CONTACT:
Hilari Graff at Strategic Vision
Tel: 914-881-9056/9020
Imperial Tours Expands Product Offerings With New Experiences, Destinations In China
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 24, 2010) – Imperial Tours (www.imperialtours.net) is expanding its portfolio with the launch of ‘China Escapades,’ a new FIT product targeted to more independent and adventurous travelers seeking greater autonomy and a lower price to explore China’s intriguing sights, sounds and culture.
“With demand for travel to China growing, our research in the luxury travel advisor community has shown that there is a need for an alternative to our current ‘hosted’ FIT product at a more accessible price point so we developed China Escapades,” said Guy Rubin, Founder and Managing Partner of Imperial Tours. “China Escapades affords greater flexibility to appeal to these distinct consumers who are more experienced, adventurous and often repeat travelers to China,” he added.
With the launch of China Escapades, Imperial Tours is re-branding its existing FIT product – now to be called “Ultimate China,” ideal for consumers who want a ‘hosted luxury’ experience. Central to an Ultimate China itinerary is a China Host, a Westerner fluent in Chinese and living in China who ensures superior quality and immediate service for a flawless vacation from start to finish.
Imperial’s two private programs are customized to the needs of the individual traveler but the scope of services varies between the Ultimate China and China Escapades products as follows:
FIT Tour Elements Ultimate China China Escapades
1. Accommodations Best 5-Star Hotels Best 5-Star Hotels
2. Room Type Best Available Best Available
3. Private Cars Unlimited Availability Available until 10:30pm
4. Tour Support Local guides and Local guides and virtual concierge
China Host via mobile phone/24-hour access
5. Guide Gratuities Included Not included
6. Meals All meals included Breakfast & Lunch only
Dinner options & menus provided
7. Destinations All possible Lhasa, Dunhuang & Huangshan
not available
8. Special Activities All are available Most Offered
China Escapades clients seek more independence in their travels and not the extra service a China Host provides. These customers opt for direct rather than mediated contact with local Chinese suppliers to add to their overall understanding of China. For optimum service levels and the security of never being completely alone, China Escapades guests have access to a western Virtual Concierge through a pre-programmed mobile phone 24/7.
For enhanced flexibility, dinners are not included in China Escapades itineraries but Imperial provides guests with restaurant recommendations and designs suggested menus for them to enjoy in Chinese restaurants. The freedom to choose their own dinner options appeals to the whimsical spirit of this traveler.
The Ultimate China client, on the other hand, prefers that a China Host take care of all the details (such as wake-up calls, restaurant menus, shopping recommendations to non-commissionable venues, fine-tuning an itinerary in real-time, and more).
The China Escapades tours do not offer Lhasa, Dunhuang or Huangshan because Imperial feels a China Host is essential to implementing the company’s unique experiences on the ground in these areas.
“Expanding our portfolio to include both FIT products facilitates a wider and more flexible range of services enabling Imperial Tours to become a closer and more relevant partner to travel agencies in supplying luxury travel to China – namely small-group departures and FIT programs of different price points, inclusive activities and tour support,” Rubin noted.
To create China Escapades and clearly define what distinguishes the two products, Imperial Tours ran test programs and captured guest feedback on the key elements of the itinerary. Regardless of the type of FIT tour, Imperial Tours has access to exclusive activities and venues as a result of the company’s extensive ‘black book’ of connections throughout China.
In terms of price, Ultimate China programs cost approximately $1,300 per person, per day, and China Escapades are priced around $800 per person, per day (prices are based on two people traveling together on an FIT vacation).
Imperial Tours – Traveling China…in Style
The leading luxury tour operator based in China, Imperial Tours offers customized private tours and scheduled escorted group departures that combine local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers. Through its portfolio of programs and themed excursions, Imperial Tours provides the ‘best of the best’ in China encompassing accommodations, dining, sightseeing, experiences and much more at unrivaled value. Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Offenbach (Germany) and Poole (UK).
A testament to its unparalleled knowledge and experience in planning luxury customized programs to China, Imperial Tours has been awarded the distinction of a ‘top travel specialist’ by Condé Nast Traveler in 2008 and 2009 and has been named to Travel + Leisure’s ‘A’ List of Super Agents every year between 2002 and 2009. In addition to top accolades, Imperial has been privileged to bring celebrities and royalty to China including Anthony Edwards, Natalie Portman, Michael Phelps, Sara Lee, Baroness Katherine de Rothschild, Katie Couric and the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver.
Contact Information
For more information, please call (888) 888-1970, send an e-mail to margot@imperialtours.net or visit www.imperialtours.net. Become a fan of Imperial Tours on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/imperialtours.
Note to Editors
High-resolution digital images of Imperial Tours/China are available upon request.
By Brook Wilkinson
Scoring a cheap flight and a discounted hotel room is relatively easy these days. But a simple Web search isn't going to gain you entrée to a Masai village in Kenya, where you'll sleep in a traditional cowhide bed. Nor can it help you grab a spot atop one of the most popular floats during Brazil's Carnaval, so you can shake your booty in front of thousands. Or secure you a ticket to St. Petersburg's Hermitage Gala—perhaps the world's most exclusive social event.
For this kind of insider access, you need the wisdom, know-how, and connections of a top-tier travel agent. For its annual Dream List feature, Condé Nast Traveler asked 12 of these experts—all hand-picked and approved by the magazine—to tell about the ultimate eye-opening experiences at the destinations they specialize in. So get dreaming—and get ready to see Spain, or Japan, or Dubai like never before.
© Condé Nast Traveler, 2009
By James Shillinglaw
Imperial Tours offers an upscale way to understand this giant country.
When Guy met Nancy, it was love at first sight. Indeed, it was a common love of China that brought them together in Beijing 12 years ago—and eventually led them to create Imperial Tours, a boutique tour operator that specializes in high-end China experiences.
Guy Rubin is British, with a background in financial services, but he recognized early on that China was a boom market, so he moved to Beijing to study Mandarin. Nancy Kim is Korean-American—with a background in art history—who also was in Beijing studying art and Mandarin when she met Guy.
Rubin and Kim still live in Beijing, but are now husband and wife with two children. They also happen to be managing partners of their specialty tour operation, which caters to a very upscale client base. In fact, it’s so high-end that their company has been a partner of Virtuoso, the luxury travel agency marketing group, for the past seven years, even though Imperial Tours is just 10 years old. The company is a preferred supplier of Signature Travel Network, another high-end agency group, and it has been recognized by both Travel + Leisure and Condé Nast Traveler as the top specialist in China.
Imperial Tours focuses on creating unique itineraries for an up-market crowd, with a client roster that has included such luminaries as Michael Phelps, Natalie Portman, Katie Couric and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal, among others. Beyond independent travel, the company also caters to groups, particularly incentives for such companies as Ferragamo, British Telecom and Raymond James, the investment bank. The Beijing-based company now has a staff of 25, including local guides, as well as two dedicated reservations staffers in a San Francisco office.
Of course, Imperial Tours’ success didn’t come overnight. Rubin and Kim began their business by arranging trips for friends in the U.K. and U.S. When they finally launched a website, it was discovered by a wealthy Silicon Valley executive who took a chance, loved the trip and recommended the company to his friends in the Bay Area. That’s when Imperial Tours’ business really started to take off.
As Rubin explains it, what’s different about his company is that it does not work through official Chinese tourism channels like China International Travel Service (CITS) or other government tourism bureaus. Many other China-bound operators contract with local ground handlers, many of which are controlled by government bureaucrats. Imperial, on the other, goes directly to the source—the local suppliers, attractions and restaurants—to create its programs. The mere fact that the company can do this shows just how far China has come in the past decade. Rubin and Kim have been able to use their friends and other personal contacts to source all of their unique programs, which are always accompanied by professional guides.
“We always knew exactly what we wanted to do,” Rubin says. “We just went out and found it. We source all our own tour products. We get the local village involved, the restaurants and the shops. Our connections are fundamental to our business. We’re going out into the market and saying we do this, we have these clients and we can produce these people for you.”
For example, Imperial Tours can create a special dining experience in Guilin that is privately catered by a local restaurant. It will stage re-creations of local festivals so customers can experience the traditions of different regions of China. It will offer customers not just a visit to the Great Wall, but also a chance to have dinner on the structure itself. Imperial also can set up unique experiences with local individuals, such as a dinner by Mao Zedong’s former chef, whose father and grandfather also cooked for the Chinese leader, at an unmarked restaurant in Beijing. Customers also can enjoy a game of table tennis with Chinese champions of that sport, or they can have a banquet dinner in a recently renovated, three-floor palace within the Forbidden City that’s not open to the public.
Imperial Tours offers luxury private and group tours to China to such destinations as Beijing, Chengdu, Dunhuang, Guilin, Hangzhou, Hong Kong, Huangshan, Lhasa, Lijiang, Sanya, Shanghai, Shangri-La, Suzhou, Xi’an, and the Yangtze River. The company uses only the best hotels, including Park Hyatt Shanghai, Grand Hyatt Hotel-Shanghai, Four Seasons Hotel-Shanghai, The Mansion Boutique Hotel (Shanghai), Raffles Beijing Hotel, Park Hyatt-Beijing, Aman-Summer Palace-Beijing, Grand Hyatt Hotel-Beijing, The Peninsula Hotel-Hong Kong, The InterContinental Hotel-Hong Kong, Xian Sofitel, Hotel of Modern Art-Guilin Area and Hyatt Regency Hotel-Hangzhou. Each tour is accompanied not only by a local Chinese guide, but also by an experienced western China host, who is fluent in Chinese, English and other languages.
While Imperial Tours custom-designs most of its programs for individuals, it also offers several scheduled group departures in 2010, including a 13-night “Imperial Tour” (a good introduction for people who’ve never been to China), priced at $9,670 per person, double; an 11-night “Family Tour” (ideal for families with children through teenage years), priced from $8,850 per adult and $5,770 per child (under 12) based on two adults and two children staying in a two-bedroom suite; a nine-night “Majestic Tour” (good for Spanish-speaking travelers), priced from $8,380 per person double; and a nine-night “Unique Destinations” (an in-depth look at Southwestern China and Tibet), priced from roughly $9,815. (Note: Prices quoted here are based on 2009 pricing, which was offered until Sept. 15). Departures of scheduled tours are limited to 20 people.
While the ability to deliver individualized experiences is a key difference in what Imperial offers, the company also focuses on providing luxury accommodations and services throughout. “We won’t go into any destination, especially with an American client, that does not have certain creature comforts,” says Kim. “We focus on those places that have high-end hotels and the facilities these customers require. If they don’t have those facilities, our key question is whether our clients are going to see something in that destination that they can’t see anywhere else in the world. So if you go to Lhasa, for example, there isn’t a five-star hotel there right now, but there is a Four Points Sheraton that’s clean and comfortable. And what you will see in Lhasa you won’t find anywhere else.”
Rubin says the most precious commodity of Imperial Tours’ clients is time, not money. And these customers want experiences that are specifically designed to meet their interests. “For every request that we get, we have a questionnaire that asks questions like, what was your last trip and what did you like about it,” says Kim. “Are you a nature person, a history person, etc. With the travel agent we try to learn as much about the client as possible. We will then put together an itinerary with lots of options in it.”
In the end, the success of Imperial Tours is linked to the entrepreneurial spirit of its founders, Rubin and Kim. “A lot of agents say to us that our success was because we were completely naïve about the business,” says Kim. “We just started it.”
http://www.vacationagentmagazine.com/Articles.aspx?id=55c1b042-870b-49a9-8619-72e0ae96d71e
© November 2009, Vacation Agent Magazine, Performance Media Group
reported by Maria Shollenbarger
We know what you’re thinking: with flights and hotels just a click away, it’s never been easier to plan your own trip. But at the moment when your time and money matter more than ever, a trusted travel expert can take all the hassle out of travel planning-whether you’re looking to snag that seat on a sold-out flight, book that elusive corner room with a view, map out a complicated itinerary, or secure the best guides, upgrades, and (yes!) deals. T+L has evaluated thousands of agents to come up with this highly selective list of the best in the business. Plus tips from the experts, great values, secret finds, dream trips, and what’s on the horizon for 2010.
China Guy Rubin
Favorite Find: The new Park Hyatt in Shanghai, designed by Tony Chi and housed on the 79th through 93rd floors of the World Financial Center, making it the tallest hotel in the world. YEARS AS AN AGENT: 10. Other Specialty: Hong Kong. Consulting Fee: from $100. Contact 888 888-1970.
© September 2009, TRAVEL + LEISURE
by Wendy Perrin
Twenty years of interviewing travel agents and tour operators for “The Perrin Report” and other Condé Nast Traveler articles has given me a well-thumbed directory of the most trusted insiders – people who offer the best combination of specialized knowledge (based on firsthand travel experience), local connections, user-friendliness, and value for your dollar.
Each year my team and I evaluate hundreds of new applicants to this list, and only a small number make the cut. Our recommended specialists have undergone a rigorous screening process that begins with a 47-question application with sample itineraries and client references, then continues with phone interviews and, in most cases, road-testing by Conde Nast Traveler staff. Those who unnecessarily book trips through pricey middlemen (as opposed to directly with local hotels and suppliers) or use on-site contacts that charge exorbitant rates are disqualified. Even so, the travel specialists who make the grade can be expensive…
Guy Rubin, Imperial Tours, Beijing
There’s no danger of being taken advantage of by the more pernicious elements of China’s tourism machine when you’re traveling under Rubin’s wing: no dining in Government-run restaurants, no shopping in sub-par state-run souvenir stores (most companies’ guides get kickbacks for steering travelers to them). That’s because all of Rubin’s clients are accompanied by a local guide and a Western escort. Although any snags are ironed out immediately by your at-hand troubleshooter, this means that you’re committed to traveling with an entourage—thus the steep price (888 888 1970).
©Sept 2009 Condé Nast Traveler
reported by Scott Goetz
There are far more than seven potential wonders of the world for elite travelers. Ancient as well
as modern sites, natural as well as man-made creations—they all hold appeal. But how do you
decide which seven are must-visits? Our list of top wonders not only takes into account the spot’s
beauty and rarity, but also the level of opulence and exclusivity. Here is elite traveler’s black
book to the wonders of the world.
The Great Wall of China and the Forbidden Palace
Sections of The Great Wall of China were built, maintained and rebuilt throughout areas of
Northern China since the 5th century B.C. But it was the 16th and 17th centuries that saw the
wall at its prime when its 4,000 miles of serpentine glory crowned the Ming dynasty, offering
protection and a speedy causeway to move armies and long distance communication posts
where messages were relayed by fire and smoke. The Forbidden City, in what is now Beijing,
was the Imperial Palace for nearly 500 years until 1912. It is called “forbidden” because those
inside rarely left and those who entered weren’t allowed to come or go without the emperor’s
permission. But even within such seclusion, the over 6,000 people who lived within its reported
9,999 rooms (a lucky number) were all involved in legendary courtly intrigues.
Top Guide
Imperial Tours was hired by Katie Couric, Baroness Katherine de Rothschild and Sara Lee for
their visits to China. They excel at white-glove services like private dinners on the wall, helicopter
tours, expert art historian guides and more.
Contact: Margot Kong, (888) 888-1970
Top Accommodations
The Aman at Summer Palace in Beijing pays homage to the traditional architecture of the Summer Palace itself, with courtyard architectural style. Suites surround an internal courtyard that features an intricate latticework of pathways, separating formal gardens and trees. The Imperial Suite ($3,800 a night) comprises three separate dwellings: the private dwelling, the living/study dwelling and the formal dwelling.
Contact: General Manager Mark Swinton, 86-10-5987-9999, www.amanresorts.com
After Sightseeing
Imperial Tours can offer a private kung fu performance on the Great Wall by the famous Shaolin Monks, secure behind-the-scenes access at the Beijing Opera or organize a white-linen banquet atop a seldom-visited section of the Great Wall. They can also arrange a helicopter tour over the famous fortification or enjoy an art tour of Beijing’s best galleries led by a local contemporary art expert.
Contact: Margot Kong, (888) 888-1970
Getting There
Cathay Pacific has new first class cabins with 81-inch-long seats and a private suite configuration to ensure your LAX-Beijing direct flight is an easy journey.
Contact: Cathay Pacific VIP Services,(800) 233-2742; www.cathaypacific.com
© Elite Traveler Sep 2009
by Richard David Story
I’ve never been one to take birthdays or anniversaries all that seriously, but, well this time around I couldn’t resist. Despite the fact that there’s no fuchsia-colored bow or special banner packaging or a 20-page portfolio of biggest hits, the September 2009 issue marks the 20th anniversary of DEPARTURES. Do we call it “anniversary,” or is it just a birthday? Who cares…you get the point…
Departures & Arrivals
Over the past nine years I’ve encountered some terrific people and places. Among my recent favorites: Rafting the Li River near Guilin, China, on a trip customized by Imperial Tours.
© September 2009, DEPARTURES
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 5, 2009
Contact :
Margot Kong
Imperial Tours
(888) 888-1970
margot@imperialtours.net
Imperial Tours Reveals its Approach to Guest Satisfaction
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (August 5, 2009) – Imperial Tours announced that it consistently exceeds the expectations of its guests by customizing experiences for individual travelers and providing superior service.
Imperial Tours offers a selection of destinations, accommodations, and restaurants to suit the individual tastes and personality types of different travelers. Margot Kong, Imperial Tours’ Director of Sales and Marketing highlights, “Travel preferences for the entrepreneur, art-lover, or young family member vary dramatically, so we provide an experience that converges with the guests’ interests and does not restrain travelers to a predefined tour circuit.”
Central to Imperial Tours’ service approach is the notion that guests should be treated as cherished family. While on tour, all guests traveling with Imperial Tours are entitled to special services such as VIP airport pickups, and an accompanying bilingual and Western China Host continually refines the itinerary, activities, and menus to make the experience more personal. “We are not bound by a commission-structure, so we train the China Hosts to think of a guest as their favorite aunt or uncle.” said Guy Rubin, Managing Partner of Imperial Tours. “If the guest wants to order the Kobe beef, it will come at no additional cost.” Furthermore, guests of China-based Imperial Tours are treated to special amenities courtesy of the best hotels in Beijing and Shanghai, from welcome greetings by the General Managers to free room upgrades when available.
ABOUT IMPERIAL TOURS
Imperial Tours is the leading luxury tour operator based in China offering luxury set-departure and private tours, combining local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers. Imperial Tours has first-hand knowledge of world-class hotels and restaurants as well as the history, culture, arts, and little-known exclusive destinations within China. Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt and the UK. For more information, visit www.imperialtours.net or call (888)888-1970.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 30, 2009
Contact :
Margot Kong
Imperial Tours
(888) 888-1970
margot@imperialtours.net
Moments to Remember Forever
Imperial Tours Introduces Its Unique Vision for Luxury Travel
SAN FRANCISCO, Ca. (July 30, 2009) – Imperial Tours announced today that it has branded its unique perspectives of China as “Imperial Moments.”
Imperial Tours’ “Imperial Moments” are special activities that allow travelers to experience China in exceptional ways that highlight the spirit of each destination. For example, the company does not simply take visitors to the Great Wall; rather, it caters a private banquet atop the ancient monument. With Imperial Tours, there are no 50-passenger tour boats down Guilin’s iconic Li River, but instead intimate bamboo rafts floating through rustic countryside. “Touring famous sites, staying in the best hotels, and dining in China’s top restaurants are just the beginning for our guests,” said Guy Rubin, Imperial Tours’ Managing Partner. “Imperial Moments are core to our guests’ experiences in China: they turn typical sightseeing on its head and provide memories that last a lifetime.”
The company boasts an array of “Imperial Moments” that range from playing table tennis with an Olympic gold medalist, to taking part in a traditional horse-racing festival on the Tibetan Plateau, to seeing sections of iconic sites that are not open to the general public. Guests can savor the same dishes served to President Nixon and the Dalai Lama in a private banquet prepared by Chairman Mao’s personal chef, or enjoy a variety of private performances and other cultural or educational experiences.
Imperial Tours’ small-group tour itineraries feature several “Imperial Moments.” Guests traveling privately can embellish their tour further in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, Guilin, and Hong Kong and also at its more unique destinations such as Chengdu, Dunhuang, Huangshan, Lhasa, Lijiang, Shangri-La, Sanya, and Suzhou.
ABOUT IMPERIAL TOURS
Imperial Tours is the leading luxury tour operator based in China offering luxury set-departure and private tours, combining local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers. Imperial Tours has first-hand knowledge of world-class hotels and restaurants as well as the history, culture, arts, and little-known exclusive destinations within China. Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt and the UK. For more information, visit www.imperialtours.net or call (888)888-1970.
CONTACT:
Hilari Graff at Strategic Vision
Tel: 914-881-9056/9020
hgraff@strategicvision.org
IMPERIAL TOURS NAMED BY CONDÉ NAST TRAVELER TO LIST
OF TOP TRAVEL SPECIALISTS FOR 2ND CONSECUTIVE YEAR
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (July 27, 2009) – A testament to its unrivaled expertise and experience in planning luxury customized programs to China, Imperial Tours was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s list of the ‘126 Top Travel Specialists’ for 2009 – 2010 for the second consecutive year. The complete story of the ‘126 Top Travel Specialists’ appears in the August 2009 issue of the magazine.
“We’re extremely honored to be named to this elite list for the second consecutive year because we pride ourselves on our extensive knowledge of the China market and our local connections,” said Guy Rubin, Managing Partner of Imperial Tours. “This ‘insider access’ allows us to design enriching itineraries that deliver an unequalled set of experiences for each client,” Rubin added.
According to the magazine, “There’s no danger of being taken advantage of by the more pernicious elements of China’s tourism machine when you’re traveling under [Guy] Rubin’s wing: no dining in government-run restaurants, no shopping in subpar state-run souvenir stores. That’s because all of Rubin’s clients are accompanied by a local guide and a Western escort.”
Annually, Condé Nast Traveler’s Wendy Perrin creates a list of the travel specialists who fit the criteria of delivering the perfect combination of expertise, access and good value. Each specialist on the list goes through a rigorous screening process before it can be included in the annual round-up.
In addition to accolades by Condé Nast Traveler, Imperial Tours has been named to Travel + Leisure’s ‘A’ List of Super Agents from 2002 – 2008.
About Imperial Tours
Imperial Tours is the leading luxury tour operator based in China offering luxury set-departure and private tours, combining local expertise with the high levels of service and quality expected by sophisticated Western travelers. Imperial Tours has first-hand knowledge of world-class hotels and restaurants as well as the history, culture, arts, and little-known exclusive destinations within China. For the ultimate escorted journey in style, a local guide and a China-based Western host (both bi-lingual) accompany each group and private tour. Founded by Westerners in 1999, Imperial Tours has offices in Beijing, San Francisco, Frankfurt and the UK. For more information, call 888-888-1970.
Note to Editors
High-resolution digital images of Imperial Tours/China are available upon request.
