The Story
Why and how did beCuriou come about? Read the full story about where we started, our journey so far and where we are heading next.
The name beCuriou is the combination of the words bespoke and curious.
THE STARTING POINT
The owner of the company, Edward Wendel, traveled extensively as a finance and banking executive, in addition to numerous private trips. After using several travel agencies and event companies, he still believed there was room for improvement with regards to personal service, insight and competitive pricing.
FROM IDEA TO REALITY
After meeting Kenneth Cai, who had experience from the top-rated service organisation Singapore Airlines along with Swiss hospitality education, they decided to challenge the traditional thinking management of the hospitality industry. They set out to make a difference by establishing an industry-leading travel partner for the high-end clients and corporate group trips - beCuriou Private Travel was born.
BECURIOU PRIVATE TRAVEL
beCuriou Private Travel aims to work harder than anyone else with regards to the combination of service standards, knowledge and competitive pricing for selected clients. The starting point was to gather a set of highly skilled people – across industries – and get guidance through their roles in beCuriou's Board of Directors and Advisory Board. Moreover, Turi Ihlen joined beCuriou from one of Norway’s largest travel agencies, HRG, where she led the team managing the travels for some of the most prestigious clients, ranging from major players within the shipping, oil and gas industries to the Foreign Ministry.
OPERATIONAL STANDARDS
In addition, beCuriou saw the need to create more efficient operations, having experience of how the management of airlines and other providers have otherwise accepted antiquated and inefficient booking platforms and value chains. Celina Gylthe joined beCuriou and has been instrumental in setting new benchmarks for the company's operational standards and efficiency. beCuriou aims to set a new management benchmark and continuous monitoring of the company's performance, to secure a financially sustainable business – safeguarding clients, providers and employees.
TODAY
Today the team is made up of the most client-oriented mindsets with diverse backgrounds – both from the hospitality industry and beyond. The goal is to mirror the mindset of our chosen clients better than anyone else and attract the best people wanting to fight the hardest for our clients’ interests, time and money.
The company has grown tremendously, with wonderful top-end clients from Norway, Singapore, the US, Switzerland, Sweden, the UK, Germany, Canada and more.
MOVING FORWARD
beCuriou's corporate culture is based on a continuous search for higher excellence. Every day the team learns from their experiences and how they can do an even better job towards their valued clients tomorrow. beCuriou is in this business for the long run – hence they have the strictest codes of conduct, where sustainable practices are an important part of the way they work.
They also want to have the strongest ownership among the most ambitious employees when it comes to the client's satisfaction levels. The team is strongly incentivised to create the best experiences and negotiate the best value for our clients.
Our Commitment
We promise to work harder than any other travel concierge to provide our discerning clients with the best combination of:
PERSONAL AND TAILOR-MADE SERVICES
DIVERSE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE
PRICES 10-15% BELOW OUR COMPETITORS
*Based on official account for 2017
2012
beCuriou was founded. We started operating in late 2012 in an office in Aker Brygge in Oslo and soon gained a loyal client base.
2015
The team grew to four full time employees and we moved to a new and larger office in Tjuvholmen Allé as well as an office in central London. Our client base continued to grow.
2019
Thanks to loyal and new clients along with a larger proportion of group trips, beCuriou is ranked among the fastest growing companies in Europe and among the 2% top growth companies in Norway the last four years.
2025
With our continuous search for excellence, we'll be working even harder to be the best at what we do.
We are always looking for bright people to join the team. Please look at our Careers page for more info.