Travel Weekly's list of the 33 most influential people in travel is not populated by folks with fancy titles who pull the right strings and make the industry behave as it should.
It's not about that sort of influence.
It's filled with people who, often working in isolation, had ideas that veered from the status quo and succeeded so spectacularly that the industry jumped out of its rut and followed. They're the ones who, when they set their own agendas, set ours as well.
We didn't give people much credit for their great deeds of yesteryear. If they're on this list today, it's because they've influenced the course travel is taking in 2007, and we think they'll be just as influential in 2008.
Though this list is a celebration of accomplishment, we also note with some discomfort that most of those who effect the greatest changes in travel are still surprisingly homogenous: mostly male and disproportionately white.
Brad and Van Anderson, co-presidents, America's Vacation Center/American Express
The brothers Anderson reinvented the way hosts and independent contractors do business. They developed technology to maximize commission opportunity, deliver qualified leads to contractors and push appropriate offers to clients. The result is a formula that enables AVC to keep 70% of commissions but still retain the loyalty of its best contractors, many of whom earn six-figure incomes. Their formula also earns AVC the undivided attention of cruise lines: In 2006, it was agency of the year for three of them.
Adam Aron, senior operating partner, Apollo Management Co.
Aron, whose career has landed him in senior positions at United and Hyatt, on the board of Starwood and at the helm of NCL and Vail Resorts, is now scouting travel companies for Apollo, a New York-based equity firm. Following Aron's guidance, Apollo not only became the first equity group to become a major cruise industry player, but quickly became a certified powerhouse cruise conglomerate, acquiring Oceania Cruises, half of NCL Corp. and (any minute now) Regent Seven Seas -- all in 2007. With Apollo's $12 billion equity fund backing him, Aron certainly has the rapt attention of the cruise industry's reigning giants, Carnival Corp. and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Bobby Baldwin, chief design and construction officer, MGM Mirage
After meeting the colorful Baldwin, a World Series of Poker champ, in a card game in 1982, Steve Wynn was so impressed that he offered Baldwin a job as a consultant for gaming. Baldwin quickly became Wynn's top protege, assigned to open the Mirage, Treasure Island and the Bellagio for his boss. Baldwin migrated to MGM Mirage when Wynn sold that company his properties, and MGM Mirage has now given Baldwin the biggest development project in Las Vegas (and, for that matter, the entire U.S.): CityCenter, the $7.4 billion mid-Strip campus. In a city accustomed to high-stakes gambles, there is none higher.
Lisa Bauer, senior vice president of North American sales, Royal Caribbean International
Bauer has been with Royal Caribbean since October 2002, but she arguably made her biggest mark by signing her name to the letter stating that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. would no longer do business with so-called "card mills." We don't know who at RCCL actually made the decision, but Bauer became the public face of the stance. The move caused an outcry of love and hate for RCCL and continues to shake up the industry. Just last week, Perillo Tours ceased doing business with YTB, a multilevel marketing travel agency banned by RCCL, and IATA cancelled affiliation with four U.S. agencies for what may be similar reasons.
Richard Branson, founder and chairman of Virgin Atlantic Airways and Virgin Group
In 1984, Virgin created a niche in the hotly competitive New York-London market with fun and flair. And unlike any other airline brand before or since, Virgin spread beyond national boundaries, operating in Australia, Nigeria and the U.S. (coming soon, outer space). Branson was the first airline exec to go green, and today the powerful Virgin brand combines business acumen with a sense of style and social responsibility that has spread to 200 companies around the world in entertainment, travel, leisure, finance, communications and other fields -- and there is no doubt that it all flows from Sir Richard.
Pier Luigi Foschi, chairman and CEO, Costa Cruises
Foschi is not well known in the U.S., but he's a global powerhouse, the man behind Carnival Corp.'s international expansion plans. He heads the first major cruise line venture in mainland China and obtained the first license to base an international cruise ship in Beijing. (He also was the first to homeport in Dubai and Mauritius.) He'll be at the helm of Carnival's new joint venture in Spain, and he had been pegged to run the TUI joint venture in Germany before that project ran into regulatory difficulties. Costa is already king of the Mediterranean, the most profitable cruising area in the world, and Foschi has five additional ships on order for Costa. With Foschi running the show, his rivals are left scrambling to try to keep up.
Jerre Fuqua, president, First Choice Expeditions
Shortly after First Choice Holidays (Travcoa, TCS Expeditions, International Expeditions, Country Walkers and Intrav) merged with European travel conglomerate TUI to form TUI Travel, Fuqua became the U.S. front man for one of the largest tour operator roll-ups worldwide. He then laid out some aggressive expansion plans for the stateside division. Student travel, international escorted tours, adventure travel and online content companies are all on First Choice Expeditions' acquisition radar, and he's signaled that there may yet be some announcements in the waning weeks of 2007. Tour operators tend to hold their cards pretty close to their chest, so it's unusual, and refreshing, to hear him tout such bullish expansion plans. We suspect we're not the only ones paying close attention to what comes next.
Terestella Gonzalez Denton, executive director, Puerto Rico Tourism Co.
There's no question that Gonzalez Denton holds her own among the macho men on her island (and the Caribbean in general). She got the ear of the governor by confronting tough issues, such as dengue fever, worker walkouts and soft stayover and cruise visitor numbers. "Explore Beyond the Shore," the tourism mantra, is her credo and she pushes it hard, and with success, to send visitors outside the city limits of the capital, San Juan.
Al Gore, former U.S. vice president and Nobel Laureate
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it best: In the effort to raise awareness about global climate change, Gore "is probably the single individual who has done most to create greater worldwide understanding of the measures that need to be adopted." Gore did not start the green movement, but his film, "An Inconvenient Truth," turbo-charged it, and green travel seems to be the focus of global travel conferences in 2007, from the World Travel and Tourism Council summit in Lisbon to the International Luxury Travel Market program in Cannes, France. Most travel CEOs seem committed, or resigned, to a green course. Though not all yet agree on the cause of global warming, they're convinced that the change in the social and business climate is real.
Peter Greenberg, commentator
Love him or hate him, you can't ignore him. Greenberg is everywhere: on television, on radio, blogging, writing magazine articles, publishing books, speaking at industry events. If he likes you, you're blessed with glowing coverage. But get on his wrong side, as EasyGroup CEO Stelios Haji-Ioannou did earlier this year, and you'll find yourself blasted in every medium Greenberg has at his command. His gig at NBC's "Today" show launched him to industry prominence, but he has shown himself to be a master of the travel punditry game, moving his eponymous brand into new territory at every opportunity.
Kate Hanni, founder, Coalition for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights
Hanni, a passenger stuck on the tarmac on an American flight for nearly nine hours last December, channeled her anger to create and grow a 17,000-member coalition via the Internet and media publicity. Airlines hate her, but she's shown the power of an aggrieved passenger, particularly in the networked Internet age, and has become a familiar face in the national media and on Capitol Hill. Her efforts put passenger rights on the congressional agenda and forced the Transportation Department and airlines to respond.
Bjorn Hanson, principal, Hospitality and Leisure Practice, PricewaterhouseCoopers
Hanson is the go-to guy when media seek knowledgeable commentary on lodging. If you haven't read what he's saying, you must be trying hard to ignore him. He has been quoted in more than 275 articles in the past 15 months, from the Wall Street Journal and New York Times to insider publications such as Commercial Property News, Real Estate Forum and, of course, Travel Weekly. His quotability is based on the extensive research he oversees on hospitality trends, and his presentations at conferences play to packed houses because his forecasts of industry performance are unerringly on target.
Henry Harteveldt, vice president and principal analyst, Forrester Research
When travel web-heads mention the name "Henry," there's no doubt to whom they're referring. Harteveldt's insights and the data generated by Forrester, coupled with his extensive insider contacts, give him a voice that is not only heard but respected. His recent call to arms over falling online travel bookings and a need to revamp how Web sites market travel was the most widely discussed commentary among online travel agencies and their suppliers this year.
Steve Kaufer, co-founder, president and CEO, TripAdvisor
Before the label "blogosphere" ever appeared, Steve Kaufer had already defined its potential with TripAdvisor. The 25 million monthly visitors who read, opine, whine, praise and rant on his multiple sites make it the largest online travel community in cyberspace. And its power has all other travel sites and suppliers trying to manipulate ratings and land atop his link positions, and quaking in their boots that they'll be royally flamed.
Sol Kerzner, chairman and CEO, Kerzner International
This straight-talking hotelier and entrepreneur's story continues to be about carving out a niche and wowing guests. The tagline on his home page states, "Core value #1: Blow away the customer," and he certainly does his best to live up to it. He has pumped billions into expansions and upgrades for his powerful flagship brand, Atlantis, whose Paradise Island property in the Bahamas will soon have a sister on a palm-shaped island in Dubai. And as the pair of Atlantises delivers the wows en masse, the elite enjoy a rarefied version in the nine One&Only locations, a brand whose stated ambition is to be no less than the Ferrari of luxury resorts.
Tom Klein, group president, Sabre Travel Network and Sabre Airline Solutions
During contract negotiations last year, Sabre, more than any other GDS, made the airlines blink. When Air Canada subsequently introduced Tango fares outside the GDS environment, Sabre retaliated swiftly by removing some Air Canada premium classes and biasing displays against the airline, though it later lifted these sanctions. Klein, the man behind the scenes in these GDS wars, has a somewhat paradoxical persona: He comes across as sincere and Machiavellian in equal portions. Regardless of those contradictory stances, the formula appears to be effective, as he works to realign res system reality to match Sabre's vision for the future.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai and vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates
Shiekh Mo's influence is inspiring and daunting. He set the bar for luxury hotels with the Burj al Arab. He set the bar for bold thinking with a ski resort in the desert. He's setting the bar for theme parks with Dubai World, which will be larger than all the Disney parks combined. His influence is intimidating: If you intend to best him, you'd better be prepared to outspend him.
Michael O'Leary, CEO, Ryanair
As the leader of Europe's largest and most rapidly growing low-cost
carrier (Ryanair carries more international passengers than any airline
in the world), O'Leary continues to make decisions that take the
no-frills, low-fare (sometimes no-fare) model to new levels and forces
competitors to respond. He can be condescending and crudely insulting
toward perceived rivals, so he's not the most popular guy. Europe's
environmentalists despise him, and his airline recently called travel
agents "parasites," but he has undeniable clout. Should he choose to try
low-cost, transatlantic service, as he has suggested he might within
the next five years, watch out.
Mitchell Presnick, chairman and CEO, Super 8 Hotels China
While every major hotel brand was plotting to get a foothold in China
at the upper end (even Howard Johnson is five-star in Shanghai),
Presnick carved out an early niche for Wyndham Worldwide's economy
brand, Super 8, which has more than 50 hotels already operating around
the country and some 70 more under development. For a period, his was
the only Western brand aggressively blanketing the economy end of
China's fast-growing domestic tourism market, and now others are
scrambling to catch up and build their own brand recognition and loyalty
among China's increasingly mobile middle class.
Lalia Rach, division dean and HVS chair, New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management
Though she's in demand as a conference speaker and industry
consultant, Rach earned her place on our list through her influence over
the hospitality industry's next generation of leaders. As an associate
dean at NYU's hospitality school, hers is a persuasive voice in the
planning of curricula in two undergraduate and three masters programs,
in developing marketing and recruiting strategies, and in designing and
implementing short- and long-range plans. She has done all this while
cultivating and grooming a network of relationships with government, the
industry and alumni.
Jay Rasulo, chairman, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts
Rasulo lives and works in Los Angeles, but as national chair of the
Travel Industry Association, he seems to spend more time in Washington
than most lawmakers, testifying on Capitol Hill, lobbying the Bush
administration and helping the industry craft the blueprint for
increasing tourism to the U.S. Back on the West Coast, he uses Disney
resources to promote inbound travel, most recently producing a welcome
video that the government intends to use at airports and consulates
around the world to make a good first impression for visitors to the
U.S. Now, if only the Department of Homeland Security would send
immigration officers to the Disney Institute for training. Or Rasulo
should run for office, perhaps?
Ian Schrager, chairman and CEO, Ian Schrager Co.
The father of the lifestyle trend in lodging, Schrager is credited
with opening the first boutique property, the Morgans Hotel, in New York
in 1984. That launched a revolution, turning the industry's focus from
what he called "efficiencies of execution" to the customer experience.
In 2007, it all came full circle when the master of efficient execution,
Bill Marriott, teamed with Schrager to develop new opportunities for
Marriott International. That, coupled with Schrager's involvement in the
cutting-edge Echelon project in Las Vegas, demonstrates the industry's
continued belief that his presence can move the needle.
Steve Schwarzman, chairman and CEO, Blackstone Group
Peerless deal-making and a ferocious work ethic have elevated private
equity magnate Steve Schwarzman from ordinary Wall Street titan to
era-defining icon. Schwarzman put the Hilton organization on notice five
days after acquiring it in October by appointing an outsider as CEO.
Most would argue that Hilton wasn't broken, but true to form, Schwarzman
immediately set about raising the bar for his sprawling hotel empire.
His goal is to create "the pre-eminent lodging company in the world,"
and with all industry eyes watching him, his next daunting task may
simply be to one-up his last deal with his next.
Rob Solomon, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Outrigger Enterprises Group
No man is an island, but an island just might be one man -- if the
island is Oahu and the man is Rob Solomon. In a community that has its
share of large egos, the soft-spoken Solomon has become one of Hawaii
tourism's most respected and influential players, spearheading
Outrigger's paradigm-changing Waikiki Beach Walk project in Honolulu.
That $500 million effort, now nearing completion, renovated and
rejuvenated a rundown, honky-tonk swath of Waikiki and is expected to
set the stage for the reinvention of the entire neighborhood as more
upscale and profitable. Granted, city and state may have a master plan
for Waikiki, but Solomon and his team are the ones putting it into
action.
Kim Sorensen, CEO, YTB Travel Network
Sorensen went, in a matter of weeks, from a virtual unknown in the
industry to its favorite target for vitriol (from traditional travel
agents and some suppliers) or admiration (from his tens of thousands of
referring agents and, behind closed doors, some suppliers). He has
demonstrated some grace under fire, admitting his organization is still
maturing, and we suspect that he and YTB will be around for many years,
forcing all parties to examine what constitutes a legitimate seller of
travel and challenging suppliers to assess how, and with whom, they wish
to do business.
Barry Sternlicht, chairman and CEO, Starwood Capital Group
Sternlicht came into hospitality as an outsider, a real estate and
finance guy, but he quickly demonstrated he had nothing in common with
the stereotypical bean counter turned CEO. As head of Starwood Hotels
& Resorts, he shook up the hotel world with guest-centric
innovations such as the Westin Heavenly Bed and the corporate-hip style
of W Hotels. Since leaving Starwood Hotels, he has the credibility,
resources and confidence to start three very different lodging brands at
the same time: 1 Hotel & Residences, which he calls the first
ecofriendly luxury hotel brand; Crillon, an expansion of the famed Hotel
de Crillon in Paris; and Baccarat Hotels & Resorts, a brand
extension of Baccarat Crystal.
Bobby Sturgell, acting administrator, Federal Aviation Administration
Sturgell has been nominated by President Bush to be the new FAA
administrator for a full five-year term, and if the former United
Airlines and Navy fighter pilot is confirmed, he'll take control at a
critical time and need all of his mettle. He's already taking flak for
advocating flight caps at New York's Kennedy Airport next summer to
reduce delays, and he'll need to steer the FAA through the early years
of its switch to a satellite-based navigation system. The future
convenience of flying may depend on what he decides to do and how well
he does it.
Andy Taylor, chairman and CEO, Enterprise Rent-A-Car
In an industry segment that sometimes appears to struggle for
differentiation among brands, Enterprise has a knack for surprising both
consumers and competitors. Having built itself into the largest car
rental company by studiously avoiding airport locations, corporate
travelers, vacationers and travel agents, the company did a stunning
u-turn on all those counts. Earlier this year, Enterprise upped its
commitment by purchasing Alamo and National. Taylor is now testing
whether an auto-related company can position itself as environmentally
friendly: He has committed to planting 50 million trees over the next 50
years, offers 3,000 hybrid vehicles in his fleet and launched a program
that lets customers pay a small fee (matched up to $1 million by
Enterprise) to fund certified offset projects.
Adam Tihany, principal, Tihany Design
Distinctive restaurants are de rigueur in hotels these days, and if
you hire Adam Tihany to do the design, distinction is what you get. He's
a favorite of the Mandarin Oriental and Shangri-La groups and the
darling of Las Vegas (the Bellagio's Le Cirque, the Mirage's Cravings
and Mandalay Bay's Aureole). In Mexico, you'll find his touch in the
Camino Real in Mexico City and the One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos.
The Waldorf-Astoria -- the original, in New York -- has multiple
examples. Expect his influence to spread with his ambition: He designed
the entire Aleph hotel in Rome, and he wants to do more.
Jonathan Tisch, CEO, Loews Hotels, and chairman, Travel Business Roundtable
We struggled over who more deserved to be on this list, Tisch or
Travel Industry Association President Roger Dow. Both can be credited
with significantly raising the industry's profile in Washington and,
starting in 2009, they'll be doing it together when the TBR and TIA
merge. But in some ways, Dow's multi-year courtship of Tisch indicated
where the influence currently resides. Tisch, more than anyone else in
the industry, can instantly open doors, ears and minds in the nation's
capital. Wealthy, savvy and with a keen grasp of issues and a strong
interest in politics, Tisch finally heeded Dow's call for "one industry,
one voice," but we suspect that for some time to come, Tisch's voice
will remain the strongest in the chorus.
Matthew Upchurch, CEO, Virtuoso
Once upon a time, the vision of a travel agency consortium could be
summed up by the old saw "in numbers there is strength." Upchurch turned
the model on its head by putting database marketing and publishing
front and center and focusing on quality rather than quantity. Today,
there isn't an agency group that hasn't copied at least one of his
concepts (up to and including his music-inspired name). His influence,
internally and externally, will be tested over the next year as he works
to get his independent-minded members to promote the Virtuoso brand
more prominently while he grows the membership side of the business into
a global network.
Michelle White, director of environmental affairs, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts
It's not easy being green, but White and Fairmont make it look like
it is. With many properties in national parks or other environmentally
sensitive locations, White and Fairmont committed to an
environmental-protection policy long before it became fashionable.
Fairmont's Green Partnership Program set an international industry
standard, going beyond towel reuse and energy-efficient light bulbs to
the purchase of alternative energy sources, organic waste diversion and
water conservation programs.
Philip Wolf, president and CEO, PhoCusWright
In the early days of the Internet, everyone was hiring Wolf, the new
channel's chief cheerleader and certified technology-development expert,
as a consultant. His conferences had substance, and he quickly became
the de facto hub that connected online supply, distribution and content
players. When the bubble burst, he regrouped, putting renewed emphasis
on his conferences and research divisions. More recently, when online
sales slowed and traditional agents showed signs of revival, he emerged
with a more channel-neutral stance. But the true measure of his
influence throughout these years can be validated by one constant: In
virtually every PowerPoint presentation made in the travel industry over
the past dozen years, there's always at least one slide that says, in
the lower right corner, "Source: PhoCusWright."