Skift Global Forum Preview: Why Ovation Is Embarking on a New Elite Luxury Brand
Skift Take
Jack Ezon of Ovation’s leisure business is starting Embark, a luxury agency with an unusual business structure. In this Q&A, Ezon shares how agents can thrive in the digital era, the biggest problem facing the travel industry, and why he hires so many millennials.
If you're a billionaire, a celebrity, a law firm partner, or a pro athlete, your personal assistant probably has on speed dial a travel advisor at Ovation, a leisure travel agency that specializes in serving elite clients.
The New York-based company plans vacations that can typically cost $2,000 a day in accommodation alone. A couple of years ago, a pair of Ovation clients dropped $1,850,700 on a month-long trip..
Over time, President Jack Ezon has grown the leisure business from $3 million to more than $400 million. Ovation Vacations has been a key brand for Ovation Travel Group, a $1 billion business and the sixth-largest travel agency group in the U.S.
Given his expertise, Ezon has his finger on the pulse of luxury travel trends.
The following conversation will give you a preview of what to expect later this month when Ezon speaks on-stage at Skift Global Forum in New York City on Sept. 27.
Ezon covers below the unusual structure of his new venture, how consultants can thrive in the era of artificial intelligence, the biggest problem facing the travel industry, and why he hires so many millennials.
Skift: This summer Ovation announced some changes. Tell us more.
Ezon: We are sunsetting the Ovation Vacations brand, as I transition away from Ovation to launch a new concept in the luxury travel and lifestyle space called Embark.
Embark is emulating a law
