Vacationist - A New Website from Travel & Leisure and Luxury Link .

"We launched our new website site today at the American Express Publishing Luxury Summit in Las Vegas." said Mark V. Stanich, Senior Vice president and Chief Marketing Officer of American Express Publishing, "It's a good place to do it, and we are proud that it is the first site of its kind!"

Vacationist (www.vacationist.com) is indeed the first website of its kind to provide limited-time, invitation only offerings at top hotel properties in the United States and around the world.

" It is basically a private sale travel website for luxury travelers," continued Drew Marich, CEO of LuxuryLink.com, " one that will present a number of significant hotel and resort offerings each week and will launch its first sales with a mix of exotic and urban destinations, including Turtle Island in Fiji, The Surrey in New York City, and The James Hotel in Chicago....and we will go from there, weekly!"

Vacationist offers exclusive luxury hotel and resort rooms available for purchase to its members at 25 to 40 percent off for limited periods of time. Each property featured on Vacationist, which will be hosted and powered by Luxury Link, will have insider tips and expert reporting by the editors of Travel & Leisure who are dedicated to helping readers access the best travel experiences. Invitees to Vacationist will initially be limited to Travel & Leisure customers and Luxury Link members.


"Our loyal customer relationships are critically important to us, and we have worked consistently to deliver new products that serve their evolving needs," Mark continued. "Vacationist is no exception – as our first significant e-commerce venture, it will provide the exceptional experience and value our customers seek, with the aesthetic and sensibility they have come to expect from Travel + Leisure. Luxury Link is our perfect partner – and for both of us, Vacationist is a way for us to support our hotel and resort partners in the travel industry by delivering a smart, effective, tactical solution."

"With Vacationist, " said Drew," we are also defining what products can be created based on the needs of our consumers and hotel clients. We also are aware of the business implications of new research into consumer travel trends."

According to a recent study by Ypartnership/Harrison Group, almost three out of ten (27%) active travelers took at least one "last minute" leisure trip last year and one out of seven (14%) purchased a travel service as a result of receiving an unexpected email from a travel service supplier. In addition to the high quality of the selected hotels, the featured room rates on Vacationist will be the lowest available at the time of the offer.

" We see Vacationist as a scalable brand," concluded Mark. " We may go further in the future, but right now we think that the lodging, destination and advice needs of many travelers will be satisfied with this site."