variety changes quarterly), served with homemade butter and quality olive oil. Exclusive Lufthansa-designed Lindt chocolates round out the meal.
Jet Setter
James Roberts knows a thing or two about keeping his wardrobe looking sharp on the road. The founder of the planet-friendly, chemical-free Nellie’s Clean brand travels carry-on only, of course, and hangs all clothing up immediately on arrival; for any persistent wrinkles, a quick spritz of Nellie’s Wrinkle-B-Gone “saves having to lug out the hotel iron,” he says. Plus, the North Vancouver-based company’s nice-smelling spritz “can also be used as a room and bathroom spray.”
For the spill-prone traveller, two other secret weapons have the packing advantage of being solids. A quick swipe of Nellie’s Wow Stick stain remover, a rinse and an air-dry does the trick on most stains. Persistent stains can be pre-treated for washing later at home, or Nellie’s Laundry Nuggets, dissolved in your hotel sink or bathtub, can handle small washing jobs with aplomb.
“Not wasting time ironing, waiting on [hotel] laundry service or shopping for replacement clothing leaves more room for work and vacation time with my daughter,” Roberts says. That’s great advice for creating a clean holiday break.
Swing a Retreat
Ranked the best course in B.C. by ScoreGolf, the links-style Sagebrush Golf Club near Nicola Lake is a tastier corporate retreat option now that renowned chef Ned Bell has overhauled the culinary landscape with a focus on local B.C. ingredients. Trout fished from the lake adjacent to the 13th-hole Hideout, perhaps?
