Houston Luxury Travel Specialists Welcome the Vaunted Oetker Hotels To Houston And Treat Clients To a SmartFlyer Party

Living The Dream Around the World

By Shelby Hodge // Feb 12, 2025

Photography Daniel Ortiz

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SmartFlyer's Libby Taft and Lauren Reckling are enthused at the afternoon event saluting special clients. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

The Oetker Collection team visiting Houston: Chartlotte Bertrand, Anna Sophie Bomke, Lindsey Gift Silver, Sameer Rai, Lucia Giugliano. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Tootsie's models dressed to coordinate with the Oetker Collection hotels featured at the afternoon event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Tommoso Mardegan the dashing center of attention at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Julie Hershberger, Allison Bagley at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Will & Minnie Baird, Tye Taft at the SmartFlyer client appreciation event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

TR & Isla Reckling, Lauren Reckling, Christiana Reckling, Betsy Goodman at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Adele Nickel, Laura Childress at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Tye Griffith, Adeliade Eiband at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Carroll Wessels, George Lancaster at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Lauren Reckling, Randa McConn at the SmartFlyer event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Lauren & Libby Taft at the SmartFlyer event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Josh & Paige Bowlin at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Hope Dorset, Kaki Childress at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Ellecia Knolle, Allison Bagley at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Jody Schmal, Lauren Taft, Laura Childress at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Shelby Hodge & Shafik Rifaat at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

SmartFlyer's Libby Taft, Lauren Reckling at the client appreciation event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Isla & TR Reckling at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

(Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

The arrival of the Oetker Collection hotels team in Houston as part of a national road show was reason enough for high-end travel advisor Libby Taft to put into motion a notion that she had been thinking on for some time — a client appreciation event.

After all, it would be a treat to share a meet-and-greet with reps from some of Europe’s finest hotels such as Le Bristol Paris and Brenner’s Park Hotel & Spa in Baden Baden, Germany. Those unfamiliar with Oetker are certainly well acquainted with the company’s stable of luxe properties that include Hôtel du Cap-Eden-Roc and The Lanesborough in London.

L’Apogee Courcheval, Le Bristol Paris, The Lansborough London, La Palma Capri (Photo by Christiana Reckling) — Tootsie’s models dressed to coordinate with the Oetker Collection hotels featured at the afternoon event. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

SmartFlyer travel advisor Taft partnered with SmartFlyer travel advisor Lauren Reckling for the Sunday afternoon fête with friends, family and valuable traveler clients. For the occasion, they took over the River Oaks home of leading real estate agent Mike Mahlstedt with Compass. (Unfortunately the host and his two sons all had the flu so they decamped to the Four Seasons Hotel rather than spread the germs.)

For the afternoon, Taft arranged for Armandos’ popular taco truck to be on hand for margaritas and a variety of TexMex hors d’oeuvres. And in a genius move she invited Tootsies to provide one perfect fashion look for four of the properties in the collection — L’Apogée Courcheval, Le Bristol Paris, The Lanesborough and La Palma Capri.

TR, Isla, Lauren, Christiana Reckling, Betsy Goodman (Photo by Christiana Reckling) — TR & Isla Reckling, Lauren Reckling, Christiana Reckling, Betsy Goodman at the Sunday afternoon fête. (Photo by Daniel Ortiz)

Interesting chatter among guests: The Oetker property in Palm Beach, The Vineta Hotel, is set to open later this year making it the 12th in the stable of what the firm likes to describe as “masterpiece hotels.” Le Bristol is celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2025. You can expect numerous salutes to the centennial. Brenner’s Park is reopening late spring 2025 after a massive transformation, renovating all 79 of its rooms and suites.

The Oetker/SmartFlyer relationship was mentioned by Lindsey Silver, Oetker Collection’s head of sales North America. She pointed out that SmartFlyer is the top booking agency for Oetker.

As a departing gift, Taft and Reckling presented guests with a copy of the Oetker Collection’s beautiful coffee table book Living the Dream.

PC Seen: Isla and Tommy Reckling, Lauren Taft, Ellicia Knolle, Carroll Wessels, Davin Smith, Philip Taft, Adele Nickel, Charlotte Bertrand, Paige and Josh Bowlin, Hope Dorset, Kaki Childress, George Lancaster, Allison Bagley, Laura Childress, Elise Reckling, Becca Gibs, Amy Popp, and Andie Popp.