Q&A with Leslie Bari, the Co-founder and Executive Vice President of The Constitutional Walking Tour
Q: What does The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience include?
A: The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience includes your own tour guide who provides personal attention and the highest level of service and attention to detail. Our guides are passionate Philadelphians who hail from prestigious academic institutions. They are energetic, articulate and entertaining storytellers. I think that the Atlanta Journal-Constitution best summed it up when they said that The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience was a “Splurge Experience… through America’s most historic square mile.”
Q: Can I book The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience at the last minute?
A: Sure – we are great at accommodating last minute requests, but it is best to book early to ensure that The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience is available on the date and time of your choosing and that we can find the best guide who matches your interests.
Q: Can The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience be customized?
A: Sure. We provide bespoke tours that are customized to cater to our customer’s individual needs, ranging from a 75 minute tour to a full day experience. We have sample itineraries on our Web site that provide a great overview.
Q: Do I get Independence Hall tickets as part of The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience?
A: Yes. We provide access to Independence Hall Tickets so that our VIP clients do not have to wait in line. Each VIP Tour guest will receive one ticket (subject to availability at the time payment is made) to see the inside of America’s Birthplace, either before or after their VIP Tour.
Q: Why is The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience so popular?
A: We understand that in today’s day and age that time is the greatest and rarest of all luxuries. To that end, we make lifetime memorable experiences that last a lifetime based on the amount of time that you have allocated to visit Philadelphia.
Q: Where do you suggest that we stay when we visit Philadelphia?
A: There are so many wonderful hotels in Philadelphia, in part depending upon the location where you want to stay and the amenities which you are looking for. That said, many of The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience guests have stayed at the Four Seasons, Ritz-Carlton, and Rittenhouse Hotel. The closest hotel to The Constitutional is the Kimpton Hotel Monaco which overlooks Independence Hall.
Q: Who takes The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience?
A: Our client base is diverse and has included a wide array of discerning travelers including individuals, couples, families (especially with children), small corporate groups, etc. We are proud to have hosted elected officials including U.S. Senators, Fortune 500 CEOs, foreign dignitaries, professional athletes, actors and musicians, just to name a few. The common denominator among our clientele for the VIP Tour Experience is that they are all discerning travelers who want some type of personalization.
Q: Can you tell me about some of the more unusual or challenging VIP Tour Experience requests?
A: We cover all details in coordination and scheduling and have worked with individuals, personal assistants, travel professionals, concierges, family offices, and security details to ensure that our customers get the tour experience that meets their needs.
Q: What is the most popular VIP Tour Experience?
A: All of our VIP Tour Experiences are popular, but I would say that our 3 hour “Gold” tour and 4 hour “Platinum” tour are the most requested. Both of these tours would allow us to visit between 2-5 sites which would vary based on tour length such as the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the Betsy Ross House. We have sample itineraries on our Web site that provide a great overview.
Q: Can we also add in a car service if we want to see sites such as the LOVE Statue or Rocky Statue?
A: Sure. We can arrange all of those details for a car service at an extra fee if you would like us to coordinate The Constitutional Walking Tour followed by a riding city tour to take photos at LOVE Park and the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, for example.
Q: What is your background?
A: Prior to founding The Constitutional with my husband, I was fortunate to work for American Express in New York where I oversaw various luxury travel, retail, entertainment and lifestyle programs for the American Express Platinum Card and Centurion [Black] Card, including: 1) the “By Invitation Only” experiential special events program, which included “once-in-a-lifetime” events such as the Super Bowl, Sundance Film Festival, Aspen Food & Wine Festival, Wimbledon with Stan Smith, the American Express suite at the U.S. Open, and more, 2) Platinum and Centurion Concierge program.
I also oversaw retail partnerships for the Platinum Card and Centurion Card with Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus and Sony. Additionally, I served as a Director of Account Development for the Lodging Industry where I managed the American Express relationship with Hilton Hotels and the Delta SkyMiles Credit Card portfolio, executing loyalty marketing campaigns to increase card usage.
Q: What is your favorite travel destination?
A: It is so hard to choose just one, but I love London and Paris, as well as Sydney, Australia. Wherever my family travels, we try to hire a private guide to show us the sites. We have found that private guides help us optimize our time and get an insider’s perspective that we would not otherwise get by travelling the sites on our own. We understand how important it is to find the right visitor experience wherever we go, and we always look for guides who provide family friendly tours. I am always on the lookout for ideas to help us evolve and shape The Constitutional’s VIP Tour Experience. I take pride in curating the best sites and attractions to provide the optimal visitor experience for each VIP Tour guest.
Q: What is the difference between the various VIP tours you offer (Bronze, Gold, Platinum, etc.)?
A: Basically the longer the VIP Tour Experience, we are able expand the depth and breadth of your tour by visiting the inside of more sites. For example, on a 2 hour VIP tour, we may only have time to go into the Liberty Bell, but on a 3 hour VIP tour, we can go inside Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Again, we are able to customize just about anything depending what you want to see and how much time you have allocated.
Q: How do I book The Constitutional VIP Tour Experience?
A: You can complete a VIP Tour Experience Reservation Request online by clicking here, call Leslie Bari at 215.525.1776 or send an email to info@TheConstitutional.com . For more information, please see www.TheConstitutional.com/vip.
Happy Travels! We look forward to hosting you on The Constitutional VIP Tour Experience when your travels bring you to Historic Philadelphia.
