“The only way to make yourself valuable is to keep yourself priceless.” This is the philosophy that Amy Hellman of JB’s World Travel Consultants has used to motivate herself during her time as a luxury travel advisor, and through her life as well.
Hellman is relatively new to the travel industry, even though she’s been — as she says — “under the hospitality umbrella” for many years. Though it’s been only two years since she became a travel advisor at JB’s World Travel Consultants in New York, she holds a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from Johnson & Wales University as well as a master’s degree in hospitality branding from New York University.
Before travel, Hellman was heavily vested in the culinary world. After learning about flavors and food from other cultures and destinations, she realized she was missing out on the opportunity to truly experience where these recipes and ingredients come from. While working at the Waldorf Astoria, she would hear of guests traveling to souks in Morocco or Gion, the geisha district of Japan. It was then that she began to think of her life outside the culinary industry.
Now, fully established as a luxury travel advisor, Hellman is bringing a Millennial twist to JB’s World Travel Consultants, which is owned by Jack Bloch.
“Our clients are discerning travelers looking for tailored, unforgettable experiences,” says Hellman. “They want personalized service accessible to them 24/7 and expect nothing less than the best. They want to be the first to explore a new destination; we find that our clients are already well-traveled and instead need our assistance, guidance and advice about where the ‘it’ destination will be next year so that they can go there before it becomes popular.”
When it comes to dealing with clients, she’s extremely candid, she says. “I say exactly what is on my mind. I’ve found that clients appreciate the honesty and truthfulness of my reactions and answers to their questions. This helps me to connect with the client on a deeper level and it builds trust in our agency,” says Hellman.
She says she is looking forward to continuing her time at JB’s World Travel Consultants and has variety of plans in place to keep her business growing. Goals for the young advisor include increasing her social media presence and continuing to build meaningful and lasting relationships within the industry.
“I love the professionalism in our office,” she says. “I appreciate that I work in an environment where my boss comes to work every day in a suit and tie. I believe in the dress for success motto and love that this is very much a part of our office culture. Dressing the part helps to put you in that mindset of producing your best work and I feel very empowered by this.” She says that advisors at the agency do not have a set folio of clients that they each focus on, instead “we all work together to contribute ideas about what would give our clients the best experiences.”
Hellman says that during her job interview with Jack Bloch two years ago, he told her that the most important aspect in doing the job was to have fun and enjoy the process. “This little mantra is great to remember on a daily basis especially when things may not be working out as you had planned for a client,” says Hellman.