Steve Case spent the better part of two decades getting America online. Now the AOL co-founder is making a bet that sounds almost like heresy from a tech founder: The more artificial intelligence floods into travel, the more its wealthiest customers will pay for a human being they trust.
He has already acted on it. In April, Onefinestay — the luxury rental brand within Case’s Exclusive Collective — handed roughly 200 London and Paris homes to management partner Veeve and pared its London collection to about 40 of its best, part of a pivot toward larger homes in the leisure destinations where its guests actually want to go. Case frames the cuts as a question of standards.
“For us — and us meaning the Exclusive Collective, which includes obviously [Onefinestay], but also Exclusive Resorts and [Inspirato] — it’s really a decision that quality trumps quantity,” he said.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Luxury Travel Advisor.
