An A-list actor working on a film project over several months wants a fully customized hotel suite, one with new hardwood flooring, window treatments and personal fitness equipment.
Another actor filming a production abroad requests that an entire train — every cabin — be set aside for his entourage's exclusive use during the shoot.
A high-profile client is headed to the airport but forgets his passport at home. He needs the airline to hold the flight so he can travel without disruption.
In each case, their travel agency, Chase Travel Entertainment Solutions, pulled out all the stops to make their requests happen.
Most advisors find themselves pulling off what feel like impossible feats from time to time, but for the agencies involved in the high-stakes entertainment sector, "impossible feats" are a much more frequent occurrence.
"As we like to say, 'Yes is the answer -- what's the question?'" said Maggie Kealey, president of Chase Travel Entertainment Solutions, a division of Chase Travel Group (No. 7 on Travel Weekly's Power List).
That's show biz
Chase entered the entertainment realm when it acquired Frosch in 2022. The acquisition included the Frosch Entertainment division, which was rebranded to Chase Travel Entertainment Solutions last November.
It serves a spectrum of entertainment clients in film, television, live productions, music, choreography, sports, fashion and talent agencies as well as A-list celebrities, according to Kealey.
"We partner with leading studios, premier agencies and top C-suite executives -- the true movers and shakers of the industry -- while also working directly with A-list talent and high-profile individuals," she said. "Our role is to orchestrate high-stakes travel with absolute discretion, precision and reliability."
Nick Vournakis, Chase Travel Group's head of premium leisure and corporate solutions, said he believes the agency is particularly well-suited to serve the entertainment sector because of its focus and scale.
Working in entertainment isn't traditional business travel, Vournakis said, noting its high-touch nature. For instance, typical C-suite executives won't ask for a hotel suite to be reconfigured to meet their standards.
"It's very intense," he said. "It's a 24-by-7 operation. It runs in real time. In order to do that well at scale, it really does require an organization like Chase Travel Group."
Entertainment also aligns well with Chase's focus on relationship-driven luxury travel, he said.
More than just bookings
Kealey said at any time, Chase is managing both large-scale production travel and personalized service for celebrities and executives. It includes last-minute requests that have to be fulfilled within minutes.
It also entails managing security and privacy for those travelers.
"A significant portion of our work involves arranging discreet arrivals and departures, whether that's securing back-of-house entrances at hotels and restaurants or coordinating private elevator access that bypasses public areas entirely," she said. "I like to say our team knows the best secret elevators for VIPs around the world."
According to Vournakis, the entertainment sector is one Chase believes has growth potential.
"Knowing that we've got the global infrastructure, the tools and technology and the deep supplier relationships, we absolutely think this is an area of growth for us going forward," he said.
The world of entertainment has seen a lot of upheaval in recent years, from the rise of streaming services to changing trends around movie theaters and in-person performances, changes that in some cases were forced by the pandemic.
But one thing has remained constant, Vournakis said: high demand for entertainment.
That means things likely won't change much for Chase's entertainment clients; travel will still need to be facilitated. The same goes for the music industry, where tours today have grown to include 30, 40 or 50 stops in the U.S. alone.
"In a world that's getting smaller and smaller and more and more connected, we sit right at the fulcrum of enabling that," he said. "That's a great place to be."