building the portfolio
PERFECTION An inside look at the meticulous process of choosing destinations and properties for the Inspirato portfolio. By MINDY SINK
orking from the premise that time is the greatest luxury— “free” time to spend with family and friends in a beautiful location—Inspirato strives to create hassle-free, memorable vacations for members. “It’s tremendously important, as people want to live in the moment of collecting more memories than stuff,” says Brian Corbett who, as Chief Experience Officer for Inspirato, is charged with selecting and securing future properties. “They want to spend on things that increase in value over time, such as their memories and the stories they retell.” In order to save members time in planning a memorable trip, Inspirato does all of the legwork. “When it comes to experiential travel and travel with families, people want to get out of their comfort zone a little bit without sacrificing things like comfort and security,” says Corbett. He rattles off just a short list of Inspirato’s destinations, including “an incredible safari in Africa, an expedition in the Galapagos Islands, a tour of
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Machu Picchu and a visit to a dude ranch in Colorado.” They’re the sorts of places that don’t scream “comfort,” but do call to mind issues such as security or navigability. So how does Inspirato manage to find luxurious properties replete with views, modern kitchens and more, in outstanding locales, sometimes off the beaten path, while maintaining their high standards? “It’s actually quite logical and quite methodical,” explains Corbett. “We think about it in a top-down fashion, like a funnel, where we start out very broad and then get very narrow.” The first thing to consider is the lifestyle—is it the beach, is it the mountains, is it wine, is it golf, is it experiential, and so on. The majority of members tend to prefer spending their time on or near beaches, he says. Once the lifestyle aspect is established, the funnel begins to narrow ever so slightly as they look at accessibility: How easy is it for members to get in and out, is there an East Coast and a West Coast balance, and more. “We’re keeping a balance of
where members live, and where members want to go,” he says. In addition, the brand cachet of a location is taken into account. “Aspen, Vail, Cabo, and Miami are all destinations that have brand cachet that our members want to go home and tell their friends about going there,” Corbett explains. The next factor is the allimportant issue of security and stability. “We’re not sending our members to any place that is unsafe or perceived as unsafe,”
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he says. “It’s an important consideration for us and there are places that we won’t go.” As the funnel narrows, the destination becomes more specific. A member might express an interest in Florida’s northwestern Panhandle, which would be somewhere between Panama City and Destin. Inspirato would narrow the ideal vacation spot to someplace more luxurious and desirable, such as Rosemary Beach or Seaside. “Our choices are