In this episode, we meet Tristan Dowell, Global Vice President of Luxury, Lifestyle & Leisure for Hyatt Hotels Corporation.

Tristan highlights the company's expansion through acquisitions and the development of new brands and properties.

Dowell also introduces Hyatt Privé, an invitation-only program for luxury travel advisors, and discusses the company's commitment to sustainability through its World of Care initiative.

During the conversation, Tristan discusses the resilience of the travel industry and the creativity that emerged during the pandemic. He emphasizes the importance of keeping the conversation and engagement with the industry alive, sharing ideas and experiences. He also highlights trends he's seeing across the industry, including the focus on well-being, the demand for villas and suites, the connection to nature and communities, and the importance of culinary experiences.

He mentions the Miraval brand and its transformational well-being experiences. Dowell concludes by sharing his favourite travel experiences and destinations.

Useful Links:

• Tristan's favourite Hyatt hotels are Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt Buenos Aires and Park Hyatt Tokyo.

• His favourite non-Hyatt hotel is The Datai in Langkawi

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background
• 03:03 The Growth of Hyatt
• 08:56 Tristan's Passion for Travel
• 12:38 Hyatt's Expansion and New Openings
• 26:26 Sustainability and the World of Care Initiative
• 33:52 The Post-COVID Bounce Back in the Travel Industry
• 40:18 Trends in the Travel Industry: Well-being, Villas, and Culinary Experiences
• 43:08 The Miraval Brand and Transformational Well-being
• 50:23 Tristan's favourite Travel Experiences and Destinations including Buenos Aires, Rome, Chicago, and Manchester

Keywords

Tristan Dowell, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, luxury travel, acquisitions, brands, properties, Hyatt Privé, sustainability, World of Care, post-COVID, bounce back, resilience, creativity, engagement, trends, well-being, villas, suites, nature, communities, culinary experiences, Miraval brand, travel experiences, destinations

In this episode, we meet Patrick Monney of Travelquest.

Patrick and his business partner Hector focus on designing trips to unique and lesser-known destinations, such as Morocco, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, and Algeria. They explore these places themselves to add a personal touch to their recommendations.

Patrick's background as a journalist and dentist gives him a unique perspective on travel. Post-COVID, Patrick explains that people are eager to travel but often prefer familiar destinations. He encourages clients to explore off-the-beaten-path locations and offers personalized trip designs to help.

You can find Patrick on LinkedIn or Instagram and visit his company website at https://travelquest.com.mx/.

Chapters

• 00:00 Introduction and Background of TravelQuest
• 01:10 Focus on Unique and Off-the-Beaten-Path Destinations
• 03:20 Differentiating TravelQuest's Offerings
• 06:33 Working with Travel Agents and Designing Customized Trips
• 09:11 Post-COVID Travel Demand and Popular Destinations
• 11:26 Memorable Trips and Undiscovered Gems
• 13:31 Market Recovery and Travel Trends
• 20:28 Attracting Attention from Hotels and Suppliers
• 24:38 Patrick's Perfect Vacation and Relaxation
• 27:34 Contacting Patrick and TravelQuest

In this episode, we meet Jorge Franz, SVP of Tourism and Industry Relations at Houston First.

Jorge gives us an overview of Houston First and its role as the destination marketing organization for Houston. He also shares his own background and how he got into the tourism industry.

We then asked Jorge to highlight the diverse offerings of Houston, including Space Center Houston, the Museum District, and the culinary scene.

He emphasizes Houston's commitment to providing unique and memorable experiences for VIP travellers and offers insider tips, such as visiting the Cistern and enjoying authentic cowboy meals.

George also discusses Houston's medical tourism and the city's efforts to highlight African-American history and culture. He finishes by inviting travel buyers to consider Houston as a new destination and emphasizes the importance of the travel industry to the city.

Takeaways

• Houston First is the destination marketing organization for Houston, promoting the city as a great place to visit.
• Houston offers diverse attractions, including Space Center Houston, the Museum District with its 19 institutions, and a vibrant culinary scene.
• Houston provides unique and memorable experiences for VIP travellers, such as behind-the-scenes tours at Space Center Houston and authentic cowboy meals.
• The city is a hub for medical tourism, with world-class institutions offering executive medical checkups and specialized departments for international patients.
• Houston is committed to highlighting African-American history and culture, offering signature experiences that explore the city's African-American heritage.
• Travel buyers can reach out to Houston First for support in creating itineraries, accessing unique experiences, and connecting with decision-makers in the industry.

Reach out to Jorge and his team at Houston First. You can find Jorge on LinkedIn here.

Keywords

Jorge Franz, Houston, Houston First, destination marketing organization, tourism, Space Center Houston, Museum District, culinary scene, VIP experiences, insider tips, medical tourism, African-American history, travel industry

Chapters

• 00:12 Overview of Houston First
• 06:39 Houston's Attractions: Space Center Houston and the Museum District
• 09:51 Houston's Culinary Scene
• 13:02 Personalized Services for Travel Buyers
• 17:11 Memorable Experiences: George Ranch Historical Park and Houston Signature Experiences
• 19:48 Insider Tips: The Cistern, Hilton Americas View, and Houston's Shopping District
• 21:34 Undiscovered Gem: Taipei, Taiwan
• 24:25 Favourite Hotel: Four Seasons in Doha
• 30:49 Favorite City: Barcelona
• 31:14 Perfect Vacation: Adventuring with Family in Singapore and Taiwan
• 32:52 Houston as a New Destination

In this episode, we meet Alejandro Roca Rivera, the Events Director at Journeys Global. We discuss Alejandro's background in journalism and events management, his role at Journeys Global, and the company's focus on organizing targeted events for hoteliers and DMCs in the luxury travel industry.

Alejandro also shares highlights from recent events, such as helicopter rides overlooking Niagara Falls and a bowling outing in Manchester. He mentions upcoming events in Houston and talks about the FAM-meet formula, which aims to foster relationships and trust among participants. Alejandro also shares his favourite holiday experience in Japan and his love for his hometown of Ferrol in Galicia, Spain.

I said to Alex, we'd place a link to the Visit Galicia tourism website - so here it is.

Key Takeaways

• Alejandro Roca Rivera has a background in journalism and events management and is currently the events director at Journey's Global.
• Journey's Global organizes targeted events for hoteliers and DMCs in the luxury travel industry, focusing on building relationships and increasing sales.
• Recent event highlights include helicopter rides overlooking Niagara Falls and a bowling outing in Manchester.
• Upcoming events in Houston will feature visits to the Space Center, lunch with an astronaut, and a baseball game at Minute Maid Stadium.
• Alejandro's favourite holiday experience was a volunteering trip to Japan, and his favourite city is his hometown of Ferrol in Galicia, Spain.

Keywords

events, travel industry, luxury travel, hoteliers, DMCs, targeted events, FAM-meet, helicopter rides, bowling, Houston, Galicia, Spain

In this episode, we meet the founder of Journeys Global, Micaela Giacobbe and we learn more about the objectives of the Journeys Profile series.

As Micaela explains, Journeys Profile is a podcast series featuring interviews with executives from the luxury travel industry.

We'll also learn more about the company behind the podcast, Journeys Global. Micaela and her team specialise in creating tailored, niche events around the world using cutting-edge tools and techniques to encourage meaningful interactions between attendees. The 2024 calendar includes events in London, Manchester, North America, and Dubai.

Micaela also outlines "the fam meet way" concept -- a blend of B2B meetings and familiarization trips, it's an approach that helps establish long-lasting relationships between travel buyers and suppliers.

Finally, we discover Micaela's own travel preferences, including her favourite city, her best place to work remotely, and we ask if she has a favourite airport...

Takeaways

• Journey's Profile is a podcast series that interviews executives in the travel industry to gain insights and trends.
• Journeys Global specializes in creating tailored, niche events around the world using cutting-edge tools and techniques.
• The spring calendar includes events in London, Manchester, North America, and Dubai.
• The fam meet concept, a blend of B2B meetings and familiarization trips, helps establish long-lasting relationships.
• The podcast and videos can be found on journeys.global, where testimonials from past events are also available.
• Micaela's favourite holiday experience is Costa del Sol in Spain, and her favourite city is Turin, Italy.

Keywords

Journey's Profile, Journeys Global, travel industry, events, niche events, meaningful interactions, spring calendar, fam meet concept, B2B meetings, familiarization trips, podcast, videos, testimonials, Costa del Sol, Turin