More than a well-seasoned traveller, every day’s a holiday for Mary Gostelow. One of the most respected individuals in the industry, Mary is president of Gostelow Travel: Hottest Hospitality News Worldwide, edits various travel publications, owns The Gostelow Report – a global market intelligence and set up WOW.travel four years ago – an online magazine targeting sophisticated travellers worldwide. Skipping from country to country to hunt down luxury finds and exciting travel opportunities, we managed to catch up with her while she was having a five minute respite in Vancouver.
Mary, you’re a legend in the travel world, tell us about your journey?
Well, its 300 days a year, and that’s simply not enough - I love every minute of it. The best thing about always travelling is the handluggage. My trusty Porsche Design titanium bag can hold enough even for a two-week cruise (though I do have to be somewhat creative, which is good for the adrenalin).
What is it about the world of travel that inspires you?
You never know what’s going to happen next. Right now I’m in Vancouver, one of my favourite cities. It was pouring with rain this morning and I got soaked as I ran along the Waterfront, looking at the construction of the Convention Centre being built in time for the Winter Olympics. It already has its real-grass roof (imagine a football pitch tilted at 30 degrees). Just hours later and the sun is shining, and I’ve just been sent a photo of the Blissologist who will be working at a hotel opening next month. A typical day is one you can never anticipate with accuracy.
What are some of the biggest trends that you’ve seen in travel?
Increasing bifurcation. There are those who want the cheapest rate to go along with the masses but I do not communicate with that sector. I am proud to be part of the beautiful scene, the elite few who care about value rather than cut-price, and want experiences (two days ago I was zip-lining over the treetops in Whistler, and the eating First Nation-inspired elk).
You stay in, travel through, and comment on a great deal of luxury travel destinations. Have you ever roughed it and gone backpacking around Europe or trekking through the Himalayas?
For years I travelled round the world car-camping with my husband, carrying a mini tent in our car boot, sleeping directly on the ground rather than on airbeds. I have camped around the USSR. I have been arrested at Douala airport and spend three days airside, with only military security for company (that was the last time I travelled in a skirt). I slept in a still-working brothel in Zanzibar, and picked up three virulent e-coli simultaneously in a fleapit hostel in Addis Ababa. Is that enough?
Going on holiday for most people means taking time out to relax, but for you that’s work. When you’re taking a bird’s-eye view of everything you see, how do you switch off and unwind?
I do that wherever I am – say running up The Peak in Hong Kong, or just being at home in Dorset. Take last Saturday, it was a 05:30am cycle ride as light dawned, then I flew Heathrow to Vancouver, had a swim, and then out to dinner but I was switched off the whole time.
You visit a lot of spas on your travels, are there any that stand out for you as favourites?
Well, in Hong Kong I would go for an overnight stay on a futon in one of the spa suites at Plateau on the 11th floor of Grand Hyatt Hong Kong. I love the progressive pools at Fortevillage Resort on Sardinia, and the treatment suite with a working fire at Mandarin Oriental New York.
As you’re well aware, the spa industry is a big business and growing rapidly, but what area would you most like to see change in?
More attention to individual therapists and less emphasis on the size of a spa is a must (who cares how big it is?).
Do you think sites like wow.travel and Wahanda are changing the way people use the Internet to make choices about where they go and what they do in their leisure time?
Absolutely, we know that 52% of new-generation ultra-techie travellers in the USA aged 18-65, rely extensively on the internet.
If you had to pick your favourite treatment to recommend to others, what would it be?
The Ashiatsu I had from Mabel at the Ritz-Carlton Spa, South Beach, Columbia. She hung from bars of blonde bamboo suspended from the ceiling and for 75 minutes walked up and down over my body, it was sensational.
Where’s your next stop-off?
Geneva and then Zurich to see the amazing new Norman Foster extension at the recently reopened Dolder Grand.
The Dolder Grand is Mary’s Monthly pick, to read about why she loved the newly spruced-up spa, click here.
Showcasing the best of London and New York in one easy place, Metrotwin takes the idea of ‘town twinning’ to the next level, linking restaurants, bars, shops, neighbourhoods and of course spas and salons from two of the most buzzing cities known to man. And who better to give them the lowdown on said spas and salons than the experts – us of course.
