Welcome From
ATG President
Malaka Hilton
Welcome to our Spring Newsletter! It's my pleasure to bring you up to date on the latest in travel, offers from luxury suppliers and ATG news.
Ryan and I were invited to attend Virtuoso's Overseas Symposium in Athens, Greece in early March. This event is held annually for the movers and shakers of the luxury travel industry, and we were both blown away by all of the positive feedback and recognition we received from industry leaders as well as our peers.
Like most high-end service industries, getting the best for our clients is all about relationships.
Through our participation in the Virtuoso network, we have cultivated extensive friendships and business partnerships with the owners, CEO's and GM's representing the world's top hotels, cruise lines, tour operators and other luxury suppliers.
Virtuoso is recognized as the world's most respected by-invitation-only travel consortia. Because of our Virtuoso affiliation, our guests receive great value with a range of benefits that include (but are not limited to) ship board credit, shore excursions room upgrades, on the ground transfers, complimentary meals, cocktails and welcome gifts.
If you are a member of our ATG Elite travel club, your benefits double with offers and perks in addition to the Virtuoso amenities. To learn more about complimentary ATG Elite membership contact Director of ATG Elite Experiences Kim Mancini.
American Express Platinum and Mastercard World Elite Cardholders can sometimes triple their benefits by taking advantage of Virtuoso upgrades & amenities and ATG Elite perks on top of your cardholder benefits.
So why not get the same great rates with better value and service by booking with ATG? As your trusted Travel Advisors, we ensure that important details like room type and location are properly attended to. And chances are we are friends with the hotel's GM or even the owner so you are likely be VIP'd.
Many people have expressed interest in value for dollar in travel this year, and choosing international experiences payable in US dollars is definitely the way to go. In addition to the Imperial Jewels of China Yangtze River cruise featured in this newsletter, I'd also like to call your attention to Crystal's Mediterranean summer sailings.
Right now Crystal is running a promotion offering 10% off bookings made by March 31 st. Click here to check out the itineraries and incredible rates. *Note the June 6th sailing from Athens finishes in Venice just in time to begin our Bocelli "Carmen" program!
I am passionate about creating the most unique experiences available for luxury travelers. I pride myself on the celebrity partnership portfolio that I have created over the years. Our newest partners are featured in this newsletter in what I feel is our most exciting lineup to date:
Andrea Bocelli in Rome, Chef Jean-Georges in Egypt, the amazing Turkey itinerary with our good friend Chef Roy Yamaguchi, photo-intensive adventures in Thailand with renowned photographer Carlton Grooms as well as Antarctica with our very own Ryan Hilton.
We have also finalized a very special relationship with Miss Celia Sandys, the granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and we will be announging our "Chasing Churchill" series which begins with a trip to Morocco this Fall.
For those of you who prefer to travel independently, I have a few recommendations of newly released, cutting-edge tours. Please click on the titles below to learn more about each experience.
A true paradise for golfers and outdoors enthusiasts. This program is escorted by Perry Golf and includes the finest accommodations and tee-times at some of the most sought-after courses in the world.
Join a 3-, 4- or 7-day expedition cruise aboard the M/V Aqua - truly the first world-class expedition vessel in the region.
Private Jet Expeditions:
A private jet tour is the best way to see a series of hard-to-reach destinations with pure pampering onboard and exclusive privileges on the ground. A 24-day Eastern Europe tour begins October 9, 2008. I recommend the Cape to Cape tour, which visits major highlights of 9 Atlantic Rim countries.
The Prince Albert II:
Silversea is launching its new 132-passenger expedition ship later this year. Be sure to check out the Sep 17 Acapulco -LA sailing. The introductory rates will only be available for a limited time so reserve NOW!
Here's an enticing package for luxury hotels in Italy at a guaranteed US Dollar rate. Book a total of seven nights from your choice of participating hotels: Hotel Cipriani, Villa San Michele, Hotel Splendido and Hotel Caruso Belvedere. Package offers average 30% savings off regular room rate.
In closing, I want to spread the word that ATG is growing! We will reopen our Main Street Lakewood Ranch location under new management next month and are recruiting experienced luxury travel advisors and support staff.
If you or someone you know is interested in joining our team, take a look at recent postings to see the incentives I'm offering under What's New on our website. And please feel free to contact me anytime with questions or recommendations!
On behalf of Ryan and the rest of my amazing team of Travel Advisors, I look forward to exceeding your travel expectations one trip at a time.
Always my best,
Malaka Hilton
Owner, President and CEO
of Exclusive Product Development
P.S. Please make a note that Ryan will be escorting travelers on safari throughout the month of April. If you have questions or need to make contact with him, I encourage you to do so prior to March 28th..
|
|
|
| NEW ATG EXCLUSIVES |
|
|
See Andrea Bocelli In The Opera Carmen in Rome
Hear the renowned and beloved tenor Andrea Bocelli perform the famous aria La fleur que tu m'avais jetéelive on stage at the Rome Opera House this summer. By special arrangement, ATG has reserved a coveted allotment of tickets for Carmen performances on June 17, 20, 25 and 28th. Customize your perfect romantic getaway around our recommended 5-day Venice/Rome program - begin with Crystal's June 6th Athens to Venice sailing, drive Ferraris through the hills of Tuscany, visit the Ferragamo family's private villa at Il Borro or rent a villa to share with family or friends. Contact us to reserve your tickets and begin planning your custom itinerary.
Click for Romantic Italy program featuring Andrea Bocelli in Carmen.
Chef Jean-Georges to Escort 2009 Egypt
What a culinary coup! World renowned chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten has just signed on to escort our April 2009 Cairo & Nile River Tour. If you don't recognize his name, chances are you're familiar with his work. Jean-Georges is one of the world's most successful and acclaimed restaurateurs, and is the creative inspiration behind Spice Market, Vong, Dune, Jojo, Rama, V, The Mercer and of course Jean-Georges among others.
ATG invites you to join him for next spring's exclusive Egypt tour. Cairo & The Nile River highlights include: private viewing inside Queen Nefertari's tomb, a day at the Pyramids with Zahi Hawass, private reception with former first lady Jehan Sadat and the ancient sights and monuments seen from your Nile River vantage point. Jean-Georges will prepare amazing dishes in Cairo and onboard the Sun Boat IV leading up to a grand finale at the base of the Pyramids on the Giza Plateau.
View the 'Mal-factor' activities and events included in this amazing program.
Highlights of Turkey with Chef Roy
If you've been waiting for the perfect opportunity to view the highlights of Turkey, your time has come! Next year, Malaka Hilton will escort a phenomenal tour of Turkey's highlights on a 12-day land tour of Istanbul, Cappadocia, Kusadasi and Bodrum, with celebrity guest chef Roy Yamaguchi.
Experience a fascinating blend of Istanbul's ancient and contemporary cultures as you tour sites such as the Blue Mosque, Topkapi Palace and The Grand Bazaar. Stay in one of Cappadocia's finest cave hotels and take a hot air balloon flight to view a landscape like no other in the world. Chef Roy's culinary demos and dining events lead up to an exclusive dinner at the Celsus Library in Ephesus. The tour finishes with some R&R in the resort city of Bodrum.
You've got to see this itinerary!
A limited number of cabins remain available for Chef Roy's Venice and the Dalmatian Coast July 2008 sailing aboard Sea Dream Yacht Club. Click for details.
Photographic Adventure Of A Lifetime: Thailand
ATG is proud to present, in partnership with Big Bamboo Adventures, a new series of photo-intensive interactive learning adventures, led by travel and commercial photographer Carlton Grooms. The first takes place in Thailand this July with a flexible itinerary that balances individual and group activities in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Travelers have the opportunity to meet with Carlton prior to departure to assess equipment and preparedness. A collection of the group's best images will be printed and shared after travelers return.
Learn more about Big Bamboo Adventures' first photo-intensive tour of Thailand.
Antarctica With Ryan Hilton Aboard the 'World's Best' Expedition Ship
A&K's Antarctica, South Georgia,Falkland Islands and South Atlantic is a 21-day expedition aboard the M/V Minerva. Photographers of all levels are invited to shoot alongside prolific wildlife photographer and Safari Specialist Ryan Hilton, who serves as your onboard escort lending experience and expertise throughout this incredible adventure.
Read what recent Antarctica travelers had to say about the experience:
"It was our best trip ever! The attention to detail provided by A&K was exceptional. I don't think they could have done more, off and on the Zodiaks all day, excellent food, grand staff - we loved it! The educational program was first rate with a 16 person team of real professionals keeping us informed every step of the way. All of our fellow travelers expressed similar views and we met many new friends."
--Holly and Brendan, Tampa
Learn more about our Escorted Photo Expedition to Antarctica.
Experience the Wine Country Film Festival with Execs from the Sarasota Film Festival
SFF Director Jody Kielbasa and Director of Programming Tom Hall invite you to join their delegation of film buffs, wine connoisseurs, foodies and others who simply appreciate a great time. Travel to the heart of California Wine Country this summer for a combination of Napa and Sonoma Valley Wine Tours and film festival screenings and events. The Wine Country Film Festival offers a full variety of activities, ranging from open air film screenings to educational symposia, informal receptions with guest celebrities, cooking demos, live entertainment, barrel tastings and more.
View the Wine Country Film Festival Experience online.
"Chasing Churchill" Series Begins This Fall With Morocco
Travel with Celia Sandys, Winston Churchill's granddaughter and author of "Chasing Churchill: The Travels of Winston Churchill," and discover the real Churchill amid the myths and legends. This tour series accompanies the book by retracing Churchill's intercontinental journeys. The first tour presented by ATG begins in Morocco in the fall of 2008.
Churchill described Morocco as "a revelation" and famously hosted President Franklin Roosevelt in Marrakech after the Allied Powers' Casablanca Conference in 1943. Scenes in Morocco were his favorite painting subjects, and Churchill's Morocco paintings are widely regarded as amongst his most successful works. Experience this place where Churchill says, "the traveller can be sure of perennial sunshine, of every comfort and diversion, and can contemplate with ceaseless satisfaction the stately and snow-clad panorama of the Atlas Mountains."
|
| LIMITED SPACE AVAILABLE ON GROUP TOURS |
|
|
Gorilla Tracking Safari
A few rooms remain available on ATG's Gorilla Tracking Safari in the Virunga Conservation Area of Rwanda. Get close to the endangered gorillas and observe their behavior and family bonds - and marvel at how they respond to you! This is the magical place where "Gorilla's in the Mist" was filmed and where Dian Fossey lived and worked. Passes into the conservation are issued sparingly and will be available to ATG Travelers on a first-come, first-served basis. Six-day tour begins September 28th in Rwanda.
Details of Gorilla Tracking Safari escorted by Ryan Hilton.
Add a 9-day Serengeti mobile camp extension to view the Great Migration. Trip Details.
Imperial Jewels of China A Great Value For American Travelers
Program begins in Shanghai and includes private touring, a Chinese Acrobat Show and time at leisure to explore the city on your own before boarding your 5 night Yangtze River Cruise in Wuhan. Disembark to experience cultural highlights of Yueyang en route to the Three Gorges and Lesser Three Gorges - the most impressive sections of the River. Disembark in Chongqing and continue onward to Zian to view the Terra Cotta Warriors. Visit a secluded section of the Great Wall outside Beijing and tour Tiananmen Square, The Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. A traditional Peking Duck dinner and performance by the Peking Opera complete the program.
View Itinerary and Details of Imperial Jewels of China escorted tour.
Fly nonstop to China! Beginning March 30th, Delta will offer the first and only nonstop service between Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Shanghai's Pudong International Airport.
Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club Adds London Extension to Czars Baltic Cruise on Crystal Symphony
Stay at London's swanky hotel 41, ranked #2 in London in Travel + Leisure's Best 500 Hotels of 2008 and part of the Red Carnation Hotel Collection. Tour Buckingham Palace and Clarence House with special access to private rooms. Michael and Chef Tommy host a Farewell Interactive Dinner at Benares, London's best Indian restaurant.
Details of the Czars, Cuisine and Cavair Cruise and London Extension.
Spy-Themed Tours and Slovenia Pretrip Added to CVIS Black Sea Odyssey on Crystal Serenity
Sail Venice to Athens with days in Katakolon, the gateway to Olympia, and Mykonos before arriving in Yalta, where you have the option to tour Massandra Palace, the Russian tsars' hunting lodge and the site of the Yalta Conference at Livadia. Also visit a Summer House outfitted by the KGB to guard against surprise attacks. Touring continues with the KGB Museum in Odessa and the German army's Baltic Sea coast headquarters at the Rex Hotel in Constanta. Overnight in Istanbul before continuing onward to Athens, where the cruise finishes.
Click for Cruise details and Reservations.
Black Sea Odyssey cruise is host of the CVIS 2008 Annual Symposium. Click here for details. |
| NEWS BRIEFS |
|
Taking a Spin in Space: Ryan Hilton Attends Virgin Galactic Space Flight Training
Last Month, Ryan experienced the closest thing possible to a sub-orbital spaceflight during a mock trip into space at Philadelphia's National Aerospace Training and Research (NASTAR®) Center on a Space Training Simulator (the STS-400). He was attending the Virgin Galactic forum where the Space Ship 2 model was unveiled before the world's 52 accredited Space Agents. At the event, he proved he had the 'right stuff' by achieving G-forces upwards of 3G's during take-off and re-entry simulations.
In addition to networking with our top partners in cutting-edge travel, he gained invaluable experience to share with clients. "I am eager to explain what their trip to space will be like." After attending the training, Hilton recommends trying NASTAR Center's Air and Space adventure programs and astronaut training packages as a precursor to the Virgin Galactic flight, and also as a stand alone experience.
Those interested in space flights and space-themed adventures should contact Ryan Hilton to discuss in detail.
New Travelex Plan Covers Cancellation for Business Reasons
The new Business Upgrade available from Travelex adds Trip Cancellation/Trip Interruption coverage to its TraveLite and Travel Plus insurance plans for unforeseen business and military reasons for a cost of only $28 per person.
You may now recover up to 100% of your insured trip cost due to trip cancellation when you are required to work during the covered trip; have a pre-approved military leave revoked; experience a military re-assignment; have a business location deemed unsuitable for business by fire, vandalism, burglary or natural disaster; or are directly involved in an acquisition or merger of an employer.
$500,000 in flight accident protection is also included in the Travelex Business Upgrade. Please note that the Travelex insurance plan and Business Upgrade must be purchased within 21 days of your initial trip deposit and the Business Upgrade must be purchased for all travelers, including children, in order for them to receive coverage.
View Award-Winning Virtuoso Life Publication and Virtuoso's Latest Campaign
Virtuoso Life is mailed to the homes of Virtuoso travel consultants' top clients and to World Elite® MasterCard®cardholders, so most likely you are already receiving a copy of this award-winning publication at home. Flipping through the pages of Virtuoso Life offers inspiration for those who seek the latest luxury cruising, top vacation destinations, hotel and resort stays, cultural tours, spa retreats, private jet charters, and custom itineraries around the globe.
Read about the rise in popularity of Croatia's Dalmatian Coast in the current Islands-themed issue of Virtuoso Life.
Still not sure what makes the Virtuoso travel network so extraordinary?
|
| CELEBRITY PARTNER PORTFOLIO |
|
|
|
| BUSINESS PARTNER PORTFOLIO |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
