Gaby, Jill, and Angela kick things off with one of their favorite luxury travel obsessions: The White Lotus. They discuss the real hotels behind the show, what the series gets right about luxury hospitality, and why travelers shouldn't assume everything they see on screen actually happened at the hotel they're booking.

Then they're staying closer to home: New York City.

As longtime New Yorkers and travel advisors, the hosts build the ultimate weekend in the city for a mother and teenage daughter visiting from Chicago. Think fashion, vintage shopping, museums, Broadway, afternoon tea at The Plaza, Central Park, great restaurants—and plenty of ideas beyond the obvious tourist stops.

They debate where they'd stay, from The Fifth Avenue Hotel to Crosby Street Hotel and Soho Grand, and share some of their favorite spots in SoHo, Williamsburg, the West Village, and beyond.

Plus, this week's Hotel of the Week, Hotel Esencia in Mexico, where the hosts talk about private beaches, turtle nesting, personalized service, complimentary minibars, and the little details that can turn a beautiful hotel into a truly memorable one.

And in Travel Myth of the Week, the hosts tackle an important one: You don't have to declare your goods.

Spoiler: Yes, you do. Even your lemons.

What to Know

Italy

San Domenico Palace, Taormina, A Four Seasons Hotel

New York City

Crosby Street Hotel

Soho Grand Hotel

The Fifth Avenue Hotel

The Plaza Hotel

The Peninsula New York

The Pierre New York

The Warren Street Hotel

Mexico

Hotel Esencia

New York City — Museums & Attractions

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

The Museum at FIT

Tenement Museum

New York Transit Museum

Central Park

High Line

Little Island

Chelsea Market

Industry City

Restaurants, Shopping & Other Spots

Casa Tua New York

Sant Ambroeus

Le Crocodile

Din Tai Fung

Serafina

American Bar

St. Theo's

Mamo

Frenchy

Dirty French

Cookshop

LoveShackFancy

Bergdorf Goodman

Aritzia

Subdued

Amarcord

Beacon's Closet

Starting at $10,000 for four nights in each city, they work their way up through $25,000 and $50,000 budgets, talking hotels, room categories, neighborhoods, service, location, and where the extra money actually makes a difference. Along the way, they share some of their favorite properties, from Firmdale hotels in London to some of Paris’s most coveted palace hotels.

Then, they tackle a travel myth that comes up constantly: “My friend said I should…”

Your friend may have loved that hotel, that restaurant, or that itinerary—but that doesn’t mean it’s right for you. The hosts explain why the best travel planning starts with understanding how you like to travel, what makes you happy, and what you actually want from your trip.

Plus: this week’s Hotel of the Week, Cheval Blanc St-Barth, and a conversation about the difference between a five-star hotel and truly five-star service.

Because, as the hosts put it: luxury is about how you feel—not what it costs, and not what your friends think.

What to Know: 
 

Firmdale Hotels

Broadwick Soho

The Ned

The Berkeley

Corinthia London

The Savoy

The Emory

The Dorchester

Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square

Cheval Blanc Paris

Bulgari Hotel Paris

La Réserve Paris

Le Bristol Paris

Shangri-La Paris

Le Meurice official site

Plaza Athénée

Le Grand Mazarin

Hôtel Dame des Arts

Les Jardins du Faubourg

Adele & Jules

Monsieur Georges

Cheval Blanc St-Barth

In the first episode of Boarding Group A, the travel advisors pull back the curtain on how they think about luxury travel—and why the best trip can look completely different from one traveler to the next. They talk about why knowing a client matters more than knowing a destination, how they decide when a splurge is actually worth it, and why a hotel room can make or break an entire trip.

They also get into the things you won’t necessarily find online: the rooms that are worth upgrading to, the hotels that are right for one traveler but wrong for another, the value of relationships with people on the ground, and why sometimes the smartest luxury decision is to wait until you can afford to do a trip right.

Plus: their favorite hotels in Positano, why Italy keeps pulling them back, what they really think about using ChatGPT to plan travel, and the travel myths they wish clients would stop believing.

Next up: how to figure out what your travel budget should actually be.

What to Know:

Santa Caterina (Amalfi Coast, Italy): https://www.hotelsantacaterina.it/

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon (Iceland): https://www.bluelagoon.com/accommodation/retreat-hotel

Le Sirenuse (Positano, Italy): https://sirenuse.it/en/

Il San Pietro di Positano (Positano, Italy): https://www.ilsanpietro.com/

Four Seasons Hotel Osaka (Osaka, Japan): https://www.fourseasons.com/osaka/

Amanoi (Vietnam): https://www.aman.com/resorts/amanoi

The George V (Paris, France): https://www.fourseasons.com/paris/

Le Meurice (Paris, France): https://www.dorchestercollection.com/paris/le-meurice

Eleven Deplar Farm (Iceland): https://elevenexperience.com/lodge-destinations/iceland/eleven-deplar-farm