Interview with Christine Gray of Luxury Travel Magazine

Christine Gray is founder and editor of Luxury Travel Magazine, a leading global information resource for high-end travellers, featuring the “A-List of Travel” – the world’s finest hotels and ultimate travel experiences. She was formerly a Beverly Hills travel agent to the stars. What is it that  you do exactly?

I’m continually traveling every day of my life, whether it be virtually or in reality.   As editor of Luxury Travel Magazine online, I’m constantly adding and updating content and features on the website.

What do you enjoy most about what you do?

Travel has been my life’s passion and I feel like the luckiest person in the world to be able to live my dream every day.

What would you say are the 3 best places you’ve ever stayed?

It’s difficult to list just three, because there are at least a few hundred ultimate hotels in the world, providing their own unique setting, style and personality.   I think there are three components that make a hotel really great – the design, the setting and the service. I appreciate all landscapes – beaches, mountains, deserts, countrysides, cities… and the best designed hotels are the ones that blend perfectly with their surroundings, like Dunton Hot Springs in Colorado or Katikies in Santorini; or the ones that make a dramatic statement, like Burj Al Arab in Dubai or Hotel Unique in Sao Paulo.   Of course, the service and hospitality that a hotel staff provides, completes an ultimate hotel experience.   It can be a stunning hotel in a breathtaking landscape, but if the service and hospitality aren’t great, it will leave a bad impression.   I feel that Amanresorts really sets the bar for a totally incredible experience.

What’s been your most memorable dining experience to date?

My most memorable dining experiences all have to do with setting and ambiance, rather than a particular dish that was served.   I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have dined on a yacht in Cannes while watching fireworks, on a private island in the Maldives, overlooking the Acropolis in Athens, at a country house in Provence, on top of Aspen Mountain… but, I’m still looking forward to having a gourmet meal prepared by a world famous chef, like Alain Ducasse or Bobby Flay.

Have you rubbed shoulders with the rich and famous, either through your work or your travels?

Somehow I’ve been rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous for most of my life, through my work.     I started my career in luxury travel as “travel agent to the stars” in Beverly Hills, where my client roster included many A-List celebrities.   I was also travel consultant to the TV show, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.   I lived in Aspen for seven years, where I ran in to the rich and famous at every turn – on the slopes, in the shops and restaurants, at private parties and events… my close association with the A-List is how I came up with the “A-List of Travel” – the name for Luxury Travel Magazine’s database of the world’s finest hotels and ultimate travel experiences.   Luxury Travel Magazine’s subscribers also include some of Hollywood’s A-List.   I’ve always admired the rich and famous who use their celebrity status in a positive way to help better the world, from the late John Lennon to today’s superstars – Bono, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Oprah, Bill Gates… the A-List celebrities that are setting a bad example through behaving badly, in my opinion, should be totally ignored.

What currently ranks highest on your travel wishlist?

In all my travels, I still haven’t been to South America, so my first choice would be to take a cruise that circumnavigates South America and allows me to see as many places as possible in one trip.   My second choice would probably be to go to Spain to see the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and his new Hotel Marques de Riscal in the Rioja wine region.   I have an Architecture degree, so any trip that includes great architecture is high on my list.

Thanks, Christine. Keep up the great work with your online magazine.