Annastasia Seebohm is a half-Greek globalist who, after graduating in Business Management in Cardiff, Wales, is now – via Harvard Business School and HSBC and a couple of start-ups – global CEO of Quintessentially. She is based in New York and oversees the world.  Listen to this new-look C-Suite executive’s thoughts on luxury travel and hospitality, now, up live on Mary Gostelow Girlahead Podcast.  You can also catch it below.

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Girlahead is continually amazed by the creativity coming out of the Big Apple. This is home base of Jack Ezon, surely, via his company Embark Beyond, one of the innovators in luxury travel. Here is his latest offering:

1. In Room Testing – We have organized in-room Covid testing for you to comfortably get tested for your return to the United States.
2. Guaranteed Return – In addition, we have partnered with evacuation insurance company COVAC which will guarantee return to your home in the United States via private medical transport plane if you test positive with Covid. For just $43 per person/per day, COVAC will assure you a private flight home if any insured person has a positive COVID result using a PCR test.

Some details to note:

1.       Cost is $43/person/per day (discounted as an Embark client)

2.       15 day minimum, though you can use the covered 15 days whenever you want. So if you travel for 4 days this month, you can use the 11 additional days for any other trips you plan later

3.       If you test positive for COVID, Covac will fly you back privately in a medical plane

4.       Tests must be a PCR test; rapid, antigen tests are not authoritative

5.       Because planes are “registered medical transport” clients with COVID are allowed back into the USA

6.       Covac will take whichever family members can fit on the plane in addition (noting space may be limited based on medical or fuel requirements)

7.       Private aircraft are based in Ft. Lauderdale so most Caribbean and Mexico destinations will see a 4-5 hour pickup time after diagnosis notification

8.       You can begin to use your covered days 14 days after purchase

9.       COVAC is not typical medical evacuation insurance.  It only evacuates for positive COVID results where medivac covers any emergency issue. However, unlike other medivac policies, you do not need to be admitted into a hospital and have a medical professional attest to the need to be evacuated.  Other medivac policies are a lot more stringent to determine eligibility for a private medical plane home.  For Covac, all you need is a positive PCR result and exhibit one symptom.

Honestly, says Girlahead, can anyone afford NOT to jump on this super-realistic bandwagon?

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And now, back to Annastasia (with two Ns, nnote)

The young lady second on the left of the image above is 23-year old Hannah Punkun, one of the champion apprentices from Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg.  She received top marks city-wide in the recent assessments of entrants into Hamburg hotel arena. The two other females flanking her are also from the hotel, and they came in second and third respectively.  No wonder Moritz Klein, GM of this highly successful property, is thrilled: Germany’s much-praised apprenticeship scheme trains recruits highly professionally for a three-year rotation around a factory or other workplace, including hotels.

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As it happens, Hannah received her certificate and then quickly rushed off to help a Swiss resort cope during its winter season. Moritz Klein understands. He started as a page boy at Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten, Munich, and one day legendary boss Michel Maas walked by and addressed this youngster as ‘Herr Klein’, who was hooked.  When he had finished his own apprenticeship he instantly rushed to London to perfect his English, and worked at Claridge’s. Now the serious – motor – biker heads not only the 233-room Steigenberger Hotel Hamburg but also other Steigenberger hotels in Gerrmany’s northern Hanseatic region.  His base hotel, built 1993 and owned by Union Investment Real Estate AG, is being completely redesigned by JOI Design.  Girlahead looks forward to seeing the new look: last visit she stayed in end suite #70 and highlights included a fascinating boat trip on the Elbe with master mariner Hubert Neubacher.  Oh what a joy to see Hamburg’s sculpture-like Elbphilharmonie from all angles.

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Talking of sculptural buildings, think of Dubai, where Burj al-Khalifa and also Jumeirah’s iconic Burj Al Arab hotel spring instantly to mind.  Is this the last chance to hear Jumeirah CEO José Silva – below?  No, as of 3pm GMT today another episode goes live all the previous stars are easily found by accessing https://anchor.fm/gostelow and  scrolling down