SmartFlyer

We’re proud to share that SmartFlyer has doubled our presence on the Condé Nast Traveler Top Travel Specialists 2025 list. Congratulations to our forty-four advisors being recognized for their expertise across categories ranging from over-the-top escapes to family travel. Check out the full list of SmartFlyer advisors here!

We're still glowing from an unforgettable SmartFlyer CORE 2025! Hosted at the picture-perfect Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise, #SFCORE25 brought together advisors, partners, and industry leaders to connect, collaborate, and shape the future of travel. From impactful Big Stage sessions—including Erina Pindar’s inspiring 365 Presentation and an informative keynote from Clayton Reid—to dynamic one-on-one meetings with valued partners like Accor, Rosewood Hotel Group, dmAFRICA, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, and Celebrated Experiences, the energy was unmatched. We also embraced the beauty of Lake Louise with skiing, dog sledding, snowshoeing, ice skating, and even a pick-up hockey game, go SmartFlyer-s! To close our time together, we celebrated with a Black & White Ball—inspired by Truman Capote's legendary soiree at The Plaza, A Fairmont Managed Hotel, and a nod to our host partners Fairmont Hotels & Resorts—toasting new connections, shared ideas, and the exciting road ahead. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible partners at Fairmont—Tracy Lowe, J. David Keam, Shane Douglas, Samantha Sinotte, and Todd Porter—and our partners at Accor—Pascal Visintainer, Leslie Dodson, and Markus Tscherner—for helping to bring our shared vision to life.

We're proud to celebrate the fourth cohort of Club 2A, a program we launched in 2021 as a tribute to our founder, Michael Holtz. Inspired by his preference for seat 2A—famously known as the "prime position" for air travel—Club 2A shines a spotlight on our network's “primely positioned” travel agencies. This year, we’re thrilled to recognize seventy-four agencies across the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia that have achieved between $2 million and $6 million in revenue during 2024.

We're thrilled to celebrate eighteen exceptional affiliate agencies as the recipients of our SmartFlyer ONE 2024 designation. Since its inception in 2015, SmartFlyer ONE has recognized the agency’s top-producing advisors, with the revenue threshold initially set at just over $1 million in sales. On the program's tenth anniversary, the bar has been raised to $6.7 million in actualized revenue with 50% of SmartFlyer ONE agencies surpassing $10 million in annual revenue—a reflection of the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of our tightly-knit community. Congratulations to our SmartFlyer ONE 2024 recipients: Michael Schertz, Imperial SmartFlyer (Miami, Florida) Joanna Kuflik, Marchay (New York, New York) Rob Merlin, SmartFlyer (St. Louis, Missouri) Judy Stein, The Stein Collective (New York, New York) Michelle London, Away We Globe (Los Angeles, California) Kara Levy Slater, SmartFlyer (Los Angeles, California) Addie Bell, Jetset & Travel (Park City, Utah) Elisa Brown, MAPPS (Southport, Connecticut) Kyle Seltzer, KAX Lifestyle (Miami Beach, Florida) Jacqui Weidman, SmartFlyer (New York, New York) Betsy Polatsch, SmartFlyer (Westchester, New York) Julie Palo Hayes, SmartFlyer (Boston, Massachusetts) Beth (Jenkins) Washington, Getaway Guild (Washington, D.C.) Betsey Brown, Betsey Brown Travel (St. Louis, Missouri) Allison Kobasky, Over the Moon Vacations (Boca Raton, Florida) Amanda Poses, Poses Travel & Co. (Austin, Texas) Rebecca Alesia, Wanderology (Lattingtown, New York) Ash Chin, Sojourns Of (Sydney, Australia)

SmartFlyer's Director of Product & Partnerships, Barrett Hollo, shared her insights with Luxury Travel Advisor's Emily Goldfischer on her key takeaways from ILTM Cannes. We love how her reflections on exclusive-use properties, the return of American travelers to Australia, and the increased demand for luxury cruising offer valuable insight into what's ahead for 2025.

We couldn’t have asked for a more inspiring set of partners to celebrate our SFONE Top Producers' inspiring successes than the family-owned properties that make up Querido Hotels. A heartfelt thank you to the Querido and FORESTIS teams who made the magic happen with special thanks to Carlos Quereda, Caitlyn Travers Stroup, Lukas Burkia, and Riyad H. for making our week truly remarkable with your thoughtful attention to detail. The hoteliers behind the family-owned hotels that make up Querido ensured this celebration was all the more meaningful. Thank you to Alejandro Bataller (SHA Wellness), Alvaro Sanchez (Puente Romano), Arianna Cirigliano (Borgo Santo Pietro), Ariela Duina (Villa Cora), Attilia Avino (Palazzo Avino), Catarina Cachola (The Largo), Ernesto Floro (The Lowell), Elisa Lino (Sublime Hotels), Jorge D. (Beaverbrook), Julian Cabanillas (Marbella Club), Loic FRESARD (Lily of the Valley), Martino Acampora (Villa Treville), Mounsif Majdoubi (Royal Mansour Collection), Natacha (Natalia) Shalyminova (La Fantaisie and Casa Monti), Valentina De Santis (Grand Hotel Tremezzo and Passalacqua), Valeria De Luca (Egnazia Hotels), and Vanessa Tomé (S?o Louren?o do Barrocal) for your partnership. And of course, congratulations to the sixteen exceptional affiliate agencies—Rob Merlin, Judy Stein, Kara Levy Slater, Elisa Brown, Kyle Seltzer, Michelle London, Addie Bell, Jacqui Weidman, Deborah Director, Erin Trager-Kusman, Amanda Poses, Betsey Brown, Kimberly Gavin, Betsy Polatsch, Suzy X Dodd, Ash Chin—along with two affiliate partnerships, Imperial SmartFlyer and Marchay, who were honored as SFONE 2023 Top Producers.

Erina Pindar, COO and Managing Partner, and SmartFlyer advisors Barri Reisch and Meg Sokolosky Smith recently shared their insights with Travel Weekly about what it looks like to break a million dollars in sales as new-to-industry agents. They chat about transferrable skills from Barri's previous life as a lawyer, Meg's adept use of Instagram to win new clients, and the value of reliable brand backing. Erina shares, “They specialize in their clients, and I do believe that is a common thread across the board for all of our agents.” Thank you, Jamie Biesiada and the Travel Weekly team for this coverage! We can't wait for part two of "Million Dollar Sellers: Hitting the Mark," set to publish next week.

As we look back on another remarkable year filled with shared experiences in unforgettable destinations worldwide, our hearts brim with gratitude. A heartfelt thank you to our dedicated team, advisor community, clients, and partners for being integral to our journey. Here's to the next adventure, the next unforgettable moment, and the countless memories we’ll create together. Celebrating 34 years—we're just getting started!

Our SmartFlyer community continues to grow even stronger and earlier this year we welcomed the Elysian Travel team. Co-presidents and sisters Courtney McCarthy and Trish Injaychock bring over two decades of hospitality expertise to their travel planning endeavors, driven by a mission to deliver “the best of the best”. They are joined by Katie Hennebry Kozlowski, Sheila McNaughton, Megan Bergin, and Nicolette Pollard, forming a powerhouse all-woman team. Based in Chicago, the Elysian Travel team is known for their refined tastes and eye for detail. Collectively, their expertise spans the globe and includes Europe, Japan, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and Africa.

On August 1st, we revealed our 2025 Travel Trends Report, capturing not just where but?how?discerning travelers are looking to approach discovering their next destination. The report encompasses trends we've seen accumulate across our desks as travelers' 2025 plans take shape, as well as insights gleaned at Travel + Leisure's inaugural World's Best Summit led by Neil Vogel and Jacqueline Gifford. Special shoutout to the brands and thought leaders we were able to include in this iteration of our annual report including Delta Air Lines, CLEAR, PS, Accor, Belmond, The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts Yachts, Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas, HX Hurtigruten Expeditions, Paravel, Jumeirah, Aman, SHA Wellness Clinic, Lanserhof Group, Chenot Palace Weggis, White Desert, and TCS World Travel.