Meet James McLaren
LOCAL FOREIGNER’S TEAM OF INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS
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Never going home
Growing up in an industrial town in the north of England, James always dreamt of something more. His early obsession with aesthetics and design led him to London at the age of 18, where he studied at the London College of Fashion. Landing a job in Prague upon graduation, James jumped at the opportunity to live abroad and relished in the utter culture shock of it all: “I traveled with my family as a kid. We went to Spain and Greece on summer holidays, but I always dreamt of seeing more and delving deeper. When I moved to Prague, everything was different.” James was fascinated by Eastern European culture and loved the excitement of living in a place where he didn’t speak the language. Throwing himself into a new community, making new friends, and adapting to a different way of life became addictive – so much that, as his career progressed, James took jobs in Athens, Antwerp, and eventually San Francisco, where he currently resides (well technically Mill Valley) with his boyfriend and their beloved English bulldog. “For a long time, picking up and moving to a new city was a major theme in my life,” James tells us, recalling the excitement of his early career, “I never wanted to go home.”
A lifechanging hotel stay
As a Senior Director at Levi’s, James often traveled to Europe and Asia for work, where he took every opportunity to combine business and pleasure. Next to fashion, traveling was James’ ultimate passion. Sometime before his 30th birthday, James watched “Inside Claridge’s,” a BBC documentary that portrays life behind the scenes of the illustrious Mayfair hotel. James was captivated by the series and was awestruck by the special kind of care that went into making each hotel stay exceptional. He quickly made it his mission to experience Claridge’s for himself, and checked-in on his 30th birthday. “I remember everything about that day perfectly,” James tells us, “I remember the scent, the floral displays, the staff – everything. They had a cake waiting in my room and when I went to the restaurant for lunch, the host greeted me by name. At every point during my stay, I kept thinking ‘What is this magic?!”
What is this magic?!
-James McLaren, on the feeling a luxury hotel stay can elicit
Service is the gold standard of luxury
James has visited Claridge’s dozens of times since his 30th birthday, but always looks back on that stay as a turning point: “Overnight I switched all of my discretionary spending from fashion to five star hotels.” Since that memorable night, James has traveled on the Orient Express, flown La Premiere (his favorite first class product), and considers Amangiri, Airelles Versailles, and the Hotel Bel-Air as some of his favorite properties. The one thing that links them all? Service. “I truly believe service can cover for a multitude of sins,” James explains, “Your room could have a lousy view, your massage could be subpar, and your dinner could be forgettable, but if you’re made to feel special, and genuinely welcomed, it’s easy to forget everything else.”
“I truly believe service can cover for a multitude of sins.”
the power of human connection
For James, genuine human connection is what defines excellent hotel service, but it’s also the reason he decided to pursue luxury travel as a career. He was on a great track at Levi’s, but found himself yearning for more tangible service-oriented relationships. Relying on his passion for travel and client service, James launched his travel consultant career with The Local Foreigner. Now, he aims to provide each client with the kind of service he’s experienced the world over. He considers it a privilege to play such a pivotal role in orchestrating clients’ dream trips and special memories: “Helping clients discover their own ‘Claridge’s Moment’ – now that is something special.”