Admiral Travel International CEO Malaka Hilton founded the award-winning travel agency in 1997.
Since that time, Malaka has been identified by Travel + Leisure magazine as a top travel consultant for Egypt every year since 2003. She has also earned similar distinctions from Conde Nast Traveler, National Geographic Traveler, as a top Virtuoso travel advisor, and a Four Seasons Preferred Partner.
Malaka’s expertise is highly regarded in the travel industry, earning her a prestigious appointment as a Virtuoso Chairman. This past January, she had the rare honor of being the sole representative from the retail travel sector invited to the float-out of Four Seasons I in Ancona, Italy.
As the daughter of Egyptian and Slovenian immigrants who met in Austria, Malaka was raised as a citizen of the world – going through three passports before turning 13! She fell in love with travel, going on to study at the Florida State University’s Dedman College of Hospitality before beginning her career in the hotel industry.
She quickly realized that travel advising was her true calling, and just a few years after finishing college, launched Admiral Travel in 1997. Later that year, she visited Londolozi Game Reserve in South Africa, where she met safari guide Ryan Hilton. The two eventually married and spent many successful years building the business together. While Ryan has since retired from the company and returned to live in Africa, he remains a trusted consultant for specialized African travel when needed. Many of Admiral Travel’s clients have been introduced to the African safari experience, and to a lifelong passion for wildlife, because of ATI’s special connection to the continent. Malaka’s love of travel has been passed down to her two children—Alexandria, who now works for Admiral Travel, and Carter, who is studying hospitality at FSU in the family tradition.
In 1999, Malaka earned the invitation for Admiral Travel International to join the esteemed Virtuoso network of luxury travel advisory firms, who partner with more than 2,200 of the world’s best and most beloved travel brands.
Egypt remains among her favorite places to visit and plan, estimating her total number of visits somewhere around 100. “So much has happened in recent history that every time I go, I am truly fascinated to learn something new. When it comes to Egypt, it’s always truly magical, which is something I can’t say about that many other destinations.”
Of all of her accomplishments, Malaka is most proud of ATI’s successful charters of the aircraft formerly known as Crystal Skye, the world’s largest and most luxuriously appointed private jet, a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft. The first charter in 2019 was an escorted departure for a weeklong safari with Singita, flying directly into the bush, cutting nearly in half the typical door-to-door travel time from Sarasota to South Africa. In 2021, which against all odds, was the company’s best year in business, Malaka hosted 72 ATInsiders in Morocco, for an unforgettable roundtrip journey to Fez and Marrakech with an overnight under the stars in the desert. The convenience of travel aboard ATI Skye transformed what’s usually an 8-hour drive deep in the Sahara into a mere 45-minute flight, in style and sophistication.
Although Hilton is recognized worldwide for her expertise as an Egypt specialist, she designs epic experiences with exclusive access for her guests, which she’s dubbed “ATInsiders,” anywhere and everywhere in the world. ATI’s global connections, many relationships forged firsthand by Malaka herself, are what unlocks doors and creates next-level experiences for our guests. This firsthand knowledge of places, people, and process adds immeasurable value to your itinerary.
