ABOUT THE SHORT LIST
Good taste.
Strong opinions. Real backup.
The person behind the publication, the people behind the trips, what we actually do and why any of it should matter to you.
01 · ABOUT US
I created The Short List because
more options are not always more helpful.
I’m Hayden Reider, a travel advisor and the person behind The Short List. I like great hotels, ambitious trips and the people who make them work. I also think luxury travel has developed a slight problem with taking itself far too seriously.
The Short List is my answer to that. We research widely, ask people we trust, travel when we can, and narrow the field to the places and experiences we would actually feel good putting our name behind.
Sometimes the famous hotel really is fantastic. Annoying, but true. Sometimes the expensive option is mostly expensive. We’ll say that too.
02 · OUR TEAM
One point of view.
A very good bench.
Hayden Reider leads The Short List and personally oversees Private Planning. The job is not to know more about every destination than the people who live and work there. The job is to know the client, ask better questions and know which expert to bring in.
Hayden is affiliated with Aspire Travel Advisors and Cadence Travel, a Virtuoso member agency. For complex trips, we collaborate with trusted destination specialists around the world and keep the relationship connected rather than disappearing after the handoff.
03 · WHAT WE DO
Research. Narrow.
Then make it happen.
01
The Short List
Opinionated editorial, reviews and decision guides designed to help you stop researching everything and start comparing the right things.
02
Book a Hotel
Already know the stay? We check eligible preferred programs, rate tradeoffs and benefits, then put the reservation on the hotel’s radar.
03
Private Planning
For more complex trips, Hayden personally coordinates the trip with the right specialists, hotels and partners. Limited by design.
04
Trip advocacy
We stay connected to the moving parts and the people behind them. A real person in your corner is the benefit that matters when plans stop behaving.
04 · WHY WORK WITH US
The perks are nice.
The judgment is nicer.
At eligible hotels and rates, our relationships can mean daily breakfast, hotel credits, upgrades when available, early or late checkout when available and property-specific recognition.
Through Aspire, Cadence and Virtuoso, we also have a network of hoteliers, cruise partners and destination specialists to call before, during and after a trip.
01
We narrow the field.
You don’t need nineteen good options. You need the few that make sense for you.
02
We tell you what we think.
Not everything is incredible. This is surprisingly useful information.
03
We know who to call.
Relationships matter most when you need an answer, a favor or a human being.
04
We stay involved.
Private planning is intentionally limited so the trip still has Hayden’s attention.