Michael possesses industry relations experience with hotels and he has tremendous experience in leveraging data and implementing custom analytics. That winning combination will serve Travel Leaders Group, our Hotel Division and our agencies very well.
Ninan Chacko, CTC, Chief Executive Officer for Travel Leaders Group
Heflin and Hotel Division will report into John Lovell, CTC, President of Travel Leaders Network, Leisure Group and Hotel Division
New York, NY (March 21, 2017) – Today, Travel Leaders Group announced that its hotel team will now roll under John Lovell, CTC, President of Travel Leaders Network, Leisure Group & Hotel Division. Also announced was that Michael Heflin will serve as the Hotel Division’s new Senior Vice President with responsibilities for its day-to-day operations. Heflin will join the Travel Leaders Hotel Division on March 27 and will report directly to Lovell; in turn, the Hotel Division leadership will report to Heflin.
“Michael Heflin comes to Travel Leaders Group with exceptional experience in two key areas that are particularly compelling and will provide us with a level of expertise to drive further adoption and attachment rates among our agents,” noted Ninan Chacko, CTC, Chief Executive Officer for Travel Leaders Group. “Michael possesses industry relations experience with hotels and he has tremendous experience in leveraging data and implementing custom analytics. That winning combination will serve Travel Leaders Group, our Hotel Division and our agencies very well.”
Heflin is coming to Travel Leaders Group directly from Anglepoint Group where he was focused as its Chief Operating Officer on business process transformation and assisting clients leveraging data to design more intelligent business processes. Prior to that, he served as Director of Strategic Account Management for Orbitz, where he oversaw the development of its first Hotel Information Management team and was accountable for global business with its two largest hotel partners and largest technology provider. While there, he also drove the company’s first-ever paid marketing engagement with the world’s largest hotel brand.
The Travel Leaders Hotel Division – powered by a dedicated team and by pinSIGHT to make booking easier for agents under the Travel Leaders Group umbrella – offers the Worldwide Hotel Program and the Select Hotels & Resorts luxury portfolio, and now includes the Andrew Harper Collection.
The Worldwide Hotel Program is Travel Leaders Group’s comprehensive, price competitive hotel program offering agents the best available rates at more than 33,000 three to five star properties, ranging from top brands to independent hotels. Clients will have access to amenities including breakfast, parking or in-room Wi-Fi, access to last room availability, flexibility to guarantee stays with credit cards, and guest loyalty points.
Select Hotels & Resorts is Travel Leaders Group’s award-winning luxury hotel program and is comprised of more than 800 of the world’s most distinguished properties. Clients will enjoy memorable experiences that include the best available rates or better, daily complimentary breakfasts for two, early check-in/late check-out (upon availability), room upgrade upon arrival (subject to availability), and up to $100 VIP value-added hotel amenities.
The Andrew Harper Collection is an amenity-driven hotel program – with 600 ultra-luxury, bespoke properties globally with average daily rates of more than $1,000 – and was acquired by Travel Leaders Group in January.
Travel Leaders Group is one of North America’s largest travel companies – encompassing nearly one-third of all travel agents – and generates gross travel sales approaching $21 billion. Travel Leaders Group is a leader in both the retail travel agency space and corporate travel, and it consistently ranks as one of the top travel companies nationwide.
About Travel Leaders Group
Travel Leaders Group (www.travelleadersgroup.com) is transforming travel with a commitment to our vacation and business travel clients via our progressive approach toward each unique travel experience. Having already assisted millions of travelers – through our beginnings as Carlson Leisure Group, a division of Carlson Companies, TraveLeaders and Tzell Travel Group and through the additions of Nexion, Vacation.com and Protravel International – Travel Leaders Group manages leisure, business and franchise travel operations under a variety of diversified divisions and brands. With annual sales approaching $21 billion through over 7,000 locations, Travel Leaders Group ranks as one of the industry’s largest traditional travel agency companies.