Two women-owned travel agencies are partnering to launch River Oaks Travel, a luxury travel advisory firm specializing in custom experiences for clients.
Dasha Westerfield, a new co-owner of the upcoming travel agency, bought West University Travel in 2014 after over 20 years of experience in the international travel industry. In the last five year, she became part of Virtuoso and boosted sales by focusing on her clients and strategically adding team members.
Cristina Buaas, the other co-owner, launched CSB Travel in 2008. Buaas, the most recommended advisor in Virtuoso’s network with more than 440 five-star reviews and previous cover star on Luxury Travel Advisor, drove company growth mainly by referrals. She has also taken leadership roles in the industry, currently serving on Virtuoso’s Member Advisory Board and recently serving on Disney’s EarMarked Travel Advisory Council.
Buaas and Westerfield had similar paths to success. In fact, both of their firms were similar in size, served a similar clientele and had steady double-digit growth. Realizing this, they chose to merge both of their companies on equal footing and rebrand as River Oaks Travel.
River Oaks Travel, launching in the fall, will serve clients in the Houston, TX, area and around the world. River Oaks Travel client privileges will include special perks and amenities, value-added benefits, upgrades, rare opportunities, and more.
This article was originally posted on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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