Today we’d like to introduce you to Libby Cagle.
Libby, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
My experience working in hospitality in my mid- to late-20s with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts sparked my love for travel, hotels, and the people in the industry. After Four Seasons, I started LUX pr + events, where I worked with hotels, restaurants, and luxury retailers, in addition to working with brands launching in the Houston market. In 2015, my partner in both life and business, Lauren Taft, and I started Pageboy, Houston’s first locally-owned beauty app. With Pageboy up and essentially running itself day-to-day, the opportunity arose to get back into my beloved hospitality life by selling travel with top producing and visionary agency, SmartFlyer. I have loved reconnecting with my hotel friends while servicing my clients by planning seamless vacations, extraordinary occasion adventures, and managing their business travel allowing them focus their time on more enjoyable life experiences.
Has it been a smooth road?
As anyone who has ever left a steady paycheck and started their own business will tell you: it is not easy. I didn’t know how to run a business when I started LUXpr, but I knew I was a fast learner, adaptable, and resourceful enough to figure it out. I was so fortunate to have had mentors and friends who guided me along the way, and who supported not only my business but also me personally when the rubber hit the road. My time at LUXpr set the stage for running a digital beauty company with thousands of clients and dozens of independent beauty professionals, and also the time management skills to juggle the marketing, advertising, and accounting sides of the business. Over the years, I’ve learned that each struggle is a gift wrapped in ugly packaging, and if you have the courage and tenacity to push through it, it will serve you in all aspects of life.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the SmartFlyer story. Tell us more about the business.
As a luxury travel advisor, my job is to create a seamless travel experience for my clients. There is an overload of information online about hotels, flights, and cruises, and the most significant difference between booking online versus with a travel advisor is the human connection. Anyone can get online and make a reservation, but only a travel advisor can get you the best rate for the best room with your personal preferences in mind. I am a planner at heart and enjoy getting to know my clients’ lifestyles to ascertain they’re right where they need to be. From “maximizers” who want to have every second of the day planned out, to the more leisure traveler who wants to go where the wind takes them, it’s my job to place them in the best city, hotel, air class or ship most suited for them to have incredible travel experiences.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
I see the travel industry creating more opportunities for luxury travelers to experience bucket list items more often and with more ease. We as travel advisors are able to work with our trusted partners to truly make magic happen. Travel is the best gift you can give yourself and loved ones. It creates a lifetime of memories while opening one’s eyes and heart to other ways of life, which in the end benefits all of us.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://smartflyer.com/agent/libby-cagle/
- Phone: 713-828-0118
- Email: libby.cagle@smartflyer.com
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