Conference Report Card: Emotions Travel Community (Sevilla 2019)
Every conference has its own special flavor…Virtuoso Travel Week is the loud, boisterous best friend you love but sometimes need a break from; ILTM North America was, for this introvert at least, like being at a new school on the first day - slightly intimidating but lovely once things got going. Maybe it’s just because it was my last show of the year and I saw some familiar faces, but Emotions Sevilla was more like heading to a summer camp without cliques - everyone was lovely, and friendly, and interested in connection.
Regardless of the sometimes-overwhelming social aspect of conferences, I love going to them. I love connecting with hoteliers and experience providers; I love finding new gems to present to you. I love being part of an industry so devoted to, and dependent on, human connection.
So without further ado, I present to you my favorite finds from Emotions Sevilla 2019 (as you’ll see, these are quite narrow categories):
favorite portuguese mountain hotel: CASA DE SAO LOURENCO
[I told you these would be granular categories!]
Casa de Sao Lourenco - Burel Panorama Hotel, located in Portugal’s Serra de Estrela mountain range, is a charming 21-room mountain retreat with exceptional design roots and a passionate sense of place and connection to the local community.
Located 3.5 hours from Lisbon by car or panoramic train (the latter would be my choice), it’s the perfect stop mid-way between Lisbon and the Douro Valley for a few nights of rest & relaxation - hiking, great food, and spa time are the order of the day here.
Destination I’m surprisingly interested in revisting: rome
Never my favorite city in Europe, nay, even in Italy, I’m suddenly interested in revisiting Rome in order to check out Villa Spaletti Trivelli in person.
A noble family’s mansion-turned-hotel, a stay at Villa Spaletti Trivelli is truly like staying with friends. Very, very generous friends. With butlers and chefs and doormen to cater to your needs. With a garden you can relax in after a day of walking in Rome’s heat, and a rooftop bar you can head to for a breeze, an aperitivo, and a gorgeous view of the city.
Families, the villa has tons of connecting rooms and suites, and the aforementioned staff will ensure your kids can run off some steam in the back garden while you ponder which gelato flavor to tackle tomorrow.
BEST YOU’D-NEVER-KNOW-IT’S-THERE HOTEL:
LA BANDITA TOWNHOUSE, PIENZA
Hidden behind a nondescript doorway on the main drag of tiny Pienza, in Italy’s Val d’Orcia, La Bandita Townhouse is a tiny 12-room boutique gem devised to give travelers a true sense of what it’s like to live in a Tuscan village.
Worried you’ll be bored with village life? Fear not, the owner has connections throughout the area and will happily set you up with wine tastings (you’re about 30 minutes from both Montepulciano and Montalcino).
If, on the contrary, you’d like even more peace and quiet, La Bandita Townhouse’s sister property, La Bandita Countryhouse, may be just the ticket.
Other notable finds from Emotions Sevilla 2019: Terra Dominicata, located in Priorat, outside Barcelona; Vila Monte Farm House, in southern Portugal [there were enough stellar Portuguese properties for this to have been an all-Portugal roundup]; and Grand Forest Metsovo Resort, a ski/hiking resort in mainland Greece (I bet that’s not a country to comes to mind often when you think ski vacay!).
My profound thanks to the organizers of Emotions Sevilla for accepting my application; of the four supplier conferences I attended in 2019, Emotions had by far the best advisor-supplier matches, and the connections made there were genuine and, I hope, lasting.
Onward and upward, y’all.