From the everyday rhythms of Italy to a mountaintop evening at Mandarina, our newest Dallas advisor shares why thoughtful travel begins with listening.
At Rosewood Mandarina, surrounded by mountain, jungle, and the Pacific, we spent time with Addie Cole, one of the newest Dallas-based advisors to join our COZY family.
Between photographs, shared meals, and conversations with fellow advisors, we discovered someone who approaches travel with curiosity, intention and genuine excitement. Addie has visited 17 countries, lived in Italy, and still feels a sense of anticipation every time she walks into an airport.
Through Adventures by Addie, she now brings her natural instinct for planning to her work as a COZY advisor.
We sat down with Addie at Mandarina to discuss the experiences that shaped her perspective and the journeys she is excited to create.
How did living in Italy shape the way you travel?
Addie: I did not initially set out to make travel my career. That realization came unexpectedly while I was living in Italy.
I spent the summer after college there as an au pair, so I was not simply visiting. I became part of an ordinary Italian life, returning to the same market, stopping at the same bar every morning, and learning the rhythm of a family’s week.
On my weekends off, I would sit down with a map and plan where I could go, which train to take, and where to eat. I loved building those trips as much as experiencing them.
Italy taught me that the best travel happens from the inside out. Instead of starting with a checklist, I begin with the life of a place. Where do people eat? What does the neighborhood feel like? Where can you leave room to wander?
Those ordinary details are often what stay with us.
How has Dallas influenced your approach to hospitality?
Addie: Dallas takes pride in caring for people, particularly through its restaurant and hotel culture.
The places I love most have personality and make you feel genuinely welcomed, whether it is your first visit or your fiftieth. Dallas taught me the difference between service that is technically correct and hospitality that makes you feel like a regular.
It also gives us incredible access to the world. From DFW, Europe does not need to feel like a once in a lifetime undertaking. Sometimes it is simply a long flight and a very good plan.
What do you listen for when imagining a trip for someone?
Addie: The destination and dates are often the least revealing things someone tells me. What I really want to understand is how they want the journey to feel.
Do they want full days with something new to anticipate, or do they want permission to do nothing? Every traveler and every group has a different rhythm. A thoughtful itinerary quietly creates room for those differences.
I also listen for the details people mention in passing. The coffee, the bathtub, or the fact that they do not want to spend three hours in a car.
Those small preferences can separate a beautiful trip from one that feels as though it was created specifically for you.
“Planning is what buys you spontaneity.”
Which journey best reflects the way you like to travel?
Addie: A trip through Spain with my husband. We visited Barcelona, Madrid, and several places in between.
I built the journey around one question: What would we do here if we lived here?
We focused on meals, neighborhoods, and small daily rituals. We ate at local hours, explored beyond the standard routes, and protected time for wandering.
In Barcelona, we found El Xampanyet, a lively tapas bar that was crowded, loud, and completely uninterested in impressing anyone. It was perfect.
Later, at Montserrat, we stood inside the mountain basilica while the boys’ choir sang. You cannot plan how a moment like that will feel. You can only place yourself in the right setting and allow it to happen.
That trip confirmed that thoughtful planning does not make a journey rigid. It gives the right moments space to unfold naturally.
What tells you that a hotel has character and soul?
Addie: I ask whether the hotel could exist anywhere else.
A hotel with soul belongs to its location. Its breakfast tastes like the region, its design reflects the surrounding place, and its bar welcomes local people as naturally as it welcomes guests.
The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay is a wonderful example. Sitting outside with a drink, watching the sun set over the golf course while bagpipes play in the distance, is an experience that belongs specifically to that stretch of the Northern California coast.
I also notice the people. When someone has worked at a property for fifteen years, that tells you something no design award can. These are often the people who remember your coffee order and know the best way to spend an afternoon.
A memorable hotel pays attention. In hospitality, attention is everything.
What experience stayed with you from Rosewood Mandarina?
Addie: Toppu, high on the mountaintop, is probably the experience that stayed with me most.
The Japanese cuisine, the view, and the surrounding landscape felt completely unique to Mandarina. It was exactly what I mean when I describe an experience that could not exist anywhere else.
What made it even more meaningful was sharing it with fellow advisors and members of the Mandarina team who are genuinely passionate about travel.
I left with a stronger understanding of the kind of advisor I want to be: someone who notices the details that make a stay feel truly special.
The First Hour
Addie has one ritual whenever she arrives somewhere new.
Addie: I drop my bags, take a shower, change my clothes, and immediately go outside to explore whatever is closest.
No unpacking. No nap. No settling in.
Some of my favorite memories come from that first day, when everything is unfamiliar and I notice every detail. I want to be in a place, not simply near it.
The arrival day should never feel lost to travel. It should feel like the beginning.
What do you hope travelers will carry home from a journey you create?
Addie: I hope they carry home specific sensory memories rather than only a general feeling that they had a wonderful time.
Years later, I want them to be able to say, “That one lunch,” and immediately remember everything about it.
I want them to feel that the journey belonged to them. That the hotel was chosen with them in mind. That the free afternoon was protected because someone understood they would need it.
Nothing generic. Nothing pulled from a template.
I want them to feel like they were truly somewhere, and that someone was paying attention throughout the experience.
Beyond the Journey
After spending time with Addie, what stays with us is her way of looking at travel.
Preparation should leave room for surprise. A hotel should belong to its surroundings. The smallest preferences are often the ones that matter most.
For Addie, every meaningful journey begins when someone takes the time to listen.
Discover Addie and begin a conversation about your next journey.
Stay COZY.
