Simon Westcott of Luxe City Guides
For this travel publishing veteran, producing city guides is more about hard work than glamour
Simon Westcott has an impressive track record in the travel industry. He spent seven years at Lonely Planet and co-founded the Asia subsidiary of the Mr & Mrs Smith hotel collection. Earlier this year he moved to Hong Kong to take up the post of owner and chief executive of Luxe City Guides, the cool little books that are big on travel tips.
Settling in for coffee at a Central cafe, Westcott - dressed in a smart jacket with a pocket square peeking out the top, looks every bit the discerning traveller Luxe City Guides appeals to. "Yes, I adopted the pocket square from Grant - he has impeccable taste so I have big sartorial shoes to fill," he says referring to former owner Grant Thatcher, who set up the business in Hong Kong 12 years ago. "I had a good instinct about Luxe City Guides very early on - they were doing something special with the editorial process that nobody else was doing."
He proudly hands over the latest additions to the family: Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. "Yes, there's the obvious Olympics opportunity, but we just had to get into Brazil - South America is a major player and enjoying rapid growth. It was amazing road testing what the editors on the ground had compiled. And while Rio is great, it was Sao Paulo that stole the show for me - the street art and the creative scene was amazing."
Bearing the trademark funky covers that fan out to provide a rich look into the cities, - the grooviest places to shop, eat, sleep and sight-see - the new Brazilian additions also speak the cool language Luxe City Guides has become known for.
There are tips on beach etiquette, Standout Stores, Luxe Loathes (traffic, selfies at Christ), Luxe Loves (Bar Urca - a seaside bar; Jardin Botanico - botanical gardens). Under a section titled Blah Blah are details on shop opening hours and safety advice.
"What we do is provide an experience. We can say don't go to this Hong Kong restaurant if you are feeling hungover because of the bright iridescent lights, but if you don't mind that then head there because the fishballs are amazing. It's all about the details."
British-born Westcott's zeal for travel started early.