A few weeks ago, I landed in Missoula, Montana, not quite believing that I was about to experience a luxury retreat. To me, Montana symbolized the Old West, and while I could understand why visitors came for its outdoor adventures like skiing, hiking and fishing, I wasn't quite sure if Montana could deliver a luxury travel experience.
That was until a brand-new Rolls Royce Cullinan drove up to the airport to pick me up and whisk me away to The Ranch at Rock Creek, ranked a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Guest Ranch for the last five years.
My four-day visit at The Ranch at Rock Creek opened my eyes to a whole new idea of luxury travel. Sure, we had a spa day, skied on the local mountain and went off-roading in the snow-ladened countryside in Rolls-Royce Cullinans, but it went beyond that.
We dove into the ranch lifestyle with skeet shooting and horseback riding, and we had multi-course meals cooked by the chef at the bottom of the ski hill and in the gorgeous barn. I soaked in a hot tub surrounded by snowcapped mountains and bowled and shot pool in their on-site saloon game room.
Like any five-star property, it was the service that put my time at The Ranch at Rock Creek beyond anything I imagined. The turndown service was delightful and involved a nice little gift each night. The employees were quick to accommodate any of the guest's requests, such taking the time to build a ski jump hill on the property for a fellow guest to jump over a Cullinan Rolls Royce. No request was too large.
While The Ranch at Rock Creek may not look like a five-star resort at first sight, when you consider the all-inclusive rates (which includes meals, activities, equipment, entertainment and round-trip transportation to the airport) are between $1,800-$12,400 per person per night, it makes sense why actress Scarlett Johansson got married here in 2014 or that it attracts luxury travelers from all over the world - some of which are professional athletes, movie stars or top CEOs and tech innovators.
Perhaps, what I learned the most from the trip is that luxury travel isn't what you always expect.
As a travel agent, you probably get luxury clients who ask for the same type of luxury vacations - a villa in Italy, safari in Africa, maybe even a five-star resort in the Caribbean. You're in the perfect position to introduce your luxury clients to new possibilities and experiences around the world, ones that only they can afford, and when you offer them new and exciting experiences that other travel agents do not, you're sure to have them coming back for more unique experiences only you seem to know.
In a TravelPulse cover story last year, Tom Mieczynski, of Travel Leaders in East Greenwich, R.I., said, "A big part of luxury travel was [once] about the status of visiting an exotic location and staying at the best hotel. That's still true to some extent, but our clients are shifting to the smaller destinations and the smaller properties. The bucket-list trips have become less about the destination and more about a personal goal or connection."
After a week in Montana at the Ranch at Rock Creek bundled in a Helly Hansen jacket and Danner boots as I went skiing, petted horses, drove a Rolls-Royce Cullinan and explored the charming town of Philipsburg, I had a chance to connect with a small-town community and nature amid a snowy wonderland, all in luxury and style. It was one of the most surprising and rewarding luxury travel experiences I've ever had.
If you're not sure where to look for unique luxury properties or destinations for your clients, pay close attention to TravelPulse as we consistently share amazing travel experiences the likes of which include diving the Titanic in submersibles or taking a "luxepedition" through the Ecuadorean rainforest to see where chocolate was invented.
Maybe even get creative and check out lists like the National Geographic Society's Unique Lodges of The World or the boutique properties among the world-class Relais & Chateaux brand. Or just send your clients packed in their own Rolls-Royce Cullinan to The Ranch at Rock Creek, a property that claims spots on both of those luxury lists and one I can vouch for without a doubt.
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