At first-class check-in counters, Margie Jordan was routinely the only passenger asked, “Ma’am, are you in the right line?” The owner of Jordan Executive Travel Service described the exchange on a 2020 industry panel, where she also recalled Caribbean resort guests asking her to fetch taxis and towels. Tolu Aladejebi, the founder of Black in Hospitality, told the same panel about having to print a confirmation letter at check-in to prove she had booked her own overnight stay. Both women were questioned while using travel services they had booked.
Andrea Jones, a 41-year-old Houstonian, often chooses luxury hotel chains and private drivers when she travels solo, Houstonia Magazine reported, and she still fills notebooks with possible itineraries and spends hours on research before she leaves home. Expedia Group’s research found that Black, Latino, LGBTQIA+ and disabled travelers average the same nine hours of trip research as other travelers, plus five more to confirm that destinations and accommodations are safe and welcoming.
What High-Touch Travel Actually Looks Like
A three-hour flight delay can disrupt airport pickups, dinner reservations, and hotel check-in. With a personalized itinerary, an advisor or concierge contacts the driver, adjusts reservations, and notifies the hotel. In research released in September by Priority Pass, the airport lounge program, 79% of affluent U.S. travelers ranked exceptional service above premium products. A five-star hotel does not necessarily include that level of assistance.
Before departure, Booked by Iman uses a travel survey and a free phone call, then provides an agreement outlining services and costs. Claire Soares, founder and CEO of Up In The Air Life, asks about clients’ hobbies and interests before building itineraries. For support during the trip, Perspectives Travel in New Orleans charges a separate management fee that covers assistance when plans change.
Travelers at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport can book Allways to escort them from the arrival gate to their pickup point. Its international service also includes an escort through Customs and Border Protection. At hotels, a single concierge can coordinate restaurant reservations, spa appointments, and transportation so guests don’t have to contact several departments. Based in New York, Black-owned and woman-owned LaVon Private Luxury says its team personally manages hotel reservations, including those clients make through its online tool.
In Amsterdam, Jennifer Tosch’s Black Heritage Tours offers private and customized tours exploring the city’s Black heritage and colonial history. Travelers can discuss their interests beforehand and ask for additional photo stops, a slower pace, or longer visits. Private tours may allow greater flexibility than group excursions with fixed schedules. Travelers can book these services separately, hiring a guide for a day or using a concierge only for reservations, but should confirm who handles requests when plans change.
What Black Travelers Ask For, And Who Understands It
When asked about hotel shampoo, pilot and travel personality Kellee Edwards said, “What do you know about my hair? Nothing.” Her comment appears in an article by researchers Alana Dillette and Stefanie Benjamin, based on travel experiences collected from over 5,000 Black people and people of color. Travelers may want a stylist who works with textured hair, a photographer experienced with darker skin tones, or a culturally informed guide. Urbanista Travel CEO Joshlyn Crystal Adams told the researchers she considers where women feel safe and where gay travelers risk arrest.
MMGY Travel Intelligence’s 2025 study identified safety and a welcoming atmosphere as priorities for Black travelers. It also found interest among Millennials in destinations that celebrate Black culture and support Black-owned businesses. A client visiting South Africa might request Black-owned restaurants and a tour of the country’s political history, while another prefers a wine itinerary.
A survey by Ipsos found that affluent African Americans were nearly three times as likely as African Americans overall to report feeling stereotyped while traveling. Advisors can confirm reservation names, payment details, and guest preferences with hotels. Dr. Nadeen White told TravelAge West that Black advisors bring firsthand experience of racism in destinations. Claire Soares told Black Enterprise, “As a Black-owned business in the luxury travel space, we are unicorns.”
For heritage trips in West Africa, Mona Boyd and Mawuli Dzebu’s Landtours Ghana offers decades of experience. Sadie Jordan’s Soul Life Travel arranges customized journeys in Costa Rica, Panama, Brazil, and South Africa, starting at $2,200 per person, excluding international flights. The State Department advises U.S. travelers to carry proof of citizenship and legal entry, and to request embassy notification if detained abroad.
Before You Book, Ask These Questions
Send these to any hotel, concierge, travel advisor, or guide before you pay, and keep the answers in writing.
Who is my dedicated contact, and when can I reach them? Ask for a name and a direct number, then confirm the concierge’s hours, whether WhatsApp or text support is available, and who responds at night. Soul Life Travel, for example, publishes a WhatsApp number alongside weekday hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., so it’s worth asking who covers the weekend.
Will you make the reservations or only recommend them? Go through restaurants, spa appointments, guides, and same-day changes one by one. If they only recommend, you make the phone calls.
Who handles airport transfers? Find out who operates the vehicle, where the driver waits, who monitors the flight, and how long the driver stays after a delay. Ask whether late-night arrivals cost extra, and whether a greeter meets you at the gate, inside customs, or only after you exit. Allways at DFW takes bookings up to 36 hours before service and directs travelers with more immediate needs to call or email.
How do my preferences reach each hotel and guide? Ask to see the written brief that goes to each property, so you explain your needs once.
Have you or your guides traveled here as Black travelers, and how were you treated? Ask for specifics about the hotels, neighborhoods, and venues they would book again, and ask how they select their guides.
What happens when something goes wrong? Establish who contacts the airline, hotel, or driver, and who has the authority to arrange an alternative. Ask what they did the last time a client received discriminatory treatment, including who called the manager.
What are the payment and cancellation terms? The FTC advises travelers to get copies of cancellation and return policies before signing or paying. Perspectives Travel’s published terms make its planning rate due in full at hiring and non-refundable.
What will I pay for the service itself? The World Travel Agents Associations Alliance reports that 55% of U.S. agencies charge fees, using models that include one-time consultations, retainers, and annual concierge memberships. A 2023 ASTA member survey found that most advisors who charge fees collect between $100 and $300. Read every line at checkout too.
