Want More Destination Wedding & Honeymoon Referrals?
I'll Bet You Do!
And founding partners benefits
We are helping make the romance travel industry simpler for everyone involved.
LOVU (pronounced "Love You") is the first mobile app making it easy for couples to find and direct-book romantic trips like honeymoons, weddings, proposals, anniversaries, and babymoons direct with hotels and or travel advisors.
Look around at the travel and hospitality industry, and before long, a few major flaws start to become apparent. You see that, despite the huge demand for romantic trips, there is very little specialization or attention. Honeymoons, proposals, babymoons, and anniversaries all wind up in the same category as every other trip, which is precisely what couples don't want.
The truth is that as an industry, we can do better.
Let me introduce myself.
My name is Shri. A travel tech, media pro, and entrepreneur, I have worked in travel and hospitality for more than twenty years. In addition, I have built up experience in digital marketing and weddings, leading the industry for more than a decade – at TheKnot.com, where I generated more than $50 million in media revenue.
All of that was exciting, but every step of the way, I could tell that my calling was elsewhere.
After I saw firsthand how unsettling the whole travel research and planning process is for couples while I worked at TheKnot.com and later seeing my cousin book a honeymoon with a major online travel agent and experience unacceptable service, I started to think about what was possible.
That was the beginning of LOVU, the travel app that is all about romance and couples' trips. From wedding proposals to destination weddings to honeymoons to anniversaries to vow renewals to babymoons, romantic trips are easy on LOVU, where couples get to develop a one-to-one relationship with hotels and travel advisors, who are going to be there for you when you need them most.
We know when honeymooners show up at a hotel, the hotel naturally treats them like VIPs because they are celebrating a milestone romantic vacation and or they used a travel advisor. This is because most hoteliers understand the value of using a travel advisor and that honeymooners are going to share and broadcast their experiences, letting their friends and family know what they can expect at the same property.
Pain points we are elevating from consumers:
No more endless hours researching and vetting hotels.
No more wondering if you have really landed the best deals.
No more stressing out about your booking options.
LOVU is there to help!
Instead, LOVU is there to take care of it all for couples, to streamline the booking process so that couples can let go and relax, confident that when they show up, all they have to do is experience their most authentic love.
Wherever you are in your relationship, just getting started or three decades in, LOVU empowers you to create the romantic getaway of their dreams.
Just think of all these problems we are going to eliminate for couples.
The time it would take to research, plan, and book romantic trips.
The indirect relationships they would strike with hotels.
The annoyance of finding the right person at a hotel to give them a deal.
The time it would take them to find an experienced destination travel expert.
LOVU – the Smarter Way to Do Romantic Trips
LOVU is removing the middlemen – companies like Expedia, Booking.com, Priceline, and Kayak – to put couples in control of their travel experience. A few taps or swipes on their phones, they can make a direct reservation and link up with a travel expert anywhere in the world.
We are making research, planning, and booking straightforward and even fun.
Check out the big business of romance – and mobile apps.
Compared to regular vacays, couples are shelling out three times as much money. The market for destination weddings and honeymoons in the US alone has exceeded $25 billion. Consider all these components.
$12 billion+
U.S. Honeymoon Spending
$16 billion+ U.S. Destination Wedding Spending
$300 billion+ Global Wedding Industry Spending
$2.5 trillion+ Globally Luxury Travel Market by 2025
Meanwhile, the market for apps is undeniably massive. It is estimated that the global number of smartphone users will rise to 3.5 billion over the course of 2020. In addition, there are more connected mobile devices globally (7.94 billion) than people, and nearly 90% of mobile internet time is spent in apps (emarketer). Most importantly, mobile users prefer apps to browsers. When we looked at the mobile industry research on time spent with 2.7 billion smartphone users, 90% of the total mobile time was spent on apps, and the average weekly time spent using travel apps was 19 minutes. (Source: BuildFire Statista 2021
Enter LOVU
All of this means that the market is perfect for LOVU. There is no company dominating romance travel, which is why we are inviting hotel companies and travel advisors focused on romance travelers to become early adopters and founding launch partners.
What We Need & What You Get
For Travel Advisors, LOVU is a high-quality referral lead source. Advisors are important to LOVU because when it comes right down to booking important trips like honeymoons, destination weddings and anniversary trips most couples in the end after all their research leave the booking up to you the travel expert. Travel Advisors do pay a fee to be included, but this doesn’t mean any travel agent can buy their way in – Travel Advisors must meet three of the following criteria and submit supporting documents to be accepted as a LOVU Travel Advisor. Pledges will be refunded if criteria are not met.
- Certified Travel Agent (CTA) accreditations CTC or CTIE
- Certificate of completion for the Travel Institute's DW & Honeymoon course
- IADWP (International Association of Destination Wedding Planners) certification
- DWHSA Romance Travel certification
- Membership affiliation: CLIA, ASTA, DWHSA, IATAN, TRUE, ASTA Small Business Network (formerly NACTA)
- Accolades from leading industry suppliers - 3 vendors/BDM and phone/email contact
- GTM East or West - Copy of email stating they were accepted to GTM
What’s in it for you?
- No commissions sharing - travel advisors get to keep all their commissions, no sharing with LOVU
- Commission protection on future user bookings (we will notify you when them when their LOVU clients are looking to book aga
- Find a Travel Advisor "call-to-action" button on all unclaimed hotel profiles
- High-quality referrals - weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals, etc.
- Spotlight profile on your experience with contact information
- 1:1 messaging engagement
- Part of an exclusive and curated community of top-rated peers
- Virtual Sales Training - Mastermind Virtual Classes with industry-leading expert, Alan Berg
LOVU's Impact
We are helping make the romantic travel industry simpler for everyone involved. Consider the benefits for each of the following groups.
For Consumers
- Direct relationship with travel experts
- Exclusive deals and perks
- VIP guest experience
- Romance Travel RFPs for milestone celebratory travel
- Save hours on research
- Free nights and more
For Travel Advisors
- No commissions sharing – you get to keep all your commissions
- High-quality referrals – weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals, etc.
- Find a Travel Advisor - Call-to-Action button on hotel and destination profiles
- 1:1 messaging engagement
- A curated and exclusive community of top-rated peers
- Commission protection on your LOVU clients future bookings
We are offering a presale limited time offer subscription to the first 100 Travel Advisors to enroll as a Founding Partner with special benefits.
$450
Romance Travel
Advisor Pledge
Value $1,400 – limited to first 100.
Only 85 left!
Includes:
- Annual subscription
- First 6 months Free
- Subscription rate controlled. Lifetime Fixed Rate
- Commission safeguard on future bookings
- One year Spotlight featured in your top 10 destinations
- 5 bio images
- Bio copy, website link, Phone, email, social media links, Reviews
- Special Offer Content
- VIP invitation to our exclusive mini romance travel mastermind virtual classes with the Leading International Expert on the Business of Weddings & Events, Alan Berg ($500 value)
- Gain insights on the sales cycle with tips on converting inquiries to sales – getting their attention is great, converting that attention to a sale is priceless!
If the timing is not right at this time to participate. One way you can help is my make a personal pledge of any size on our kickstart crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com.
Enter LOVU
All of this means that the market is perfect for LOVU. There is no company dominating romance travel, which is why we are inviting hotel companies and travel advisors focused on romance travelers to become early adopters and founding launch partners.
What We Need & What You Get
For Travel Advisors, LOVU is a high-quality referral lead source. Advisors are important to LOVU because when it comes right down to booking important trips like honeymoons, destination weddings and anniversary trips most couples in the end after all their research leave the booking up to you the travel expert. Travel Advisors do pay a fee to be included, but this doesn’t mean any travel agent can buy their way in – Travel Advisors must meet three of the following criteria and submit supporting documents to be accepted as a LOVU Travel Advisor. Pledges will be refunded if criteria are not met.
- Certified Travel Agent (CTA) accreditations CTC or CTIE
- Certificate of completion for the Travel Institute's DW & Honeymoon course
- IADWP (International Association of Destination Wedding Planners) certification
- DWHSA Certification DWHSA Romance Travel certification
- Membership affiliation: CLIA, ASTA, DWHSA, IATAN, TRUE, ASTA Small Business Network (formerly NACTA)
- Accolades from leading industry suppliers - 3 vendors/BDM and phone/email contact
- GTM East or West - Copy of email stating they were accepted to GTM
What’s in it for you?
- No commissions sharing - travel advisors get to keep all their commissions, no sharing with LOVU
- Commission protection on future user bookings (we will notify you when them when their LOVU clients are looking to book aga
- Find a Travel Advisor "call-to-action" button on all unclaimed hotel profiles
- High-quality referrals - weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals, etc.
- Spotlight profile on your experience with contact information
- 1:1 messaging engagement
- Part of an exclusive and curated community of top-rated peers
- Virtual Sales Training - Mastermind Virtual Classes with industry-leading expert, Alan Berg
LOVU's Impact
We are helping make the romantic travel industry simpler for everyone involved. Consider the benefits for each of the following groups.
For Consumers
- Direct relationship with travel experts
- Exclusive deals and perks
- VIP guest experience
- Romance Travel RFPs for milestone celebratory travel
- Save hours on research
- Free nights and more
For Travel Advisors
- No commissions sharing – you get to keep all your commissions
- High-quality referrals – weddings, honeymoons, vow renewals, etc.
- Find a Travel Advisor - Call-to-Action button on hotel and destination profiles
- 1:1 messaging engagement
- A curated and exclusive community of top-rated peers
- Commission protection on your LOVU clients future bookings
We are offering a presale limited time offer subscription to the first 100 Travel Advisors to enroll as a Founding Partner with special benefits.
$450
Romance Travel
Advisor Pledge
Value $1,400 – limited to first 100.
Only 85 left!
Includes:
- Annual subscription
- First 6 months Free
- Subscription rate controlled. Lifetime Fixed Rate
- Commission safeguard on future bookings
- One year Spotlight featured in your top 10 destinations
- 5 bio images
- Bio copy, website link, Phone, email, social media links, Reviews
- Special Offer Content
- VIP invitation to our exclusive mini romance travel mastermind virtual classes with the Leading International Expert on the Business of Weddings & Events, Alan Berg ($500 value)
- Gain insights on the sales cycle with tips on converting inquiries to sales – getting their attention is great, converting that attention to a sale is priceless!
If the timing is not right at this time to participate. One way you can help is my make a personal pledge of any size on our kickstart crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
What problem is LOVU solving?
LOVU eliminates the countless hours couples spend researching to find the best romantic travel hotspot for honeymoons, proposals, destination weddings, anniversary trips, etc., we are making it easy for them to get the best rates and experiences directly with service providers and for hotels, we are eliminating high cost sales channels and giving them a direct relationship with high-valued guests.
How are you going to market LOVU?
We will be relying primarily on content marketing. Our B2C content marketing (travel consumers) efforts will include brand marketing, specialized media, social media, public relations campaigns, expert advice marketing, influencer marketing, Etc. For our B2B content marketing to hotels, resorts, vacation rentals, etc., we will include social media (LinkedIn), public relations, industry press, expert advice marketing, Etc.
How are you going to compete with Expedia, Bookings, and others?
LOVU is not a booking site like Expedia, Booking.com, and others. LOVU provides expert advice and is a referral service to consumers planning romantic trips like honeymoon, proposals, weddings, babymoons, anniversaries, and birthdays.
Why would hotels/resorts participate?
LOVU offers freemium and paid subscription plans. The subscription fee is minimal compared to the +30% commissions. Hotels add thousands of dollars to their bottom line they would have otherwise paid out to 3rd party booking sites. LOVU also offers hotels a direct 1:1 booking relationship opportunity with very high-valued guests.
How much does LOVU cost?
LOVU is free to consumers. There is a freemium account that every property gets and a paid premium account starting with our complimentary RoomX plan that involves room exchange for subscription and a Gold, Diamond, and Platinum for multi-property brands. The first six months are free.
What type of hotels and resorts does LOVU feature?
LOVU features 4 and 5 stars rated hotels, resorts, villas, and luxury properties. Our content team vets properties before approving a subscription. If a hotel does not qualify, we will refund the subscription fee.
What is your cancellation policy?
You can cancel anytime for any reason with 60 days notice.
Is this an Apple or Android app?
LOVU will be available on both platforms.
How are travel advisors selected?
Travel Advisors must be Certified Travel Agent (CTA) accreditations CTC, meet three additional criteria and submit supporting documentation to be accepted as a LOVU Travel Advisor.
What is the Mini Mastermind Virtual Romance Travel Sales Class
The founder of LOVU, romance travel digital sales and marketing expert, and Alan Berg, Leading International Expert on the Business of Weddings & Events, will take you through the sales cycle and provide tips on converting inquiries into sales.
Who is behind LOVU?
Shri Lildharrie
Founder, CEO
Shri Lildharrie is a travel tech, multi-media pro, and entrepreneur with over 20 years' Digital, Travel, Marketing, and Wedding Industry Experience. He led the travel vertical for the world's leading online wedding resource, TheKnot.com, and is a SaaS business development and hospitality tech expert.
Artyom Sklyarov
Co-Founder, CPO
Artyom Sklyarov is an accomplished digital creative director, designer, and developer with 20 years of interactive media experience and a portfolio of award-winning projects. He worked directly with many leading hospitality brands, including Marriott, Hard Rock Hotels, Loews Hotels, and many others.
Advisors
Alan Berg
Wedding Industry Guru with 25+ years experience in the wedding industry and the leading international speak on the business of weddings.
Max Starkov
Hospitality and online travel industry technologist, consultant, and digital strategist with 20 plus years of experience in hospitality technology and digital marketing, hotel online distribution, and revenue management.
Armin Asceric
Associated Director, Sales and Marketing, SLS Baha Mar, Bahamas. He specializes in elevating hospitality brands, guest experiences, destination marketing, and luxury tourism.
Kristin Stark
President of Honeymoonwishes.com, a SaaS platform used by consumers and hotel companies to set up a honeymoon cash gifting registry.
Thomas Curtin
Thomas Curtin was publisher and SVP of Bridal Guide Magazine. He was instrumental in the creation of Bridal Guide’s enormously successful “Honeymoon Guides” for American Airlines, Hawaii, Marriott, Mexico, Tahiti, Florida and others. Today, Mr.Curtin is a Partner in Honeymoons.com; a website found atop millions of others on search engines like Google.
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