Luxury travel curated by cultural tastemakers

Valet aims to appeal to the discerning traveler by offering a premium service including handpicked suggestions from city insiders.

Holiday recommendations from online review sites or travel agents may be enough for some, but we’ve recently seen that there are many travelers out there who demand more bespoke and unique suggestions. We’ve already seen Austrian-based Nectar & Pulse offer tourist ‘soulmates’ to suggest destinations and activities abroad, and now Valet aims to appeal to the discerning traveler by getting city insiders to handpick its programs. The site bases its service on providing exclusive travel tips – those looking to find unique and tasteful spots and activities must successfully apply or be invited to become a member. Once they’re in, a subscription fee of USD 199 per year grants them access to recommendations from tastemakers such as adventurer and environmentalist David de Rothschild and former Facebook marketing director Randi Zuckerberg. Valet has teamed up with luxury and boutique hotels in over 50 global cities and is able to offer special rates to its members. It also currently provides shopping, eating and nightlife guides for both New York City and Tokyo, with more to be added in the near future. Instead of a physical card, a tie-in iOS app serves as subscribers’ proof of membership. Valet is aimed at those with a “21st-century” frequent-flying lifestyle who may not have the time to look into the on-trend spots in each city they visit, targeted overtly at those with a taste for the finer things in life. Placing value above bargain-hunting, are there other services which could be tailored for audiences that may be willing to pay a higher price for a more refined experience?