Category Archives: Journeys

Maria Mayer Feng – Sharing!

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Since day one of starting my business, we have referred to our client Journeys as Legacy Travel. Crafting a story, creating a three act play in an itinerary format is standard operating procedure!

Time is precious for our clients; they never say they want a luxurious journey. They want an experience. That is what luxury travel is about: the Legacy of creating memories and lasting experiences.

One of my friends shared her collection of photo books, beautifully bound curated books brimming with photos of theatre tickets, menus, photos of her favorite castles, barge adventures, family and friends. Her thick book on Japan was hand stitched and the cover was constructed from a photo of fabric from a vintage kimono – absolutely exquisite!

Just as we curate a trip for you with beautiful lasting memories, Maria can create a book for you that helps you hold on to those memories. This post is about Sharing – sharing a designer who curates the most gorgeous photo books, as simple or as elaborate as you like. Maria Mayer Feng has designed my friend’s photo books for years. I called Maria after seeing the books and exclaimed I must share your extraordinary work with our clients!

Maria creates a vivid story with your photographs, keepsakes or ephemera, children’s artwork or invitations, and she will construct a beautiful narrative for you. From her site: What if you could relive your favorite moments, document a life-changing journey, or surprise a loved one with the gift of a lifetime… all through the magic of a luxurious and lovingly made book? You can be involved as little or as much as you like. Sometimes, all she needs is your photos and your itinerary.

And, what if you could make that happen without lifting a finger… without having to organize and sort through hundreds of photos, struggling to pick out the best ones?

Imagine waving a magic wand and having it all taken care of for you. Single photo books of an event, an adventure or you might assemble multiple years of memories for each Journey or famil;y member or treasured friend.

Please indulge in Maria’s Instagram and her beautiful website for more information and examples of her unique perspective of storytelling.

Studio Maria Mayer Feng has been designing luxuriously custom made photo books and paper goods for over 14 years. Her clients have discerning taste and treasure the trust they can put in Maria and her team to simply hand over their personal memories. Their mission is to always transform these memories in a book so bespoke and unique, that it almost feels like stepping back in time. The final products rival the quality of books you could have seen in a museum book store, except they capture a client’s personal memories.

Maria has a degree in photography and a Master’s from Tisch/NYU, and degree in Social Work from Germany. Prior to moving to New York she lived in Romania, Germany and Switzerland. Maria is married and has two little boys.

I’ve seen over 25 of Maria’s books and the web photos here don’t do them justice, if you have boxes or online file folders of photos and clippings from your life or travels, Maria is the perfect designer to transform your treasured memories into heirloom quality photo albums.

Highly Recommend Studio Maria Mayer Feng!

Chileno Bay Resort Spa Staff!

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Besides being an arrival junkie – please impress me with your style by The Arrival to your hotel property, set the stage for my visit. I’m always wowed by enthusiastic passionate staff and after the dreary stay at home pandemic, everyone wants to be warmly welcomed back to ‘real life’. I prefer to look at it as the opening act of a play and each experience builds to the final check out.

I anonymously wander properties on my own and I talk to everyone. I didn’t need to initiate any conversations at Chileno Bay; every gardener, housekeeper, and the bellman in buggy’s all heartily greeted me: Hola! Buenas Tardes! Buenas Noches! Quantifiable research documents the motto: Happy employees = happy guests. The pandemic has been a challenge for every hotel whether city hotel or beach resort…staff has been furloughed, released and some have returned for a while to then be let go again. There was no sign of stress or weary staff at Chileno Bay Resort in Cabo. First impression matters. The first three minutes at a hotel will inform guests if they made the correct decision to stay there (buyer’s remorse), and they learn what to expect over the course of the stay,

My hotel site inspections typically include a member from management, but I also mosey on my own to get a personal flavor and take hundreds of photos.

Meandering through the spa entrance, two lovely women, Vanessa and Karina offered me a cucumber flavored bottle of water – how they knew my name is a mystery – but both reminded me to hydrate in the heat. Vanessa asked me if I owned a luxury travel firm and said she had seen my ‘Magazine’, I was very surprised and flattered! Consider me a dedicated member of the Tribe of the Spa Girl; I consider it my utmost duty to share all hotel amenities with my clients.

Vanessa suggested a tour. She eagerly showed me the entire spa and expertly explained treatment techniques, product and proudly shared the extensive local art collection. She had favorite locations as she described the massive live plant wall, the moody meditation room lined with pink Himalayan salt, she truly knew her spa! She was a natural! Chileno Bay has a stunning collection of local art, Vanessa knew the artists names and provenance; we crept through the secret garden and the numerous peaceful spaces before we ended back in the boutique.

Research has shown that the employees’ level of knowledge is a key factor in satisfying the needs of the customer. It’s worth noting that the same research demonstrates that the longer an employee works at a hotel, the more a customer is satisfied, which can point to the importance of employee retention and expertise.

Vanesa and Karina were beyond charming and professional. And yes, I promised to feature them in a post – but that was after their kindness and enthusiastic sharing of their spa! Vanessa and Karina excel in the Art of Hospitality at Chileno Bay Resort and Spa.

Gracias!