by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:05 AM ET, Thu September 11, 2025
Robin Sanchez, President of Montecito Village Travel. (Photo Credit: Montecito Village Travel)
WHY IT RATES: The host agency is celebrating 20 years in business in Arizona. — Lacey Pfalz, Associate Editor, TravelPulse
Montecito Village Travel (MVT), a leading host agency, ranked 41st on Travel Weekly’s 2025 Power List with sales in excess of $440 million, is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its presence in Arizona—a milestone that marked a pivotal transformation in the company’s history.
Beginning in 1986 with its first Independent Contractor (IC) agreement and later adding rent-a-desk options, MVT has long been a pioneer of promoting Independent Contractors, yet its early focus concentrated on its 16 physical offices in California. This changed dramatically in 2004, when industry connections introduced MVT to the Phoenix Travel Group, North Scottsdale Travel, Independent Contractors from Southwest Travel Systems, and later Mill Avenue Travel. The acquisition of these three agencies and advisors aligned the right people and the right technology at the right time for MVT to expand into Arizona and accelerate its evolution into the premier host agency it is today.
“Advances in technology at the time—including software that linked all global distribution systems (GDS) to MVT’s back-office platform—positioned the company as an attractive partner for a broad range of advisors, from Leisure and Luxury to Group and Corporate travel," said Robin Sanchez, President, Montecito Village Travel. “This innovation also marked the beginning of a fully integrated virtual office, redefining how accounting, marketing, and support services could operate remotely in a modern host agency.”
MVT’s story is grounded in three core beliefs: that travel is powered by relationships, that success is only possible when its advisors succeed, and that the company must always stay big enough to matter, yet small enough to care.
To commemorate the milestone, MVT will host a dinner on Saturday, September 13, at Mastro’s City Hall, honoring the original members of Phoenix Travel Group, North Scottsdale Travel, Southwest Travel Systems and Mill Avenue Travel for their lasting contributions. Two decades later, this group of advisors still remain a driving force, with six of the original members earning a place in MVT’s prestigious Ultra President’s Club—reserved for those generating more than $250,000 in annual commissions and they rank among the company’s top 25 producing advisors.
SOURCE: Montecito Village Travel press release.
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