A luxury travel agent who plans holidays for the world’s most elite clients has detailed what it’s like to organize lavish trips for the ultra-rich – and the hot spot of summer.
More than a decade ago, Jaclyn Sienna India founded Sienna Charles, a boutique travel agency that offers a unique vacation package to the wealthy who spend more than $500,000 on a one-way trip.
Since starting her company, the 42-year-old has mastered the art of giving mega-billionaires and a slew of celebrities the most lavish trips — even helping former President George W. Bush and pop star Mariah Carey travel in style.
And Jaclyn has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. With business booming more than ever before, the opulent TripAdvisor has lifted the lid on how the country’s A-listers like to travel and where its affluent customers are flying this summer.
Jaclyn Sienna India plans vacations for the world’s most elite has detailed what it’s like to plan lavish parties and trips for the ultra-wealthy
With business booming more than ever before, the lush Tripadvisor (seen with her husband) has lifted the lid on how the country’s A-listers like to travel
In an extensive interview with The cutJaclyn talked about her wealthy clients and how she fulfills even their most bizarre requests.
Jaclyn began by explaining that she got into the travel consulting industry at age 18 when she moved to Philadelphia and got a job at a five-star restaurant called Le Bec-Fin.
She told the outlet, “I worked there for five years and it opened up my whole world. I was charmed by the people who came in; they were beautifully dressed, rolled around in Rolls-Royces and ordered $5,000 worth of bottles of wine.”
This opened her eyes to the world of destinations, and she soon found herself working at a local travel agency.
While there, Jaclyn realized she wanted more. She envisioned a bigger trip—a specially curated trip—for the wealthiest clients.
That’s when she realized she was on to something and decided to build her own company around helping the ultra-rich.
“So I founded my company 16 years ago based on the ethos of knowing the customer, knowing the product and delivering everything they need,” the entrepreneur said.
She wanted her company to offer everything to the elite class, so she created two different membership options.
Since starting her business, the 42-year-old has mastered the science of giving mega-billionaires and a slew of celebrities the most lavish trips – even helping former pop star Mariah Carey travel in luxury
She also helped plan former President George W. Bush’s vacations (seen in 2006)
Most of her clients are located in New York, Dallas and Los Angeles, are between 55 and 75 years old and work in technology.
‘We charge customers $75,000 per year for unlimited travel and dining reservations. Then it’s $150,000 per year for unlimited travel, unlimited dining and lifestyle. That includes arranging spa appointments, recruiting domestic staff, helping clients build a home gym, whatever they need,” the 42-year-old said.
She explained that the First Line Membership was best for clients who still had their hands tied with work and needed someone to handle all their scheduling.
The second membership option is perfect for those who live more lavish lifestyles and own multiple homes, which Jaclyn says means they have more “lifestyles to manage.”
The advisor explained that clients can contact her company at any time for anything travel or lifestyle related, and they will be “all hands on deck.”
And for Jaclyn, there’s no request she can’t handle.
Speaking about what her clients ask of her, she told the outlet, “How do I hire Taylor Swift for my birthday party?” or “Is there a new face person in LA that you like?” There are no rules other than that everything has to be done now. We acknowledge all emails within five minutes.
‘And all our customers are very nice. We don’t take any jerking, because the amount of work and hand holding at the back is really complete. But for me there is no expectation that is unreasonable.”
Jaclyn said she keeps about 10 percent from each hotel she books, which she said adds up a lot when you book multiple $30,000-per-night suites each month.
She explained that the first level membership was best for clients who still had their hands tied with their jobs and needed someone to handle all their scheduling (stock image)
The travel agent revealed she has previously closed Versailles for dinner parties (pictured)
However, the agent admitted that the most important thing for her is that her customers are happy because if they are happy, they will keep coming back.
She explained that even if she cannot fulfill one of her client’s requests, but does her utmost for the other ‘128’ demands, she knows she has secured a forever client.
As for what she made happen, Jaclyn confessed that everything is bookable – adding that it all comes down to the amount of money you have.
The lush travel consultant told The Cut, “We closed Versailles for a private candlelight dinner. We have closed monuments in Turkey. We’ve had really cool parties in the pyramids. We’ve never actually had to say no. It all comes down to money. These are the costs. How much do you want to spend?’
On her websiteshe offers things like ‘private yacht in Dubai’, ‘morning with the monks’ and ‘Bhutan by helicopter.’
And when a customer asks for something that doesn’t exist, Jaclyn revealed that she often refers them to another activity or location that she thinks will better meet their expectations.
To get into restaurants that are fully booked, Jaclyn admitted, “You have to know someone in the restaurant and have a relationship with them.”
She also said she’s had parties at the pyramids (pictured)
She confessed that her affluent clients are over Capri and are now looking for a more ‘unique’ experience in Sicily (pictured)
Jaclyn also shared the details of the travel tips the mega-rich will be doing this year.
She said most A-listers put a “FedEx label” on their suitcases and ship them so they arrive at their destination in advance so they don’t have to lug them through the airport.
‘Another trend I see is that rich people don’t eat out as much as you think. They have their own chefs who travel with them so they can stay on diets or keep up with medical or health goals,” she added.
And if you really want to travel like the ultra-rich, Jaclyn shared the location they’re heading to this summer.
She confessed that her affluent clients have left Capri and are now looking for a more “unique” experience.
‘They sail around Sardinia on yachts or go to smaller islands in Sicily. Many extremely wealthy clients don’t even stay in hotels anymore. I find that many hotels are not conducive to a true ultra power situation.
“They have that trophy penthouse, the $30,000-a-night suite, but it’s a lot of work to get everything the way the customer is used to. People want a certain type of water, or certain food, or a bedroom that is dark and has seven beds for their dog,” she told the outlet.
The opulent travel agent also shared that more and more members of the mega-rich are skipping hotels and staying on yachts instead (stock image)
And as the mega-rich no longer stay in hotels, Jaclyn revealed that villas and yachts are on the rise and have become the new favorite places to stay.
Luckily, Jaclyn even gave ‘normal’ people advice on how to travel. She explained that if you don’t quite have the cash, you shouldn’t rely on the social media profiles of the mega-rich, but instead find a location that fits your budget.
Despite making an art out of dealing with billionaires, Jaclyn admitted that she wasn’t wealthy growing up. However, she knew she was “born to be a billionaire.”
She told the outlet, “I started working when I was 13 because I wanted my own money. I always wanted things to feel special. And that is my expectation in everything I do: I want excellence. It doesn’t always have to be expensive, it just has to be good. I must have been a princess or something in my past life.”
Moreover, she revealed that when she goes on vacation, she pays for everything herself, instead of receiving money for it.