1946 - 2017
Susie Worthy
It is with great sadness that after a sudden and unexpected illness, Susie Worthy peacefully died at The Cromwell Hospital, London on 14th March 2017 surrounded by her family. Beloved sister to Richard, stepmother to Sophie and Chloe, Grandmother to Charlie and Gregor, friend to many across the world. Susie will be dearly missed by all that knew her.
A love of travel and adventure
From a young age, Susie knew that travel would be her professional calling. As a child, Susie’s parents ensured she travelled extensively and she went on to study in Switzerland. These experiences formed a love of travel and adventure, but it was always Great Britain that tugged at Susie’s heart and where she would ultimately launch her own business. Prior to starting NoteWorthy in 1986, Susie worked for her Father and specialist travel agency, Country Homes & Castles.
Susie focused on forming a deeply rooted passion for everything British and providing access to the inaccessible. She was the human embodiment of the NoteWorthy ethos, living her life through her passion of everything that is historic, royal, picturesque and traditional in Great Britain.
Since conceiving the idea to offer VIP British experiences to discerning guests, Susie’s passion for Great Britain did not once falter and the success of NoteWorthy was propelled by her personal philosophy to always strive for perfection, to treat guests and colleagues with respect and openness and to have a whole lot of fun along the way.
From the very start, Susie developed many of the travel trends that exist today and created a business which became a leading player in the UK luxury tourism industry. She pioneered the concept of private homes opening their locked doors to visiting guests from overseas. She encouraged public buildings to work with her to create exceptional private experiences generating them much needed income. Susie was one of the very first to take guests for a private tour of the Tower of London, Highclere Castle and The Royal Gardens At Highgrove.
An esteemed award winner
A winner of numerous awards and accolades, Susie received the esteemed Top Travel Specialist Award by Conde Nast Traveler for an astounding eight years running and the A-List Award by Travel & Leisure five years consecutively.
Susie was responsible for leading functions and introducing her clients to such 20th Century iconic figures as Diana, Princess of Wales and The Rt. Hon. Baroness Margaret Thatcher. In 2011, she set up prime viewing for clients to watch The Royal wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and later that year, took over HMS Belfast for the day so her clients could enjoy close-up views of the Royal flotilla on the day of Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations. In 2012, Susie was behind the logistics of 500 VIP guests attending the London 2012 Olympics Torch Relay.
Susie retired in October 2014 after selling NoteWorthy to her Managing Director, Nicola Butler. She remained active in the business and in contact with the many clients who had become friends. Susie’s love for NoteWorthy and her country saw her meeting guests and friends at Trooping the Colour in June 2016 and most recently attended the Luxury Travel Industry’s pinnacle event to see lifelong friends and colleagues at Virtuoso’s Global Travel Week in Las Vegas in August 2016.
Condolences
Susie’s family have asked for anyone who wishes to send their condolences, please kindly send them to c/o NoteWorthy, 152 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TR or email Nicola Butler who will then forward them on.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to one of Susie’s favourite charities His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales, Prince's Trust. Please do reference your connection with Susie.
“Susie Worthy was a friend to Virtuoso and to every advisor and supplier who had the privilege to work with her. Her On-site company, NoteWorthy, joined Virtuoso almost 15 years ago, and over the years she received the highest recognition from her industry peers.
Susie was named a Top Travel Special by Conde Nast Traveler for 8 years, repeatedly received the A-List Award from Travel & Leisure and in 2014, NoteWorthy was named Best On-site Provider by Virtuoso.
But beyond the well-deserved recognition, those who had the great good fortune to know Susie, will never forget her warmth, grace and dignity. And her sense of humor; which bubbled up effortlessly, the creativity Susie had and the joy she found in life will not be forgotten. She was, quite simply a delight to know and to be around. Her friends at Virtuoso will miss her immensely. Safe travels Susie.”
“On behalf of Signature Travel Network and our entire membership, we offer our sincerest condolences.
Susie has been an inspiration to many, and we are sincerely grateful for her support of Signature throughout the years. Susie left a lasting impression on this business and the many consultants and guests who got the chance to know her. Her creative approach to designing exclusive travel experiences is truly unique will be remembered for many years to come.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the team at NoteWorthy and Susie’s family.”
“Dear Nicola, when our industry loses one of the truly “Grand Dames” of travel, it is indeed felt around the world. On behalf of Ensemble Travel Group we send our deepest sympathies to her family and to all those who treasured her.
She was a visionary in the luxury FIT field and her keen sense and kindness opened doors that allowed so many to experience cultures from a totally different vantage point. We take comfort in knowing that Noteworthy continues the legacy in providing access to so many and in carrying on as you already have been for quite a while now.
To the entire team at Noteworthy and to her loving family, we send our deepest condolences.”