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Travel Industry CEO Interviews

Conversations with travel’s top leaders at hotels, airlines, travel tech companies, tourism boards, and more.

Tourism

Interview: Abercrombie & Kent CEO on the Roots of Experiential Travel

Abercrombie & Kent may have been one of the first companies to capitalize on experiential travel but it has since become a mainstream phenomenon sought after by travelers of all spend levels. Companies across all sectors can learn from Abercrombie & Kent's decades-long success.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Abercrombie & Kent CEO on the Roots of Experiential Travel

Tourism

Interview: Butterfield & Robinson CEO on the Evolution of Active Travel

Butterfield & Robinson has tracked the emergence of mainstream adventure travel and adopted its product without weakening its position as a high-end operator. Its insights on what customers want and how to deliver on it can be useful to operators that serve all customer bases.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Butterfield & Robinson CEO on the Evolution of Active Travel

Hotels

Interview: Preferred Hotel Group CEO on Adapting to Consumer Habits

Preferred Hotel Group has likely evolved the most of any of its peers throughout its existence and continues to do so by tracking and adapting to the needs of specific customers segments.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Preferred Hotel Group CEO on Adapting to Consumer Habits

Airlines

Interview: Qatar Airways CEO on Reaching Half the World’s Population in Under 5 Hours

Gulf carriers may be the new kids on the block, pulling out all stops to attract and keep new flyers, but they're also setting new standards for service and comfort, which others will have to mimic or risk being considered obsolete.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Qatar Airways CEO on Reaching Half the World’s Population in Under 5 Hours

Hotels

Interview: SIXTY Hotels CEO Jason Pomeranc on the New Boutique Stay

Competition has pushed independent hoteliers like Pomeranc to think about what "boutique" means for a generation of travelers that will shortly grow up with Marriott's and Hilton's version of that guest experience. Technology not doubt has a role, but so does simply superior service.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: SIXTY Hotels CEO Jason Pomeranc on the New Boutique Stay

Tourism

Interview: Qatar’s Tourism Chairman Positions His Small Country for Big Growth

Qatar is a destination in transition, both with an incredible culture and landscape to experience and the socio-political struggles that come with such development. The clearer the tourism board can be in communicating its realities, the better travelers will be equip to approach the country with an open mind.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Qatar’s Tourism Chairman Positions His Small Country for Big Growth

Hotels

Interview: Rosewood CEO Sonia Cheng on Beating Luxury Expectations

In a luxury brand, it's less about what technology can do for guests and more about what technology can do for staff who can use it to provide more personalized, smoother service to the customer.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Rosewood CEO Sonia Cheng on Beating Luxury Expectations

Hotels

Interview: Small Luxury Hotels CEO on Embracing Competition

Hotel brands’ increased interest in the independent hotel market comes as consumer bookings and the number of actual small private hotel increases suggesting there’s enough business and options to go around for specialized consortia, global corporations, and the do-it-yourself traveler.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Small Luxury Hotels CEO on Embracing Competition

Hotels

Interview: Relais & Châteaux CEO on Maintaining Experiential Standards

Relais & Châteaux goes beyond a focus on independent luxury properties with a specialty in cuisine, attracting a specific segment of high-spending leisure travelers who want a quality guarantee on both the hospitality and culinary aspects of their stay.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Relais & Châteaux CEO on Maintaining Experiential Standards

Hotels

Interview: Leading Hotels of the World CEO on Branding the Independents

Although there are seismic shifts in Leading Hotels' business caused by changing consumer behavior, marketing trends and booking habits, Teng is not concerned with major chains' entrance into the sector. He believes that his and similar organizations offer a specialty product that cannot be recreated for the masses.

Samantha Shankman, Skift | 9 years ago

Interview: Leading Hotels of the World CEO on Branding the Independents