Fathom, a consumer-facing travel website that has featured
destination-focused content since its launch in 2011, has partnered with
Ovation Vacations to offer Fathom's readers a concierge-level travel service
with fully planned and booked vacations.
Pavia Rosati, founder and CEO of Fathom, said the
partnership came about because of demand from Fathom's readers.
"We kept hearing from our readers, 'You know what?
Fathom is great. I come to Fathom, you give me everything that I need. Can't
you just do it for me?'" Rosati said.
The website, Fathomaway.com, features years' worth of
content about destinations, hotels, restaurants, activities and more. Rosati
said it was created to be the travel website she herself was looking for as a
traveler: one that carefully curates boutique experiences and locations for its
readers.
Fathom makes money through advertising and partnerships with
companies ranging from travel to fashion. For example, Rosati was an American
Express Platinum card ambassador for a year. Now, the company is slowly
starting to offer bookings through its partnership with Ovation.
Fathom readers interested in booking a trip fill out a form
with general information. This helps Fathom decide if they're a fit as a
client. If so, a Fathom editor works with the client to curate a full
itinerary. Finally, a dedicated agent at Ovation books the travel. Fathom and
Ovation split the commission.
"This service is really intended for people who want a
higher level of service, a higher level of care and touch," Rosati said.
Fathom's ideal clients are "the creative class,"
she said, "successful people" age 25 to 65, because they have good
taste and are passionate about travel. It's also "less about luxury and
more about cool."
"We only cover what we call the most special things,"
she said. "I don't use the word luxury. I don't use the word budget. What
we talk about more is style and taste because great style and great taste exist
at any price point. We say Fathom is where the Michelin star meets the taco
truck."
Ovation president Jack Ezon said the partnership was a
natural fit. He considers Fathom to be a leader in the travel space, one that
attracts the kinds of clients Ovation usually works with but who haven't worked
with agents before.
"I would say ... maybe one in 100 of the leads we've
gotten from Fathom have worked with a travel adviser," Ezon said. "It's
a novelty to them."
Ezon also likes Fathom's style, which is "about being
approachable and relevant luxury." As he described it, "You know,
sometimes you want to wear a Gap shirt with a Chanel belt. ... Fathom gets it."
At Ovation, each agent is paired with a concierge, and
Fathom clients are getting the benefit of both. The agent tends to handle the
logistics of a trip, like air and hotel. The concierge digs deeper to create
experiences and extras for clients, like going behind the scenes of the
changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace in London, Ezon said.
The partnership is mutually beneficial. Fathom clients get
unique vacation experiences, and Ovation gets insights gained by Fathom and its
travel writers.
"This is a complete joint venture-style partnership,"
Ezon said.
According to Rosati, Fathom is seeing high demand for trips
to Italy and Japan. She said the volume of trips -- not "thousands and
thousands of clients" at this point but something more manageable -- is
what the company wanted. Do-it-yourselfers are still served by free content on
Fathom's website.
"We love to align ourselves with smart people and great
influencers," Ezon said. "While there are hundreds and hundreds of
blogs and editorial sites on travel and lifestyle, I really think Fathom is one
of the best, if not the best. ... They don't just report on the obvious; they
look for the unique places of personality and experiences that most of our clients
would look for."