Lorraine Travel – All in the Family

Lorraine Travel Started in the Gables 57 Years Ago. Today, It’s Thriving, a Testimony to Family-Run Businesses Reinventing Themselves in the Gables

The story of Jack and Luisa Guiteras is familiar to thousands of families that fled Cuba in the wake of the Castro revolution. With private property headed for confiscation across the island, the couple left Cuba in 1960 with the clothes on their back and whatever they could put in their pockets.

Twelve years earlier, Jack Guiteras had opened a travel company in the offices of a French shipping company in Havana. The president of that company came from the French region of Lorraine, so Jack named his firm in honor of the man who helped him start. Lorraine Travel was then reborn in Downtown Miami, moving to Le Jeune Road in 1965. In 1977, they finally settled into a building Jack bought on Alhambra Circle in 1997, where they operate today.

“At one time, there were 11 members of my family working at the company,” says Jack’s son Greg Guiteras, now CEO of Lorraine Travel. “All five of my siblings were there, along with my aunt and uncle and myself.” Add to that mom, dad, and a cousin or two.

Jack Guiteras, who passed away 11 years ago, was the driving force behind the company, says Greg, and he led with fanfare – including chartering the Concord for a trip around the world for two consecutive years, with guests that included William F. Buckley and Frank Borman.

Greg joined the firm in 1988, fresh from Florida State University, ultimately taking the reins. “Oddly enough, I was the one who, through childhood, spent the least amount of time with my parents,” he says. “Now, I’m only outdone in terms of tenure by my older brother Luis.”

It was the Guiteras children who helped reinvent the business after the advent of the internet, which made it possible for people to book their own flights and accommodations – driving many travel agencies out of business.

“We didn’t fear the internet,” says Greg. “We actually embraced it.” When corporate business faded away, Lorraine Travel focused on luxury hotels. “Twenty years ago, at the beginning of the internet, we created websites that featured luxury hotels online. Now, it’s 70 percent of our business.” Through its website whatahotel. com, Lorraine now books people all over the globe, from Europe to Korea. “Our doors are open here if someone wants to pop in, but we have very few customers in Coral Gables,” says Greg.

Lorraine’s value proposition, beyond the convenience factor that all travel agencies tout, is what Guiteras calls “exclusive complimentary perks” that come as part of their contractual agreements with luxury brands like Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons. “Our prices are identical to the websites. The difference is that when you book with us, you get a free breakfast for two, upgrades for free, free Wi-Fi, and a $100 credit to spend on-property. It’s these perks that make the difference” – as well as the legwork of booking not only the hotel but the “most advantageous” airline prices and routes at no additional cost. “We also make free changes where it’s possible, and we’re a lot more available than an airline.”

The result is that Lorraine Travel continues to thrive, especially post-pandemic with the explosion in pent-up demand for travel. “Now, every border can be crossed and every country traveled to,” says Greg. And, as for the family business, the third generation is already in place, with Greg’s nephew Richie now on board.