Our Luxury Voice today is André Cheminade, General Manager of Hôtel des Horlogers in Brassus, located in the Valley de Joux in Switzerland’s renowned region of luxury watchmaking. André is Franco-Argentinian, a real polyglot who has held positions in far flung places like Argentinian Patagonia, multiple locations in Spain, Russia and he has now settled in Switzerland a few years. Now at the helm of the newly opened Hôtel des Horlogers, a project by Luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet. Hôtel des...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is María Llinares, Tourism Councilor for Tourspain. Maria developed almost her entire professional career in the public and institutional communication sector. After working in the organization of the international news coverage of the President of the Spanish Government in the Secretary of State for Communication, she worked for five years in China and five in Russia, as head of communication for the Embassy of Spain. In September 2020 Maria returned to Beijing as...

In this episode, we welcome two LUXURY VOICES, Patrick Ohtani and Acme Wu, respectively Board Director and Marketing Director of Niseko Tourism. Formed in 2007 The Niseko Promotion Board is responsible for promoting the destination as an international, four-season destination with the goal of increasing overnight visitation. In our winter destinations series and following the recent Beijing Winter Olympics, we discuss with key skiing destinations in the four corners of the globe to understand...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Francesco Corte Colò. Francesco is a Representative of the Tourism Board of Cortina d’Ampezzo, he is in charge for new markets including Greater China. The tourism promotion office defines Cortina’s tourism strategy and enhances its visibility to specific target audiences by cooperating with both media and trade partner. It’s an exciting time for Cortina D’Ampezzo as they will be hosting the next Winter Olympics in 2026. Francesco was raised in Cortina and learned to...

As Regional Chief Executive, Asia Pacific of Richemont, Alain is responsible for overseeing and cultivating the presence and development of some of the world's most coveted luxury brands. Alain has a wealth of experience in business development and international finance, gained through a series of top positions at various multinational corporations across Europe, Africa and the Far East. More significantly, his specialty throughout his career has been in distributing lifestyle products to...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Arvind Bundhun. Director of the Mauritius Tourism Promotion Authority (MTPA) since June 2018, Arvind Bundhun has been actively engaged in promoting Mauritius as a tourist destination in all key markets worldwide. An active believer in partnership working, his focus is to improve the visibility of the destination’s brand through extensive marketing and promotional campaigns. Holder of a Masters’ Degree in Hotel Management and having an international exposure, Arvind...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Minister Najib Balala, EGH. Minister Balala was re-appointed as Cabinet Secretary for Tourism & Wildlife by the President of the Republic of Kenya in 2017, having served as a Cabinet Secretary for various Ministries. Minister Balala is also the Chairman of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Commission for Africa, a position he served earlier in 2011. He was also voted Best Tourism Minister in Africa in 2009 by Africa Investor (AI).  Minister...

Today’s Luxury Voice is Siripakorn Cheawsamoot, Deputy Governor for Marketing Communications, Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT). TAT promotes its country’s tourism with a clear vision for world-class excellence in the promotion of modern tourism marketing. Siripakorn has been with TAT for over 30 years and has been based at TAT offices in Thailand, Hong Kong and London. As Thailand borders reopen to international travel after over 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, TAT is committed to...

Today’s LUXURY VOICE is Raffaele Solferino. General Manager, Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives. Raffaele is an accomplished and highly effective hotel General Manager with a wealth of experience in luxury hotels and resorts around the world. Raffaele is from Italy and his passion to explore has led him to work in multiples countries spanning Europe, the Middle East and Asia. He now calls the Maldives home. Grand Park Kodhipparu, Maldives is a luxurious one-island-one-resort destination...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Susanne Andersson, the CEO of Visit Sweden. She has worked all her life in the hospitality business and is a much-appreciated entrepreneur. For several years she has also been involved in various national businesses in hospitality and employer organisations in Sweden. Visit Sweden is Sweden’s National Tourism Organisation governmentally owned and official marketing company of the tourist destination Sweden.  Susanne has been stirring the organisation through the...

Our LUXURY VOICE today is Gary Rosen, Chief Executive Officer, Accor Greater China. He has been responsible for Greater China for more than fifteen years and is known for his expertise in strategy formulation and creative revenue generation, combined with a passion for innovation and transformation. Prior to joining Accor as Chairman and Chief Operating Officer for Accor Greater China in September 2018, Gary was Chief Operating Officer of The Bicestor Village Shopping Collection, a chain of...

As the Managing Director of the nation’s global tourism marketing agency since 2019, and the first female leader of the organization, Phillipa Harrison is responsible for driving Tourism Australia’s strategies to create a sustainable demand for Australia’s tourism experiences internationally; and working with the tourism industry to achieve its tourism strategy goals. At her start with Tourism Australia, Phillipa has overseen Tourism Australia’s network of international offices spanning 12...

Our Luxury Voice today is Travis Qian. Travis is based in Shanghai today, he started his career with VisitBritain in 2003 becoming its Country Manager of China in 2008. Now, as Head of China and Northeast Asia, he leads a regional team across a wide range of B2B and B2C activities designed to promote Britain as the No.1 destination in Europe. In 2019, China became the 2nd most valuable inbound market for the UK. Travis and I discuss his almost two decades in China, how important it is to not...

Our Luxury Voice in this episode is Cristiano Varotti, Chief Representative of ENIT – Italian National Tourist Board in China. He heads ENIT’s newly established Shanghai Office. Cristiano has been living in China for almost a decade, in Changsha first and now Shanghai. He was previously the Representative of Italy's Marche Regional Government, a consultant for both Italian and Chinese enterprises and correspondent for Hunan Province for the General Consulate of Italy in Guangzhou and the...

Our Luxury Voice in this episode is Brent Hill, Chief Executive Officer of Tourism Fiji. Brent was most recently the Executive Director of Marketing for the South Australian Tourism Commission. He brings over 16 years of experience in tourism and digital marketing, advertising, branding, communications, campaign, and executive strategy to Fiji’s National Tourism Office. Tourism Fiji is the destination marketing organizational arm of the Fijian Government agency responsible for marketing Fiji...

Our Luxury Voice on this episode is Ori Kafri. Founded by Ori Kafri and his father Jonathan Kafri, J.K. Place, is famous for its unparalleled focus on guest experience. This unique collection of Italian luxury boutique hotels has three locations in Capri, Rome and Paris. Launched in 2008, J.K. Place made its grand debut in a historic structure just off Florence’s Piazza Santa Maria Novella in 2003 with just 20 stylish rooms and a residential vibe that is rare to come by in the standardized...

Our guest today is Nicky Fitzgerald. Nicky is regarded as somewhat of a maverick in the industry. Renowned for creating some of the world’s finest safari lodges, Nicky and her late husband Steve saved their best for last. After delighting travellers for over 30 years, building and operating over 50 luxury lodges across Africa and India for &Beyond, the beauty of Angama Mara’s location drew them out of retirement. Angama, meaning “suspended in mid-air” in Swahili, is a remarkable owner-run...

Our Luxury Voice today, is Guy Bertaud. With nearly thirty years dedicated to luxury hotels, Guy Bertaud has an international experience and an undeniable sense of service. Guy has held positions at Hotel Plaza Athénée, The Vendome in Lebanon, Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo and also Intercontinental Hotel Group, Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts before joining Maisons Pariente as Group Managing Director based in Paris. Guy has forged a reputation for exigency, he has coordinated numerous projects,...

Today we have a very special guest on LUXURY VOICES, Mary Gostelow, the GRANDE DAME of luxury travel and lifestyle worldwide. Mary is continuously travelling the world, — when there isn't a pandemic happening — she is on the road 300 days a year to find and share fascinating lifestyle features. Mary is owner-editor of the unique and universally revered bible of the hotel industry, the monthly Gostelow Report market intelligence. She also runs Girlahead.com, an online travelogue. She hosts...