In the final episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with citizenM’s former CCO and CEO and now another star CEO Lennert de Jong to unpack how a boutique hotel brand reinvented loyalty as a product rather than a points program. The result was a paid subscription model, guaranteed room availability, and a bold brand IP sale to Marriott, all of which reshaped citizenM’s growth, distribution strategy, and guest experience without diluting its identity.

Lennert takes us back to the company’s early stance against traditional loyalty models and the forces that pushed a rethink: OTA pressure, the strength of U.S. direct-booking behavior, and the need for scale to protect rate integrity. Out of that emerged mycitizenM+, a simple paid membership that delivers immediate, tangible perks most notably guaranteed rooms when travelers need them most. The psychology mirrors Amazon Prime: when guests pay to join, they default to the brand and return more often. We explore how citizenM measured success through customer lifetime value, switching behavior, and how benefits like coworking access and F&B discounts aligned perfectly with the brand’s living-room-centric design.

Think points are the prize? In travel loyalty, status is the real currency - the fast lane, the lounge, the upgrades, and the ease that comes from knowing you’re looked after. In the second episode of our Loyalty Series, we sit down with Erin Murray, CMO of Loyalty Status Co, to explore why many loyalty programs are now more valuable than the airlines that run them and how the smartest brands use status to shape behavior, lift yield, and keep their highest-value travelers loyal.

We follow Erin’s 25-year career across Air Miles, Points, and now Loyalty Status Co to reveal what truly motivates frequent travelers. You’ll hear how Status Lift reduces the need for painful “status runs” by letting near-qualifiers buy up at exactly the right moment. And how Status Match acquires proven high-value flyers the moment a competitor falters. Just look at Air France: after BA’s program changes, they matched 4,000 elites who went on to book 17,000 flights, many in business class. That’s the playbook: spot the moment, validate the traveler, deliver benefits that matter, and watch the revenue follow.

We’re excited to kick off a new three-part Loyalty Series, where we explore how airlines, hotels, and loyalty status companies are rewriting the rules of traveler engagement. In this first episode, we begin with a refreshingly simple philosophy from KM Malta Airlines: make value clear, make status meaningful, and make the journey smoother. Oliver Piers Ross, Head of Loyalty & CRM, joins us to share how a small flag carrier built a transparent currency, introduced genuinely useful status tiers, and used smart partnerships to influence traveler behavior in all the right ways.

Want a clear-eyed look at where travel is headed next? Erik Blachford, early Expedia leader turned board member at Zillow, Hipcamp, and Fora, joins us to unpack what the future that actually works looks like — AI behind the scenes, humans up front, and real-world experiences that no screen can replace.

We trace Erik’s journey from building one of the first online travel agencies to backing companies that are reshaping how people stay, plan, and explore. From outdoor escapes to modern travel advising, his perspective connects decades of innovation with what’s coming next.

Travelers think they want Stonehenge - but what they remember is a pint shared with locals, the scent of wild hedgerows, and a guide who brings the landscape to life.

In the final episode of our Emerging Multi-day Tour series, we sit down with Will Cairns, Managing Director of Active England Tours, to explore how a soft-adventure brand transforms repeat UK visitors—mostly American retirees—into lifelong fans through curation, kindness, and flexibility. From e-bikes and support vans to clever Sunday tour starts that lower hotel costs, Will shares the thoughtful decisions that create value without ever sacrificing soul.

Curiosity changes everything. That’s the thread running through our conversation with Crooked Compass founder and CEO Lisa Pagotto, whose frontier-travel philosophy favors depth over dazzle and local impact over checklists. In this second episode of our Emerging Multi-Day Tour Operators series, we explore how she designs perspective-shifting journeys in safe yet overlooked destinations — from Papua New Guinea’s highland festivals and WWII relics to Mongolia’s sweeping steppe — and why honesty about difficulty, logistics, and culture leads to more meaningful travel.

We’re kicking off our new Emerging Multi-Day Operators series - spotlighting how a new wave of founders is reinventing group travel for modern explorers. The multi-day category is poised for growth in the next 5-10 years with an impressive average of 20–30% annually, driven by travelers seeking deeper connection, curated itineraries, and shared experiences.

In this episode, we meet Dr. Nabila Ismail, pharmacist turned founder and creator of A Dose of Travel, who turned her solo travel storytelling into a thriving small-group brand that celebrates belonging for South Asian travelers while welcoming all who share that spirit of curiosity and connection.

Purposeful travel is having a moment—and we’re getting to the heart of what’s driving it. From a windswept opening in Patagonia to an inside look at EF’s new active brand, this "Captains of Industry," conversation with Heidi Durflinger, CEO of EF World Journeys USA, explores how learning, community, and movement are reshaping multi-day travel for every generation.

We unpack EF’s expansive global footprint - spanning educational travel, cultural exchange, language schools, and higher-ed pathways - and how EF World Journeys bridges three distinct audiences: Gen Z through EF Ultimate Break, all-ages travelers with EF Go Ahead Tours, and active explorers via EF Adventures. 

A misbooked flight, a lost day in Beijing, and a spark that reshaped how millions discover what to do when they land. In this Captains of Industry episode, we sit down with Tao Tao, Co-Founder and COO of GetYourGuide, to unpack what it really takes to build a global marketplace for experiences—from cold-calling suppliers before the website even existed to mastering SEO when organic growth still compounded, and designing a company around work, not titles or ego.

Tao explains why execution - not a single “big idea” - wins in travel. We explore how GetYourGuide scaled city by city, managed operator tensions with radical clarity, and made UX choices - like 24-hour cancellation - that boost conversion without breaking trust. He shares lessons on timing, luck, and how culture - anchored in curiosity, high standards, and follow-through - turns principles into performance.

Imagine walking into a distillery and being greeted by the master as a hologram who already knows your questions. That’s the bold vision of GeoTourist, and where our conversation with CEO Shaon Talukder begins. From its start as an “audio map of the world” to hosting community voices, screen tourism, and accessibility routes across 94 countries, GeoTourist is redefining how stories connect travelers to place.

Shaon shares how DMOs use the platform’s view-to-visit data to prove impact, why communities and fans create the most compelling tours, and how Holoxar—an AR layer powered by light AI—is bringing guides into real-world spaces without distraction. We also look ahead to the traveler’s near future: natural language interfaces, ambient AR glasses, and real-time translation that dissolve barriers.

Discover how Viator became the world’s go-to platform for in-destination experiences. Viator is transforming how travelers discover and book more than 400,000 unique activities worldwide. In this episode, Laurel Greatrix, Viator’s VP of Marketing, takes us behind the scenes of this powerhouse and its rapid rise.

Laurel reveals how Viator’s acquisition by TripAdvisor turned into one of the industry’s most successful partnerships, blending TripAdvisor’s massive audience with Viator’s unmatched supply network and fueling a staggering 200% growth in the first year of post-pandemic recovery.

Step into the wonderfully weird world of Meow Wolf as founder Vince Kadlubek takes us behind the refrigerator door to reveal the journey from a dumpster-diving art collective to a multimillion-dollar immersive empire.

In this episode, Vince shares how a scrappy group of twenty-something artists in Santa Fe - working restaurant jobs and transforming recycled materials into fantastical realms - grew into one of the most talked-about immersive experiences in the world. A chance connection with Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin secured their first permanent home in an abandoned bowling alley, setting the stage for Meow Wolf’s meteoric rise.

Introducing the First Captain of Season 6!

We’re thrilled to kick off Season 6 of Travel Trends and our Captain of Industry series with Chris Hemmeter, Co-founder and Managing Partner of Thayer Ventures, for a powerhouse conversation on the future of travel and tech investment.

Chris opens the black box of venture capital, revealing what investors really look for in founders, how to stand out when raising funds, and why 2026 is set to be a defining year for travel entrepreneurs. With a proven track record as both a founder and an investor in industry-shaping companies like Sonder, Muse, and Canary Technologies, he brings hard-won insights every innovator needs to know.