A luxury advisor has shared the surprising place he has found affluent clients after making the switch from hospitality to travel last year.
Thomas Ashley launched his self-titled travel agency in 2024, having worked his way up from a butler to a luxury hotel manager over the past two decades.
Thomas Ashley Travel specialises in providing a VIP service for its discerning clientele, complete with bespoke itineraries and world-leading hotels.
Having already cut his teeth in the luxury hospitality sector, Ashley hit the ground running with an existing black book of clients. His first customer was an ultra-high-net-worth (UHNW) family in the US, for whom he became personal travel agent and concierge. He has gone on to find more clients on social media, which, despite being a difficult world for him to initially navigate, has since become a lucrative source of business.
“I take charge of everything the moment they leave home, to the moment they come back”
“It was tricky in the beginning, but I’ve had some great leads from Instagram, including an €80,000 booking,” he tells TTG Luxury. “That’s when I realised I needed to do Instagram. It came from someone who had a friend who followed me on Instagram and recommended me. It’s so important to be on it.” He adds that some clients even favour Instagram as the medium of communication, while others prefer WhatsApp or email.
This flexibility in communication channels isn’t random; Ashley knows it is important to cater to the client’s preferred platform. He credits his training at Claridge’s as game-changing, noting that it has “set the standard for everything I do.”
It’s this experience which means Ashley can make sure he’s getting the absolute best for his clients: “When a hotel says something can’t be done, I know whether it’s true or not. I don’t believe in ‘No’.”
“Be it through a WhatsApp group with the hotel staff, room service, and transfers, to knowing what side of the bed my clients prefer to sleep on,” he adds. “I take charge of everything the moment they leave home, to the moment they come back.”
For others looking to get into the ultra-luxury space, Ashley advises constantly staying on clients’ radars by sending personalised holiday or birthday messages. “You need to make sure that a chief executive officer in New York, for example, knows who you are and start to build a relationship,” he explains.
Ashley cautions against underselling yourself, having originally planned on providing concierge services for free. However, he quickly decided against it, due to the amount of time and energy he was investing in the additional work. “It can be exhausting and you’re not making money from it. If people want your services, they will pay for them. I sell Thomas Ashley. My clients know what I am, who I am, and what I can deliver.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Ashley predicts the destinations to become more popular – tipping Bhutan and Abu Dhabi for big things.
Privacy is also at the top of the agenda: “I’m definitely seeing more interest in private villas or residences for longer trips. I’d love to book a private island this year!” he says.
