Jacqueline Sienna India, whose clients include former US President George Bush, talks about special holidays, post-pandemic challenges, and why even billionaires may be showing the door
Jacqueline Sienna India, whose clients include former US President George Bush, talks about special holidays, post-pandemic challenges, and why even billionaires may be showing the door
Exclusivity, discretion and personal touch are the signatures of Jacqueline Sienna India. From closing in on the Sydney Opera House, Hagia Sophia, the Louvre, the Great Sphinx of Giza, Machu Picchu and the Taj for a special visit, to working with local partners to create luxury campsites for your clients, she’s not your average is travel agent. It’s a regular day for a Beverly Hills-based ‘super travel agent’, catering for presidents, billionaires, studio heads and celebrities like Mariah Carey.
India fell in love with the luxury hospitality during her college years. While studying art history at Temple University in Philadelphia, he worked at the now-closed Michelin-starred restaurant, Le Bac Fin. “I got an amazing level of knowledge and personal touch with the service. It was a learning ground,” said India, who founded her own boutique travel company, Sienna Charles, in 2008. It has since been a lifestyle concierge firm. which has members of the $100 million club (who, according to the report, pay between $75,000 and $150,000 per year).
Sienna Charles. luxury properties of
what money can buy
Having traveled to 90 countries – she is on the road 200 days a year, personally recommending every venue, yacht, villa and restaurant to her clients – India prides itself in going the extra mile for its customers. Is. “When I take on a new client, I meet with them in person,” she says. “I see how they look, what they like to eat, the way they interact with people. [I have no hang-ups turning down people who are rude]…we discuss their passions: whether they love wine, pursue history, or do they want to reconnect with their lives or their families. When I understand what they expect, I take out my toolbox and create a new experience for them. ,
Take, for example, when former US President George Bush traveled with him to Ethiopia in 2015. She wasn’t satisfied with the accommodations on offer, so her team bought brand new furniture, bedding and sheets, and built the beautiful residence from scratch. “I would never accept a no if I could do one better. I know what my clients’ priorities are and I fight for them before they even come,” she says. are prepared, it becomes a little easier to get what you want.”
Great Pyramid of Giza
No wonder he capped off monuments in Egypt to a world leader, or covered the entire floor of a private villa with charming ‘Cherry Snow’ roses brought from Ecuador for a client’s wife’s birthday. On another occasion, she arranged a private breakfast at the top of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, and worked with film set makers and styling experts to create a cinematic Paris scene in the heart of Miami, across the Atlantic Ocean, where Renowned chef Eric Ripert prepared a special menu. “Nothing strange requests anymore.”
relationships, not transactions
Traveling in India with our customers (“there’s always a waiting list”) never ends with the completion of a tour. “We become family. Our personal-professional relationship goes back a decade or so,” she says. Recently, when she visited a new Indian restaurant in London, she told one of her customers that she was an Indian Made famous for his love of food and asked him to check out the place for authentic dishes.
Jacqueline Sienna India
“It’s a very collaborative relationship that I cultivate,” she says, explaining that her clients usually stick with her for years. “It is naturally easier to complete them after the first visit. If there’s a place we’ve decided to visit that I haven’t explored before, I make it a point to visit again. I have spent time choosing hotels on the ground, tasting food at restaurants, and finding unique personalities to take my customers on their trips,” she says. “Of course, there have been times when I’ve come back and said, ‘It doesn’t fit, I think we should go somewhere else.’ My clients have always trusted my decisions.”
Roadblocks and family time
The pandemic has brought with it a set of challenges. She is entering a restaurant or hotel, or even a country, there are paperwork and problems, she is unhappy. “We have families in America who want to travel with a private chef. And it is a challenge because private cooks are in short supply.” But there is also a growing demand for more meaningful experiences. With requests pouring in for detox resorts, the focus is on wellness and Yogi Owner and as she recently told barrons.com, “Yachting is the most popular. Clients sometimes pay $100,000 to $300,000 a week to bring their multi-generational family along for the trip. “
offshore escape | photo credit: @siennacharles
Post-pandemic trends
* People are buying property – jets, villas, yachts, vacation homes – instead of renting. If one can afford it then it is definitely more hygienic and safe.
* They are also looking for ‘different’ destinations. The billionaire calendar is no longer about skiing in Aspen or visiting France in August. Italy is still big, but people frequent places like Tuscany. They are now looking for some virgins.
Remote, private getaways are gaining popularity. photo credit: @siennacharles
Five destinations for 2022
* Seoul for its incredible food and unparalleled beauty
*Singapore for its extensive food and wine scene
Singapore Gardens by the Bay
* Northern Italy – from Parma and Lake Garda to Turin – which is still unclear and can offer a lot of surprises
* Iceland for some cool skiing options
* India for its soulful experiences. “I like to be in bliss [just before the pandemic], I think it’s one of the quietest moments for me.”