We had the good fortune of connecting with Janique Burke and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Janique, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I’ve always had the entrepreneurial spirit. I was a freelance writer and independent publicist for 11 years. I love the freedom entrepreneurship provides. I love to be able to work on my own terms, wherever I want and to create what I want. For me, it’s all about living your dream and being fulfilled and happy. I also have an 11 year-old son who loves that I’m home spending time with him and able to go to his soccer games.
For seven years, I worked at Forbes Travel Guide as an independent contractor with the title of a luxury hospitality evaluator. I traveled around the country visiting luxury hotels/resorts, spas and restaurants evaluating them based on luxury hospitality standards then determining where they measured in the Forbes’ star-rating program. Luxury is a part of my life, and my time at Forbes Travel Guide was absolutely the best job for me, which led me to another dream. A few years ago, I created a brand for women, such as myself, who love the finer things in life: Girlfriends’ Guide to Luxury. My latest venture through my Burke Media Consulting LLC. is Short & Suite Luxury Services, which is further expands my love of luxury hospitality.
Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
My Girlfriends’ Guide to Luxury brand is my baby. Girlfriends’ Guide to Luxury’s (GG2L) main goal is to promote normalizing luxury in the lives of all women. Girlfriends’ Guide to Luxury is a community for women who love first-class and five-star travel. Through blogging, eBooks and social media, GG2L brings women who have a common interest in travel and lifestyle together. GG2L’s goal is to build a sisterhood of like-minded women who can uplift and encourage each other to live their best lives while enjoying the finer things.
My eBook “Girlfriends’ Guide to Luxury: 5 Benefits of Five-Star Hotel Stays” dispels the thought that luxury travel is unattainable. Luxury travel and accommodations should not be foreign to hard-working women. In my guide, I present the advantages and perks of luxury hotel stays. The eBook is a quick, fun read highlighting my time as a luxury hotel evaluator, the experiences from my hotel stays and why I definitely make sure I only stay at the best when traveling. This guide will resonate with women who love and appreciate luxury, five-star travel and will open the minds of women who have been hesitant about the idea. The eBook is available now on Amazon Kindle.
Our luxury subscription box for women called, Upgraded is still in the works and will feature some unique and high quality luxury items for everyday use, staycations and vacation travel.
The road hasn’t been easy. Especially after the pandemic hit last year, I was kind of at a stand-still. Travel was not a thing, and forget about luxury travel. Many things within the field changed, so I had to re-evaluate my company and services.
This brings me to my newest business under my Burke Media Consulting LLC. umbrella, Short & Suite Luxury Services. Short & Suite is a luxury hospitality focused company that helps turn Airbnb or vacation rentals into luxurious spaces that will rival any 5-Star hotel. Since the onslaught of COVID-19, we’ve seen consumers choose to stay at Airbnb properties over hotels. Though the short-term rental business was already booming, the pandemic made that travel option more popular as people avoided crowds. My years of analyzing luxury hotels, such as The St. Regis, Mandarin Oriental and Four Seasons, provided me with the knowledge of enhancing and maximizing the earning potential of short-term rental properties.
Short & Suite Luxury Services is helping Airbnb and short-term rental owners know their market, streamline their system and to provide higher quality hospitality to ensure return guests and positive ratings.
The pandemic has taught me to pay attention to the world as it changes, and to change right along with it. It took time adjusting, but I think I’ve found my stride, while staying within the realm of luxury hospitality.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My bff is actually coming to Atlanta for a visit really soon and there are several places that I already have mapped out for us to visit.
When it comes to dining, there are a few spots that I love to visit. We can grab a bite to eat at one of the newest brunch spots in the city, Toast on Lenox. The restaurant is beautifully decorative and the atmosphere is such a vibe. The French toast and crab cake Benedict are delicious! I’m also a huge fan of Afternoon Tea and The St. Regis’ Astor Court offers a luxurious tea ritual. We already have plans to visit the Chateau Elan’s winery for a day of wine tasting and a tour of the beautiful grounds.
Originally I’m from New York, and although I’ve been living in Georgia for 13 years, I’ve yet to visit SkyView Atlanta. I love the idea of the almost 20 story Ferris wheel overlooking Centennial Park. That would be the perfect way to see the city.
We would stop by Bar Margot at Four Seasons for their delicious crab fried rice as well as the creative cocktails. It’s a low key, upscale environment perfect for us to enjoy and to catch up with one another.
Shopping is our idea of fun, so we would hit up The Shops at Buckhead for some retail therapy.
The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
The book “The Game of Life and How to Play It” by Florence Scovel-Shinn, which was first published in 1925 gave me some of the best life and career tools that still apply to today.
“The Game of Life…” provided me with faith-based examples of everyday principles on how to adjust your thinking and wording to win this game called life.
This book taught me the strengths of law of attraction through positive affirmations and attitudes. As an entrepreneur, especially in the early days, there were times when I was unsure of where my next check would come from. This book taught me how to not worry and to align my thoughts with my words, as well as God’s word to achieve success. “The Game of Life…” helped me to tap into my creativity and confidence in order to live the life that I want. I credit my business partner and friend, Kim Patterson, with introducing me to this book.
Website: https://www.shortandsuite.com.burkemediaconsulting.com/
Instagram: @_shortandsuite
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/girlfriendsguidetoluxury
Image Credits
N/A