Connections Luxury Council convenes for inaugural meeting

Opening proceedings, Connections Luxury Council Chairperson Sarah Hedley Hymers said: “We want to really get to the heart of what makes a travel experience feel luxurious for the customers we serve, and we want to highlight and celebrate the leading architects in luxury travel, companies that are elevating the pursuit of travel to its finest hour, groups like our wonderful hosts Atlantis Dubai.”

Following opening remarks, Clive Jacobs, Chairman of Connections Luxury, addressed the importance of collaboration in recovery, while Kyp Charalambous, VP of Sales at Atlantis Dubai, commended the resilience of luxury operators amid ongoing market uncertainty.

RELATED:

Inside Connections Luxury Europe

Connections Cruise Arabia returns to Dubai in 2026

200 Senior travel professionals attend Connections Luxury Europe

Founding members included senior representatives of leading luxury travel companies, including Sharif Al Ferm of Sharif House Travel, Nicholas Rhodes of One Lux, Akram Mohammad of VIP Platinum, Lieke Teurlings of Likewise Concierge, Emily Jenkins of DW Travel, Ben Murtagh of Usturiun Luxury Travel and Gold-ranked Travel Counsellor Gillian McLornan. 

Split into a two-part discussion format, the first session examined the impact of the recent travel disruption across the Middle East and wider global market, and its effect on the luxury travel sector. Key themes included crisis management, the need for greater flexibility in cancellation policies and ways to drive pent-up demand. Members also reflected on lessons from past global crises and their influence on present-day operational and customer strategies. The second discussion focused on defining current trends in luxury travel, spanning favoured hotels and experiences. 

“In times like these, we see how much people value luxury experiences over possessions, and with the formation of this council, we intend to outline blueprints for superlative travel experiences in order to elevate this most indulgent of pursuits,” added Hymers.

The Connections Luxury Council will convene twice a year, with findings from roundtable discussions and exclusive surveys collated in an biannual industry report, the first of which will be published this summer.

For more information, visit connectionsluxury.com