What this is, and what it isn't

I run a travel company, Elite Sports Travel. We take people to the greatest sporting events in the world and we look after them like family. But that's the day job, and this isn't the company newsletter. Nobody at EST signs these pieces off, which is rather the point.

The Debrief exists because I spend a lot of my life in aircraft cabins, hotel lobbies and hospitality suites, and I have opinions about all of them. Usually fairly strong ones. I like nice things and to be treated nicely, and I’ve found that quite often this aligns with what other people are looking for. For years those opinions have been dispensed freely to anyone sitting next to me, and it was suggested, possibly to make me stop, that I write them down instead.

So here's what you'll get. Reviews of things I've actually experienced: the business class product that made me feel special and the one that absolutely did not, the hotel that's worth crossing a city for, the restaurant that was actually worth the punchy bill. And commentary on the things swirling around this industry: what fuel prices are quietly doing to your air fares, why half of what gets sold as "luxury" is an expensive imitation of it, and where you can find the real luxury “bargains”.

Two promises, because a publication like this only works if you know the rules it's playing by.

First, when I'm critical, I'll be conscientious about it. Anyone can write a takedown; the internet is full of them. If I say something falls short, I'll tell you why, sometimes who I think does it better and I'll tell you what I'd do differently. You'll see it as a section called The Fix at the end of those pieces. This isn’t about slating brands and products maliciously. It’s about helping readers understand the shortcomings, especially when good money is involved, and helping businesses understand where they need to improve.

Second, when something is brilliant, I'll say so without embarrassment. If I’m going to be critical, then I also need to deliver deserved praise when it’s warranted. Some of the best experiences of my life have happened at forty thousand feet or standing in a gangway as opposed to a seat in the stands, and pretending otherwise to seem hard-nosed wouldn’t represent me. Where an experience is worth it, I'll show you how to have it yourself.

Which brings me to the question of money, because I suspect you, like my clients, tend to be able to afford the finer things and still check the bill. Good. So do I. Luxury and value are not opposites; the most expensive option is frequently not the best one, and knowing the difference is a lot of what I do for a living. When I tell you I think something is worth it, that opinion has money behind it — usually mine, and that of my clients who'd let me know very quickly if I were wrong.

Not everything here will be about sport, and some of it won't be about work at all. A one-night layover teaches you as much about a city's hotels as a week's holiday, and I have had plenty of both.

New pieces will appear regularly. More when I’m travelling, and I have a busy autumn coming up!

Ben