Meet our fantastic group of world-renowned, prolific travel journalists who have written various articles for Hotels Above Par.
Britney Eschelman
Associate Editor & Arts Manager
Britney Eschelman is the Associate Editor & Arts Manager at Hotels Above Par. She works closely with Founder & Editor-in-Chief Brandon Berkson to craft compelling content for the online publication and social media. When she’s not writing her next article at Café Lyria in Noho or PlantShed in the East Village—covering the latest boutique hotel, snazzy restaurant, or sleek cocktail bar—she’s out with friends, scouting the best dirty martinis in New York City, or strolling down the avenues while catching up with loved ones.
Leya Kaufman
Chief Revenue Officer & Contributing Editor
Leya Kaufman is a New York-based digital marketing expert, contributing editor, and partnerships lead. She joins HAP with over a decade of luxury brand partnership experience with Coveteur, Hearst, Giorgio Armani, and Hermès. For Coveteur, she covered everything from indie designers to fine jewelry to hidden gems in the Flatiron District, like Mister French. She also dreams of the pizza from Panorama in Capri.
Megan Shelton
Boutique Hotel Deals + Social Media Editor
Megan is a Brooklyn-based food and travel journalist and publicist. If she’s not jet setting off to her next trip, she can be found exploring new restaurants and bars, learning Italian, or walking her dog, Pandi.
Alex Catarinella
Contributing Writer
Alex Catarinella is a writer based in New York City. He got his start in his early twenties as a party reporter covering the downtown scene and interviewing celebrities at fancy events for ELLE, New York Magazine, PAPER, and more. Over the years, he’s also written for Vogue, NYLON, Dazed & Confused, i-D, and elsewhere. These days, he mainly writes about all things travel, from city guides to hotel reviews, and would rather spend time with his elderly cat (or be in Tokyo!) than be at a fashion party.
Published in: New York Magazine, Vogue, i-D, NYLON, ELLE, HYPEBAE, Coveteur, Dazed & Confused, L’Officiel, PAPER, VICE, InsideHook, and A Hotel Life, among other publications.
Alexandra Owens
Contributing Writer
Alexandra Owens is a freelance travel writer based in New York City with her husband and Cocker Spaniel mix. An avid scuba diver, she’s happiest when a story gives her the opportunity to connect with nature and examine what the travel industry can do to build a more sustainable future. When Alexandra’s not writing, she is probably searching for the best martini in the city, exploring Central Park, or planning her next trip.
Published in: Food & Wine, National Geographic, The Zoe Report, Scuba Diving Magazine, and Afar, among other publications
Amber Gibson
Contributing Writer
Amber is a nomadic travel journalist specializing in food, wine, and wellness with bylines in Condé Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Hemispheres, Maxim, and Fodor’s Travel. When not traveling, she loves cooking with fresh farmers market produce, doing yoga on the beach, and eating ice cream by the pint.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler, Robb Report, Hemispheres, Maxim, and Fodor’s Travel, among other publications.
AnaMaria Glavan
Contributing Writer
AnaMaria is a New York-based fashion, beauty, and travel writer with a permanent case of wanderlust. She leads e-commerce initiatives across Hotels Above Par and has never met a speakeasy or blues bar she didn’t like. She was bumped into business class once and won’t shut up about it.
Published in: Rolling Stone, InStyle, Allure, BuzzFeed, Bustle, and Fodor’s, among other publications.
Becca Hensley
Contributing Writer
Widely published, award-winning travel and lifestyle journalist, poet, and essayist Becca Hensley finds magic in ordinary things, turns found objects into stories, and lives for the connections she makes while exploring the world. Excerpts from an interview about my work.
Published in: Elite Traveler, Travel Curator, Travel + Leisure, Esquire, Town & Country, Forbes Travel Guide, Afar, Conde Nast Traveller UK, Conde Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Robb Report, Virtuoso Travel, National Geographic Traveler and others.
Briona Lamback
Contributing Writer
Briona Lamback is an award-winning travel journalist and entrepreneur. Through her company, Buoyant, she helps Black travelers connect with cool people, places, and businesses across the African diaspora through group trips, meetups, and a members-only club.
Published in: Published in: BBC Africa, Buzzfeed, and HuffPost and has written stories for Condé Nast Traveler, Tripadvisor, Fodor’s Travel, Atlas Obscura, BBC Travel, and more.
Carrie Bell
Contributing Writer
Carrie Bell would eat cupcakes, roam bizarre museums, and pet cats all day if she could figure out how to make a career out of those passions. Alas, that is not really a supportable life plan, so instead, she has spent the last 20 years (hey, stop trying to do the math. She graduated college in three years as valedictorian before she could drink legally.) as a working journalist.
Published in: Yahoo Entertainment, New Zealand, Variety, Yahoo, People Magazine, Rolling Stone, ELLE, Entertainment Weekly, POPSUGAR, Esquire, Reader’s Digest (U.S.), Vulture, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie Claire
Chelsea Davis
Contributing Writer
Chelsea is a San Francisco-based food and travel journalist whose work can be found in Forbes, INSIDER, TravelPulse, and more. When she’s not jet-setting, she can usually be found eating something delicious, most likely indulgent and sweet, and washing it down with something sparkling. Other than that, you’ll spot her cooking with the air fryer she swears by, re-living her glory days playing competitive tennis and perusing through well-curated plant shops with some type of seasonal coffee beverage in hand.
Published in: Forbes, INSIDER, and TravelPulse, among other publications.
Chris Dong
Contributing Writer
Chris Dong is a freelance writer and travel expert focusing on timely trends, hot new hotels, loyalty programs, and all things that go (he’s a proud aviation geek and transit nerd). Formerly full-time at The Points Guy, his work can now be found in top publications across print and digital such as Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Lonely Planet, Robb Report, and others. When he’s not running to catch a flight, Chris calls Los Angeles home after nearly 10 years of living in New York.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, The Washington Post, Business Insider, Lonely Planet, and Robb Report, among other publications.
Devorah Lev-Tov
Contributing Writer
Devorah is a food and travel journalist who writes for publications like The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Afar, and Robb Report. When not traveling, she’s probably eating at the newest restaurant in NYC or hanging out in Prospect Park with her husband, son, and dog.
Published in: The New York Times, Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Afar, and Robb Report, among other publications.
Emma Reynolds
Contributing Writer
Emma Reynolds is a New York-based freelance luxury lifestyle writer who specializes in travel, design, real estate, and more. Her work has been featured in Robb Report, Forbes, Barron’s Penta, Business Insider, Marie Claire, AD Pro, House Beautiful, and other top publications.
Published in: Robb Report, Forbes, Barron’s Penta, Business Insider, Marie Claire, AD Pro, and House Beautiful, among other publications.
Emily Gerard
Contributing Writer
Emily Gerard is a Brooklyn-based journalist with a background in newspaper, magazine, and television writing. She wrote restaurant reviews for the Daily Pennsylvanian before heading to Vanity Fair, covering everything from New York’s Halloween dog parade to cutting-edge beauty treatments and pop culture. At age 24, she became the youngest-ever writer of ABC News’s storied daily news program Nightline. She loves to cook and entertain and orients vacation travel around culinary experiences. Find her chef profiles on Cool Hunting and her travel guides here on Hotels Above Par.
Published in: TODAY, Yahoo Life, Yahoo News, AOL, NBC News, NBC Out, Vanity Fair, Cool Hunting, and Thrive Global, among other publications.
Hannah Huber
Contributing Writer
Hannah is an adventure-obsessed travel and lifestyle writer who has written for publications such as Architectural Digest, Vogue, and DuJour. Driven by the belief that exploration is the key to understanding our place in the universe, she pines to see the world through the eyes of locals. When she’s not traveling, you can find Hannah playing guitar, discussing the trashier things in life with a few friends over cocktails, or hosting impromptu dance parties in her Airstream.
Published in: Architectural Digest, Vogue, and DuJour, among other publications.
Hannah Selinger
Contributing Writer
Hannah’s lifestyle writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Eater, The Wall Street Journal, CNNTravel, Hemispheres, American Way, Condé Nast Traveler, and elsewhere. She was a 2020 IACP Award-finalist in the category of Narrative Beverage Writing. Besides chasing her next adventure, Hannah chases meals, swimming pools, and her two toddler sons.
Published in: The New York Times, The Washington Post, Travel + Leisure, Eater, and The Wall Street Journal, among other publications.
Jillian Dara
Contributing Writer
Jillian is a freelance journalist covering all things travel, wine and spirits. She revels in the overlap of these beats, as having lived in Bermuda, London, Santiago, Boston, and NYC, Jillian’s witnessed the power of a traditional spirit or local brew to bring strangers together in far-flung corners of the world. Her simple pleasures include a hotel with an ocean view, a symmetric charcuterie board, and a dry martini—dirty.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, Robb Report, Forbes, Marriott Bonvoy Traveler, USA Today, Michelin Guide, and Decanter, among other publications.
Juliet Izon
Contributing Writer
Juliet is a veteran lifestyle writer who specializes in travel, food, design, and the intersections thereof. You can find her work in outlets such as Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Architectural Digest, and CNN Travel. When not planning her next adventure, she loves spending time cooking pasta in upstate New York, playing “fetch” with her two ragdoll cats, and exploring New York City’s museums with her five-year-old daughter and husband.
Published in: Conde Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Architectural Digest, and CNN Travel, among other publications.
Kaitlyn McInnis
Contributing Writer
Kaitlyn McInnis is a freelance travel and lifestyle writer with bylines in Travel + Leisure, CNN, Tatler Asia, Robb Report, MAXIM, and other leading publications across the U.S., Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore. She could easily live in a business class cabin with unlimited movies and Champagne but rather splits her time between her apartment in Montreal and her rustic little cottage outside of Ottawa.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, CNN, Tatler Asia, Robb Report, and MAXIM, among other publications.
Katherine Parker-Magyar
Contributing Writer
Katherine is a travel writer who has visited seven continents, 84 countries, and all 50 states in pursuit of a good story. Her work has been published in Departures, Architectural Digest, Forbes, Business Insider, and more. When she’s not out exploring the world, Katherine calls New York City home — follow her adventures on Instagram @katherineparkermagyar or visit her website at www.katherineparkermagyar.com.
Published in: Architectural Digest, Departures, Forbes, and The Daily Beast, among other publications.
Katie Lockhart
Contributing Writer
Katie is a travel and food journalist who writes for publications like Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic, Robb Report, and many more. She travels full-time, and when she’s not on the beaches of Asia, you’ll find her reading a book by the fire in the Faroe Islands.
Published in: Travel+Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, National Geographic, and Robb Report, among other publications.
Kelsey Ogletree
Contributing Writer
Kelsey Ogletree is a freelance journalist covering travel, wellness and food for national publications like Wall Street Journal, AARP, Midwest Living and Conde Nast Traveler. She’s also the founder of KO Copy, providing resources and workshops to empower publicists and freelance writers to work smarter and better together.
Published in: Wall Street Journal, Real Simple, Robb Report, Southern Living, AARP, Midwest Living and Conde Nast Traveler, among other publications.
Kristine Hansen
Contributing Writer
Kristine resides near Lake Michigan’s shoreline in Milwaukee and is the author of two books (Wisconsin Farmers and Farmers Markets: Tours, Trails and Attractions and Wisconsin Cheese Cookbook: Creamy, Cheesy, Sweet, and Savory Recipes from the State’s Best Creameries) as well as a contributor to Architectural Digest, Fodor’s Travel, and National Geographic. When not boarding planes or packing for a road trip she’s obsessed with knitting using local fibers, practicing Iyengar yoga or baking somewhat healthy treats in the kitchen.
Published in: Architectural Digest, Fodors, and National Geographic, among other publications.
Kyle Beechey
Contributing Writer
Kyle Beechey is a New York-based journalist and screenwriter. You can find her work in Vogue, Air Mail, Condé Nast Traveler, and many others.
Published in: Vogue, Air Mail, and Condé Nast Traveler, among other publications.
Laura Itzokwitz
Contributing Writer
Laura is a Rome-based freelance journalist with a decade of experience covering travel, arts and culture, lifestyle, design, food, and wine. She has visited around 50 countries on six continents but especially loves exploring under-the-radar places in Italy. She prefers to spend her free time whiling away hot summer days at Italian beach clubs and pursuing her quest to find the best pizza in Rome. In addition to contributing to travel and lifestyle publications and updating Fodor’s Rome guidebook, she writes a weekly Substack newsletter called the New Roman Times about people, places, and things that matter to Romans and anyone who loves Rome.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, AFAR, Condé Nast Traveler, Food & Wine, Hemispheres, and Architectural Digest, among many others.
Lauren Harano
Contributing Writer
Lauren Harano is a bicoastal travel, beauty, and lifestyle journalist. A Southern California native turned New York City transplant, Lauren spends her time traveling both domestically and internationally in search of the best hotels, restaurants, and hidden gems. Her favorite places in the world include Bozeman, Montana, Lake Como, Italy, and Saint Barthélemy. Lauren’s simple pleasures include testing the latest beauty products, finding the best food in each city she’s in, and buying clothes she definitely does not need.
Published in: Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, Cosmopolitan, Seventeen, Esquire, Editorialist, and Delish, among other publications.
Lindsay Cohn
Contributing Writer
Lindsay is a travel journalist who has visited 46 countries across six continents. Some of her favorite places to explore include Amsterdam, the Luberon, Tokyo, Vietnam, Sonoma, and Queensland. When not globetrotting, she tries to pack in as much yoga and family beach time as possible and is always planning her next adventure.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, InsideHook, The Zoe Report, Well+Good, USA Today, Fodor’s, ELLE Decor, and Brides, among other publications.
Lulu Chang
Contributing Writer
Lulu is a DC and NYC-based travel journalist specializing in epicurean delights. When not exploring new parts of the world, she can be found diligently investigating the best airport lounges and french fries available in her new locales. She loves tickling the ivories and the belly of her Scottish Straight, Chairman Meow.
Published in: Bon Appetit, Eater, Thrillist, Insider, Forbes, and Prevention, among many others.
Madeline Weinfield
Contributing Writer
Madeline Weinfield has been dreaming about travel for as long as she can remember. She has traveled through Borneo by river boat, learned to fly fish in the Catskills, waltzed at a ball in Vienna, and searched for the northern lights in Labrador all for the sake of a compelling story. Since 2020, she’s been living in Washington, D.C. where she writes a weekly column for Thrillist.
Published in:The Washington Post, Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, and other publications.
Michelle Gross
Contributing Writer
Born and raised in San Diego, Michelle now splits her time between New York City and the South Carolina lowcountry. When she’s not jet-setting around the globe, you can find her on a standup paddleboard, curled up on the porch with her pugs or watching The Real Housewives on Bravo which she one day aspires to star on.
Published in: Forbes, Business Insider, Bustle, and Thrillist, among other publications.
Morgan Hines
Contributing Writer
Morgan Hines covers travel, food, lifestyle, fashion, shopping and more. She’s currently a full-time reporter at PhocusWire, where she started in August 2023 after more than four years at USA TODAY. Based in New York City, she jumps at any opportunity to travel and is always on the hunt for a new restaurant to try. Follow her on Instagram and TikTok @MorganEmHines.
Published in: PhocusWire, USA TODAY, Women’s Wear Daily, Shape, Footwear News, Appetito Magazine, Forbes, The Hartford Courant, and Washington City Paper, among others.
Nicole Kliest
Contributing Writer
Nicole Kliest is a freelance journalist based in New York City who writes about travel, food & wine, fashion, and interior design. She holds certification in Level 3 Wines through the Wine & Spirit Education Trust and a B.A. in Journalism and Creative Writing from Pepperdine University. When off-duty, she’s likely having a picnic in Prospect Park, working on homework for her screenwriting class, or trying to learn French (albeit somewhat unsuccessfully).
Published in: Vogue, Conde Nast Traveler, Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Coveteur, and Domino, among others.
Noel Burgess
Contributing Writer
Noël a content creator, journalist, and speaker living in Northern California Wine Country. His goal is to promote Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in wine/spirits, food, and travel with a focus on the places, the products, and most importantly, the people! When he’s not writing or traveling, you can find him belting out classics at karaoke, laughing at a Rooftop bar with friends, or yelling at the screen during a game. Follow him on Instagram @mrnoelburgess.
Published in: Forbes, Wine Enthusiast, Haute Living San Francisco, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, VinePair, Dwell, Wine Enthusiast, and many other media platforms.
Olivia Liveng
Contributing Writer
Olivia Liveng thanks her lucky stars for scoring a dream job as a travel and lifestyle journalist for publications like Fodors, Business Insider, Forbes, and TravelAge West. When not traveling, you can catch Olivia purchasing oversized sweaters at the Sunday flea market, cycling around town with her husband, and practicing (read: butchering) Danish vocabulary while ordering coffee in her adopted city of Copenhagen.
Published in: Fodors, Business Insider, Forbes, and TravelAge West, among other publications.
Paul Jebara
Contributing Writer
Paul Jebara covers travel, design, and style for a number of publications including Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, Men’s Journal, and more. When he’s not chasing the sun year-round, he loves to binge true crime documentaries, hit up the farmers market, and (try to) learn new languages.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and Men’s Journal, among other publications.
Rachel Chang
Contributing Writer
Travel and pop culture journalist Rachel Chang is a magazine editor (Us Weekly senior editor, J-14 editor-in-chief, CosmoGIRL! entertainment editor) turned freelance writer and editor. She’s a regular contributor to Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, and has written for the New York Times for Kids, Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor, and United’s Hemispheres, among others. The solo travel advocate with a passion for uncovering untold Asian American stories is also a reluctant runner (but three-time marathoner) and dumplings addict.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, New York Times for Kids, Wall Street Journal, Lonely Planet, Tripadvisor, and United’s Hemispheres, among others.
Rachel Dube
Contributing Writer
Rachel Dube is a freelance travel and beauty writer based in New York, specializing in luxury international travel, aviation, and cruising. Her work has appeared in Condé Nast Traveler, Hotels Above Par, and Robb Report, among others.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler, Hotels Above Par, and Robb Report.
Stacey Leasca
Contributing Writer
Stacey Leasca is an award-winning journalist whose words, photos, and videos have appeared in print or online for The Los Angeles Times, Travel + Leisure, Departures, Tripadvisor, Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Men’s Journal, Glamour, GlobalPost, TIME, and more. Stacey is also an adjunct professor of journalism and is a Ph.D. candidate focusing on building resiliency to misinformation in early-career journalists.
Published in: Travel + Leisure, Glamour, and TIME, among other publications.
Stacey Lastoe
Contributing Writer
Stacey is a Brooklyn-based travel and lifestyle journalist and editor. Recent bylines include Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, The New York Post, and Condé Nast Traveler. Prior to joining the wild world of freelancing, Stacey worked as a senior editor for CNN Travel. Find her hitting the slopes in winter, and the beach in summer. Her favorite way to draw a line in the workday in any season is with a cocktail of her own making.
Published in: CNN, Food & Wine, Wine Enthusiast, The New York Post, and Condé Nast Traveler, among other publications.
Travis Levius
Contributing Writer
Travis is a luxury travel journalist and content creator for several world-renowned titles and brands. When not in airplane mode, you can find him bopping to deep house music, reading and speaking on personal development, and dashing to the nearest rooftop bar he can find.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler, Travel + Leisure, Vogue, CNN Travel, and National Geographic, among other publications.
Tyler Zielinski
Contributing Writer
Tyler is an esteemed American journalist and bar consultant whose drink-focused writing satiates the thirsts of travelers who love a good cocktail. He’s written for publications such as Condé Nast Traveler, Departures, Wine Enthusiast, PUNCH, Liquor.com, and others about a range of topics, including the best bars to visit and drink trends; and he’s been featured as a drinks expert in Forbes, Shape, Fast Company, Bloomberg, and more. When he’s not writing or traveling, you can find him bar-hopping around London where he is now based, or mixing up some cocktails for his curated Instagram @bon_vivantito.
Published in: Condé Nast Traveler, Departures, Wine Enthusiast, PUNCH, and Liquor.com, among other publications.
Vicki Denig
Contributing Writer
Vicki Denig is a wine, spirits, and travel journalist based between New York and Paris. Her work regularly appears in Decanter, WineSearcher, Food & Wine, Matador Network, Forbes, and more. In addition to freelance journalism, Vicki also works as a content manager / digital marketing strategist for a list of prestigious clients, including Corkbuzz, Veritas Imports, High Road Wine & Spirits, and more. When not writing or traveling, Vicki enjoys indoor cycling classes, petting dogs on the street, and enjoying wine on her NYC rooftop or local neighborhood bistro in Paris with friends.
Published in: Decanter, WineSearcher, Food & Wine, Matador Network, Forbes, and more.
