Touch of Spice

What Touch of Spice does

Touch of Spice is a privately held luxury travel agency and private villa specialist founded in 2005 by Jacqui Spice and headquartered in Queenstown, New Zealand. It serves ultra-high-net-worth travelers seeking exclusive accommodations and bespoke itineraries across New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji, with secondary demand from family groups, couples, and corporate/executive clients. The offering is structured in three product layers: Private Villas & Residences (16+ handpicked properties including The Landing's Cooper Residence and Boathouse, Eagles Nest's Rahimoana, Rosewood Cape Kidnappers Owner's Cottage, and superyachts), Luxury Lodges & Hotels (15+ properties including Huka Lodge, The Lindis, Longitude 131, and Turtle Island), and Curated Experiences (golf at Cape Kidnappers, backcountry skiing in Queenstown, wellness at Aro Ha, and other adventure and culinary programs).

The business has no proprietary technology platform, no mobile app, no API, and operates as a high-touch service model rather than a software product. Revenue is generated through two streams: commissions on villa and lodge bookings (transaction fees typically 10–15% standard for the segment) and professional services revenue from concierge arrangements (private chefs, in-house spa, luxury transfers, pantry stocking, curated experiences). Pricing is quote-based and varies widely, from NZD $1,032/night at Maruia River Retreat to NZD $47,000/night at Lodge at The Hills, with Australian properties ranging AUD $595–$4,600/night and Fiji properties starting at USD $1,750/night. The go-to-market is enterprise field sales handled by a 5-person sales team and a bench of dedicated Travel Designers who manage the full client journey from initial enquiry through departure, supported by website enquiry capture, partnerships with Virtuoso's Elite Ultraluxe Community, and Condé Nast's Top Traveler Specialist endorsement (awarded to the CEO for 13 consecutive years). The company is founder-owned with no disclosed institutional funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries.

Name

Touch of Spice

Legal name

Touch of Spice Limited

Website

https://touchofspice.co.nz

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Touch of Spice is a privately held Queenstown-based luxury travel agency and private villa specialist serving ultra-high-net-worth travelers with bespoke itineraries, exclusive villa and lodge bookings, and curated experiences across New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Luxury Travel Services

NAICS

Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Luxury, VIP & Bespoke Travel Concierge (HSACAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Destination Research & Custom Recommendations (HSACAKAM), Wellness, Spa & Retreat Travel Agencies (THAKAFAI)

Keywords

• Luxury travel services
• Private villa rentals
• Bespoke itineraries
• Concierge travel
• Luxury lodge bookings

Headquarters

HQ city

Queenstown

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Villa Rental Commission: Earns commissions on bookings of private villas and luxury lodges in their exclusive portfolio. Properties are rented on a per-night basis with rates varying significantly by property.
2. Concierge Services: Additional revenue from arranging private chefs, in-house spa treatments, luxury transfers, pre-arrival pantry stocking, and curated experiences.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Touch of Spice is a luxury travel agency that curates and books exclusive private villa rentals, luxury lodge and hotel stays, and bespoke experiences across New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji. Services are delivered through dedicated Travel Designers who design tailor-made itineraries and arrange concierge elements such as private chefs, spa treatments, luxury transfers, and curated activities for affluent travelers.

Product overview

Touch of Spice is a bespoke luxury travel agency founded in 2005, specializing in exclusive private villa rentals, luxury lodge bookings, and curated experiences across New Zealand, Australia, and the South Pacific. The company operates a three-part portfolio: Private Villas & Residences (16+ properties including The Landing estate, Eagles Nest's Rahimoana, and Super Yachts), Luxury Lodges & Hotels (15+ properties including Huka Lodge, The Lindis, and Orpheus Island Lodge), and Curated Experiences (12+ experiences including ski adventures, golf, wellness retreats, and food & wine tours). Services are delivered through dedicated Travel Designers who provide end-to-end concierge services including itinerary design, private chef arrangements, and bespoke experience curation. Founded by Jacqui Spice, a former super yacht professional and 13-year Conde Nast Top Traveler Specialist, the company maintains Virtuoso and Condé Nast affiliations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Private Villas & Residences

Quantifiable outcome

• Condé Nast Top Traveler Specialist recognition for 13 consecutive years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• VirtuosocoreGTM or Marketing PartnerVirtuoso is described as the world's leading luxury travel network. Touch of Spice is part of Virtuoso's Elite Ultraluxe Community, providing expanded distribution channels and international recognition within the luxury travel segment.
• Condé NastcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerTouch of Spice benefits from Condé Nast recognition through CEO Jacqui Spice's status as a Condé Nast Top Traveler Specialist for 13 consecutive years. This provides credibility and access to affluent travelers following Condé Nast recommendations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Black Tomato: London-based luxury travel agency specializing in bespoke, experience-led itineraries for affluent travelers. Comparable high-touch service model, similar reliance on personal travel designers, and overlapping client demographic to Touch of Spice.
• Original Travel: UK-based tailor-made luxury tour operator offering curated itineraries with personal travel experts. Comparable in offering bespoke villa and lodge-based trips to affluent travelers, similar size and operating philosophy to Touch of Spice.
• Kiwi Collection: New Zealand-founded curated luxury hotel collection with strong coverage of Australasia and South Pacific properties. Directly comparable curated-portfolio model and geographic focus to Touch of Spice's villa and lodge offering.
• Mr & Mrs Smith: Curated luxury hotel and villa booking platform with a members-only HNW focus. Overlaps with Touch of Spice in curating premium Australasia properties and serving affluent travelers seeking exclusive accommodation.
• Azure Private Travel: Australian-based bespoke luxury travel agency offering tailor-made itineraries and exclusive villa/lodge bookings with personal travel designers — a near-identical operating model to Touch of Spice, serving similar HNW clients across Australasia and the South Pacific.
• Oliver's Travels: Luxury villa rental specialist offering curated private villas across Europe and select global destinations. Comparable in its exclusive villa-portfolio model and HNW customer focus, with overlap in commission-based booking economics.
• Scott Dunn: UK-founded luxury tour operator delivering tailor-made holidays and private villa experiences with dedicated travel specialists. Comparable in service philosophy and product breadth (villas, lodges, curated experiences) and overlap in the HNW customer segment.
• Audley Travel: UK-based bespoke travel specialist with a network of country experts designing tailor-made luxury trips worldwide. Operates on a similar commission-based, high-touch model with dedicated destination specialists.

Broad incumbents

• Abercrombie & Kent: Global luxury tour operator with multi-decade heritage offering bespoke, high-end travel across all continents. Much larger and broader in scope than Touch of Spice, but competes for the same UHNW clientele seeking tailor-made, high-touch luxury experiences.
• Cox & Kings: Established heritage luxury tour operator with global bespoke travel offerings. A broader incumbent in the luxury travel space that competes for high-end clientele seeking tailor-made itineraries, though with a wider geographic and product scope than Touch of Spice.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/touchofspice
• Xx.com/touchofspicenz
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/touch-of-spice

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Touch of Spice