Hosted by TTG Luxury and Grecotel, the Winners’ Lunch celebrated the incredible achievements of the deserving champions of the eight agency categories in an intimate setting.
The initiative was launched for the first time this year, with the private event taking place at Raffles’ Mauro’s Table, an immersive dining experience by chef Mauro Colagreco of three-starred Mirazur.
Attendees were treated to a champagne reception followed by a five-course tasting menu where each dish was inspired by a different vegetable, in line with Colagreco’s philosophy.
After catching up with one another, the victorious group was asked to share reflections on their recent wins and future goals.
First up were Panache Cruises founder James Cole and senior partnerships and marketing director Anna Perrott, who bagged a double win for Luxury Cruise Agency of the Year and Luxury Travel Workplace of the Year. The duo discussed how they’re proud to ‘differentiate’ themselves in the saturated cruise market, as well as the importance of treating their team well.
“I get sent in CVs all the time,” Perrott told the table. “When you look after people, news travels fast.”
She added: “Every decision we make as a business, we put colleagues first. You can give loads of benefits but it’s about making sure every department has their needs met.”
Communications and care
The group also discussed the issue of client boundaries, with many offering personal experiences of how they are trying to manage expectations while running a luxury business. Several anecdotes of exemplary service were shared, with one agent revealing they’d even once set an alarm for 2am to wake a client up via phone to ensure they didn’t miss a flight. Another admitted they felt pressure to always reply to messages from clients, regardless of the time or day of the week.
The winners also shared professional updates, including Samantha Bates, sales and commercial co-ordinator of Delmar World, who said that the winning Luxury Travel Agency of the Year (Sole Store) would be hosting “a lot more events” in 2025.
Bates added that Delmar World would also be focusing on solo group trips for clients who may have “lost the confidence to travel”, as well as river cruising and expeditions, seeing great potential in this market.
Travology Travel, the winner of Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year (small), was represented at the lunch by Cassandra Wilkinson, who founded Travel Galore under the agency umbrella six months ago. The former HR specialist shared a number of career plans, including a goal to carve her niche in luxury family travel and build on her social media presence.
New Luxury Travel Designer of the Year, Claire Masse of Frangipani Holidays, lent her insights into the current family travel scene, advocating for trips that are both “child and parent friendly.” The London entrepreneur previously spoke to TTG Luxury about finding high-net-worth family clients, who represent the bulk of her bookings.
Meanwhile, Oasis Portfolio of Luxury Travel’s Julie-Anne Vaughan, who won Luxury Travel Designer of the Year revealed she had celebrated their double win (the brand also picked up Luxury Travel Retail Business of the Year), with a “lovely dinner at The Merchant Hotel” for the team in Belfast. She also shared how the agency would love to increase its team of six in Portfolio, as its client base on the UK mainland continues to grow.
Also in attendance were Claire Smith of Not Just Travel, winner of Luxury Homeworking Business of the Year (large), and Jodie Robertson, representing Designer Travel, who won Luxury Travel Big Idea of the Year for its FAB Bank concept.
