Top advisors showcase perks of elite club in TV show
Two top advisors have shared the biggest advantage of belonging to Global Travel Collection, the world’s largest community of international travel agents.
Leslie Tillem and Curtis Parris joined forces in May to appear in 1st Look Presents: Extra Mile Club a new NBC reality show that spotlights the job of a luxury travel advisor.
The format of the lifestyle series is simple; two travel consultants compete to create a dream vacation itinerary for prospective VIP clients. If their itinerary is chosen, they will then become the celebrity’s exclusive travel advisor.
Speaking to TTG Luxury, Tillem and Parris opened up about their experience filming the show – and how Global Travel Collection supported them throughout the process.
“It’s all about the contacts,” Tillem tells me. “Let’s say, you’re dealing with a small boutique hotel that’s booked up. There’s almost always somebody at Global Travel Collection who’s going to know a manager. There’s someone who’s going to know someone high enough at an airline to say, ‘Hey, we need a seat.’”
“There’s almost always somebody at Global Travel Collection who’s going to know a manager”
Tillem adds that these contacts are also used to working with international clients under pressure, and therefore know how to collaborate with the advisor to pull off the mission seamlessly. “It’s the small things, like remembering the time differences, or having the car ready for the client at the airport,” she explains.
This attention to detail is shown in the series’ second episode, which sees Tillem and Parris meet with former WWE wrestlers Nikki and Brie Garcia.
The identical twin sisters request a lavish getaway to London, complete with luxury accommodation and bespoke activities.
Their trip takes on a plot twist, however, when, at the last minute, Nikki pulls out, leaving Tillem and Parris with less than 24 hours to adjust the itinerary. To complicate the situation further, her space on the trip is filled by the twins’ mother, Kathy, who has starkly different travel preferences to those of her daughters.
While Tillem admits that she wishes the original holiday had gone as planned, the shake-up ultimately highlighted the importance of a travel advisor in times of crisis.
Both advisors sprung into action the moment they learned Kathy would be joining, making urgent calls to their various partners in the UK to adjust the itinerary. From editing the monogrammed umbrellas at their Corinthia London suite to gifting her an outfit for her Frenchie dog, Tillem and Parris went above and beyond to make sure Nikki and Brie’s mother felt included.
The episode also shows Tillem and Parris utilising their Global Travel Collection connections to personalise the trip to their clients’ liking.
Kathy and Brie are treated to a James Bond-inspired boat trip on the River Thames, a horse-drawn carriage ride around Buckingham Palace, and even an Edwardian England etiquette lesson. Crucially, all of these experiences were arranged in collaboration with Tillem and Parris’ industry partners, all of whom were able to customise each activity for Kathy’s benefit.
These connections are just as valuable when things go wrong off camera. Tillem says that the strong relationship between the Global Travel Collection advisor and their supplier, whether it’s a hotel or airline, can often have huge advantages for the client.
“Because of our connections and clout, they know we will make it up to them hopefully tenfold for what they did for us”
“I recently had a situation with a major hotel where the client canceled a £10,000 booking without insurance,” Tillem reveals. “The hotel actually waived every cent, knowing that we’ll make it up to them in another volume. And that’s the power of using a travel advisor.
“Because of our connections and clout, they know we will make it up to them hopefully tenfold for what they did for us.”
While happy to be raising the profile of the profession, Tillem and Parris are keen to stress that not all itineraries are as lavish as shown on Extra Mile Club.
“Travel advisors are there to do anything at any level,” Tillem explains. “I don’t want people to feel, ‘Oh, I can’t afford that, or I don’t want an over-the-top itinerary.’ We will work with you pretty much at every level.”
As for their reactions to being invited onto the show, both advisors were keen to participate from the beginning.
“When I was chosen, I was kind of like, ‘It’s about time!’” laughs Parris. “I had this idea in my head for many years that we should tell our narrative. We should be the voice.”
Tillem was equally enthusiastic, but had one condition before signing on. “I told the producers, ‘You can show our mistakes, but what you cannot do is show any reason that people should not be using a travel advisor,’” she says. “I don’t think that’s doing any justice for anybody.”
Episodes of 1st Look Presents: Extra Mile Club are available for UK viewers to watch on Youtube.
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