Deauville has been synonymous with luxury since its inception in 1862 when Emperor Napoleon III’s half-brother, the Duc de Morny, imagined a seaside resort for his aristocratic friends. (photo by ©Traveller Made)
As Coco Chanel intuited, luxury is found in the right location. In 1913, while the best of the beau monde wandered the world bound in restrictive clothing, Chanel headed to Deauville along the Normandy coast. There, beneath the blue gray skies depicted by Eugène Boudin and the Impressionists, Chanel opened her first fashion boutique selling wide-brimmed hats and striped fishermen sweaters—thereupon launching a sartorial revolution that hastened the rise of haute couture.
In 1913, Chanel opened her first fashion boutique in Deauville (photo by ©MRNY)
Similarly, at this year’s 4th annual Traveller Made Essence of Luxury Travel show held in Deauville, founder Quentin Desurmont launched the concept of haute villégiature with a four-day forum focused on the creation of the haute couture of travel. While the word villégiature might be unfamiliar to non-French-speaking people, the term derives from the vacation habits of wealthy Venetians during the Renaissance—and has long been associated with the aristocracy and upper classes. Think haute voyage—marked by bespoke travel for ultra-high-net-worth (UNHW) individuals.
Traveller Made founder Quentin Desurmont opens the Essence of Luxury Travel forum at at Centre International de Deauville (C.I.D). (photo by ©MRNY)
Founded in 2013 by travel designer Desurmont, Traveller Made is comprised of 318 member agencies in 60 countries. Traveller Made’s vast network of travel designers cater to a global clientele of UHNW individuals and their families to produce customized journeys. As Desurmont asserts, Traveller Made travel designers possess a wealth of destination and client knowledge that enables the creation of extraordinary travel experiences.
Alongside nearly 700 hotel partners, as well as partnerships with more than 100 destination management companies and five tourism boards, Traveller Made’s member agencies specialize in sui generis holidays and personalized service for those individuals and their families whose liquid assets hover around $30 million. Each year, Traveller Made’s luxury professionals manage the travel needs of more than 55,000 UHNW families worldwide, generating revenues of more than $2.4 billion.
Deauville has been synonymous with luxury since its inception in 1862 (photo by ©MRNY)
Deauville has been synonymous with luxury since its inception in 1862 when Emperor Napoleon III’s half-brother, the Duc de Morny, imagined a seaside resort for his aristocratic friends. Designated the “Parisian Riviera,” Deauville and the surrounding Côte Fleurie served as a secondary home for high society and artists and luminaries who flocked to the châteaux and private villas—and the palatial hotels lining the beach.
Blessed with wide beaches and a fabled boardwalk, as well as a yacht harbor and polo matches and horse races—and a Grand Casino that catered to European aristocracy, Deauville has attracted the haut monde for more than 150 years. In 2014, the Deauville American Film Festival celebrated its 40th anniversary at Centre International de Deauville (C.I.D), which has become home to Traveller Made’s annual luxury travel forum.
For this year’s edition of Essence of Luxury Travel, Traveller Made assembled more than 750 travel designers, hoteliers, media, and tourism board representatives at some of Deauville’s more legendary locales, including L’Hôtel Barrière Le Royal Deauville. (photo by ©MRNY)
For this year’s edition of Essence of Luxury Travel, Traveller Made assembled more than 750 travel designers, hoteliers, media, and tourism board representatives at some of Deauville’s more legendary locales, including L’Hôtel Barrière Le Royal Deauville, Hôtel Barrière Le Normandy Deauville, and Hôtel Barrière L’Hôtel du Golf. In Deauville’s sister resort Trouville-sur-Mer, guests were hosted by Musée Villa Montebello, as well as Cures Marines Trouville Hôtel Thalasso & Spa, the Belle Époque hotel and casino fabled for its seawater baths.
At the annual press conference, Desurmont unveiled Traveller Made’s Yearly Barometer 2018, compiled from 620 travel designers about their business with UHNW families and individuals. Travel trends revealed an ongoing interest in Japan, Maldives, South Africa, and New Zealand—with a growing demand for “private places” with a high level of service. Destinations trends for 2018 included Sri Lanka, the Nordic countries, Cuba, Tahiti, Oman, and the polar regions, as well as private cruises.
For Traveller Made’s annual conference held at C.I.D., the focus was Haute Façon and featured a presentation from Audemars Piguet. (photo by ©MRNY)
Overall, in spite of the turbulence within the travel industry throughout 2017, Traveller Made member agencies expressed a “strong increase in confidence” confirmed by a sales growth of 18.1%. Despite geopolitical uncertainty, agencies remain upbeat for the next 12 months, particularly in regards to planning “elaborate itineraries and resort holidays.”
For Traveller Made’s annual conference held at C.I.D., the focus was Haute Façon and featured presentations from Audemars Piguet and Wealth-X Custom Research, as well as Pierre-Yves Poulain, Chief Editor of Traveller Made’s Serendipia magazine.
Serendipia is a limited-edition periodical designed as a book that features original content and experiences created by Traveller Made member agencies. (photo by ©Traveller Made)
Launched in 2017 with three issues, each limited to 20,000 copies, Serendipia is a periodical designed as a book that features original content and experiences created by Traveller Made member agencies. “We believe that Serendipia perfectly embodies the Traveller Made DNA by providing clients with a subtle mix of…text, images, and film,” said Poulain. For Desurmont, Serendipia “transforms the magical moments [from travel] into inspiring stories.”
Traveller Made’s DoNotDisturb collection is a ten-piece set of luxury travel items in navy and cognac leather. (photo by ©Traveller Made)
As well, Traveller Made relaunched its DoNotDisturb collection: a ten-piece set of luxury travel items in navy and cognac leather that are offered for purchase to member agencies for client gifts.
Blessed with wide beaches and a fabled boardwalk, Deauville has attracted the haut monde for more than 150 years. (photo by ©MRNY)
Originally conceived as a seaside escape for the Parisian elite, Deauville emerged from the sand dunes in the 1860s to become one of the world’s most celebrated resorts. As the home of Chanel’s first boutique and the introduction of haute villégiature at Traveller Made’s annual forum, Deauville remains a haven of luxury.
