March 8, 2010Airports Council International-North America President Greg Principato always has quite a few agenda items on his radar. As the face and voice of the country's airports, he is waging battles in Washington to increase airline ticket fees, get more money to improve air traffic control and enhance security without impeding air travel. He sat down with aviation editor Michael Fabey to discuss his concerns. March 1, 2010Noel Hentschel, chairwoman of the inbound operator AmericanTours International, recently returned from meetings in China with U.S. and Chinese government officials about the challenges facing the burgeoning Chinese inbound travel market. Senior Editor Michelle Baran spoke with Hentschel about the safety and quality-control concerns surrounding the Chinese travel experience in the U.S. February 22, 2010Ritz-Carlton's expansion into Aruba, a project long in discussion, reflects the brand's confidence in both the destination and the return of the luxury market. Caribbean editor Gay Nagle Myers talked with Marriott International CEO Bill Marriott Jr. about the history behind this project as well as the firm's commitment to sustainability and other developments at Marriott. February 16, 2010The founder of Orient Lines, Gerry Herrod, has launched Voyages to Antiquity, a cruise brand centered on Mediterranean history and culture. Mitchell Schlesinger, director of sales and marketing for the new line, was also head of sales at Orient. He spoke with cruise editor Johanna Jainchill about why the line will do well, despite launching during a recession. February 8, 2010Best Western is the world's largest hotel brand, with more than 4,000 hotels in 80 countries. But within that group of midscale properties is a wide variety of hotels with a broad range in prices. To help consumers better understand what they are booking, the company is in the process of categorizing its global portfolio. Hotels Editor Jeri Clausing talked with President and CEO David Kong about the initiative as well as his new role as chairman of the American Hotel & Lodging Association. February 1, 2010Air New Zealand created a stir last week by unveiling a lie-flat economy seat prototype and a space-age design for its economy premier seating. CEO Rob Fyfe talked with aviation editor Michael Fabey about what the airline hopes to accomplish with its new seating and what other changes the carrier has in mind. January 25, 2010Royal Caribbean International has had to vigorously defend its decision to bring vacationers, along with relief supplies, to its private beach destination in Labadee, Haiti, 80 to 100 miles from where a powerful earthquake leveled much of the nation's capital two weeks ago. Cruise editor Johanna Jainchill talked with CEO Adam Goldstein about the decision. January 19, 2010Last year, tour operators such as Trafalgar Tours faced a drop in demand that forced many of them to cancel and combine tour dates. For 2010, Trafalgar has cut capacity to ensure the same thing doesn't happen again. Senior Editor Michelle Baran spoke with Trafalgar President Paul Wiseman about how capacity changes affect everyone from major hotel partners to the individual tour guides. January 11, 2010The current aviation security debate certainly hits home for Christopher Bidwell, vice president of security and facilitation for Airports Council International -- North America. As a pilot and a former corporate security manager for American, Bidwell brings a unique perspective to the recent crackdown on air travel screening. Recently he spoke with aviation editor Michael Fabey about what needs to be done to make the airways more secure in the wake of the failed Christmas Day attempt to blow up a Northwest passenger jet. January 4, 2010The political strife in Honduras last year dealt a blow to the Central American country's 2-year-old campaign to increase tourism after the U.S. and Canada issued travel advisories against visiting the country. Hotels editor Jeri Clausing spoke with the Honduras Tourism Institute's marketing director, Karla Calidonio, about the impact the political tensions had on tourism. December 21, 2009In April, Ken Watson became Silversea Cruises' executive vice president and COO. Cruise editor Johanna Jainchill spoke with Watson about recent changes at Silversea and the line's newest ship, the Silver Spirit. December 14, 2009Azamara Club Cruises CEO Larry Pimentel and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Edie Bornstein were in New York last week to discuss Azamara's new name, more inclusive nature and higher prices. They sat down with cruise editor Johanna Jainchill to discuss the changes and talk about how they are raising Azamara's profile and why it should no longer be called a deluxe line. December 7, 2009Lalia Rach, founding dean of New York University's Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism and Sports Management, is stepping down from her post next year. Hotels editor Jeri Clausing talked to Rach about her decision and her plans for the future. November 30, 2009Starwood Hotels & Resorts CEO Frits van Paasschen was in Denver recently to mark the completion of a $70 million overhaul of the Downtown Denver Sheraton, one of the largest examples of the brand's global makeover. During his visit he sat down with hotels editor Jeri Clausing. November 23, 2009Disney Cruise Line President Karl Holz was in New York recently to reveal the features on the upcoming, 4,000-passenger Disney Dream. Cruise editor Johanna Jainchill spoke with Holz about the new ship, the line's new itinerary to Alaska in 2011 and its joint promotion with sister brand Adventures by Disney. November 16, 2009Marriott International is undergoing a reorganization that will bring more of the operations of its luxury Ritz-Carlton brand under the corporate umbrella. Hotels editor Jeri Clausing talked with Simon Cooper, president of Ritz-Carlton’s global operations, about how the brand has fared during the downturn in luxury and meetings travel and what the new Marriott structure means for Ritz-Carlton’s future. November 9, 2009TW talks to Peter von Moltke about the future direction of OAG and its parent company, UBM Aviation. November 2, 2009TW chats with Atout France's Jean-Philippe Perol about U.S. travel to France. October 26, 2009TW speaks with Stein Kruse, CEO of Holland America Line, about his line's decision to pull capacity from Alaska for 2010. October 19, 2009TW chats with Dwain Wall about broadening the scope of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. to include a land sales division. October 12, 2009TW chats with CLIA's Michael Crye about how the cruise lines are preparing for the upcoming flu season and a possible outbreak of H1N1. October 5, 2009TW talks to Choice Hotels' Steve Joyce about his plans for the company. September 28, 2009TW talks to former American Airlines CEO Robert Crandall about imposing tarmac-delay limits on carriers. September 21, 2009TW chats with Allen Chastanet about remaining positive about St. Lucia's tourism sector. |