Forget five stars: This Toronto couple delivers VIP travel on another level

If you thought luxury travel is just about butler service and private plunge pools, Jamsheed and Jennica Pocha would like a quiet word.

Preferably over a perfectly chilled glass of something you didn’t know existed, on a private island you didn’t know you could access.

As co-founders of The Pelican Club, a Toronto-based, members-only luxury travel and lifestyle management service, the husband-and-wife duo have turned their shared obsession with hospitality into something far more intriguing than a traditional travel agency.

Think less booking service, more global backstage pass.

Their story begins in Switzerland—specifically, at Ecole Hôtelière de Lausanne, where the pair met while studying hospitality management.

From there, their careers took on a suitably glamorous trajectory. Jennica, originally Swedish and raised in London, cut her teeth at some of Europe and the Caribbean’s most prestigious five-star hotels, including Claridge’s in London and Hotel de Russie in Rome.

Jamsheed, born in Bombay and raised in Toronto, spent nearly a decade immersed in the world of Four Seasons in London before branching into consulting, including work with EHL Advisory Services.

This duo didn’t just learn luxury. They lived it, refined it and took notes.

“The Pelican Club is a result of mine and Jennica's love of travel and obsession for luxury hotels,” says Jamsheed. “I am a self-proclaimed hotel nerd…I wanted to help others travel better, with a service level offered in five-star hotels throughout the planning process, the trip and after.”

That last part – before, during, and after – is where things start to get interesting. The Pochas spotted a gap. Not in destinations, but in depth.

“Luxury travel is a complex world of knowing who's who and where is best, what has been renovated and what is in need of TLC,” Jamsheed explains. “It's about understanding your client and being able to know what would suit them best.”

Access over amenities

And perhaps more importantly, it’s about access. Real access. 

When they launched The Pelican Club, which serves clients worldwide, and part of Virtuoso, they deliberately sidestepped the traditional agency model in favour of something more intimate (and frankly, more demanding). Membership.

“We chose to have a membership model to build a loyal base of clients that we see as more than transactional one-off experiences,” he says. “We commit to them and they vice versa chose to work with our team as their support system for all things luxury, outside their home cities."

Translation: this is not for everyone. But that’s entirely the point.

“There are nuances and differences to what people believe luxury is to them,” says Jamsheed. “We vet who we work with and make sure that there is a right fit. We also don't limit our services to booking flights and hotels. We do it all, from the moment you leave your home till you return, we have every detail thought through.”

From spa treatments, to private guides, from access to top restaurants and tickets to be seen at the right events, the team builds trips and provides thorough itineraries through their own app.

Every itinerary is constructed from scratch, balancing personality, preferences, and a deep well of insider knowledge.

But what truly sets The Pelican Club apart isn’t just what they book – it’s how they make their members feel. “They have access to us and we care about them. We are in it together and help turn every rock,” Jamsheed explains.

The insider advantage

It’s a deceptively simple philosophy, backed by a team that operates more like a tight-knit concierge unit than a traditional agency. Requests don’t politely stick to office hours, and neither do they.

“We expect to get after-hours and weekend requests and support each other to manage both our member needs and our own lives,” says Jamsheed.

On top of that, The Pelican Club gets clients into closed doors and makes sure they are treated like a VIP with upgrades “rather than rooms that have 'partial views.’”

“We are a booster pack to your EA or PA…you feel like an insider and not a tourist,” says Jamsheed.

That promise has led to some pretty over-the-top bookings: privatized islands, celebrity meet-ups, fully booked historical venues. Even a whirlwind, around-the-world journey completed in 30 days.

Yet for all the extravagance, the Pochas insist that modern luxury isn’t about excess, it’s about experience.

“Luxury is a very personal term,” says Jamsheed. “What we have seen is that our clients’ homes are now designed like, or better, than most luxury hotels. This means that a high-level product in hotels is now an expectation.”

“It brings service and experience to the forefront of what luxury is today. It's feeling a certain way in the Alps or doing something very unique in a beach destination.”

Beyond the booking

As for what keeps them inspired?

“We travel at minimum once a month, internationally,” says Jamsheed. “The world is huge and has many unexplored corners. It is filled with adventures and cultures that we continually want to indulge in.”

Just this year, in the first four months, they visited more than eight countries, from gorilla trekking in Rwanda, to the favelas of Brazil, to the mountains of Colombia, to relaxing with the family in the Caribbean to a work trip in Europe.

“We are very lucky to do what we love to, which is travel, and we get to help others do the same,” says Jamsheed.

This article originally ran on May 6, 2026, as part of PAX's annual "10 Most Fascinating Travel Advisors" list to mark Travel Advisor Appreciation Day. To read the full feature, click here.

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