Nashville-based Travelink (No. 47 on Travel Weekly's 2022 Power List) has joined Virtuoso. The travel agency had been a longtime member of the American Express Representative Network, which is ending operations at the end of the year.
Sandy Schadler, Travelink's chief marketing officer and executive vice president of vacation travel services, called the move "the most important business decision we've made coming out of the pandemic."
Schadler said Travelink had been part of the Amex rep network for 23 years. Its corporate travel affiliation with the American Express Global Business Travel Network continues.
"Virtuoso has a reputation for selecting only the most respected travel agencies as its members, and we are honored to be among them," Schadler said in a release. "Our Virtuoso affiliation means we're able to build relationships with the world's best travel providers while bringing stronger value and more personalized travel experiences to our clients."
In May, American Express announced that it was shuttering the rep network, citing a changing travel environment.
Since then, Power List agencies that were longtime members of the Amex rep network have made new plans. Cruise Planners joined Signature Travel Network and Avoya Travel joined Travel Leaders Network.