Ask Luxury Escapes Co-founder and CEO Adam Schwab what’s keeping him busy, and the list comes fast. Direct flights to the Maldives. A new co-branded credit card. An agent hub gaining serious traction. And its Chadstone retail store, reportedly on track to become the first travel store globally to hit nine figures.
Speaking with actor, presenter and musician Cameron Daddo last week at the TravMedia Summit in Sydney, Schwab said the company now employs around 650 staff and has grown from “zero to a billion and a half” in 15 years.
Its recipe for success? Schwab said Luxury Escapes focuses on contribution margin rather than headline gross transaction value (GTV) or total transaction value (TTV) figures. “It’s sort of easy to grow top line because you’re spending lots of money on marketing,” he said.
“What we want to make sure we’re able to grow as a business is grow contribution margin, essentially profitability, because your costs below that line are generally relatively fixed.”
As such, depending on the month, the company reports top-line growth of 30 to 50 per cent, with bottom-line growth of 300 per cent.
Schwab compared that to competitors, noting Flight Centre grew 7 to 10 per cent in its most recent result. “You look at other businesses, they’re generally shrinking in the travel space,” he said. “So we’ve been able to take a bit of market share in the last couple of years.”
What does the retail expansion look like?
The Chadstone store, Luxury Escapes’ first bricks-and-mortar retail outlet, which opened in 2022, is approaching $100 million in sales from a single location, said Schwab. For context, a strong travel agency typically turns over around $10 million.
The Bondi Junction store, which opened in late 2025 next door to Apple, is the company’s second Australian location. A third store is in negotiation, with Queensland the likely destination.
“We’re guided by the site we can get,” Schwab said. “It’s less about the state or the city, and more about location.” He noted, saying both stores are “easily the top two travel stores in Australia, and I’m pretty sure the top two in the world.”
According to Schwab, the retail push was modelled on Apple’s store strategy. “The iPhone is an incredible product, but it’s the stores, certainly in our view, that really took Apple to the next level.”
While plaudits for the stores have been plentiful, Schwab admitted the board was initially sceptical. “The board was like, ‘This is a stupid idea.’ So I did it anyway, and thankfully it turned out well.”
How is the trade relationship evolving?
For much of Luxury Escapes’ 15-year history, the company felt it had a strained relationship with travel advisors. “Everybody kind of hated us,” Schwab quipped. “We didn’t really hate anyone, but everybody hated us.”
He said the company always believed it complemented the trade by selling accommodation while advisors sold flights, but acknowledged only about 10 per cent of the industry saw it that way.
However, the launch of Agent Hub changed that dynamic. Schwab said the platform is now one of the fastest-growing parts of the business, with growth of “a couple of hundred per cent.”
The agent community “has gone from hating us to kind of liking us now,” he said.
What comes next for Société and a new credit card?
Schwab said the company’s Société loyalty program is central to the long-term strategy. The paid tier, Lux Plus, has around 70,000 members who visit the site 50 per cent more often and spend 50 per cent more than non-members, according to Schwab.
A co-branded credit card is due within four months, which Schwab described as “the most generous or equally most generous points earning card in Australia.” Cardholders will earn points on every dollar spent, redeemable across the full Luxury Escapes product range.
He also flagged a free eSIM (electronic SIM card) benefit for Société members, offering one to five gigabytes of travel data at no cost.
“We’ve always been what I call long-term greedy,” Schwab said.
“Once you hit Platinum tier with us, we’re probably giving half our margin back. You’re getting upgrades. You’re getting transfers every time you go.”
What does the Maldives charter mean for Australian travellers?
On May 18, 2026, Luxury Escapes will launch a direct charter flight from Melbourne to the Maldives as part of an initial six-month arrangement with Maldivian Airlines.
Schwab said one in every two Australians who travel to the Maldives currently books through Luxury Escapes. The direct routing cuts travel time to under 11 hours with overnight flights each way, compared to 15 to 24 hours via existing connections.
With free early check-in and late checkout from resort partners, travellers “effectively get seven days for the price of five when you’re paying a couple of grand a night.”
The company is taking on the commercial risk. “If we don’t sell out, it’s on us,” Schwab said. “Thankfully, it’s sold pretty well.”
The company is also eyeing further charter routes and says it is close to launching what Schwab called “the best AI-driven trip planner globally.”
KARRYON UNPACKS: The numbers behind Luxury Escapes’ Agent Hub growth signal a platform worth watching. With Chadstone nearing $100 million in single-store sales and a credit card and eSIM benefit on the way, the company is building switching costs that could shift how and where premium Australian travellers book.
