The Insider Travel Report Podcast

Gina Gabbard, chief commercial officer for First in Service (F1S), a Virtuoso-member luxury host agency, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit in New York about what’s new at F1S and what the trends are in luxury travel today. Gabbard also tells us why she participated in the T+L Summit and the value she got out of the invitation-only meeting. Fo...

Paul Brady, news director for Travel + Leisure, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit in New York about the latest trends in luxury travel and top news in upscale travel this year, Brady, who moderated several key panels during the Summit, also reveals what he sees for luxury travel in the year ahead. For more information, visit www.travelandleisure.co...

Stacy Fischer-Rosenthal, president of Fischer Unlimited (formerly Fischer Travel), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Travel + Leisure World's Best Summit in New York about her famed luxury travel agency, which remains independent with no independent contractors. Fischer-Rosenthal also tells us about the legacy of her famed father, Bill Fischer, and how the next generation of ownership is al...

Karen Magee, president of Valerie Wilson Travel (VWT), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about how her famed travel agency is working as part of Frosch Travel under the umbrella of Chase Travel, owned by J.P. Morgan Chase. Magee tells us how VWT is growing, what it’s focused on and how it remains a member of the Virtuoso luxury consortium. For more information, visit www.valeriewilsontravel.com. 

Ana Tomicevic, vice president, global brands, Inclusive Collection for Hyatt, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last week’s Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit about the growth and brand expansion of Hyatt’s all-inclusive resort collection. Tomicevic tells us how the 11 brands in the collection have expanded dramatically in just the last few years, growing most recently in luxury all-inclus...

Jacqueline Gifford, editor in chief of Travel + Leisure, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about last week’s Travel + Leisure World’s Best Summit and the trends and news it produced. Gifford tells us about her on stage conversation with her boss, Barry Diller, chairman of People Inc.; what she got out of the rest of the conference and more. She also gives us an update on what’s new at Travel + ...

Chef Suzanne Vizethann of Buttermilk Kitchen talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about her popular brunch restaurant in Atlanta and how her career as a chef brought her success and fam. And now Chef Suzanne has opened a new location in Camden, Maine. Both restaurants are the perfect places to book for your clients traveling in those areas—and brunch remains one of the most popular meals while traveling. This...

Vito Spalluto, managing director of 7 Pines Resort Sardinia, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his luxury boutique resort on the Costa Smeralda. New direct air service this summer on Delta is leading more Americans to discover this Italian island getaway and this resort, which ticks on the boxes on culinary, wellness and relaxation. For more information, visit https://7pines-sardinia.com.

Sara Kline, the new director of sales and advisor engagement at InteleTravel, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about her newly created role, the company’s 145,000 travel advisors and plans to expand sales training and advisor engagement, including support for new advisors in the UAE. Kline also discusses foundational business skills and the importance of preparing advisors to earn supplier trust. For more informa...

Michelle Woodley, president of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about how Preferred Travel Group supports independent hotels, Preferred's 625-hotel portfolio, collections, quality assurance program and the Beyond Green sustainability brand. Woodley also discusses new hotel additions, the I Prefer loyalty program and the travel advisor portal. For more information, visit www.preferredhote...

Bradley Kiesendahl, president and CEO, and Brooke James, vice president of sales, marketing & hospitality at Woodloch talk with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about their family-owned resort complex in Pennsylvania’s Poconos. With three properties—The Pines at Woodloch family resort, The Lodge at Woodloch luxury boutique spa resort and The Springs, Golf Resort at Woodloch—there is literally somethi...

Robin Lawther, vice president of Expedia TAAP (Travel Agent Affiliate Program), talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report, about how his company has moved beyond giving advisors access to commissionable hotels, tours and activities from the Expedia inventory. Expedia TAAP is introducing new capabilities that help travel advisors and agencies streamline back-office operations, reduce manual work and scale their businesse...

Bill Brodsky, managing director of Boston Harbor Hotel, talks with Angela Hughes of Insider Travel Report about the independent waterfront hotel’s history, spacious guestrooms, harbor views, dining, live music, meetings, weddings and wellness facilities. Brodsky also discusses Boston’s upcoming events, its membership in Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Legend Collection. For more information, visit www.bostonharbor...

Dr. Shenika Baisley-Woodley talks with James Shillinglaw of insider Travel Report about how she won ASTA's Travel Advisor of the Year Award at this year's ASTA Travel Advisor Conference. Dr. Baisley-Woodley was recognized for her efforts to mentor her fellow advisors and for the service she provides to her clients. She also happens to be a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army with a PhD in healthcare administration. Her agency, Divi...

Javier Cabrerizo, chief strategy & transformation & AI officer for HBX Group, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s HBX MarketHub in the Dominican Republic about how HBX will introduce an upgraded Bedsonline.com that travel advisors can use to build their business. Cabrerizo says the new solution, set for a September launch, aims to fill all the needs of the market in inspiring, plannin...

Jim Tedesco, vice president of sales for ALG Vacations, talks with Jennifer Jones of Insider Travel Report about improving booking demand, the resilience of Mexico and the Caribbean as well as growth in Europe and beyond. Tedesco also discusses Italy rail packages, cruise pre- and post-stays, the new ALGV advisor portal, ALG Vacations Pro training and benefits available through the company’s Elite program. For more informatio...

Xabi Zabala, chief operating officer of HBX Group, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s HBX MarketHub in the Dominican Republic, about the tools HBX has developed to help advisors sell more travel. With an optimistic outlook for travel in the fugure, Zabala sees AI as driving more sales and innovation in the future. For more information, visit www.hbxgroup.com. 

Melissa Krueger, CEO of Classic Vacations, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about the destinations being booked now and into the fall by travel advisor sellers of Classic. Krueger also details the programs and services Classic has developed to make advisors even more successful in the future as its primary source of distribution. For more information, visit www.classicvacations.com.

Chris Dane, president of Hickory Global Partners business travel consortium, now owned InteleTravel, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report, about being recognized by ASTA as the winner of the Barbara O’Hara Advocacy Award for his long support of travel advisors, travel agencies and ASTA itself. Industry veteran Dane has been a supporter of advisor causes for more than four decades even as he held different exe...