My Two Good Ideas

Many of you might recall my founding of Lawyers Travel, which became the flagship division of Ovation Travel Group after I left my job as a young lawyer in 1984. Bootstrapping through obstacles like 9/11 and the Global Financial Crisis—both of which flattened our NYC-based business—built a resilience that made me think we could weather any storm. Until COVID-19 hit in March 2020, we had built one of the world's largest and most highly regarded travel management companies, with a niche in law and professional services that was the envy of the industry.

Alas, COVID-19 finally brought us to our knees. The good news was that our reputation made Lawyers Travel and Ovation so highly coveted by larger competitors that—despite zero revenue—we concluded a transaction in January 2021 based on a multiple of 2019 earnings, our best year ever. Moreover, we found a wonderful home with Amex Global Business Travel, the largest travel management company in the world. As Chairman Emeritus, I've had a ringside seat watching the brands grow globally.

So Lawyers Travel/Ovation was my first good idea. If you consider our client base as a pie, we've always had half—the corporate travel side. My second good idea was to increase our share by gaining the other half—in high-end vacation travel. Our clients—most of the AmLaw 100 and many hedge funds, private equity firms, and investment banks—spend heavily on personal luxury vacations.

For the past 20 years, I’ve had a vision to create something truly special for luxury travelers—a product that combines spontaneity with high-end experiences. Now, with Wanderluxe, that vision is finally coming to life through a digital luxury travel company I founded called Skylark.

Luxury hotels are facing new pressures: the post-COVID "revenge travel" boom is slowing, while a record number of luxury hotel rooms are in development. This leaves hoteliers with excess last-minute inventory and a need for innovative solutions. Yet outdated distribution and marketing hinder their ability to capture this demand.

At the same time, affluent travelers are shifting toward spontaneity, seeking high-end experiences on a whim. According to the Amex 2024 Global Travel Trends Report, 78% of luxury travelers are interested in spontaneous trips. At Skylark, we've seen our travelers booking more last-minute trips, highlighting this growing trend. Despite this shift, no platform fully connects these two opportunities—until now.

Our new product, Wanderluxe by Skylark, bridges the gap by offering an exclusive platform that makes last-minute luxury bookings seamless, curated, and personalized. Travelers get access to bespoke experiences and rates they won’t find elsewhere, while hotels can efficiently fill unsold and late-canceled rooms.

The timing couldn’t be better to bring this vision to life. If you’re ready to experience the future of spontaneous luxury travel, join the waitlist for Wanderluxe by Skylark and be part of this exciting new chapter—my second good idea. I hope you'll agree!

#LuxuryTravel #WanderluxeBySkylark #LastMinuteBookings #TravelInnovation #Hospitality