When Chrissie Lincoln officially launched Heavens Portfolio Australia in January last year, she thought it would work.
What she didn’t anticipate was just how quickly it would take off.
“I knew it would be successful,” she reflects. “I have confidence in the Australian market and in our ability to grow business. I think for myself and the team, we’ve all been impressed with what we have achieved in a year.”
It’s been a rapid rise built on decades of relationships, a vetted luxury portfolio and a clear philosophy: be agile, be global and always, always add value for the travel trade.
Heavens Portfolio is the brainchild of CEO Christine Galle‑Luczak, who founded the company in 2005 with the aim to “provide personal marketing strategies for truly extraordinary travel destinations”.
The company grew quickly, offering representation to luxury hotels and destinations. Heavens Portfolio now has 18 satellite offices where team members are currently providing their expertise to more than 80 luxury brands, among them Cheval Blanc, Belmond, Empiria Group, Passalacqua and Grand Hotel Tremezzo.
As the company’s European and Asian clients grew more sophisticated in their market mix, one destination kept appearing in their list of top source markets: Australia. Opening an office Down Under became a no-brainer.
When the chance to lead the Australasian expansion came up, Chrissie was the natural choice, having been in the industry for more than two decades and having a close working relationship with Christine.
“She’s a businesswoman who goes with her gut, which I really like about her,” says Chrissie (left).
“I’ve never only focused on the Australian market. I’ve always worked in a global role. My relationships and my contacts with hoteliers go back 20–25 years.”
Those relationships are now translating into a portfolio that is both broad and extremely carefully curated.
“They trust that I’ve only ever worked with luxury clients,” she says of the Australian trade. “So they know I’m not just going to sign up anyone just to grow a portfolio. It’s vetted – very highly vetted.”
The Australian office launched with four brands initially – Swire, Cheval Blanc, Castelfalfi and Sri Lanka In Style – but finished last year with more than 20.
The in-house team has grown to five, with recruitment currently under way for a Sydney-based sales role, and a key new pillar added: PR services.
I ask Chrissie how Heavens Portfolio has been received by the trade in its first year in Australia and her answer is immediate.
“I am incredibly humbled by the reception from our Australian partners,” she says. “They’re a special bunch, the Aussie agents. We’re all friends and they want to support us.”
That support is clearly reciprocated. Chrissie is bullish when asked about the importance and relevance of travel agents in today’s online world.
“I still think agents are at the core of what we do and in getting our message out, especially at the high end of the market,” she says.
The value, she argues, is not just in the transaction but in the depth of trust between luxury travellers and their advisors – from families and high net-worth individuals to EAs who rely on agents to deliver “exceptional trips”.
What has changed is how those relationships are showcased. Where once agents were wary of exposing their client lists, Chrissie now sees far more B2B2C collaboration.
“Years ago, if I said, ‘Would you like to invite some of your clients to a dinner or cocktail function?’ they’d say no,” she recalls. “Now we do a lot more of that and they appreciate that I’m not a booking engine. I’m not trying to steal their business direct.”
Instead, Heavens Portfolio stages events that elevate the agent in the eyes of their clients: hosting events with GMs, hotel owners and hoteliers, while always ensuring that business flows back through the agent.
“There’s been a real shift in mindset. Agents recognise they can showcase their relationships with people like me, like our GMs, like our hotel owners, to their clients, which then elevates them.”
Heavens Portfolio will be looking to further some of these agent relationships – and establish new ones – when it stages its inaugural roadshow In Australia. Events will take place in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast from February 23 to March 3.
“You just can’t see that many people in regular sales calls. The landscape has changed – work from home, IC models, people not coming into the office. You need to bring everyone together under one roof.
“It’s no longer just about completing 15 sales calls and producing a report – the return on that approach is limited. There is significantly more we can achieve by thinking beyond the traditional framework, while still working closely with the trade and ultimately driving business back through them.”
Chrissie is clear-eyed about the future. She doesn’t aspire to be the biggest representation company in the market – but she fully expects to be one of the most respected.
“I think we want to be recognised as having one of the top portfolios. I don’t think the goal is to be the biggest. That might happen by accident, but that’s not the goal.”
Realistically, she sees the sweet spot at around 25 clients, understanding there will be natural movement as smaller properties invest in Australia for fixed periods and then rotate spend to other markets.
What won’t change is the emphasis on quality, relationships and responsiveness – the ability for agents to fire off a quick “help me with Italy” message and know they’ll get expert, on-the-ground answers backed by decades of trust with GMs and owners.
Starting a project from scratch in an already competitive market can be a tough challenge and Chrissie admits the first year had its challenges. But she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Last year was big,” she admits, “but I’m very impressed and proud of what we achieved and I feel so confident moving forward that it’s just going to keep growing. I’m very confident of the continued success.”
https://www.heavensportfolio.com/australia/
