Not All Travel Agencies R Created Equal

Elite Travel International (ETI) is not your grandmother’s travel agency. In fact, the boutique luxury travel firm run by the founder of Elite Traveler Magazine, Stacy Small (aka EliteTravelGal), is probably not even your mother’s travel agency. Rather, the Brentwood, CA-based firm (with satellite offices in NYC & W. Palm Beach, FL), caters to a jet-setting, young professional crowd more likely to request their family’s next vacation via Blackberry, text message, Twitter DM or Facebook wall post than by phone or in person. In keeping with the “green” trend, traditional brochures are seldom used (ETI’s clients much prefer a website link or personal recommendation!).

Signifying the “out with the old” connotation the term “travel agent” conjures up, Elite Travel International is a full-service, one-stop travel concierge. Or, in other words, ETI is comprised of luxury travel experts who share with clients a very customized and personalized level of expertise, largely drawn from longtime sales and marketing careers coupled with worldwide travels of their own.

In addition to Small, who traveled the world on assignment for national travel magazines for 15 years before launching Elite Travel International, ETI is comprised of Donald Gorbach, a former veteran real estate broker; Kate Rice, a seasoned travel reporter; and Kara Slater, a top-performing former magazine publishing executive. All three bring to the travel business a unique perspective on what today’s luxury client is looking for in terms of customer service and professionalism. And, like Small, all three have traveled extensively worldwide.

In addition to its modern take on and approach to what today’s client wants, the firm differentiates itself from other luxury travel firms by NOT charging its clients exorbitant booking fees or high annual retainers.

“We do things for our clients as a courtesy that many other travel firms charge a lot of money for,” says Small. “This includes, but is not limited to, booking restaurant reservations and spa appointments, securing theater tickets, arranging limo transfers, pretty much whatever our clients need while traveling we do for them. We like our clients to think of us as their one-stop travel concierge.”

Elite Travel International specializes in custom luxury travel arrangements and personalized VIP service for both leisure & corporate travelers worldwide. An extensive network of high-level industry contacts, firsthand knowledge of the products represented, and the company’s prestigious affiliation with TravelStore, Inc. (the largest privately owned travel agency in California) and the Signature Travel Network translate to exclusive perks for client such as priority upgrades, breakfast-inclusive rates, early check in/late check-out, shipboard credit on luxury cruises, and the highest possible level of service at hotels and resorts around the globe.

Let’s face it: Someone who wants a flight between point A and point B can easily do it themselves. And if budget is the only concern, the Internet works just fine. But, for those who wouldn’t dare touch their own taxes or handle their own legal work, ETI is the one-stop shop for all luxury travel-related needs and plans.

For more information, email elitetravelgal@gmail.com, follow us at www.twitter.com/elitetravelgal or visit http://www.elitetravelinternational.com.