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In June, EmpireCLS Chairman & CEO David Seelinger was named an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year New Jersey Award winner, honoring the leadership, unparalleled service standards, and people-first culture behind EmpireCLS’ global growth.
This achievement is a proud moment for David, for EmpireCLS, and for every member of the team whose dedication, professionalism, and passion continue to move the company forward.
EmpireCLS is pleased to share that we have been named GTC’s Specialty Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year, presented at ARRIVE 2026 in Austin. We are also proud to be a finalist for Best Specialty or Insurance Partner in the 2026 Virtuoso Global Awards, with winners announced during Virtuoso Travel Week this August.
These recognitions reflect the relationships we’ve built with extraordinary advisor communities and the privilege of contributing to journeys shaped by care, trust, and connection.
FIFA World Cup 2026 has brought extraordinary energy, movement, and complexity to North America.
Tara Roche, EmpireCLS’ Senior VP of Sales, shares how the team approached planning for an event of this scale while upholding the care, communication, and service consistency clients expect from every EmpireCLS experience.
Summer leisure travel in 2026 is being shaped by more thoughtful planning, from Europe’s enduring cultural appeal to cooler escapes, open-sky experiences, and wellness-led itineraries.
Explore the cities defining the season, how travelers are adapting to warmer days and busier destinations, and the transportation planning details passengers should consider before they go.
Every remarkable journey is shaped by thoughtful collaboration and careful planning. Behind each seamless itinerary is a trusted network of advisors and partners working with precision, care, and a shared commitment to the client experience. For EmpireCLS, these relationships are central to how we serve travelers around the world.
EmpireCLS is proud to share that we have been named GTC’s Specialty Partner of the Year for the second consecutive year. Presented at the ARRIVE 2026 Awards Gala in Austin, Texas, this recognition is especially meaningful because it was selected by Global Travel Collection’s extraordinary advisor community.
ARRIVE 2026 Awards Gala (left to right): Vanessa McGovern, GTC Senior Vice President, Partner Product, Marketing & Events; Gary Stevens, EmpireCLS Vice President of Sales; Angie Licea, GTC President.
To be recognized by GTC two years in a row reflects the meaningful relationships we have built over the years with advisors who define excellence in luxury travel. Their trust in our team is something we value deeply, and it continues to inspire the standard of service we bring to every journey.
Adding to this moment, EmpireCLS is also honored to be named a finalist for Best Specialty or Insurance Partner at the 2026 Virtuoso Global Awards, taking place during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas this August. This marks our second consecutive year as a finalist in the category, an honor that reflects the enduring trust and confidence of the Virtuoso advisor community.
“These incredible recognitions from GTC and Virtuoso reflect the extraordinary partnerships we’re privileged to share with the travel advisor community. We’re grateful for the confidence advisors place in us, and it inspires us to keep raising the bar every day” – Gary Stevens
As the travel industry continues to evolve, EmpireCLS remains committed to delivering the reliability, discretion, and elevated service that define every journey, and that travel advisors and their clients have come to expect.
Summer leisure travel in 2026 is being shaped by travelers who want their time away to feel vibrant, comfortable, and worth every moment. From Europe’s cultural capitals to cooler northern escapes, from wellness-led stays to North America’s summer of soccer, this season is less about rushing through an itinerary and more about moving through each destination with ease.
Mastercard’s 2026 Travel Trends Report describes adaptability as one of the defining forces in travel, with travelers rethinking destinations, timing, budgets, and priorities while continuing to place value on meaningful experiences. Its summer analysis also shows Europe holding strong as a center for cultural, culinary, and journey-led travel, with Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona, and Madrid among the destinations showing notable momentum.
Europe remains central to summer leisure travel, even as warmer seasons are changing the way travelers plan their days. The appeal has not disappeared; it has become more intentional. Travelers are building in earlier starts, shaded afternoons, longer lunches, evening plans, and more thoughtful transfers between the places they came to enjoy.
Paris continues to dominate the charts. Its draw is not only in the landmarks, but in the rhythm of the city itself: a morning appointment, a private museum visit, a long lunch, an evening reservation, a quiet return across the Seine. It is a destination that rewards those who leave room to wander, pause, and discover the city beyond the expected.
Amsterdam and Brussels offer a more understated kind of European escape. Amsterdam brings canals, design, galleries, intimate dining, and a slower elegance. Brussels offers art, fine restaurants, historic streets, and the advantage of being beautifully placed for wider European travel.
Barcelona and Madrid bring warmth and movement. Barcelona gives passengers the vibrant coast, architecture, terraces, and long Mediterranean evenings. Madrid brings a bustling city rhythm, with grand hotels, world-class museums, elegant shopping along the Golden Mile, shaded parks, rooftop dining, and late dinners that carry easily into the night.
Copenhagen is very popular this season, especially for travelers drawn to cooler summer cities. With its harbor baths, waterfront restaurants, Nordic dining scene, galleries, design shops, and long summer evenings, the city offers a lighter way to experience the season. For travelers seeking to explore culture without the intensity of a hotter summer capital, Copenhagen feels refreshingly fitting.
Beyond Europe, Mastercard’s report also points to broader interest across destinations such as Abu Dhabi, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, and Addis Ababa, reflecting a wider appetite for journeys shaped by hospitality, culture, dining, shopping, and regional discovery.
For many passengers in 2026, the most desirable escape is one with more space, cooler air, and a gentler pace away from the crowds. That may mean a northern city such as Copenhagen, Stockholm, Oslo, Reykjavík, Vancouver, or Seattle; an alpine retreat in Switzerland or Austria; a waterfront stay; or a destination where the evening becomes a central part of the experience.
A dinner outside the city or a night under open skies observing astronomical phenomena can become one of the most memorable parts of the trip. But these are rarely moments to improvise. Remote locations, late returns, unfamiliar roads, and limited availability can interrupt the ease passengers are seeking.
With transportation arranged in advance, the experience can unfold with comfort, confidence, and calm from beginning to end.
Wellness is no longer limited to the spa. It is becoming part of the way travelers shape the entire journey. For summer leisure travel, that can mean a coastal stay, a retreat, a private fitness appointment, a slower city itinerary, a scenic day trip, or simply more space between plans.
A wellness-oriented vacation depends on rhythm. The day should not feel rushed from the moment the passenger steps outside the hotel. The transfer to a spa appointment, the drive to lunch, the ride back after dinner, the journey from the airport to the resort — each one should support the feeling of rest rather than interrupt it.
This is where chauffeured transportation becomes part of the experience. A private vehicle gives passengers a quiet place between destinations: time to cool down, gather themselves, make a call, sit in silence, travel together as a family, or simply enjoy the city from a more comfortable distance.
Summer travel rewards planning. Fuller airports, warmer days, major events, and busy destinations can make even simple transfers less predictable.
Passengers should book in advance and allow extra time around restaurants, stadiums, museums, shopping appointments, private tours, and evening reservations. For leisure days with several stops, hourly chauffeured service can keep the itinerary moving without arranging a new ride at every stop.
The right vehicle also matters. Couples, families, VIPs, and groups each have different needs for space, luggage, privacy, and comfort. For larger parties, World Cup travel, weddings, private events, and multi-city itineraries, group transportation is best arranged early.
The best summer journeys are remembered for how the days unfold with ease.
A smooth arrival from the airport. A well-timed dinner pickup. A comfortable return after an evening out.
With EmpireCLS, every traveler is supported by attentive chauffeured service, thoughtful coordination, and the confidence that each detail is handled with care.
FIFA World Cup 2026 brought extraordinary energy, movement, and complexity to North America, placing chauffeured transportation planning at the center of one of the world’s most demanding sporting events. For EmpireCLS, supporting an event of this scale meant preparing early, coordinating across markets, and staying ready for conditions that could change by the hour.
Tara Roche, EmpireCLS’ Senior Vice President of Sales, reflects on what it took to plan for the tournament, support passengers across a dynamic event environment, and uphold the care, communication, and consistency clients expect from EmpireCLS.
When did planning begin for EmpireCLS’ FIFA World Cup operations, and what were the first priorities you needed to address as the tournament prepared to come to North America?
Planning began more than two years in advance, giving our team the ability to thoughtfully prepare for the scale, complexity, and global reach of the World Cup. Early priorities focused on the fundamentals that define success at this level: understanding host-city regulations, mapping the full passenger journey from airport to hotel to venue, developing layered contingency plans, and aligning a consistent service model across multiple countries and markets.
What makes preparing for the FIFA World Cup 2026 different from planning transportation for a one-city event like the Super Bowl?
FIFA World Cup 2026 operates on an entirely different scale. While the Super Bowl is contained within a single metropolitan area, the World Cup spans 16 host cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with 48 teams and 104 matches. Delivering a seamless experience across this footprint requires a highly coordinated transportation network capable of performing consistently across diverse regions, jurisdictions, and operating environments.
With matches, events, airport arrivals, hotel transfers, and post-match departures all happening across a compressed timeline, where do you see the greatest logistical complexity?
The greatest complexity lies in the transitions. Airport arrivals, hotel check-ins, stadium departures, and post-match movements all converge within tightly managed windows. Success depends on precise timing, proactive coordination, and real-time adaptability to ensure each movement remains seamless, even when delays or changes occur.
What details matter most to passengers during major global events such as this?
During events of this magnitude, passengers expect a highly controlled, elevated experience defined by certainty and discretion. This includes late-model luxury vehicles, precisely coordinated pickup points, and clear, proactive communication as conditions evolve. Equally critical are the elements that underpin true premium service: strict confidentiality, heightened security protocols, deep local expertise, and an uncompromising commitment to passenger safety at every stage of the journey.
How do you uphold the EmpireCLS signature passenger experience amid congestion, access restrictions, and unpredictable city conditions?
Maintaining the EmpireCLS standard in these environments requires anticipating access restrictions, maintaining real-time communication, and building flexibility into dispatch and staging. Local knowledge becomes an essential part of the service, as traffic patterns, security perimeters, and routing changes are not exceptions—they are the operating environment.
What has left the strongest impression on you personally?
What stands out most is the level of coordination required to create an experience that feels effortless to the passenger. At this scale, a flawless journey is the result of detailed planning, constant adjustment, and a unified team effort. It is something I am incredibly proud to have been part of, alongside a team fully committed to precision and excellence.
From the first planning stages to the final departures, FIFA World Cup 2026 showed how much precision is needed to make complex travel feel seamless. EmpireCLS brings that same planning, team coordination, and service consistency to every event it supports.
