What Valerie Wilson Travel does

Valerie Wilson Travel (VWT) is a full-service luxury travel agency founded in 1981 by Valerie Ann Wilson in New York City, providing bespoke itinerary planning, cruise planning, and airline ticketing services to affluent individual travelers, couples, families, and groups. The company's core offering is customized itinerary planning encompassing air, accommodations, transfers, guides, touring, dining reservations, and entertainment, complemented by specialized cruise planning and airline scheduling/ticketing services. VWT generates revenue through unit-based professional service fees — $200 per adult for itinerary planning, $600 per family bundle (up to 5 members), $250 per cabin for cruise planning, and $60-$80 per airline ticket — creating a transactional, project-by-project revenue model rather than a subscription or retainer structure.

Name

Valerie Wilson Travel

Legal name

Valerie Wilson Travel, Inc.

Website

https://valeriewilsontravel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Valerie Wilson Travel is a luxury travel agency, founded in 1981 and now a JPMorganChase subsidiary within Chase Travel Group, providing bespoke itinerary, cruise, and airline ticketing services to affluent individual travelers, couples, families, and multi-generational groups worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Travel Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

SIC

Transportation Services (4700), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Honeymoon & Romance Travel Agencies (THAKAFAC), VIP, Executive & Roadshow Travel Services (THAKAMAK)

Keywords

• Luxury travel agency
• Bespoke travel planning
• Cruise booking services
• Airline ticketing services
• Travel advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Travel Planning Fees: Fees charged for customized itinerary planning services including air, accommodations, transfers, guides, touring, and dining reservations. Planning fees are charged per person or per family unit.
2. Cruise Planning Fees: Fees charged for cruise-specific travel planning including air, dining, spa reservations, excursions, and pre/post trip arrangements.
3. Airline Ticketing Fees: Service fees for airline scheduling, ticketing, refunds, and exchanges. International tickets have higher fees than domestic. Maximum fees apply per PNR (Passenger Name Record).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Valerie Wilson Travel is a full-service luxury travel agency that designs and books customized high-end travel experiences for affluent individual travelers. Its core service is bespoke itinerary planning covering air, accommodations, transfers, guides, touring, and dining, supplemented by dedicated cruise planning and airline ticketing support. Services are delivered by a network of dedicated travel advisors who leverage decades of supplier relationships and Virtuoso network access to secure exclusive amenities and upgrades.

Product overview

Valerie Wilson Travel (VWT) is a luxury travel agency structured as a single integrated service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core product is full-service travel planning, which encompasses several interconnected service modules: Customized Itinerary Planning (for bespoke air, accommodations, transfers, guides, touring, dining, and entertainment), Customized Cruise Planning (including air, dining, spa, excursions, and pre/post trip arrangements), and Airline Scheduling and Ticketing (for international and domestic bookings). VWT by Chase Travel further extends its services through specialized divisions: Air & Charters (private aviation), Lodging & Tours (preferred hotel partnerships and curated tours), and Cruise & More (luxury cruise and yacht experiences). The company also operates an Independent Travel Advisor Program allowing advisors to join the VWT community with access to GDS platforms and consortia networks. Services are delivered through a Virtuoso membership providing access to exclusive travel perks and supplier partnerships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Customized Itinerary Planning Bespoke travel planning encompassing air, accommodations, transfers, guides, touring, dining reservations, and theatre tickets, tailored to the traveler's individual taste and aspirations. Priced per person, per family unit, or for multi-generational groups.
• Customized Cruise Planning Luxury cruise travel planning including air arrangements, dining and spa reservations, excursions, and pre/post-trip accommodations for cruise and yacht experiences, priced per cabin.
• Airline Scheduling and Ticketing International and domestic airline ticket booking with scheduling services, including refunds and exchanges for existing tickets, with per-ticket service fees.
• Air and Charters Private aviation and charter booking services leveraging Chase Travel Group's collective buying power and established aviation contacts.
• Lodging and Tours Preferred hotel partnerships and curated tour arrangements delivering personalized experiences worldwide with added value through lodging relationships.
• Cruise and More Luxury cruise and yacht experiences including Mediterranean island-hopping and Galapagos sailing, provided through partnerships with leading cruise providers.
• Independent Travel Advisor Program Host-agency affiliation program offering independent travel advisors access to GDS platforms (Amadeus, Apollo, Sabre, Worldspan), Virtuoso consortia networks, and Chase Travel Group resources.

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Frosch International Travel, LLCcoreOthersVWT is a part of Frosch International Travel, LLC. The company's website terms, privacy and security policies reference Frosch's policies, indicating a parent-subsidiary or affiliated company relationship.
• VirtuosocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVWT is a proud Virtuoso Member agency. As part of this exclusive network, VWT advisors have direct access to Virtuoso's portfolio of the world's finest hotels, cruise lines, destinations, and tour companies. This partnership provides clients with exclusive amenities, upgrades, and preferential treatment.
• Chase Travel GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVWT operates as part of Chase Travel Group, leveraging the infrastructure of the firm to enhance technology and resources. Independent advisors benefit from the collective power of the group while maintaining their independent operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Brownell Travel: Virtuoso member luxury travel agency specializing in customized leisure travel, hosted advisor model, and bespoke itineraries for affluent clients. Highly comparable specialty-luxury positioning.
• SmartFlyer: NYC-based luxury travel agency and Virtuoso member serving affluent leisure and corporate clients with bespoke itinerary planning. Closest direct peer in segment, geography, and go-to-market model.
• Embark Beyond: Boutique luxury travel agency specializing in bespoke itineraries and experiential travel for high-net-worth clients. Comparable in bespoke luxury service delivery and clientele.
• Avenues of the World Travel: Virtuoso-affiliated luxury travel agency providing customized leisure and experiential travel planning. Comparable bespoke luxury positioning and Virtuoso-driven supplier access model.
• Altour: Large-scale corporate and luxury leisure travel management company with hosted advisor program. Comparable in both corporate and high-end leisure travel segments, with similar supplier relationships.
• Tzell Travel Group: Virtuoso-affiliated luxury travel agency with hosted independent advisor model targeting affluent leisure travelers. Directly comparable in service mix and advisor network structure.
• Protravel International: Long-standing luxury and corporate travel agency, also a Virtuoso member, now part of Internova Travel Group. Comparable bespoke luxury leisure focus with hosted advisor model.

Broad incumbents

• Frosch International Travel: Parent company of VWT within Chase Travel Group, Frosch is a large-scale luxury and corporate travel management firm. Direct corporate sibling and the most structurally comparable agency in the same ownership umbrella.

Emerging players

• Fora Travel: Newer digitally-native luxury travel advisor platform with hosted model, recruiting independent advisors at scale. Emerging competitor using modern technology to capture the same hosted luxury advisor segment.
• Kensington Tours: Luxury tour operator offering private, customized guided experiences worldwide with strong supplier-direct relationships. Overlapping with VWT's tour and experiential planning offerings at the luxury end.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/valeriewilsontravel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/valerie-wilson-travel
• Instagraminstagram.com/vwt_travel
• Xx.com/vwt_travel

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Valerie Wilson Travel