Jack and Annie check in live from Hotel Lutetia in Paris, swapping honeymoon ideas for Taylor Swift (think Royal Malewane, Cape Town, Singita, and Kisawa), their own fall goals (half marathons, stylists, Africa trips, and launching lifestyle experiences), and why travel is the ultimate way to activate passions.

Then, a conversation with Omer Acar, CEO of Raffles and Fairmont, one of the top minds in global hospitality, and one of Jack's major inspirations. He shares why he makes his bed every day (even in hotels), how luxury brands should surprise, delight, and disrupt, and the lessons he’s learned leading some of the world’s most iconic hotels. Omer talks passion, curiosity, inspiration, his favorite thing about living in New York City, and the TV show that has him hooked. Just don't try to find him on Instagram.

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Recorded live at Wilderness Mombo camp in the heart of Botswana, Annie Fitzsimmons and safari expert and Embark Safaris founder Justin Huff, share the unforgettable moments and reasons that make Botswana unlike anywhere else on earth. From leopard sightings under a double rainbow to the great elephant crossings of the Linyanti River, this conversation dives into why Botswana isn’t just a safari–it’s a soul-shifting experience. Whether you’re dreaming of your first safari or seeking the masterclass of safari travel, this episode reveals the stories, places, and perspectives that will change how you see the wild forever.

With an introduction from Jack Ezon and Annie Fitzsimmons.

Justin Huff - “Botswana isn’t just a safari–it’s an aura, a pulse. Once you’re tuned to it, you’re never the same.” 

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Over the decades, Eli Zabar has built a mini‑empire on the Upper East Side that includes Eli’s Market, an artisan bread bakery, a wine shop, and restaurants, all driven by his obsessive pursuit of quality and what satisfies him. He is the youngest son of Louis and Lillian Zabar, founders of Zabar’s on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. In 1973, he struck out on his own, opening E.A.T., a gourmet food shop and café on Madison Avenue, inspired by the grand food halls he admired in London and Paris.

Episode Description

Jack and Annie open with a Virtuoso Week highlights reel, including Jack's biggest tip for the Fashion Week of Travel to not sleep - "The real business is done on the dance floor and the bar…People do business with people, not products.” 

Favorite finds include mocktail bars and islands in Saudi Arabia; Barbara Muckermann on hiring archivists for Kempinski and finding out they invented wine by the glass; TCS around the world plane journeys; the ever-growing train travel trend (so excited for Aurora Australis in Australia); and more.

Then, a delicious interview with Eli Zabar, whose Upper East Side empire has been feeding New Yorkers for over 50 years. 

• How “being the ultimate editor” guides his curatorial instincts (“the biggest mistake is listening to the customer"), and how he brings intentionality to every loaf of bread, wine pairing, and sandwich. "I'm not looking for the best, I'm looking for what satisfies me, what I find pleasing."
• How Eli's editing instinct compares to the need for department stores to revolutionize and have a voice/be an editor ("Are you the Barneys of food?" Jack asks) 
• Eli's thoughts on wine ("I don't like the cabernet or merlot grape, so I don't sell anything that has those grapes in it") and restaurants ("I love small places where it's one person's notion and they're doing it the way that I like") 
• Eli gives some of his favorite hotels and Jack tries to be a matchmaker with new options for him - but it's tough when he loves his own bed so much. We might get him to The Arts Club in London. 
• Musings on how to attract younger customers and what his twin sons are doing (even though they disagree on bagels) 
• The secret to marriage with Devon Fredericks, the original owner of Loaves and Fishes in the Hamptons 
• What Eli thinks are the two best sandwiches of all time.

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The Embark Q3 Trends Report will launch on Friday, August 8th.

Jack and Annie talk about the report and key highlights, analyzing the current state of luxury travel as we enter Q3 which is typically the industry’s strongest season, but this year is marked by shifts in demand and guest behavior. 

This is rich but restrained...and is it a vibecession? A data-informed look at what’s happening now, and what’s next, in global luxury travel based on what we are seeing. 

Also discussed: the stunning renovation of the Belmond Hotel Splendido, the brand-new Waldorf-Astoria New York, and the life-changing Hyrolox hair treatment (for Annie). Plus:

• How to layer AI with EI (Emotional Intelligence) 
• Who is traveling and what they're spending
• Destination breakdown: Paris is outperforming expectations post-Olympics, while London is still in decline (why?). The French Riviera has overtaken Italy as the top summer destination, and Greece is emerging as a "value." 
• Group trips are exploding, solo travel among women is on the rise, and experiences are increasingly passion-driven including mahjong, en plein air (painting outdoors), and art. 

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Celebrity Event Planner Colin Cowie on "Whatever It Takes" 

This week, Jack and Annie catch up on:

• Super last-minute summer trips + what to book this fall + villas

• Annie’s new love of beach clubs (at least if it's in Cannes) & the next evolution of Hair Botox in London

Then, world-renowned lifestyle expert and event designer Colin Cowie joins the show. Known for creating experiences for celebrities and royalty, Colin shares what it takes to deliver The Gold Standard in service, going beyond expectations to delight your guests or customers every time.

Colin on:

• Giving your clients what they didn’t know they wanted

• Always planning ahead

• The power of culture in his team ("The gas in the tank is called culture")

• The small pleasures that make life worth living

• The go-to gift he always keeps in his house

Plus, starting at 33:50, a lightning round including his favorite places to host events (Italy and South Africa) and his favorite hotels and restaurants around the world:

Favorite Hotels:

• Belmond Mount Nelson, Cape Town

• The Saxon Hotel, Johannesburg

• Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, Antibes

• Claridge’s, London

• Costa Careyes, Mexico

Favorite Restaurants:

• Quattro Passi, Nerano

• Lo Scoglio, Amalfi Coast

• Conca del Sogno, Nerano

• Pastis, Miami

• Mother Wolf, Los Angeles

• Chez Bruno, Provence (during truffle season)

• Francis Mallmann in Argentina

Colin: "My favorite restaurants are all within a three-minute walk from each other on the Amalfi Coast."

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This week, Jack and Annie talk where to go when you're hot in the summer (cruises in Iceland, Scandi cities, Bavaria), and debate whether Jack might be talking a little too much about beach clubs–Annie thinks yes but that isn't stopping her from flying to La Guerite in Cannes.

Then, top travel and lifestyle journalist Mark Ellwood joins to talk about what joy really looks like in travel today, why “authentic” is just a filler word, the continual proliferation of fine dining in hotels, and why you should live like a tourist, not a local.

Plus, five of Mark's favorite hotels (and why Venice is so romantic in the winter), and three luxury brands he loves that aren't by LVMH or Kering.

Jack & Annie Intro 

15:45 – Mark Ellwood Interview Begins

42:55 - Five of Mark's Favorite Hotels

eriro in the Austrian Alps

Eden Rock in St. Bart’s

Violino d’Oro

Raffles London at the OWO

Aeolos Hotel in Koufonisia

On living away from the UK and living in NYC forever – “The longer you’re away, the more you become a weird version of not yourself. If you go back to where you’re from, the shape that you left behind you no longer fit but people don’t realize. But I relish that…a citizen of nowhere.”

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We sit down with Filippo Arnaboldi, CEO of Frette, to explore the power of relationships, how to stay relevant in a changing world, what to do if you and your partner can’t agree on sheets, the myth of high thread count, plus his favorite hotels and where he'd live for the rest of his life. Why does everyone love Filippo? This episode will help explain it. 

We also talk about why Jack flew to Greece for a day and talk about why we launched the Embark Luxury Salon in NYC and some learnings:

• Is less actually more? 
• How fractional leadership is redefining work (ours and everyone else's)
• Why we love the phrase irrational generosity 

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Where We've Been and Where We're Going (Personally and Professionally) 

Jack and Annie on a true mixed bag of topics including:

• 2025 Goals
• Jack’s Brand Crush (vs. Industry Crushes)
• The Best Hotel at Disney World
• Jack’s Business Goals
• Are People Using Websites Anymore?
• Annie Has Two Lives (Travel + Home)
• Paris in the Winter
• Turks & Caicos Recap
• The Glorious History of Beaverbrook
• Is The Most Insane Suite in the World in...Houston?
• And - Why Go to L.A. Now

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The dynamic Cindy Novotny has been branded the “Radical Mentor” and holds rooms of hundreds and thousands of people in rapt attention. She tells us about living with no balance, why you should never fake it, secrets to career success, how passion is a combination of love and anger, and always starting with the most important person in the room, the customer. Hotels she loves: Borgo Egnazia, Grand Hotel Mackinac Island, Four Seasons Prague, Royal Mansour Marrakech, and the Belmond Hotel Cipriani in Venice. 

First, Jack and Annie’s airplane pet peeves, like pretzels that make your breath smell, boarding groups 1 to 3 together when you’re Group 1 as British Airways Gold, and why do they make you put your laptop away 45 minutes before the flight lands?

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CEO of Virtuoso and the greater purpose of enriching lives through human connection, his top advice for how to become a luxury travel advisor, and SOME OF his favorite hotels (not his ONLY favorite hotels) which include The Brando in French Polynesia, &Beyond Masai Mara Bateleur Camp, the Bulgari in Rome, Capella Bangkok, Raffles Old War Office in London, and the Bellagio in Vegas. 

First, Jack and Annie’s hotel pet peeves, from lighting and trash cans to soap and open bathrooms.

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We talk to the amazing Bob Chavez of Hermès, who heads up a team of 1,800 people, on everything from how to scale a business through culture, how store directors (not managers) go to Paris 4x a year to buy product for their individual store–plus, fun stories on why the Hermès box is orange and how Sex & the City changed the trajectory of the Birkin bag. Annie asks if he has special insurance for his NYC closet–and we find out some of his favorite hotels, including Amanpulo in the Philippines; the Hotel Villa Cipriani in Asolo, Italy; and Como Laucala Island in Fiji. 

First, a quick rant on why we think there should be a dress code on airplanes.

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Why Annie won’t shut up about M&S All-Butter Biscuits; Jack’s favorite family tradition and things to buy for his kids while traveling. 

Plus: Tenniscore, the Great Japan Debate (and why one Embark advisor hated it), Taylor Swift changing all the lives, rates in the Mediterranean and why cruising is so popular, how to plan a multigen trip without meltdowns, and is there actual value in digital detox?

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Singita, Passalacqua, Chem Chem, Schloss Elmau, Peninsula Hong Kong, Palacio Principe Real, Hotel du Cap Eden Roc, Hermosa Inn in Arizona 

How do you choose between Le Bristol, La Réserve, the Shangri-La Paris, Cheval Blanc, Le Royal Monceau, Plaza Athénée, The Ritz, the Four Seasons George V, the Lutetia, J.K. Place Paris, and SO MANY MORE amazing luxury hotels in Paris? Jack Ezon divides the options between Left and Right Bank and with his signature opinions, gives us the lay of the land.

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The Story of Embark Beyond (still a business baby at five years old) and why it’s all about culture and emotional impact. Plus, co-founder Jack Ezon’s former life as a lawyer and what led to the creation of Embark Beyond. And Annie Fitzsimmons on why she calls herself a “travel person” being involved in many aspects of the business and a tiny bit about her new book, National Geographic’s 100 Hotels of a Lifetime. AND - since Jack and Annie both grew up one of five kids, they know the power of a great hotel even more.

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