Award-winning boutique luxury travel and hospitality headhunters Ambitions Travel Recruitment (ATR) are celebrating a standout year of growth as the company reaches its four year anniversary this month, by unveiling three new team members, as well as reflecting on its rising industry influence and continued relationships with some of the luxury leisure travel and hospitality sector’s most respected brands.
Founded in January 2022 by Fi Morrison-Arnthal, who has over 35 years’ experience in leisure travel recruitment, the business has grown from a solo operation in the midst of the pandemic to a seven person, all-female team who have become renowned for their work worldwide, from the UK, to North America, Europe, Africa, Asia and the GCC.
Fi launched ATR after several years as a consistent top biller at Progressive Travel Recruitment, bringing with her a loyal client base and a clear vision for a different kind of recruitment partner, rooted in credibility, trust and a deep knowledge of the industry. As the agency enters its fourth year, ATR has worked with some of the best luxury leisure travel and hospitality companies in the business, from safari to cruise, expedition to UHNW events and luxury safari lodges, including Cookson Adventures, Ellidor, Wilderness, Yellow Zebra, Aurora Expeditions, AMA Waterways, &Beyond, Nemo, Newmarket Holidays and many more. All of this has been achieved without any external investment, growing purely through Fi and her team’s reputation, relationships and referrals — a model that consistently delivers exceptional, fully headhunted talent.
ATR has carved out its own niche in the luxury travel and hospitality headhunting space by taking a boutique approach to recruitment. Unlike high-volume agencies, ATR only works with select partners, valuing referrals from people the team know and trust. This selective style means ATR is able to ethically headhunt the very best talent from the wider market, talent that would otherwise be off-limits if they worked with every competitor in the sector. ATR measures success by the quality of talent introduced and the long-term impact of their placements, not by activity levels and this has earned them a reputation as true headhunters, searching, approaching and qualifying candidates with precision, and earning the trust of clients who know candidates put forward will be truly aligned with their values and goals.
The addition of two Talent Acquisition Managers – Zhané Frankson and Lisa Harding – and an additional Operations support team member, Claudette Gouws, reflects Fi’s recruitment style, both for her partners but also for her own business, with every hire referral-led and values-driven, and new team members selected for their proven track record, industry credibility and commitment to quality over volume.
Zhané brings over 8 years of hands-on luxury hospitality experience to her role at ATR, Her leadership potential was recognised early on, becoming the youngest female manager within the prestigious Newmark Group. Her move into recruitment was a natural progression, Zhané specialises in luxury hospitality recruitment.
Lisa previously worked for Travel Trade Recruitment and brings three decades of experience within the travel industry. Specialising in luxury travel, lifestyle and events, Lisa has a skill for identifying individuals who embody confidence, warmth and professionalism while maintaining the calm, detail-driven approach expected when working with HNW travellers and VIP guests.
Claudette joins ATR as a Talent Acquisitions Operations Specialist; Claudette previously worked closely with a number of the ATR team members at Progressive Travel Recruitment and has enjoyed an impressive career in the travel industry spanning almost two decades. With her deep operational experience across travel, recruitment and support roles, Claudette strengthens the foundations of ATR and completes a team that truly knows how to deliver — calmly, consistently and to the highest standard.
Reflecting on the previous year and looking forward to the year ahead, Fi said “ATR was built in a moment of uncertainty during the pandemic, but it was always built on a foundation of certain values. We’ve never chased volume or tried to be everything to everyone. Our growth has come through trust, referrals and doing the right thing by both clients and candidates. As we move into 2026, our focus remains the same – quality over quantity, relationships over transactions and continuing to build a team of exceptional people who understand the luxury travel and hospitality world from the inside out.”
While the early days of ATR were shaped by start-up urgency and necessity, the business continued to thrive through relationships alone. By year two, performance had significantly exceeded expectations, prompting a full brand and website redevelopment and collaboration with leading industry specialists to refine ATR’s positioning as a premium headhunting partner rather than a traditional recruitment agency.
Today, ATR is one of the youngest and fastest growing companies in the sector, and uses this to its advantage, commanding one of the strongest digital and reputational footprints, with the team collectively holding over 300 LinkedIn recommendations, more than 100 years’ combined experience working directly in luxury travel and hospitality and the third-largest social media following in its space, despite competing with agencies that have been established for more than two decades. With continued client demand, further team growth planned and a reputation firmly established as a trusted luxury travel and hospitality headhunting partner, ATR enters 2026 positioned for its strongest year yet.