It saves you TIME.

It’s no secret that planning a luxury vacation isn’t easy. The average vacation can take A LOT of time. Researching a new destination and coordinating all of the logistics can get overwhelming fast.

At Shelby Wyatt Luxury Travel, we believe that your time is valuable and your most precious asset. Working with us not only saves you time but acts as an additional insurance policy on your investment. As we develop our relationship, I will get to know your specific tastes and preferences, ensuring that no recommendation is cookie cutter.

You can’t VIP yourself.

While we would love to get all the room upgrades, perks, and amenities when booking travel ourselves, that just isn’t possible. Shelby Wyatt Luxury Travel is affiliated with SmartFlyer, a Virtuoso member, and therefore has relationships and preferred partner status with the top luxury hotel brands in the world. This means that every client that books with us gets VIP status - wherever they go. Think room upgrades (based on availability), hotel credits, early check in, late checkout, welcome treats/gifts, and more!

When clients work with me, they receive perks through our own preferred partner programs with brands like Four Seasons, Aman, Rosewood, Auberg, and many more to get your the best upgrades, amenities and overall experience.

But at the end of the day, what really seals the deal is our relationships with these hotels’ owners and General Managers - they treat our clients like royalty!

I often get asked how I am compensated because there is a great deal of mystery around how travel planners are paid, but Shelby Wyatt Luxury Travel operates with full transparency.

Consultation Fees

As with most travel planners within the industry or any business that provides a service, we do charge consultation fees. We work on a consultative basis to design luxurious trips that are tailored to each individual client’s unique tastes, preferences, and travel goals. The process of researching and putting together a customized proposal that matches your travel goals takes time. On average, we spend around 30 hours working on a trip from initial consultation through the conclusion of your trip.

Our trip planning fee covers our initial consultation and the time spent researching, developing, and revising a custom itinerary, booking and managing the components, and support while traveling. Please note - because of this, these fees are non-refundable and will be charged regardless of whether a trip is booked. If your trip is canceled for any reason, we understand, and we are happy to apply you fee towards a future trip with us booked within 24 months.

Bookings / Reservations

When it comes to hotel and flight bookings, not only can I often get you a better rate than those advertised, but my commission comes from the partners directly on the backend. Bottom line - You are not paying anything extra on your trip bookings to work with me!

Prior to our fist consultation call, you will receive a client intake form which will cover the basic trip details including where you’d like to go, travel dates, budget. In this form I’ll also gather information from you such as how you like to travel, what you like/dislike, your pet peeves, the types of places you prefer to stay and more to ensure you trip is planned to perfection. I want to know about your favorite trip you’ve ever taken and WHY it was your favorite and really get to know who you are as a traveler. These preferences will be used to develop a custom itinerary unique to you and your travel goals.

Additionally, I have pivoted into this space from the tech industry, working at Meta (aka Facebook) for the past 3 years and client services for the past 8 years. This background gives me a competitive edge when it comes to understanding discerning clients because I am in your shoes as I continually travel with my friends, family and colleagues. I pride myself in knowing what it is you need before you even ask!

Beyond taking part in industry conferences like SmartFlyer CORE and Virtuoso Travel Week, my qualifications are my life experiences: a culmination of years of traveling the globe to source the very best hotels, experiences, restaurants, and hidden gems to make your next trip extra special where it all begins.

My relationships are my currency. As a SmartFlyer affiliate, I have connections forged around the world to ensure your arrival isn’t just anticipated, but truly memorable.

While I have areas of the world I know A to Z, I prefer not to be limited by destination specialties because over the lifetime of my relationships with a client, I could quite possibly send them to every continent! I work collaboratively. If I ever have a question about a region I do not know first-hand, one of SmartFlyer’s hundreds of trusted colleagues around the world is sure to know the answer.

One of the most widespread misconceptions about partnering with a Luxury Travel Planner is that we only offer benefits on complex, multi-stop itineraries. However, we can also complete hotel only bookings and are able to add value on practically any luxury hotel reservation thanks to SmartFlyer’s strong partnerships which translate to benefits like priority upgrades, complimentary breakfast, spa credits, and more. No travel inquiry is too small!

If you are interested in having your air travel booked on your behalf, this is certainly something we can do. As an affiliate of SmartFlyer, we have an air team that is very skilled in putting together complicated flight requests.

Also, if anything goes awry on your trip (such as a cancelled flight, delayed flight or missed connection), instead of spending hours on hold with your airline yourself, they will be here to assist in rebooking and rerouting your itinerary to fit your needs.

If you prefer to book your air travel on your own or use points, you are free to do so as well!

No. While there may sometimes be a better deal you can fine through various travel sites such as booking.com or Expedia, if you book through us we can match or beat the best available rate you might find when booking directly with a hotel.

Also, unlike bookings that you make on your own, booking with us guarantees a VIP experiences during your vacations. Think room upgrades, free breakfasts, spa treatments, and various other amenities!