Taylor Moraes Luxury Concierge is the brain child of Mark Taylor from a small village in Yorkshire, who fell in love as a teenager and Flavio Moraes from Brazil who worked in banking before venturing into tourism industry.
Born out of a desire to share their knowledge and expertise, Taylor Moraes noticed a lack of specialized and personalized tourism services particularly for gay clientele who wanted more than the stereotypical holidays. Now they provide tailor-made travel packages to suit anyone. It’s a job to make the dreams come true.
Here is the interesting conversations we had with both Taylor Moraes.
-
How did Taylor Moraes came into being and since how long have you been providing your travel services?
Both Flavio and I have been fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel extensively for both business and pleasure for all of our professional lives – and we have both had the opportunity to live in countries other than that of our birth. Flavio is Brazilian but now lives in the UK and I have lived previously in Brazil, Italy and Hong Kong. Whilst London is now our home, the experience of living and working overseas rests with us every day. Over the years we have seen both extremes of service – from luxury to the worst! As the years have passed, we can see how the standards of service have developed – catering for different markets: single travellers; families; couples etc – offering a range of options, from the package holiday to the bespoke, tailor made trip. However, one common denominator – worldwide – is that the scope of service provision to the gay community has not changed. Despite the strength of the pink pound, the acceptance of gay marriage and the increase in gay families with children – the scope of service provision has not kept pace. Any search of gay trips or holidays tend to be stereotypical and the luxury market does not seem to exist.
Taylor Moraes has developed from what we would like to see and enjoy when we travel: a hassle-free, discrete, first class and bespoke trip. We started 18 months ago. We work with clients on a 1:1 business – exploring what they want and how we can help them in the best possible way. Whether it’s a wedding in the Greek islands, a tour of Italian cities, the carnival in Brazil or a historic trip to London – we offer a personalised, individual and 24 hour service.
-
What makes you stand out from the rest?
Our absolute commitment to meeting the needs and expectations of our clients. We do not want to offer to a mass market – just a small number of clients.
-
Could you tell us a bit about yourself?
Mark started my professional career working in shipping insurance – starting in London but moving on to Italy and then Brazil. A change of career saw me work in politics in the UK followed by the establishment of an immigration law firm. I sold the company in 2018 and, thankfully, spent 7 months travelling the world pre-covid. I originally come from a small town – Haworth – in Yorkshire. From an early age, travelling the world was a huge attraction for me. That attraction is as strong today as it was then! I have always found people fascinating – how they find themselves in a particular place at a particular time. Seeing and living with other cultures and nationalities is the best thing I have ever done.
Flavio brings a wealth of experience from his time in the banking and financial sectors. with a solid professional experience with significant leadership and relationship-building proficiency within the banking and financial services industry. His expertise began and ranges from the retail banking sector, where he consistently and successfully sold banking products and services. He is a natural relationship-builder, a dynamic communicator, and a resourceful, resilient team player. Originally from Brazil, Flavio is driven by a passion for meeting new people – and making them smile. He describes himself as open-hearted and playful, and unapologetically himself. His friends describe him as the life of the party – always making them smile with his stories and infectious laugh.
Possessing a high degree of resilience and resourcefulness, this had come in useful when he moved from Marabá, Brazil to London, UK.
-
How do you think travel has changed since Covid?
Numbers of travellers are slowly increasing to pre-covid levels but the low costs we saw are a thing of the past. Every organisation in the supply chain is more risk aware than ever before and this will continue to be reflected in price and the need to maintain reserves. The large organisations are more at risk in many ways to future fluctuations and staffing issues than a small company such as Taylor Moraes. I sense a greater feeling of cautiousness when travelling – the last minute rush to the check in desk or to board a flight seems to have been replaced by a need to be on time.
-
Sustainable travel is becoming more and more popular. But from a business point of view, do you see a change in consumers’ attitude?
There is increased evidence of the desire to “give something back” – especially to developing or cultural destinations. We recently organised a trip for UK school teachers to deliver training in Nigeria to Nigerian teachers (the special needs training was especially popular) – in an attempt to help Nigerian schools to recruit and develop Nigerian teachers rather than relying on those from overseas. The experience was incredible for both the UK teachers and the Nigerian teachers.
Flavio and I recently travelled to Thailand. The highlight? Seeing the increasing numbers of people visiting the elephant Sanctuary’s rather than those places that offer rides on elephants. The people working at the sanctuaries are having increasing success in showing that Thais can earn a longer and better career through the care of the elephant.
-
What are your personal favourite destinations that you usually recommend to your clients?
So many! I lived in Italy and Brazil so they will always be my favourite locations. When I want to relax – Ischia, the island off Naples. When I want to party – Rio de Janeiro or Salvador. The natural beauty, culture and food of both make them at the top of my list for recommendations. But I love the sun of Spain or the party atmosphere of New Orleans. I spent new year 2019/2020 in Sydney. The first time in Australia. I felt completely at home.
That said, London will always be my home. It’s a city of so many cultures fused comfortably together. A liberal city at ease with itself with an incredible history.
-
What are few of your favourite luxury experienced you had so far?
We flew on a private jet to the Caribbean and stayed in a private yacht with personalised guides, chefs, and breathtaking wildlife and coastal scenery.
-
What is the biggest lesson you learned from the Covid episode?
Do it now. Who knows what will happen in the future. If you want to do something or go somewhere – do it now!
-
What lies ahead for Taylor Moraes?
We want to ensure that our reputation is one of being the very best concierge services in the world – delivering a personal, 1 to 1 service that is based on trust
-
What is the best advice you would give to someone planning to travel abroad?
Do it. Whatever your budget – do it. If you can – work with us and see what a difference it makes!