Meet Our Team

Giuseppe Di Palma and Brad Beaty

Partners

Brad and Giuseppe are not only partners in Lush Experiences, but also partners in life, having been together for over 20 years. Their journey began in 2002, when they met through mutual friends while conducting business in New York. At the time, Giuseppe was based in Italy, but his passions in life led him to relocate to New York shortly after.

Between them, Brad and Giuseppe bring more than 50 years of collective experience in the luxury hospitality industry, having held prominent roles at world-renowned companies such as Four Seasons, Orient-Express (now Belmond), Rosewood, Raffles, and Concord, to name a few. Both started from the ground up in operational roles, eventually advancing into sales and executive leadership positions, where they spearheaded efforts for some of the most prestigious hotels globally.

Lush Experiences is driven by their belief that long-term relationships are the key to sustained success—with clients, team members, and partners alike. Brad and Giuseppe are deeply committed to fostering a culture of accessibility and support, ensuring that every member of the Lush team feels valued and empowered. Their open-door policy extends to all aspects of the business, and they pride themselves on being available whenever their team or clients need them.

Giuseppe, with his exceptional acumen in sales and strategic planning, oversees the sales initiatives and operational coordination of Lush Experiences. Meanwhile, Brad, the marketing expert, drives the brand’s vision, ensuring it remains innovative and compelling. Despite these distinct roles, their professional paths frequently intertwine, creating a seamless synergy that fuels the company’s success. Their partnership, both personal and professional, is a testament to the power of collaboration, shared values, and a passion for excellence.

Joe Decker

Vice President of Communications

With over 12 years of experience working with the same team in the Hotel Representation Field, Joe manages day to day operations of Lush Experiences in tandem with the owners. In addition, as Director of Marketing, Joe creates the Marketing agenda for the year, overseeing the execution of the company’s print, digital and social media activities, as well as their online presence.

Angel Mejia

Director of Sales

Angel’s career in luxury hospitality sales extends over 22 years, with a wealth of experience in sales, reservations, and revenue management across various luxury hotel groups. Before joining Lush Experiences in 2018, he served as Director of Sales at The Mark Hotel in New York. Throughout his career, Angel has specialized in working with travel industry clients across North and South America, cultivating enduring relationships in these regions. He is committed to building trust and maintaining effective communication with our partners and suppliers in pursuit of our mutual success.

Heidi Gallo

Sales Manager

Heidi started her career on the publication side, calling on various travel and tourism companies working for Travel Agent Magazine, she also moved on to cover travel accounts for various consumer publications throughout the years. In 2004, after having twin boys, she decided it was time to take a break from her career and stay home to focus on raising her sons.
Heidi reentered the travel industry 12 years ago, planning Roadshows and events, managing consortia programs, maintaining client relations and working closely with the sales team. Since joining Lush team in 2017, she has shifted her focus entirely to sales, covering Eastern Canada, portions of the Northeast, and Southern States for Lush Collection.
Heidi lives in New Jersey with her family. These days when she is not traveling and exploring the world you can find her in her garden, at the beach or in her kitchen cooking meals for family and friends.

Christina Willett

Director of Sales, Western Region

Christina began her career in the travel industry almost 20 years ago. In that time, she has enjoyed working with privately owned, luxury hotels, and DMC’s, to help bring them to, and keep them in the minds of, those in North America’s top luxury travel advisor community. Her passion in the industry is working with partners that have a strong sense of place and a unique story to tell. Christina’s prior experience has taken her to different markets and made her well known throughout the industry.

Christina lives in the land of fun and sun, Los Angeles, with her husband, three children and two dogs (on 7 legs!) When not working, she wears many hats and can be found managing the chaos that comes with three little kids. Her family life rounds out her resume, making her a chef, chauffeur, coordinator and financial professional, among others.

Mckenzie Strait

Sales Associate and Events Manager

Mckenzie graduated of Colorado Mesa University with a dual degree in Hospitality and International Business. She is a result-oriented professional with successful experience in event planning, client-first approach, communication, customer service, and networking. She is proven leader who has built and maintained relationships, managed teams, and executed small to large events. Mckenzie brings her skill to support Lush Experiences by coordinating with travel industry partners coordinating networking, educational, hospitality events, planning and execution of familiarization trips. Based in Houston, she is focused on sales for the Lush Collection throughout Texas and the neighboring South Central states.

Sandie Gillespie

Sales Coordinator and Executive Assistant

Sandie can be found in in Bloomfield, New Jersey. It is here that she handles the daily office activities such as coordinating sales appointments, billing, managing the database, providing support to the sales team as well as other office managerial duties.