Virtuoso’s dedicated ultra high net worth (UHNW) division, aimed at the “tippy tippy top” of luxury travel and lifestyle clientele, is expected to come fully to life by 2026.
In conversation with LATTE recently, Cory Hagopian, Virtuoso Senior Vice President Sales and Partnerships explained that while the project is still in its early stages, significant strides are already being made.
“We just appointed the head of that division in January and she and I have been working very closely,” he said of Shelby Donley, who took on the role of General Manager of the new division at the start of the year. “We see it as being a very select group of advisors and partners. It is not going to be a large group. We are thinking 100 advisors and partners globally.”
The Virtuoso UHNW initiative goes far beyond travel, establishing “a whole ecosystem for the clients of the advisors,” Hagopian explained. “It’ll be very specific for that vertical only. It will be separate from everything else we do within the network.”
While the luxury travel component remains central, the new division takes Virtuoso into new territory, in the form of elite lifestyle offerings. “Luxury lifestyle, it’s really the other side of travel,” he said. “We’re looking at how are these people living their lives and what are they touching and what are they interested in?”
This includes giving Virtuoso UHNW clients exclusive access to high-end brands and events. “It could be an event which offers an opportunity for exclusive access,” he said.
The division will be invite-only, with criteria still being finalised. “We’re just looking at segmenting the advisors, determining the criteria they need to meet and then we’ll begin an invitation process,” Hagopian revealed.
With early buzz already growing, the Virtuoso team expects to share more at Virtuoso Travel Week in August. “In 2026, it will be fully to life,” he confirmed. “Then we just add extra sparkle on top.”
