Malaka Hilton

Founder/President of Admiral Travel

The founder of Admiral Travel International (ATI) believes she has traveling in her blood. “Give me a passport; I can’t wait to go to the next place,” says Malaka Hilton, who has been named a top travel consultant by Travel + Leisure magazine’s A list of travel for 20 years. In addition to that, this past year she was named as one of Conde Nast Traveler’s top travel specialists.

“My father is from Egypt, and my mom is from Slovenia; traveling is a part of their background. My parents would take my older brother and me out of school all the time and we’d travel to a multitude of destinations.”

An early introduction to traveling led to a life-long passion for Hilton. When time came for college, she chose the closest major she could find: hospitality, with its focus on restaurants and hotels, at Florida State University. 

Hilton began her career at a local agency and, shortly after, she found a vacant office space in downtown Sarasota. “I wasn’t sure that I was ready, but I jumped on the opportunity and opened what is now Admiral Travel in March of 1997,” she says. 

That same year, she traveled to South Africa, which was becoming a more popular travel destination post-apartheid. It was there, on a visit to the famed Londolozi Safari Camp where she met Ryan Hilton, a Londolozi Safari guide, who is now her husband.

The two have grown the business and in 2022 will celebrate 25 years of creating one-of-a-kind travel experiences for their clients. As a member of the esteemed Virtuoso network—an invitation-only global network of agencies specializing in luxury and experiential travel—ATI advisors are always on call for their clients. “We are a luxury boutique travel company specializing in unique international departures. We lean on our decades of knowledge and close relationship with our global partners to enhance our guests’ experience in the destination.

Malaka Hilton
Founder/President
Admiral Travel
1284 N Palm Ave, 
Sarasota, FL 34236 
(941) 951-1801
travel@admiraltravel.com
admiraltravel.com