Some people struggle with balancing work and their personal life. Annette Stellhorn and her husband Rick actually live their jobs. They own a full-service travel agency with offices in Rehoboth Beach, Wilmington and Towson, Md. Their schedule involves more than 14 weeks of travel annually to attend industry executive meetings and new cruise ship launches, and hosting select group travel opportunities. They have travelled to 135 countries and territories, including Italy, which they have visited more than 30 times. They have also been on more than 100 cruises, including 85 different ships. When not traveling for work, one might find them in Zambia, where they get to babysit their grandchildren for one son, and in Vietnam, where another son teaches English.

Annette’s grandparents were the first Italians to buy land in Sussex County, and she grew up on a farm outside Delmar.

“My older brothers traveled the world for business, and that’s where I got my curiosity about what’s out there,” she said.

After graduating from Delaware Tech, Annette took a job in Baltimore, where she met her soon-to-be fiancé Rick. His family owned a small travel agency in Towson. The business was struggling, and she and Rick ended up buying the agency in 1989. She operated the agency as a standalone office for about 16 years. Then in 2015, she went completely virtual with the Towson office while moving back to the family farm in Delaware. Later, they opened a small office in Rehoboth Beach, which became their corporate headquarters. Since then, she has bought two more agencies in Towson and took over the book of business from Greenville Travel in 2020. Their combined sales, from all their offices, put Accent on Travel in the top 20% of all agencies in the country.

As president, Annette believes in a collaborative management style, recognizing that each team member brings different strengths to the table. Annette focuses on supporting her team members and making their jobs easier with innovations in technology and marketing. When asked to define how she has branded her agency, she replied, “It is all about enriching lives through travel for both clients and staff.”

As a benefit to the staff, but also to the agency, Annette sends her people to destinations far and wide, so they may bring back the knowledge of cities and countries around the world when planning travel experiences for clients.

Since 2018, business for Accent on Travel has doubled, with about $1.5 million in revenues each month. Some of that growth comes from acquiring new agencies, but much of the growth has been organic. While community growth has been a factor, the reputation of the agency has also contributed greatly to the growth. That reputation comes from Annette positioning Accent on Travel as a business that offers unique travel experiences and educational enrichment for travel clients.

Few businesses felt the impact of COVID like travel agencies. In March 2020, doors closed when people were no longer permitted to travel. As a result, the business saw a 90% drop in sales over a two-year period. At the time they closed, there was about $17 million in travel contracts that had been committed, but no additional revenues came into the business for 18 months.

“We knew that once the travel restrictions were lifted, there would be an incredible rush to make up for lost time,” Annette said.

Business slowly began to pick up in 2021 as people began to travel to accessible locations, and by the end of 2022, volumes were back to pre-COVID levels. The use of virtual technology became a lifesaver for the agency, as appointments with clients were managed online, and that continues today. 

With a business that focuses on personalized experiences for clients, it was critically important to Annette that Accent on Travel retain its staff during COVID. Fortunately, no team members resigned, despite the unprecedented uncertainty, and Annette was able to take advantage of federal financial programs like PPP and ERTC to continue to pay staff.

Annette sees her greatest challenge as vetting the right team members to join the company and help steer its future. Looking at advancements in artificial intelligence, Annette plans to bring that technology to private-label software that will allow travel advisors to enhance the planning experience for their clients. Advisors will eventually be able to take virtual tours as they research trips, and better understand and visualize what the travel experience will be like for clients. No doubt her husband Rick and her oldest son, who manages the finances, will continue to play important roles in the business as it grows. And that will enable Annette to continue to leave her fingerprints on the business, and bring unique travel experiences to current and future clients.