Editors’ Note

Simon Liebel is the Founder of Entourage Collection (entourage-collection.com), a private members’ concierge and luxury travel company he founded in 2010. Entourage Collection’s headquarters are in London, with further offices in New York City and Melbourne. Liebel has always been a strong supporter and champion of the arts and culture, and acts as an advisor to various businesses and multiple UHNW family offices. Liebel was born in Germany and grew up between Germany, South Africa, and the UK, and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA Hons in political science and international relations. He currently lives in New York with his family.

Will you discuss your career journey?

When people ask me what I do, I say I own a hospitality company. Entourage Collection is a private members’ concierge, events, and travel company, and hospitality, in this context, is the art of truly taking care of people, often before they even realize what they need.

My journey into hospitality began very early as a teenager working in restaurants, starting at the most fundamental level: washing dishes, clearing tables, waiting. Those roles instill something essential: humility, awareness, and an understanding that no detail is too small when it comes to how someone experiences a moment. I’ve always believed you learn by doing, by being behind the scenes, doing every job. That’s where you begin to see what excellence looks like, and equally, where things fall short.

While at the University of Edinburgh, I ran club nights which were some of the most joyful and formative experiences of my life. They taught me about energy, atmosphere, and the invisible architecture of a great experience, how everything from music to lighting to timing creates a feeling people carry with them.

After University, I managed the near-complete renovation of a large manor house in the English countryside. That experience sharpened my understanding of detail, project management, and the discipline required to execute something beautifully from the ground up. I then joined The Admirable Crichton, one of the most respected events companies in the world, where I had the opportunity to design and execute events for an extraordinary global clientele.

In 2010, I founded what was then Simon Liebel Designs in London, initially an events company, which evolved into SL Designs and ultimately became Entourage Collection. Over time, organically and in response to our clients’ needs, the business expanded into concierge and travel. Today, Entourage is a full-service global lifestyle and advisory company, designed to support and enhance every aspect of our clients’ lives.

What was your vision for Entourage Collection, and how do you define its mission?

Entourage was founded to curate, enhance, and enrich the most exceptional experiences and opportunities for our clients around the world. From the outset, the vision was to build something fundamentally different, not simply in what we deliver, but in how we think about service. The ethos at Entourage goes beyond service; it is about anticipatory care. It is an intuitive understanding of a client’s preferences, rhythms, and unspoken expectations, delivered with precision and absolute discretion. At its highest level, hospitality is not transactional; it is deeply personal.

Our mission is to create a seamless sense of ease. Every detail is considered, every moment elevated, and every interaction reinforces a feeling of being known, valued, and effortlessly looked after. True luxury, in this sense, is not about excess; it is about relevance, timing, and emotional intelligence.

Will you provide an overview of Entourage Collection’s services and capabilities?

Entourage Collection operates as a fully integrated lifestyle company with a global private membership. Our services span three core pillars: concierge, travel, and experiences. At Entourage Concierge, we manage every aspect of a client’s day-to-day life, from dining reservations and access to cultural events, to highly complex, time-sensitive requests that require global coordination and discretion. Entourage Travel designs highly personalized journeys, from single itineraries (such as a weekend trip to Paris) to multi-month, multi-destination experiences. This includes everything from private aviation and yacht charters to exclusive access to properties, destinations, and individuals that are not publicly available. Experiences sit at the heart of what we do. Whether it is a private dinner in a museum, backstage access at a major sports event, or an entirely bespoke event created from scratch for a global luxury brand and their top VIP clients, we specialize in moments that cannot be easily replicated. Underlying all of this is our global network: relationships built over decades, which allows us to operate not as intermediaries, but as trusted advisors.

How do you describe the Entourage Collection difference?

The difference lies in depth: of relationship, of understanding, and of access. We do not operate as a reactive service; we operate as a thinking partner in our clients’ lives. We invest significant time in understanding not only what our clients like, but how they live, how they move through the world, and what matters to them at different moments.

There is also a quiet rigor behind everything we do. While the client experience is seamless, there is an extraordinary amount of structure, data, and coordination underpinning it. The goal is always to make the complex feel effortless.

Finally, our network is both global and deeply personal. Like hospitality, access is not transactional – it is relationship driven. That allows us to open doors that are otherwise closed, and to do so in a way that feels natural and respectful.

How critical has it been to build the Entourage Collection team?

The team is everything. In a business like ours, the product is the people. I am so lucky, and honored, to have a tremendous team across our offices in London, New York, and Melbourne. Everyone, from our most senior MD to our newest assistants, matters and makes a difference. Hiring the right people, creating an inspiring culture of respect, dedication, and ultimately a team who love their job, love the company, and love to come to work every day and give their all, is everything. Hospitality is a tough industry that takes a certain type of individual; it’s definitely not for everyone. You can have the best network or the most compelling concept, but without the right individuals, people with emotional intelligence, discretion, creativity, and an innate sense of care, you cannot deliver at the level required.

We look for individuals who understand nuance, who can read between the lines, who take pride in getting things exactly right, even when no one is watching. There is also a strong emphasis on shared values, integrity, curiosity, and a genuine desire to look after others. Importantly, we operate as a collective. Information is shared, insights are layered, and every client benefits from the intelligence of the wider team. That collaborative approach is what allows us to maintain consistency at a global scale.

I have been truly lucky throughout my life to work with some of the hardest working and most creative people in the world, not only from the members on our team, who I am truly grateful for every day, but also the individuals and companies we have collaborated with over the years, from Manolo Blahnik, Francis Mallmann and Chris Blackwell, to VistaJet, Bentley, and Ritz Carlton Yacht Collection, and so many more.

What does “luxury” mean to you in today’s hospitality landscape?

Luxury today is defined by three things: time, access, and personalization. Time is the ultimate currency. Our role is to give it back to our clients by removing friction, anticipating needs, and allowing them to focus on what matters most to them. Our main job is to take care of everything for them so they can actually live their life, doing what they love, with the people they love most in the world. Access is about opening doors, not just to places, but to people, knowledge, and experiences that are otherwise unavailable or hard to reach. And personalization is the foundation of everything. True luxury is not one-size-fits-all; it is deeply specific. It reflects an individual’s tastes, values, and evolving priorities.

There is also a broader shift toward meaning. Clients are increasingly drawn to experiences that are culturally rich, emotionally resonant, and, in many cases, more connected to place and purpose. Luxury is becoming quieter, more considered, and more intentional. Legacy is also hugely important; involving family in these experiences and creating the moments and memories that last a lifetime, for multiple generations, is everything.

What has made the hospitality industry so special for you?

At its core, hospitality is about human connection. It is about creating moments that people remember, often not because of what was done, but because of how it made them feel. There is something incredibly rewarding about orchestrating those moments, about understanding someone well enough to surprise and delight them in a way that feels effortless.

It is also an industry that is constantly evolving. No two days are the same, and there is always something new to learn, whether it is a destination, a cultural shift, or a change in how people define value.

For me, it has always been about the privilege of being part of people’s lives in meaningful ways.

What advice do you offer to young people interested in building a career in the industry?

Start at the beginning, and do every job you can. There is no substitute for understanding how things work at a foundational level. Whether it is working in a restaurant, assisting on events, or supporting a team behind the scenes, those experiences build instincts that cannot be taught.

Pay attention to detail. The smallest things often make the biggest difference. Develop emotional intelligence. This is a people business, and the ability to read a situation, understand nuance, and respond appropriately is invaluable. Be curious and proactive. The best opportunities often come from going slightly beyond what is expected. And finally, take pride in care. True hospitality is not about performance; it is about a genuine desire to look after others. If you approach it with that mindset, everything else tends to follow.