The Honest Answer
A travel concierge researches, compares, and books things on your behalf. That is it. No mystery, no gatekeeping, no members-only club.
You tell us what you need. We find the best options, present them with clear pricing, and handle the booking once you decide. The value is in the time we save you and the quality of what we find, not in access to some secret market.
What We Actually Handle
Here are the most common requests we get, with real examples of what the work looks like.
Yacht charters. A group of eight wants to charter a catamaran in Croatia for a week in July. We search across 5 to 10 charter companies, compare the real total cost (base fee plus APA, VAT, crew tips, and transfers), check crew reviews, verify the boat condition, and send back 3 to 5 options ranked by value. This takes us 2 to 4 hours of research. Doing it yourself takes 15 to 20 hours across fragmented websites with inconsistent pricing.
Visa applications. A UK resident needs a Schengen visa for a trip in 6 weeks, and the standard appointment wait is 8 weeks. We help find earlier appointment slots, prepare the document package, and make sure nothing causes a delay or rejection. For complex cases (multiple nationalities, business visas, applications to less common consulates), the process knowledge is where the value sits.
Small aircraft charter. A family of five needs to get from London to a wedding venue in the south of France. Commercial flights involve a connection and a 2-hour drive from the nearest airport. We source quotes from 3 to 4 operators, compare total costs (including positioning and landing fees), and book the flight. The family lands 20 minutes from the venue.
Restaurant reservations. A couple wants a table at a restaurant that is booked out for the next two months. We know which restaurants hold tables for concierge bookings, which accept day-of cancellation lists, and which have quieter seatings at less obvious times.
Event tickets. A client wants four seats together at a sold-out show. We check official resale channels, hospitality packages, and our network before resorting to the secondary market. If the only option is a reseller, we verify legitimacy and handle the purchase.
Airport transfers and ground transport. Not just booking a taxi. Coordinating arrivals from different flights, arranging child seats, handling delays, and making sure someone is actually there when you land at midnight.
When It Is Worth It
A concierge makes sense when:
The research takes longer than the activity. Comparing yacht charters across dozens of brokers with different pricing structures. Finding the right small aircraft operator for an unusual route. Navigating visa appointment systems that are genuinely broken. If the research burden is measured in hours or days, outsourcing it pays for itself.
Time is more valuable than money. If you earn £80 to £200 per hour (which is the income range of most of our clients), spending 15 hours researching a yacht charter costs you £1,200 to £3,000 in time. Our fee for the same work is £200 to £400.
You do not know the market. First-time yacht charterers, people applying for a Schengen visa for the first time, anyone booking private aviation for the first time. The learning curve is steep, and the cost of mistakes (wrong boat, rejected visa, overpriced charter) can be significant.
The logistics are complex. A trip with multiple moving parts: flights, yacht charter, ground transfers, restaurant bookings, visa timing. Coordinating everything so the pieces fit together is where a concierge adds the most value.
When It Is Not Worth It
A concierge does not make sense when:
The booking is simple. A direct flight and a hotel on Booking.com. If you can book it in 10 minutes, you do not need us.
You enjoy the research. Some people genuinely like comparing options, reading reviews, and planning every detail. If that is you, a concierge just removes the fun part.
The request is too small. Asking someone to book a single dinner reservation at a restaurant that is not full. The overhead of communicating your preferences and reviewing the options takes more time than doing it yourself.
How Pricing Works
Different concierge services charge differently. Here is how the industry works, and how we work:
Membership-based concierges (Quintessentially, John Paul, Ten Group) charge annual fees of £2,000 to £25,000 or more for access. Quintessentially's London service starts at several thousand pounds per year. Some mid-tier services like Innerplace offer £100 per month plus joining fees. You pay the membership whether you use the service or not. The actual bookings often carry additional fees. This model works for people who use the service weekly. For occasional use, you are paying for access you do not need.
Commission-based concierges earn their money from providers (hotels, charter companies, airlines) as a referral commission. The service appears free to you, but the recommendations may be influenced by who pays the highest commission. Not always, but the incentive structure is worth understanding.
Fee-per-request concierges charge you directly for each request. No annual membership, no hidden commissions. You pay for what you use. This is how we work at Sulu. Our fees range from £200 to £500 per request depending on complexity, plus any commissions the providers pay us (which we disclose). For simpler requests, we charge less. Your first request is free.
What to Expect From Us
Response time: We aim to send initial options within 24 hours of receiving your request. Complex requests (multi-destination yacht charters, visa cases with complications) may take 48 hours.
Number of options: Typically 3 to 5, ranked by value and annotated with our recommendation and reasoning.
Transparency: We show real total costs, not just base prices. If there are hidden fees, we highlight them. If we earn a commission from a provider, we say so.
Communication: WhatsApp and Telegram. Not email forms, not phone trees, not "please hold." You message us, we reply.
What we do not do: We do not upsell. If you ask for a £5,000 yacht charter, we do not try to sell you a £15,000 one. We find the best option within your stated budget.
The Sulu Approach
We started Sulu because we kept seeing the same problem. Smart, busy people spending hours on research for purchases they make once or twice a year. Yacht charters, visa applications, flight bookings. The information is out there, but it is scattered across dozens of websites, priced inconsistently, and full of hidden costs.
We use a combination of industry knowledge and AI-powered research tools to do that work faster and more thoroughly than you can do it yourself. No membership fees. No minimum spend. Just send us what you need.
Your first request is free. Message us on WhatsApp or Telegram and see how it works.