Our Philosophy
About Travel Advisors
Our philosophy as it relates to our primary audience, travel advisors, is anchored by two words; RESPECT and TRUST.
At Waterstone, we deeply respect the enormous responsibility that comes with being a travel advisor. We understand and genuinely appreciate the complexity of crafting innovative, and often once in a lifetime, travel experiences. As a profession, being a successful travel advisor calls upon a wide spectrum of talents and skills and for sure, an advisor must be curious and have a thirst for knowledge. We truly comprehend travel advisors’ challenges and we have organized our company to be the best possible resource for them. We absolutely believe that the BEST way to book travel is through a professional travel advisor and in this belief, we are uncompromising.
For 20 years Waterstone has steadfastly supported travel advisors with profound first-hand knowledge of our hotels and destinations. We guide advisors to the best experiences for their clients and we do so in a transparent and sincere way. We know the last thing an advisor needs is unenlightened information and a short term sales approach. In fact, we at Waterstone don’t sell; we educate, we inspire and we elevate. Our name, Waterstone, is derived from being “transparent” and “clear” paired with “solid” and “dependable.” And for 20 years, one moment of truth at a time, we have built a tradition, a reputation, for a company that can be trusted.
So as we assist with even a single booking, we always keep top of mind that ours is not a transaction driven business; we are relationship builders. As such, Waterstone can only partner with hotels and destination specialists that share our commitment and respect for the travel community. Our reputation is on the line every day and we rise to each occasion. So in the end, it’s quite simple. You must respect your audience and you must earn their trust every day; and we do.
About Our Members
LUXURY HOSPITALITY. Two words that have been badly misused. First, luxury is very subjective; at Waterstone we crave “authenticity.” Second, hospitality, at its essence, is a pristine concept, one that can only come from the heart. Hospitality has been complicated (euphemistically said) by investment companies, consultants and by entities trying to monetize at every corner. Waterstone is not organized to work with just any hotel or destination company; 99% of whom would not fit our ethos. We specialize in family owned and managed hotels and destination companies; places where the owner’s heritage, their spirit, their traditions are in abundant evidence. At Waterstone we are genuinely gleeful when we see hospitality sincerely and beautifully executed.
We’re not very keen on “point schemes” and we’re not impressed with gimmicky promotions or trendy, often vapid, contrivances. None of these ever made for a lifelong memory.
Instead, we work with enlightened hotel owners, managers and destination specialists who profoundly understand that hospitality, as an art form, can only originate from the heart. We gravitate towards those who genuinely want to transport, teach, inspire and care for each guest. These are qualities we have seen countless times in our members, who welcome guests as humans, not ATM machines.
So philosophically we suppose we are the antithesis of where the hospitality world is headed. How nice is that?