A note from our Founder & CEO

Hi! My name is Whitney Shindelar. I am a the Founder & CEO of The Hive, host of the Masters in Travel podcast, and Owner & Principal Travel Advisor of Undiscovered Sunsets.

When I started Undiscovered Sunsets in 2016, I had just transitioned from working in a 5-star hotel in China to being a business owner and planning luxury, leisure travel. Inspiring clients with stunning destinations, beautiful hotels, and unique experiences around the world was the easy (and fun!) part. But when they landed on the exact trip they were excited to start planning, the questions and complexities were coming at me faster than I could manage. 

They would ask things like - Which room category can accommodate 2 kids and 2 adults all together in one room? My kids always decompress in the swimming pool after a long day exploring. Do the hotels in the proposal offer a swimming pool? My wife and I always plan a nice spa treatment - which hotel offers the best experience for a morning at the spa? Do these international airports offer VIP arrival services? 

When working with a new to me destination partner, should I expect a proposal with a categorical breakdown in pricing, line by line? Perhaps no breakdown at all is offered? How do they process payments from clients? Can my client use  their American Express?

All of these questions, and so many more, are imperative for travel advisors to know in order to best collaborate with supplier partners around the world and to best serve their client. But most often, although these details certainly aren’t a secret, they are extremely cumbersome to find. Often, multiple emails or phone calls are needed to sort out all of these details, and then, all that time spent only serves that individual travel advisor who is gathering these details and noting them down in their personal notes for future reference. 

The Hive provides an all-in-one platform to house all of these details for the benefit of all supplier partners and all travel advisors. A true hivemind. 

Suppliers, no more emails landing in your teams’ inboxes, asking the same questions over and over again. Once your profile is complete and up to date on The Hive, advisors can find what they need, when they need it, and will reach out to your team when they’re working on a client inquiry that they believe is the right match for everyone. 

This is all great, I’m sure you’re excited, but I know there’s one question on your mind. What does this cost for suppliers? Nothing. We simply ask that you give us 15-20 minutes of your time to complete the form below and make sure to keep us updated if things change in the future. The Hive is a tool for travel advisors, so travel advisors will pay a monthly subscription to access the platform. 

So, what’s the next step? Please, find the form below this video that corresponds to the type of service you provide. The forms will take 10 - 20 minutes to complete, depending upon which form you’re completing. Ideally, based on the type of questions included in the forms, the best person to complete the form is someone at a management level, or perhaps a sales and marketing representative, and of course, someone who has been with your organization for at least 1-2 years to ensure they can make their way through the form quickly as they’ll likely already know most of the answers. 

We look forward to updating your profile on The Hive soon.