Luxury, loyalty & AI: TTAND charts its next chapter at VIP Supplier night

The Travel Agent Next Door (TTAND) held its annual VIP Supplier night at the Royal York Hotel in Toronto on Wednesday evening (Nov. 5), where the company was able to show its appreciation to its partners and share updates on its business.

TTAND has been having a very successful year, according to its CEO and Founder Flemming Friisdahl, telling PAX that business, over the last four to five months, has been up 22 per cent compared to last year.  

The company expects to do $530 million in sales this year and $600 million next year, he said. 

“We’ve had a lot of agents join, and we continue to grow,” Friisdahl said. 

The host agency currently has 847 Primary Agents and 842 Associate Agents (with a grand total of 1,698)

Friisdahl attributes the company’s growth to its agent partners who have been proactive in developing the business while they are provided the right tools to succeed.

He said TTAND will continue to lean into the luxury end of travel, where the company has seen healthy growth. Friisdahl said their business of $50,000 per booking for two people has increased 47 per cent from the previous year, and now represents six per cent of sales.

Luxe Mastermind

TTAND used the night to introduce its new Luxe brand, which will be specifically tailored towards luxury travel and have a completely different marketing and website strategy.

The company will provide education and training through its new “Luxe Mastermind” program to agents so they can be prepared to work with higher-end clients and products.

Friisdahl said he hopes to attract more agents who are looking to work with luxury products.

As previously reported, some of the luxury brands that have signed with TTAND include Crystal and Abercrombie & Kent.

For Friisdahl, luxury isn’t just about enjoying a high-end cruise – it can also be experiential, such as trekking through the Himalayas (which can also hold a high price tag).

 “Luxury is what it is to the customer,” he said. “Luxury is also adventure.”

AI that makes sense  

Friisdahl highlighted TTAND’s focus on technology and IT, claiming that they are the only host agency in Canada with up to 10 developers.

He said they are building an integrated system for agents. Additionally, a new group module will be launching by the end of November. This is designed to make it easier for advisors to manage and care for groups.

Over the summer, TTAND launched an itinerary-building program and it has already created more than 1,500 itineraries.

The host agency hopes to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into more of its operations, but is taking a low and slow approach to make sure it’s done right.

Friisdahl said his team has been experimenting with AI in the itinerary program to do write-ups and help put items together, as well as internally to help answer agent questions, even during off-hours.

“What we’re doing is learning and figuring out how [AI] is going to fit best,” he said. “We don’t want to just come out with something for the sake of saying we have it. We want to come out with something that we know is going to make a difference.”

Too big?

With all the growth TTAND is seeing, one has to wonder if the company may be getting a little too big, outgrowing its humble origins and folksy persona.

To Friisdahl, that’s not the case though. He said they still call every agent every three months and pick up the phone within 30 seconds.

He sees having more agents as a way to get more support from suppliers.

The company will hold its annual conference in April 2026 on a Celebrity cruise ship, Celebrity Silhouette. 

Friisdahl said it sold out in about 45 minutes. It will be leaving from Fort Lauderdale for an eight-day cruise that will visit Aruba, Curacao and Bonaire with a full set of suppliers and over 300 agents.

Rumour has it

Addressing rumours that TTAND might be sold, Friisdahl said he won’t be able to run the company forever simply due to age. But he does envision selling it one day.

"There's always going to be rumours," he said. "Am I going to be doing this until 105? No. So will we sell? I've always said it could happen one day." 

Does he know when? "No, not right now...All I can tell you is if we ever sold, I would still be part of it. And if we ever sold, it would only be because I thought it was better for the company," he said. 

So, what’s next for TTAND? Friisdahl said it's all about integrating AI, building one system for agents, and making sure they don’t screw up what they already have going, including creating a personal connection with partners.

“It’s important that they know that they’re not a number,” he said.

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