forbes travel ceo

The chairman of Forbes Travel Guide is digital media pioneer Jeff Arnold, who is the visionary behind Forbes Travel Guide and the co-founder, chairman and CEO of Sharecare, a digital health company he founded with Dr. Mehmet Oz that helps people manage all their health in one place.

In 2005, Arnold purchased the rights to Mobil Travel Guide, a well-known series of regional guidebooks that Mobil Oil had published since 1958. The guides provided independent ratings of hotels, motels and restaurants in North America. Arnold had the vision to transform the collection into a digital guide and globalize the Star Rating system, with a focus on luxury hospitality. By 2009, he evolved Mobil Travel Guide to Forbes Travel Guide, in partnership with Forbes Media LLC.

Prior to founding Sharecare and Forbes Travel Guide, Arnold was chairman and CEO of HowStuffWorks.com, an award-winning online resource used by millions of people each month, which he sold to Discovery Communications, where he served as chief digital strategy officer, as well as chief architect of The Curiosity Project until December 2011.

In 1998, he founded and served as CEO of WebMD, the first healthcare company to harness the power of the Internet to create a unified destination for consumers, healthcare institutions and physicians to find trustworthy medical information. Prior to WebMD, Jeff founded Quality Diagnostic Services (QDS), a cardiac arrhythmia monitoring company, one of the first companies to use the concept of telemedicine over 25 years ago.

Arnold has been honored for his innovative contributions to media, technology and healthcare, including the 2016 Blumenthal Award by Johns Hopkins University which recognized his exceptional ability to bridge business and technology. Additionally, he was inducted into the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International, as an Honorary Member for his superior achievements and contributions to the advancement of nursing and health care on both a national and global level. Arnold also has been honored by the World Economic Forum; inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia; named Entrepreneur of the Year, Southeast Region by Ernst & Young; and received the prestigious Phoenix Award, which recognizes companies and individuals who embody strength, tenacity and leadership in Georgia’s healthcare information technology industry.

A well-respected, widely traveled, and assured leader in luxury hospitality, Hermann Elger brings a wealth of expertise and 30 years of global experience to his role as the chief executive officer of Forbes Travel Guide.

Serving most recently as executive vice president of travel, entertainment, and health security at digital health leader Sharecare, he led the successful launch of Sharecare’s health security verification program in partnership with Forbes Travel Guide, which now covers thousands of properties globally.

Prior to Sharecare, Elger was the managing director of Baccarat Hotel New York and chief operating officer of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts, leading the development of new properties and overseeing day-to-day operations and quality guest experiences for the flagship hotel. As general manager, he led Baccarat Hotel New York to its first Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award in 2018.

Elger has also served as general manager at other renowned Five-Star hotels across North America, including The St. Regis New York, Montage Beverly Hills (now The Maybourne Beverly Hills), and The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun. In nearly 18 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, he supported the development of new hotels as an opening team leader for The Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands, Philadelphia, Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Elger followed his father into the hotel industry and earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Denver. From his humble beginnings as a doorman for The Brown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, this second-generation hotelier has established himself as an accomplished and innovative hospitality leader. His talents are recognized with honors including “Best GM in US and Canada” in the Travvy Awards and “Most Innovative GM” by American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, both awarded in 2016. Elger also was named one of the “40 Most Influential Leaders in Tourism in Mexico” by Lideres magazine.

Executive Leadership

As Chief Financial Officer, Tony Hounshell brings 25 years of executive leadership experience to work in guiding Forbes Travel Guide's overall financial strategy. His department oversees a breadth of functions, including accounting, finance, treasury and tax; financial planning, analysis and corporate development; human resources; and investor relations.

Hounshell began his career in public accounting at a Big Four firm, later moving into advisory services at that firm and other global consultancies. His advisory experience spans forensic, transaction, risk management and performance improvement services. He regularly assisted boards of directors, audit committees, management and their legal counsel to address significant and complex matters. Hounshell has worked in more than 25 countries across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia. He is a Certified Public Accountant and an active member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

As Director of Ratings, Kaitlyn Jahelka oversees the compilation of Ratings data that determines the annual list of Star Award winners and manages global expansion planning, determining the best new properties and destinations to be Star Rated. Working alongside the Vice President, Ratings, Jahelka is responsible for providing recommendations and input to the President of Ratings. Jahelka also plays an integral role in the annual standards revisions process and provides expertise and consultation on standards applications.

Beginning at Forbes Travel Guide in 2012, Jahelka held various roles in Evaluation Operations and Reporting, including as a full-time evaluator, before joining the Ratings team in 2018. She has stayed in more than 200 luxury hotels across 40 countries and six continents, developing a deep understanding of trends in the global hospitality industry and today’s luxury guest.

Global Ambassadors

Before joining Forbes Travel Guide, Boyen served as CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, overseeing a portfolio of more than 520 exceptional independent hotels in 80 countries.

Prior to that post, the Belgium native spent 18 years with Orient-Express, the famed precursor to the Belmond brand. Joining the hospitality company as general manager of Bora Bora Lagoon Resort in Tahiti, he rose to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of Orient-Express. In between, various roles included Group Vice President Operations; Regional Vice President, Africa, Australia & Latin America; and Managing Director, Hotels & Trains.

Boyen began his hospitality career as a commis chef and stayed in the food and beverage side of the business for 10 years, working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Belgium, France and England. He even did a stint under French master chef Joël Robuchon.

For more than 20 years, Hervé Houdré has been one of the foremost advocates of sustainable hospitality, a term that he coined in the early 2000s. Houdré established the model for sustainable luxury during his time managing distinguished properties such as Hôtel Plaza Athénée, New York; Hôtel de Crillon and Hôtel Plaza Athénée in Paris; Willard InterContinental in Washington, D.C.; and during his tenure as the chief operating officer for Kempinski Hotels.

Houdré’s efforts and passion to promote sustainability in his industry have been highlighted across a wide spectrum of media in the U.S. and abroad. He was recognized as the 2006 Independent Hotelier of the World by HOTELS magazine readers, and his leadership earned him the 2009 Condé Nast Traveler World Saver Award, the D.C. Downtown Citizen honor and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce 2009 award.

Matthieu Yamoum serves as Forbes Travel Guide's Global Ambassador of Wine, sharing his deeply informed perspective in the wine and hospitality industries.

Raised among the vines in France’s Champagne region, Yamoum applied his innate passion for champagne to his career. As the wine director of Baccarat Hotel New York, he curated one of the world's most extensive champagne menus.

Yamoum released his own champagne with Piper-Heidsieck in 2020 and launched an innovative concept wine store, Maison MURA, in Miami in 2022 to rave reviews.

He is a member of the Jurade of Saint-Émilion, the Confraria do Vinho do Porto and the Sommelier Society of America, and is certified by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust.

Partner Services & Industry Outreach

An industry veteran with over 30 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry, Richard Lebowitz is building awareness of Star Rated hotels across the global luxury travel advisor community.

Lebowitz spent nearly 25 years with Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in various leadership positions, including his last role as regional vice-president of luxury, lifestyle and leisure of North America for the global sales office. He later served as senior vice president, hotel and resort program at Signature Travel Network, a member-owned travel agency cooperative serving more than 7,000 travel advisors and 1,000 hotel and resort global partners. Most recently, Lebowitz was vice president of strategic partnerships at Sharecare and rolled out the VERIFIED™ health security program to the hotel and travel industry.

During his 15-plus-year career in luxury hospitality, Francisco Almeida served as the communications and hospitality manager at Aveleda Winery, global brand and sales manager at Monnet Cognac, and brand home manager at Bacardi. He also directed Forbes Travel Guide’s Center for Excellence in Cognac, France. In his latest role, Almeida oversees markets in Southern Europe, including France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece. 

Working as a guest relations hostess and tour guide at Disneyland during college sparked a lifelong interest in hospitality for Veden. She eventually found a home with Marriott International, leading in various disciplines and representing all 30 brands in the company’s portfolio.

As a national recruiter and global director of Marriott’s University Relations and Property Management Staffing team, she partnered with academic institutions across the country and led a group that developed 8,000 college graduates and interns to work across Marriott brands. Veden helped design and implement the award-winning Global Voyager Leadership Development Program, to prepare the next generation of Marriott leaders.

Most recently, Veden was the director of Learning & Engagement at The Broadmoor, where she led training initiatives for the longest-running Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star hotel.

Learning & Development

William Avitia’s passion for the hospitality industry led him into human resources and training early in his career. He has worked for Starwood Hotels & Resorts properties across the United States. As Director of Human Resources at The St. Regis Aspen Resort, Avitia developed an intensive seasonal staffing and training strategy thoughtfully aligned with brand and luxury standards. Most recently, Avitia worked with IHG Hotels & Resorts developing branded and operational service solutions that scaled across 16 brands globally.

Avitia is a certified Property Service Culture Trainer, and has certified other trainers as Service Culture Champions as well as led leadership simulations in region. He holds a degree from Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, where he focused on special operations. Avitia plays an active alumnus role for the National Society of Minorities in Hospitality. He trains in both English and Spanish.

Josh Santos is a dynamic service culture evolution facilitator with over 25 years of hospitality experience and a strong emphasis on hotel operations and training. Having served extensively in leadership roles across a broad spectrum of brands and property types, he has developed a deep-rooted understanding of what it means to own the guest relationship and keen insights on how to effectively approach individual hotel training needs.

His career began at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, and then he joined Starwood Hotels, leading within rooms and food and beverage divisions and overseeing hotel department openings. While there, Santos eventually became a service culture trainer. Later, he took positions like director of rooms for The Beverly Hilton and regional director of training for Loews Hotels.

Since joining Forbes Travel Guide in 2017, Santos has trained in more than 20 countries across five continents. As Director of Learning and Development, he oversees the integration of new trainers and implements programs for the continued advancement of the Learning and Development team.

He is fluent in English and French.

With a history of leading human resources and training operations for luxury brands across the Americas, Vivian Liberman knows what it takes to build exceptional teams that deliver unparalleled service in the hospitality industry.

Liberman's passion for coaching toward extraordinary service began in her role as a training manager for Sofitel Legend Santa Clara Cartagena during the brand's transition, implementing butler service and luxury sales training that emphasized the story of the historic property. Liberman continued to lend her expertise, helping train newly hired staff teams in standards, customer service and behavioral-based interviewing.

She later served as a corporate training specialist at Sofitel and Accor Hotels and administered corporate and management development training. While there, Liberman focused on developing a leadership cultivation program that facilitated the transition of line-level talent to supervisory and middle-management roles. She has previously served at Forbes Travel Guide as an inspector, lending her immense insight into the company’s quality standards.

Luxury hospitality expert Clarita Parra has a successful history of building and managing engaged, high-performing teams and helping them implement the Forbes Travel Guide standards. In addition, she spent a decade in leadership positions at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company's room division, where she gained critical executive operational experience.

Parra designed the training and development curriculum plans that achieved The Ritz-Carlton America's highest honors for excellence in productivity, guest engagement, cleanliness and profitability. Her leadership at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay helped the property earn the Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star award in 2020.

Most recently, Parra served as the director of operations at The Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. She has also lent her guidance as a trainer for various openings within the Marriott International umbrella, such as The Ritz-Carlton, Dove Mountain; The Barcelona EDITION; and The West Hollywood EDITION. Parra is fluent in English and Spanish

With over a decade of luxury hotel experience, and two years as an Executive Trainer at Forbes Travel Guide, Summer Xiang has demonstrated her impressive ability to inspire properties to create exceptional experiences for guests and achieve their goals.

Driven by her dedication to delivering exceptional guest service, she became the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong's youngest management team member after only one year of management training. She attributes her strong product knowledge, frontline service and management skills to the rotation experiences at this flagship property.

Xiang transferred to Four Seasons Hotel Shanghai and transitioned into the learning and development field ––– leading successful corporate and tailor-made, local-focused training programs and employee recognition activities. During her tenure as the quality assurance manager, Xiang focused on operational training while overseeing the guest experience team, significantly improving the hotel's key guest experience metrics. She eventually moved back into food and beverage operations and held the role of food and beverage manager in charge of six outlets. Xiang held the same role at Fairmont Chengdu before joining Forbes Travel Guide.

Glenda Barnatan is a seasoned hospitality professional with substantial experience developing and leading teams at luxury hotels and resorts. Her background covers all aspects of food and beverage, as well as rooms division departments including housekeeping and guest services.

Barnatan began her career at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples working in conference services and banquets, and later became food and beverage supervisor at The Ritz-Carlton, Fort Lauderdale. For more than a decade following, she led in food and beverage and other management leadership roles at glamorous properties including 1 Hotel South Beach, Acqualina Resort & Residences on the Beach, Baccarat New York, and The Hermitage Hotel. She is a passionate coach; stays upbeat, positive, and shares a warm smile. Barnatan is trilingual in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

Joseph Barron joins Forbes Travel Guide with more than 10 years of experience in management roles across MGM Resorts International, which instilled a passion for creating memorable guest experiences through authentic interactions across all luxury hotel sectors.

Barron began his career at the Bellagio Las Vegas, where he held various leadership roles within hotel operations and rapidly expanded his knowledge of hospitality management. As hotel operations manager for Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Skylofts at MGM Grand, Barron managed all hotel operations, including concierge, butler, housekeeping and bell and door services, ensuring each department maintained its stellar standing.

As senior hotel operations manager, Barron oversaw all MGM Grand’s luxury areas, including Skylofts, The Mansion private residences, the Estate Dining Room and the hotel’s VIP Lounge.

Throughout all of his personal endeavors, he has also encouraged and developed the professional growth of his many team members, from entry-level staffers to resort managers and directors.

At Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Bernal led the high-paced front desk team to create memorable moments through individual guest interactions.

He went on to serve as hotel operations manager and guest relations manager for The NoMad Hotel in Las Vegas. In these roles, Bernal oversaw departments such as front desk, concierge, guest services, bellmen and door attendants, ensuring everyone worked cohesively to foster brand awareness and guest loyalty.

Then Bernal joined ARIA Sky Suites, ARIA Resort & Casino and Vdara Hotel & Spa as the luxury operations learning partner. He trained, developed and grew an 8,000-member team, ensuring every employee received proper training that maintained Forbes Travel Guide standards, excellence in service delivery and guest satisfaction.

Bernal's approachability enables him to forge meaningful connections with team members, allowing him to deliver impactful coaching and support that empower staff to create lasting impressions.

Most recently, Blagg was a front office manager at The US Grant, A Luxury Collection Hotel, where she spearheaded Marriott’s Breakthrough Leadership Training program and boosted company morale. She played an integral role in rebuilding her team, fostering growth for those new to the world of luxury. Additionally, Blagg was elected as the field trainer for Marriott’s Brand and Service Excellence program, which featured a select group that focused on elevating guest service excellence throughout Marriott’s luxury portfolio. She received recognition for her efforts as a nominee for Marriott’s Awards of Excellence in 2022.

Earlier in her nearly decade-long career, Blagg took on housekeeping and front office operations management roles at JW Marriott Chicago. Following the pandemic, her knowledge of both departments led to her success in a united rooms operation team as Chicago reopened to guests with limited resources.

Blagg’s upbringing in Tokyo has instilled in her a sense of appreciation for diverse cultures, and she is fluent in English and Japanese.

Samira Charbonnier has built long-standing relationships in the hospitality industry by consistently demonstrating strong influence skills and success in coaching multi-cultural teams. She spent a decade offering expertise in advisory, operations and international training efforts while serving as director of learning and development for global hospitality consulting firm Minds in Motion SA.

Charbonnier worked with international consulting and real estate investment banking firms PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and Eastdil Secured as an adviser focused on hotel development, marketing and sales. Prior to that, she spent four years as food and beverage manager at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts in the United States and Canada. Charbonnier has a deeply-rooted passion for coaching and is a certified Quality Coach for the Swiss Tourism Federation, a qualification based on Six Sigma principles. She also has a Masters in Management of Hospitality from The Nolan School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University.

Nicholas Chow brings 15 years of international experience in luxury hotels, leading culturally diverse teams in achieving service excellence with a guest-centric approach.

Chow began his career at JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong and followed that with 12 years at The Peninsula Hotels group in various room division leadership roles spanning three metropolitan cities: Hong Kong, New York and Tokyo.

At Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Peninsula Tokyo, Chow helped teams create elevated guest experiences in his roles as guest experience manager and later assistant head of front office.   His meticulous, passionate personality led to his appointment as a first-generation trainer of Peninsula Service Principles, where he assisted in implementing the brand's guest engagement guidelines at the Tokyo property.

In February 2023, Chow was hand-selected as an opening task force member at The Peninsula Istanbul, where he successfully established a solid foundation for personalizing guest journeys.

Chow's global experience has allowed him to develop a genuine understanding of diversity. In addition to his native Cantonese, Chow is fluent in English, Mandarin and Japanese.

Collins held leadership positions with Relais & Châteaux, where she developed the skillset necessary to work with boutique properties, such as Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star The Point in New York's Adirondacks.

She then joined world-renowned Rosewood Hotels & Resorts, leading the guest experience team at The Carlyle, A Rosewood Hotel in New York City, where she implemented training initiatives that helped maintain its Four-Star rating. Collins also served as task force director of guest experience for the Five-Star Las Ventanas al Paraíso, A Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos.

Collins' meticulous attention to detail and dedication to excellence shine through her training. Her personalized coaching style and ability to connect with people foster an inspirational and positive environment.

In 12 years, Michael Conte successfully led three Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star spas in California. In addition to his work with these incredible resorts, he served on the FTG Standards Advisory Committee in 2018 and 2019. Conte has always had a passion for training and creating exceptional guest experiences.

When it opened in 2008, The Spa at Pelican Hill in Newport Beach garnered a Five-Star rating, with Conte serving as an integral part of the team. At Montage Laguna Beach, he served as executive director of spa for more than four years and was honored to be a part of the leadership team when the resort was awarded the coveted triple Five-Star rating for hotel, restaurant and spa. As executive director of spa and wellness for Meadowood Napa Valley, Conte opened the new all-suite spa, quickly receiving a Five-Star honor. He was instrumental in revamping and running the resort employee onboarding program, which led to the resort achieving a triple Five-Star award.

Conte combines this experience with creativity in his work as an Executive Trainer for Forbes Travel Guide.

Marco Coppola brings a decade of experience leading teams to create memorable guest experiences at Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Rated properties.

Coppola’s hospitality career began in Rome at the Hotel Eden’s front desk before his promotion to Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan’s Guest Relations Manager. In this role, he successfully led the team to implement strategies to enhance guest engagement and satisfaction.

Later, Coppola was promoted to Operations Manager at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California, followed by a promotion to the role of Creative Planning Manager. Coppola led the team dedicated to personalizing guest experiences, creating the foundation of exceptional service property wide.

Coppola’s passion for creating a memorable guest experience led him to join Forbes Travel Guide as an evaluator, lending him invaluable knowledge of the application of the Forbes Travel Guest standards in 18 different countries. As an evaluator, Coppola led post-evaluation service-focused debriefs with hotel leaders, providing detailed feedback on the property’s strengths and areas for growth.

Coppola excels at delivering unforgettable service at luxury hotels and creating an engaging learning atmosphere.

Gokani spent six years in management positions with Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, successfully implementing regulatory compliance across her departments, conducting weekly standards testing and participating in Forbes Travel Guide training to deliver service of the highest caliber.

She further broadened her industry experience at Chandon, part of LVMH, assisting the team as it rebranded, resulting in elevated offerings and service. She then worked for Forbes Travel Guide Brand Official LATHER, building and maintaining relations with multiple properties and providing luxury wellness in-room amenities to enhance the guest experience.

Gokani has created step-by-step training guides, standard operating procedures and foundational materials for inaugural roles. Her attention to detail, empathetic listening, interactive management style and passion for improving the guest experience help her guide teams to excel in luxury.

McCord Henry has passionately led food and beverage teams for over two decades, endowing him with hands-on experience in all food and beverage areas.

Henry began his hospitality career working for Eureka! Restaurant Group in Seattle. He then moved to Baltimore and held a succession of leadership roles at Sagamore Pendry Baltimore, including pool department head and assistant and food and beverage manager for the Forbes Travel Guide Recommended hotel’s fine dining establishment.

As director of food and beverage outlets for the opening of Four-Star Pendry Manhattan West, he led in-room dining operations and all banquet events. During his tenure, Henry partnered with a third-party restaurant group to implement Forbes Travel Guide’s service standards.

When selected to join Montage International’s task force, Henry assisted in opening Pendry Chicago, Washington DC – The Wharf and Newport Beach. He provided essential training for food and beverage efforts at Montage Big Sky and Five-Star Montage Kapalua Bay. Henry created the steps of service for meal periods for Montage International’s opening properties and trained new hires throughout the company’s portfolio.

Susan Hyde has worked in hospitality for more than two decades. Hyde began her career in food and beverage operations for Caesars Entertainment, where she held leadership positions in bar/lounge, in-room dining, banquets, catering and restaurants.

Later, she became the director of quality assurance at Norwegian Cruise Line. She oversaw the team that developed the company’s brand standards program, Norwegian Platinum Standards, which enabled it to obtain ISO 9001 Certification (a quality classification administered by the International Organization for Standardization).

Hyde also spent four years with the Luxury Quality team at Marriott International, where she led efforts to facilitate process-improvement projects and training to better the guest experience while driving operational results across the Americas.

In addition, Hyde contributed to the textbook, Operations Management in the Hospitality Industry, and is a certified Green and Black Belt in Lean Six Sigma. She holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami and a Bachelor of Science in hospitality from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

When she was a front office manager with Hilton Hotels & Resorts and guest services manager with Loews Hotels & Co., both teams ranked at the top of their respective brands for guest satisfaction and arrival experience. At Loews Kansas City Hotel, Muller pivoted from a rooms division leadership position to teaching brand standards. She led the retraining of the front office team at the brand’s legacy resort in Arizona and opened Loews Coral Gables Hotel as task force director of rooms. Known for her command of brand standards and ability to teach quality service, she represented 26 properties and the customer engagement center on a committee for leaders working on elevating the guest experience and promoting property productivity.

Muller brings her keen eye for detail, coaching management style, passion for service and comprehensive understanding of training to Forbes Travel Guide.

Gregory Ng is a passionate and guest-centered hospitality leader with over a decade of well-rounded operational and managerial experience in renowned luxury hotels globally. Ng's extensive food and beverage expertise includes fine dining, bars, lounges, all-day-dining operations, banqueting and in-room dining.

As part of Peninsula Clubs and Consultancy Services, Ng focused on its clubs and properties portfolio, eventually becoming assistant operations manager at The Repulse Bay Hong Kong. In the United States, Ng directed the food and beverage team at The Peninsula New York and served as The Peninsula Chicago's interim department head as part of a task force.

Ng returned to Asia to lead Sir Elly's restaurant and bar team at The Peninsula Shanghai's fine-dining outlet. Ng later became the food and beverage director of the wellness hospitality group Octave Institute. He championed its food and beverage transformation program and other new initiatives in the group's Shanghai portfolio.

Ng's wealth of knowledge and experience in operations allows him to excel at tailoring training programs to suit a brand's culture.

She held learning and development roles for world-renowned luxury brands and properties, including The St. Regis Mexico City, Rosewood Mayakoba, Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort and One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos Resort.

In 2018, Orezza joined Montage Los Cabos’ executive team for its opening and subsequently took leadership positions for property openings and task force teams for Pendry Park City, Pendry Manhattan West, Pendry Washington DC – The Wharf and Montage Deer Valley.

Next, Orezza joined Montage’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Strategy group to guide and implement the practices for Montage Laguna Beach and Montage Kapalua Bay. Most recently, as director of learning and sustainability, she led Montage Los Cabos’ sustainability strategy.

Orezza approaches developing, auditing and implementing standards, procedures and learning initiatives with remarkable passion, thoughtfulness and thorough attention to detail.

Ewan Riccio-Laing's talent for creating luxury guest experiences began at the age of thirteen while working in a small Scottish countryside restaurant. Riccio-Laing has excelled in various operational and training roles throughout his two-decade hospitality career.

Riccio-Laing moved into the front office with Marriott International before setting sail with Disney Cruise Line as a guest relations manager. He realized his passion for training and joined Disney's human resources team, training cast and crew across the high seas.

Riccio-Laing became learning and development manager for Genting Casinos, UK, reimagining their company-wide service culture and building a digital leadership and career development platform that supported staff across the company's 42 casinos, including some of the world's most prestigious high-roller clubs.

Returning to the seas as fleet director of service excellence for Celebrity Cruise's global fleet, Riccio-Laing supported shipboard teams in adopting Forbes Travel Guide standards to become the world's first officially star-rated cruise line.

Riccio-Laing uses his passion for hospitality to deliver engaging, memorable training experiences and shares his vast operational knowledge with Forbes Travel Guide partners.

With nearly a decade of experience in leading operational teams at Forbes Travel Guide Star-Rated properties, Judit Sipos brings first-hand knowledge in training employees to deliver personalized service and memorable guest experiences.

Sipos’ previous trainer assignments within Marriott International Luxury Brands (MILUX) — including The Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong; JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus; and JW Marriott Hotel Riyadh — demonstrate her cultural fluency and understanding of the needs of properties in the pre-opening phase.

She started her career heading up the guest experience team of The Ritz-Carlton, Budapest, where, after various leadership positions, she was promoted to training and quality manager. Next, she transferred to the same position at The Ritz-Carlton, Vienna, where she developed training programs and mentored newly hired quality managers in Europe and the Middle East within the MILUX group.

Sipos attributes her success to her empathy, ability to engage and inspire individuals from diverse backgrounds and abundant professional experience.

She is fluent in English and Hungarian.

Susan Wang brings 15 years of hospitality experience at Marriott International and Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts to her role as an executive trainer. She attributes her success to her passion for creating memorable customer experiences, training and developing staff service standards and driving strategic execution plans to achieve goals.

Wang's career began as a front desk trainee and soon held room division leadership roles in Sydney hotels. At Four Seasons Hotel Sydney, she earned the highest room upsell revenue globally and increased staff engagement by over 30 percent at Pier One Sydney Harbour.

In 2018, Wang held the position of director of loyalty operations in Marriott International's Hong Kong corporate office and launched Marriott Bonvoy's loyalty program across 24 brands and over 800 hotels. As director, she facilitated in-person and virtual training workshops to deliver a shared vision for the loyalty program and encourage member engagement across 16 Asian-Pacific markets – leading the continent to attain No. 1 in new member sign-ups globally while maintaining the highest member appreciation satisfaction score across all continents.

Gayani Wasalathanthri’s formative years in Sri Lanka informed her commitment to upholding her culture’s value of hospitality throughout her nearly two-decades-long career.

Wasalathanthri got her start in guest services at various properties in Sri Lanka, including Galle Face Hotel, the country’s oldest property, and Taj hotel group, executing a rebranding of one of its properties and implementing new business strategies.

Next, Wasalathanthri began developing her passion for leadership as a corporate trainer at Crown & Champa Resorts, guiding her team to deliver luxury hospitality standards. She then joined Marriott’s flagship W resort, W Maldives, providing essential learning and development support aligned with the brand’s distinctive style of luxury hospitality. During her time at Marriott, Wasalathanthri also received certifications that allowed her to conduct service-related training and employee career development across the brand.

Most recently, Wasalathanthri held the position of director of human resources at Bandos Maldives. In this role, she directed business strategy and supported employees at all levels, including performance management and career development.

Service & Quality Development

Before joining Forbes Travel Guide, Silvia Nauta worked in some of the best hotels in the world. Nauta began her career at the iconic Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane and held various management roles in both housekeeping and front office departments. She later took the front office manager position at Acqualina Resort & Spa in Sunny Isles, Florida, where she concentrated on standardizing quality delivery in the division and developing a service program for the residential component of the resort.

Nauta served as guest relations manager on the pre-opening management team at Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas. Later as learning and development manager there, she focused on the hotel’s vision of obtaining three Forbes Travel Guide Five-Stars, which was achieved in 2012. As director of training at The Breakers Palm Beach, she was integral in establishing the training department and company service quality cycle and restructuring the overall service focus. Nauta’s latest appointment was at The Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, Tennessee, where she held the role of director of human resources and strategic planning. 

Working at The Ritz London and Hotel Plaza Athénée Paris equipped her with the knowledge required to create and implement new learning initiatives informed by the highest level of luxury service.

Most recently, Van Elsalande served as Baccarat Hotel New York’s director of food and beverage. Her oversight and dedication to quality and excellence in guest service contributed to Baccarat Hotel New York obtaining its Five-Star award in 2017, just two years after opening.

In every role, Van Elslande established a culture of best practices by emphasizing service requirements as a means of top performance and has proved herself instrumental in leading hospitality teams in applying Forbes Travel Guide standards.

Gabriela Manjarres’ 19 years of experience leading and developing luxury hospitality teams has only deepened an innate ability to inspire and develop generations of hoteliers.

Manjarres expanded her knowledge and grew her career within roles across the rooms division and operations as guest services manager at The Westin Diplomat & Resort, leader of the front office team at The St. Regis Atlanta and assistant director of rooms at JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa.

Most recently, Manjarres worked as a learning and development manager with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. This position allowed her to spearhead the development and execution of training in Latin America and the United States, deliver customized training sessions in partnership with property-specific needs and provide training solutions for various brands, including pre-opening and transitions.

She brings this guest-centered and detailed training approach to all properties within the Forbes Travel Guide community.

Operations & Engagement

As Senior Vice President, Evaluation Operations, Theresa Tellock oversees the quality, execution and delivery of evaluations. She supervises Forbes Travel Guide’s international team of evaluators, is responsible for upholding the integrity and accuracy of the evaluation process and manages the complex logistics behind the global evaluation schedule.

With the company since 2011, Tellock held several operational roles related to producing reports reflective of the luxury guest experience. She developed custom standards for clients across a variety of verticals, including airlines, golf courses, private residences, medical practices and luxury retail. Tellock personally executed hundreds of evaluations at hotels, restaurants and spas around the world, making her an authority on global luxury standards and the evaluation process.

As the vice president/executive editor at Forbes Travel Guide, Jennifer Kester oversees the editorial department. Kester covers everything that touches upon luxury travel — food and drink, culture, wellness and, of course, hotels. She has visited hundreds of luxury hotels, and her travels have brought her everywhere from Toronto to Tallinn to Tokyo to Tasmania during her more than two-decades-long career. One of the leading hospitality journalists, Kester has been an editor and writer for Forbes Travel Guide since 2008, serving as executive editor since 2015.

As the Director of Client Success, Amy Zeller is focused on driving client experience and engaging with Forbes Travel Guide clients to address their needs. She also oversees the team and systems FTG uses to communicate with clients.

Zeller is a PMI-certified Project Management Professional (PMP) with an extensive background in partner engagement, sales and marketing, operational systems, and product and project management. She has been with Forbes Travel Guide for more than seven years and has shaped all aspects of supporting clients with the graciousness, expertise and responsiveness for which FTG is known.

Center for Excellence

Before overseeing Forbes Travel Guide’s Center for Excellence at Le Logis, Philippe Abraham spent 10-plus years in the cruise and hospitality industries. Abraham rose through the ranks of Club Med, serving as general manager for properties in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Japan. He then advanced to his position as director of product and development for Club Med China, successfully integrating the brand into the Chinese market and working with the local government to develop tourism in the region.

In Abraham’s following role as the director of the Club Med Cruises Department, he oversaw all operations, ensuring the passenger experience met luxury hospitality standards.

Afterward, Abraham, a passionate enologist, lent his expertise to the wine and spirits industry as a consultant.

Ksenia Mauxion supports guests and groups planning to visit Le Logis and Forbes Travel Guide's Center for Excellence . Prior to FTG, Mauxion served for four years as team leader at Le Logis for Grey Goose (the Center for Excellence’s predecessor), overseeing the property’s operational and commercial sectors. She was previously a trilingual tour guide and then manager of the team at The Royal Chateau of Cognac.  

Bastien Gardrat offers 10 years of experience in the spirit industry, working for brands like the Martell cognac house. The bartender and educator served in client-facing roles—crafting cocktails and leading tastings and hosting events as Bacardi’s Head Bartender—and as a consultant for a variety of spirit companies, designing drink and spirit digital marketing strategies and growing brand awareness. Learn more about the Center for Excellence at Le Logis here.

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Forbes Travel Guide

Hermann Elger

CEO at Forbes Travel Guide

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A well-respected, widely traveled, and assured leader in luxury hospitality, Hermann Elger brings a wealth of expertise and 30 years of global experience to his role as the chief executive officer of Forbes Travel Guide.

Serving most recently as executive vice president of travel, entertainment, and health security at digital health leader Sharecare, he led the successful launch of Sharecare’s health security verification program in partnership with Forbes Travel Guide, which now covers thousands of properties globally.

Prior to Sharecare, Elger was the managing director of Baccarat Hotel New York and chief operating officer of Baccarat Hotels and Resorts, leading the development of new properties and overseeing day-to-day operations and quality guest experiences for the flagship hotel. As general manager, he led Baccarat Hotel New York to its first Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Award in 2018.

Elger has also served as general manager at other renowned Five-Star hotels across North America, including The St. Regis New York, Montage Beverly Hills (now The Maybourne Beverly Hills), and The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun. In nearly 18 years with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, he supported the development of new hotels as an opening team leader for The Ritz-Carlton Aspen Highlands, Philadelphia, Dubai, and Kuala Lumpur.

Born and raised in Mexico City, Elger followed his father into the hotel industry and earned a bachelor’s degree in hospitality management from the University of Denver. From his humble beginnings as a doorman for The Brown Hotel in Denver, Colorado, this second-generation hotelier has established himself as an accomplished and innovative hospitality leader. His talents are recognized with honors including “Best GM in US and Canada” in the Travvy Awards and “Most Innovative GM” by American Express Fine Hotels and Resorts, both awarded in 2016. Elger also was named one of the “40 Most Influential Leaders in Tourism in Mexico” by Lideres magazine.

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Richard Lebowitz

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Chris Fradin

SVP, Partner Services, EMEA & Asia Pacific

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SVP, Partner Services, The Americas

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Leadership team.

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Speaker profile

Filip boyen, ceo forbes travel guide.

A luxury hospitality career spanning more than three decades has led Forbes Travel Guide CEO Filip Boyen everywhere from Bora Bora to Moscow to Peru.

Before joining Forbes Travel Guide in 2018, Boyen served as CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World, where he oversaw a portfolio of more than 520 exceptional independent hotels in 80 countries.

Prior to that post, the Belgium native spent 18 years with Orient-Express, the famed precursor to the Belmond brand. First joining the hospitality company as general manager of Bora Bora Lagoon Resort in Tahiti, he rose through the ranks to become executive vice president and chief operating officer of Orient-Express. In between, his various roles included Group Vice President Operations; Regional Vice President, Africa, Australia & Latin America; and Managing Director, Hotels & Trains.

Boyen began his hospitality career as a commis chef and stayed in the food and beverage side of the business for 10 years, working in Michelin-starred restaurants in Belgium, France and England. He even did a stint under French master chef Joël Robuchon.

His extensive background in food and beverage, experience managing complex operations—including trains and ships—and luxury hospitality expertise all harmoniously combine at Forbes Travel Guide.

“It’s a dream job to be at Forbes Travel Guide,” the London-based Boyen said. “Quality has always been a passion of mine. We obviously verify luxury, but we also support people who have a passion for service. We train them and make them better.”

A Chat with the CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, Gerard J. Inzerillo

As the global authority in luxury travel, Forbes Travel Guide needs no introduction and the CEO, Gerard J. Inzerillo shouldn’t need much introducing either for those in the know. Jerry, as he is known by most in the business, is a visionary recognized for his trademark innovation and his extensive network of contacts in tourism, hospitality, entertainment, and business, cultivated during his four decades as a manager and executive in the hospitality and entertainment industries. During his storied career, he has developed some of the world’s most famous and successful lifestyle brands in tourism and entertainment. As CEO of Forbes Travel Guide since May 2014, he has successfully led the company from its North American origins to the most trusted and respected recognition of service excellence worldwide. Forbes Travel Guide evaluates more than 2,000 of the world’s finest properties, some of which are in Macau.

We caught up with him to chat about Macau, and to see how future trends, technology, and sustainability will impact the hospitality industry.

Can you tell us about yourself and what a typical day is like as the CEO of Forbes Travel Guide?

There is no typical day, which is why I love this role so much. I travel extensively, which is my passion, and I enjoy meeting the wonderful leaders of the properties we represent and their inspirational staff. I am grateful to be continually invited to speak at various luxury hospitality events as well as other tourism-related engagements around the world. In any one week, it would not be unusual for me to be on an overnight flight from New York to Paris, spend a few days in some European cities, such as Monaco or Geneva, and then be on to the Middle East for some meetings. Then I would take an overnight flight to Macau before heading back to New York to do some paperwork in the office over the weekend.

What do you see as the growing trends in Luxury hospitality in Asia?

One of the biggest luxury hospitality trends is a continual focus on family travel, especially as hotels renovate and new properties open. Villas — perhaps with some private facilities, such as a pool or access to a private chef, yet with all the conveniences of the main hotel or resort — are a growing need, as they can accommodate multi-generational guests simultaneously.  We are also seeing unique activities categorized into adventure, art and culture, beach, foodie, and Instagram-friendly. People are seeking out these personalized experiences rather than tourism for the masses.  

Based on your experience, have guest expectations and demands changed with the rise of mobile technology? And therefore, are these a contributing factor taken into account for the ranking of a luxury hotel?

I think the demand for instant gratification has grown and the demand for higher levels of efficiency has certainly risen, given how much more we all travel now for our respective livings. We are an ever-increasing global community, and the more time we are away from our families the more emphasis is placed on quality time when we have it. Time is precious. So to see hotels recognizing this lifestyle shift and adapting to it — whether that be the ability to make a reservation quicker and control that booking more effectively via an app, to pre-ordering a meal from the car service on the way to the hotel — this makes the difference in a guest’s expectation of luxury.

The Ritz-Carlton, Macau

Sustainability is an important trend now, how are you seeing the intersection of luxury and wellness tourism as more and more guests become concerned about a hotels’ social and environmental impact?

Yes, guests have a vested interest in sustainability when they travel, and they want to be able to make smart choices — though it is not something they should have to over-think. There are so many ways we see properties respecting the environment, and while some are obvious to the guest — for example, a recycling trash can in your room or a smart temperature-control system that automatically adjusts the temperature when you leave and return to your accommodations — many are behind the scenes. The guest may not see the in-house composting that takes place or the water recycling system.

How would you describe Macau in 3 words?

Innovative, glamorous, fun.

How can Macau continue to develop its image in the world as a place for luxury tourism?

We have no doubt we will see Macau develop itself further and continue to lead the way in quality and service, particularly at the luxury level. Macau and its business leaders have a distinct commitment when it comes to service — Macau never settles; good can be better, better can be perfected and then perfection evolves. So what we expect to see out of Macau now is a way to sustain what they have built and continue to attract the best and brightest in the industry to ensure the growth of tourism, in general, remains strong.

Shinji by Kanesaka, Macau

What’s the best hotel you’ve stayed at in Asia and why?

There are too many wonderful hotels to name in Asia. You can find the best of the best on Forbes Travel Guide . Also, Forbes Travel Guide will unveil its first Verified List featuring the most luxurious hotels in the world in September. I suspect some properties in Asia will appear on the Verified List.

How do you think luxury travel might evolve over the next five years?

We are already starting to see the evolution of luxury experience travel, and now we are beginning to see a wider acceptance of solo travel. Not so long ago, dining or traveling alone was often an uncomfortable experience — ask any of our inspectors! But, now we see a shift in the offerings available. And with the evolution of the luxury cruise world, eco-tourism and adventure travel, a greater number of people are able to travel alone or solo in small groups with more choice at the luxury level than ever before.

Find out more about Forbes and check out their Travel Guide Listings here: Forbes Travel Guide

Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Macau

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INTERVIEW: Filip Boyen, CEO, Forbes Travel Guide

Filip Boyen has a long history within the luxury hotel sector. He spent 18 years with Orient-Express in various roles. Most recently, he  served as CEO of Small Luxury Hotels of the World before joining Forbes Travel Guide as CEO. This Belgium native started his career in food and beverage working in European Michelin-starred restaurants.

It was a great pleasure for Vendôm to exchange about the values of the most famous guide dedicated to luxury hospitality. But most of all, Filip Boyen shared with us his beautiful vision of excellence with a great sense of humanity and a touch of humour. 

Vendom.jobs - Could you tell us about the selection criteria for Forbes Travel Guide ? What about the philosophy?

Filip Boyen - The guide verifies luxury, that means that we champion, support and  celebrate all those with a passion for extraordinary service. We inspect about 2000 hotels every year, and we evaluate over 900 standards. We have three categories : five star, four star and recommended. 75% of our  standards focus on the emotional aspects of service. So for us, it is all about how do you make your guests feel in your hotel.

Most luxury hotels as we know have beautiful facilities, rooms, public areas and food and beverage outlets. For us, the difference between a good and a great hotel is service, the amazing feeling a guest expériences when he is truly cared for. We don't care about the type, the style, the design or the size of the hotel, that is really not important to us.

What is important is the level of service.  We set the bar very high. And that's the reason why only 283 Hotels in over 70 countries have achieved the Forbes five star rating so far.

V. J.  – Regarding your standards, what was your position during the crisis?

F. B. -, We are here to support the industry. We are not here to punish the industry. So during COVID. We have been extremely flexible. We have been very understanding of what hotels have to go through and what the challenges are that are being brought on by this terrible virus.

V.J. - Do you perceive an evolution of the clientele post-crisis? If so, what could be their new expectations?

F. B. – Definitely! Travelers want to feel safe. Guests want to feel like they made a smart choice of hotel. So they expect the hotels to deliver an experience that matches pre arrival communication, because that is the hotel's promise to their commitments of health and safety.

Now with the recovery, as far as we have seen,  especially resorts and country house hotels in the United States and Europe are already running at very high occupancies, and rates that are considerably higher than in 2019. But one thing is for sure, guests expectations are very high, especially after the challenges they went through over the last 18 months, more than ever, luxury clients wants to be cared for.  Service will have to be even more intuitive and anticipatory because expectations of every guest will be different. So, employees need training to make sure that they can handle these situations and these different expectations.

V.J. – Do you perceive any other new trends for luxury hotels and restaurants to come?

F. B. - Obviously we feel that a level of health security will be with us for the foreseeable future. In terms of being eager, travelers are much more focused on their own well being and their health, both from a mental and physical aspect.

We also feel that the ability to integrate with a community will play a much bigger role in the future, especially the younger generations. They are much more responsible. They are much more interested in how their stay is benefiting and impacting the local community and economy. So they are looking at what and how is the hotel giving back, and how are hotels also supporting the communities that they are in.

More and more travelers are focusing on the environment. And they expect the hotels to play their role in protecting the environment and in looking after the destinations for the next generations. In  restaurants, the trend that local and seasonal produce will dictate the menus will only get stronger.

And in food and beverage in general, guests want excellent, and exciting food in an informal, relaxed and fun environment. So we feel that formality, will continue to be challenged.

Another great opportunity for hotels the nomad community,  modern professionals who  move   from destination to destination, because they are no longer bound by an office thanks to technology. It allows them to be highly effective in their jobs. And we feel that extended stays and residences are a good opportunity for hotels in the future. In terms of technology, high touch will continue to win over high tech.

V.J. – Could factors you just talked about have an impact on geographical distribution of Forbes five stars?

F. B. –  2019 was our biggest year ever of expansion, we went into 35 new destinations. Obviously with COVID that came to a halt. In 2022, we are planning to get back to growth and to continue our expansion of our brand  obviously the more we expand the more opportunities there are for hotels, and the more consumers will be able to discover new destinations.

V. J. – Do you think some kinds of hotels and destinations, such as urban hotels, will have to find new ways to attract customers?

F. B. - We already see from our hotel that the demand for smaller groups is already coming back, corporate demand is slowly coming back, because we are strong believers that we live in a world of personal relationships. But most people I speak to miss the personal connection. The human connection. So I'm 100% sure that travel will come back. I spoke yesterday to one of our big resorts in Las Vegas, and they have said the larger exhibitions are not quite yet ready to return. But at the same time, he tells me that demand for 2022 is absolutely going through the roof. So, yes, the urban hotels are coming up with new ways  to adapt to the situation. I'm sure this community of Nomad travellers is a great opportunity for them to invite longer stays into their properties.

V.J.  Could we come back to the concept of "excellence in service", how would you describe it?

F.B. - We feel that service should feel, first of all natural and spontaneous.  You have to have the feeling that service should be enjoyed both by the employee providing it and by the guest receiving it  That's where you normally have the feeling of wonderful service. We also know from our records and from our data that hotels that really take care of their employees usually score higher marks than others. When we treat all our employees and guests with the same level of dignity and respect, employees are naturally going to feel better and good about themselves and, with the right training, they will ultimately perform at a very, very high level.

V.J. - Would you have some piece of advice for a young professional, regardless of his position or his department, or for a young professional?

F. B. - I have pages and pages, and I can talk about that for a long time,... ! They have to have a passion for people, and they have to possess the conviction that serving others is a noble and fulfilling profession. There's lots of countries around the world where people feel that the service industry and the hospitality industry are not the greatest industries to get into.

The second piece of advice I would say that a great professional has to have is a strong dose of humility and common sense. The realization that we are in business for only one purpose and that is to make the life of our customers, just that little bit better.

V. J  - What are the possible future developments that you are considering for the guide?

F. B. - We created Health Security Verified, which is now used by over 1000 hotels and 1700 restaurants in over 80 countries already. What this does is it amplifies the amazing work that the hoteliers have already done creating and implementing their health security protocols. What is really important about this, once they have answered all the questions, and once they have been verified, they get the badge on their website. Also,  this year for the first time we implemented wellness and sustainability standards. They will evolve, of course, over the years. And as we do with all our standards they will become harder and harder to achieve. But we thought that this year was a good time to implement them. We will in the future enter sustainability standards that will be part of the evaluation. And, of course, we will start expanding again, our network of hotels. Restaurants and spas.

V. J. - What is your driving force in your profession?

F. B. - The realization that hospitality is the best industry in the world.I always felt privileged to be part of this business. I've been in it now for over 40 years, and it gave us the opportunity to work all over the world to explore new cultures, to make new friends, and while we're doing  to enjoy all the amazing experiences that all those different countries have to offer. So, in principle, I would not dream of doing anything else. But what is really important for the future that we now have to convince younger generations, that the opportunities and hospitality are endless, and building a career in our amazing industry is the best choice that they will ever make.

V. J. - Could you share with us any anecdote about one of the destinations you lived in?

F. B. - I was General Manager of the Orient Express at Bora Bora , on a private island.The first year was a fantastic year. The second year we had two cyclones, within four weeks. The strongest with wind speeds of 285 km/h. Needless to say that all our overwater bungalows were destroyed, but some of them had just been lifted off their pilotis. They floated in the lagoon to the main island. The next morning, I get a call from one of the general manager on the main island, a good friend of mine. He said : "I have two of your bungalows on my beach".  I answered : "My friend, you never had any luxury rooms, why don’t you keep them??"

2021 Forbes Travel Guide Star Award Winners

(Photo: Photo: Erica Fong/Hong Kong Tatler)

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Forbes Travel Guide Stories

What’s Next For Salamander Collection CEO Sheila Johnson By DeMarco Williams

February 12, 2024

Last week, we revealed our 2024 Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards. Click here to see the list of winners.

Calling Sheila Johnson one in a million is unfair. One in a trillion feels more accurate, but we aren’t even sure that’s fitting. Johnson is the cofounder of Black Entertainment Television (BET) and the first female Black billionaire. With a stake in the Washington Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, Johnson is also the first Black woman to have principal share in three professional sports teams. As if that weren’t impressive enough, Johnson’s Salamander Middleburg recently earned Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star honors for its resort, spa and signature restaurant , becoming only the 15th property in the world with the triple distinction.

But there’s another side to this trailblazer, a side filled with tragedy and tears. Johnson didn’t let many people know this part of her success story until the release of Walk Through Fire: A Memoir of Love, Loss and Triumph last September. In the book, Johnson bravely opens up about all the disappointment and heartbreak she’s experienced from those she thought were in her corner. “I had put up with so much,” she says in chapter seven, “but when would it be too much?”

Be it personal trauma or professional, Johnson never gave up. And today, she leads a hospitality brand, Salamander Collection , that has stellar properties that stretch from Colorado to the Caribbean. Forbes Travel Guide recently chatted with the one-in-a-trillion CEO to talk about today’s hotel industry, the secret to earning stars and underrated D.C. attractions.

Congratulations on yet another year of Star Ratings success for Salamander Collection. I know there are a million factors to running a Five-Star hotel, but if you had to highlight a few essentials, what would they be?

Operating a Five-Star property can certainly be complex, but undoubtedly, the most important aspect is our people. Retention is critical because, if you can keep your employees, and keep them happy, you have consistency, experience and excellence.

This year, Salamander Middleburg accomplishes the rare feat of a triple Five-Star honor, having a Five-Star hotel, restaurant and spa. How does it feel to be a part of such an exclusive club?

To receive one Forbes Five-Star award is an honor, to receive two is a privilege, but to receive three is simply humbling. We are extremely grateful and excited.

I first interviewed you in 2019. Tell me a few of the biggest ways that the hospitality industry has changed in those five years.

In between our conversations, we have all obviously endured the trauma of the pandemic. I’m proud of how the hospitality industry pivoted during that period and reinvented so many of our procedures and processes. We are all stronger from this experience.  

Sadly, one thing that hasn’t changed enough is the number of African American-owned properties. Where is the industry falling short the most with getting more diversity?

I have repeatedly talked about this situation, and it boils down to one thing: opportunity. The gap from entry-level position to hospitality executive is a large one, but the jump to owner is much wider. The issue goes beyond our industry — it’s societal.  

You have two stellar properties in the highly competitive DMV market — D.C., Maryland and Virginia. What makes Salamander Middleburg and Salamander DC stand out in the area’s high-end accommodations crowd?

It’s been a decade since we opened Salamander Middleburg, so we’ve had time to gain traction within the DMV for our service and facility. But, it was after we launched Salamander Washington DC nearly 18 months ago that we truly emerged as a significant player in the region. People have been drawn to our distinct and diverse style of luxury hospitality.

Let’s stick with D.C. for this next question. You know the area better than almost anyone. Name some underrated landmarks/attractions in the city that deserve more attention.

I’ll leave it to others as to whether it is underrated, but the way that The Wharf area has blossomed over the past few years is truly amazing. Our guests really enjoy the short walk down to the waterfront.

I must also plug the new U.S. Park Police Horse Stables and Education Center , for which I was very involved in helping raise funding. Recently opened, the facility was built by the Trust for the National Mall in partnership with the National Park Service and the U.S. Park Police. It replaced the original horse stables that were built as a temporary facility for the 1976 Bicentennial.

With all your business and philanthropic endeavors, you must travel incessantly. What are a few items you never hop on a plane without?

I always travel with my iPad to stay connected, but, especially for longer trips, I also like to take either a hardback or paperback book with me so I can truly lose myself in either the narrative or storytelling. A fabulous wrap is always a must have.

What does the rest of 2024 look like for Salamander Collection? Are there any renovations or grand openings that you’re excited about within the company this year?

We have a tremendous amount happening across our portfolio. In Middleburg, we’re celebrating 10 years of the resort’s opening and also seeing the first homeowners move into our branded Residences at Salamander community. At Salamander Washington DC, we’re undergoing a major enhancement project, which will see the renovation of the lobby, spa, suites and the opening of our new restaurant, Dōgon, with chef Kwame Onwuachi.

We have just completed a beautiful renovation of the Bauhaus-style arrival area and opened West End Social restaurant at Aspen Meadows [in Colorado]. At Innisbrook [in Palm Harbor, Florida], we are nearly complete with refurbishment and relaunch of our Packard’s Steakhouse. At Half Moon [in Jamaica], we’re celebrating 70 years of service and will soon announce a major project surrounding our Rose Hall Villas. And, finally, at Hotel Bennett in Charleston , we have just celebrated five years — it’s amazing. Where does the time go?

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Forbes Travel Guide’s former CEO, Jerry Inzerillo, on reinventing hospitality in the Experience Economy.

The hotel industry, like so many others, is living in turbulent times.  Buffeted by massive changes in technology and consumer behavior (including the rise in Online Travel platforms and the Experience Economy) the hospitality sector finds itself in a state of perpetual transformation as it tries to reinvent itself for a more profitable and sustainable future.

Here is a transcript of our very candid discussion in June 2018 where Jerry not only lays it on the line about the disruptors in the industry, he also gives us insights into what inspires him and what keeps him awake at night.  I think his commentary will both surprise and delight you.

Thank you so much Jerry, for taking time out of your busy schedule to chat with me about the current state of the hotel industry, including the luxury sector where you’ve spent the past four years. 

To clarify things a bit for those who aren’t as familiar with forbes travel guide ratings, what distinguishes a four or five-star hotel from a three-star hotel, not in terms of the list of amenities they provide, but in terms of their interaction with guests and the experiences that they create.

I'm asked that question often and it's actually a very excellent question. Here's the way we frame that. Today, there is a much higher level of expectation from guests are more sophisticated.

One of the good aspects of the internet is that people are more informed; people are more curious. With the proliferation of cable television, people have a lot of information, especially visual information.

In terms of the luxury category, when Forbes Travel Guide started in 1958 as Mobil Travel Guide, it was a verification mechanism to protect all consumers. For 55 years, we stayed true to the original form of the company, which was the One-, Two-, Three-, Four-, and Five-Star rating system.  It gave people, who primarily traveled in their cars throughout North America, someone that they could trust.

Now, it's different.  In the low-transactional marketplaces, which are the prolific one- and two-star hotels where levels of expectation are lower, we stopped reviewing those hotels because it was far too subjective and quite frankly not the base audience of what our people wanted.  So we said, in order to get the coveted Recommended status, which was the replacement for what used to be referred to as the Three-Star hotel, there had to be a compliance to about 800 standards.  Most of that compliance was in behavioral interaction in service and in greeting.

In order to make Recommended, you really have to have a high competency of technical continuity. In other words, was the first guest experience the same as the second?  Was the food consistently hot, was it consistently delicious, was there a sense of welcome, was the property clean, was it well-maintained, and did it have diversified amenities?  These general categories break down into hospitality, anticipatory service, cleanliness, safety and security, repair and maintenance, graciousness, etc.

With 3,000 inspections a year and over a hundred marketplaces geographically-distributed around the world, we have a very, very good perspective of global standards that separate the Recommended status—the former Three-Star—and the Olympic gold medal—or the Four-Star. 

People who win the gold medal have a much higher sensitivity to the emotional component of travel, which is engagement, graciousness, anticipating guests’ needs, and satisfying guests’ expectations.  Becoming a Four-Star requires a greater consistency of the emotional engagement and touchpoints. Not the physical touchpoints—the emotional touchpoints, which make guests feel, “Wow, that was actually different. That was actually better than I expected.”

But when you float to the 199 Five-Stars, which we refer to as the “Michael Phelps,” those properties do it at such a high, consistent level, year after year, that their level of devotion and execution almost becomes cultural, without being overly programmed.  

         The Pierre, A Taj Hotel, New York, Forbes Travel Guide 2018 5-star award winner and PressReader Partner

They have taken it to such a cultural level that they perform with uncanny consistency, graciousness, and thoughtfulness, that it elevates them into an elite status that's almost peerless.

Hermes didn't become Hermes in one year. Ferrari didn't become Ferrari in one year. The reason why some of the more glamorous luxury brands have their reputations is because they earned them over a very long period of time with a trust factor and the prestige factor that separated them very distinctively from their competition.

But the peril in that is that if luxury brands don't reinvent, they face the problem of losing their audience because they didn't adapt with the times. We know many luxury brands that no longer exist because they failed to adapt.

In terms of brands’ failure to adapt to the changes in consumer behavior and expectations, if we zero in on those changes and focus on technology, how are hotels using technology to enhance that customer experience, to provide that wow factor that guests are looking for?

We have two very major feelings on technology.  Anything that enhances the guest experience to make it more efficient, more pleasurable, and easier, we are fully behind. Anything in technology that interrupts the emotional connection between the guest and the servant, we are against.

Let's illustrate that. Some people say, "When I get to the hotel, human interaction is not important to me, so I don't care if there's a kiosk to check me in like there is at the airport."  While others say, "When I get off a 10-hour flight, I want someone to ask me, ‘How are you? Do you need anything?’”

Over the next five to 10 years, should the reception experience be automated?  Maybe it's a combination of both to provide choice to the guest.

A personal interaction may be welcome when you're weary or you're in a new place for the first time and you're unsure about certain things.  Online check-in or a kiosk may be preferred because it’s your desired method of checking in or you are already familiar with the hotel.

If you want to check-out and give some comments to the hotel or get a hard copy of the bill, you have that choice. If you want to check-out on the TV in your room because it's easier and it's all electronic, that’s fine too.

That's elective technology and we like elective technology.

Other aspects of technology are wide ranging.  We are thrilled about voice prompt technology because in the next five to 10 years it will be common for a guest to walk into the room and say, “I prefer to speak in German,” and have the system switch languages.

You could say, “I'm hot. I'm cold. Turn on the TV.  Turn on CNN, play French music or play western movies on the TV” – all voice activated in your choice of language.  This is excellent.

There are also types of technology that make the guest experience logistically easier.  For instance, now you can embed something that is the size of a sesame seed on a tablecloth or on a napkin and you could put that on a room service table or tray.   When guests finish with their meal and don't want to call someone to come up and disturb them, they can put the tray or the table out in the hallway, triggering a prompt in Room Service telling them it’s time to pick up the table.

In the environmental age of water conservation, energy control, heating, and ventilation, new technologies such as motion detection or open-and-close, make properties much more efficient.  These are all great things.

What you don't want is the situation where you have a problem, call down to the front desk and can't get anybody to answer.  You want to pull your hair out because you’re so frustrated. This happens, it happened to me, and it interrupts the guest experience.

Look at PressReader, look how liberating and how smart PressReader is because now you can have any information you want and you're not stepping over publications that are littering the hallways and looking terrible.  If you want to read a newspaper, a magazine or a blog, you have it all right there.  It has become liberating where almost everybody, when asked what newspaper they would like to have, says, "No thanks, I can read it on PressReader." It's common sense now.

With technology, anything that makes the guest experience easier and more enjoyable, we are all for, passionately. Anything that interrupts human connectivity when the guest wants that human connectivity, we frown upon.

I like what you said about giving people choice.  But it doesn't have to be just the choice of content; it should also be the choice of medium. 

I'll tell you, before I met you as a team, my friends and I were big advocates of PressReader.  We thought it was the next step forward because it gave you so much choice in medium and in content.

That also doesn't mean that print needs to completely be eliminated from hotels. There are guests that prefer that one-on-one connection with a printed product, so that is about providing that choice as well.

We call that abstracting. In other words, when you have the base product in the hotel like PressReader, if you find that 42% of your guests want [the print version of] The New York Times , then don't eliminate The New York Times – just don't buy a 100% of it if only 42% want it.  The same is true for magazines in the room.

With the liberation of having the base product like PressReader, which satisfies a big part of the need, you can abstract the elective part to further enhance the guest experience. But you don't have to carry the extra costs of shipping for all the publications in a medium you don't need. That's true of a lot of things in a room.

Is the trend towards adopting digital publications in hotels accelerating?

Oh, rapidly.  As a matter of fact, I think the traditional way of providing newspapers and magazines in five years will be 1% of what it is right now. It won't even be 10% of what it is right now.  It's not growing rapidly, it's growing super-rapidly.

There's very, very strong evidence for it because of the efficiency of electronic mediums, the color quality of these smart devices, the ability to range through different mediums, and different genres. A lot of people will now jump from print to digital magazines, to video, and to podcasting.

As a matter of fact, there are a lot of guests now, more than you would imagine, who do that.   In the year 2000, probably 99% of guests turned their television on during some point of their stay. I bet that number is well below 90% now.  And by the time we get to 2025, I bet 25% of guests will never turn their TV on at any time during their guest stay.

Almost every industry in the world is being disrupted by 3 rd party intermediaries: mainstream media has Facebook and Google, music has Spotify and Apple, video has Netflix, and hotels have OTAs and alternative accommodation providers such as Airbnb.  Can hotels capitalize on this disruption, and if so, how?

What happened with the disruptors of the traditional distribution of music and film is that the disruptors actually did it better than the institutionalized way.

What happened was that the record companies got fat and slow, so when the disruptors came in, they came up with a better program, a better model and people took to it. They actually served the community better in terms of how one downloaded music for the enjoyment of listening to music.

The disruptors in television actually did a better job than the broadcasters because they behaved like monopolies. They behaved like commodities instead of service vehicles.  The same was true with film when studios got fat and old because they believed, like music, TV, and film, that they were untouchable.  This rendered them vulnerable to new mediums – mediums brought in by very smart people.

Well, you would think that the same thing would apply to one of the largest industries in the world, which is tourism, but it didn't happen that way.  What happened was that the disruptors (OTAs) built very, very large businesses in one of the largest industries in the world because they made it easy to book a transaction. Very little of that marketplace is qualitative.

98-99% of the people who often fly first class are not booking flights through an airline travel site.  They want the personal touch and interaction because their lives are more complex.   They’ll use the concierge available through an American Express Black card, a platinum card, a club. But more people who fly business class are now booking tickets online.

Where the disruptors got it wrong was on the hotel side. They made a gigantic mistake because they put a narrative out into the global marketplace without verifying the quality levels. They left the verification of the quality level up to the guests to find out by themselves.

People today will use TripAdvisor to do basic research, but the reason why TripAdvisor is not doing well as an OTA is because no one trusts them. In the case of Priceline, Expedia, and Hotels.com, people don't feel vulnerable on a one- or two-star transaction, even on a three because their exposure's not great. But nobody's booking them for four- or five-star because it's too expensive and they don't trust them. So when they say this is five-star, six-star, seven-star, or eight-star, what's the criteria for giving that rating to a property?  When the guest got there, it didn't turn out to be that way.

I wish it wasn't so, but one of the reasons why Forbes Travel Guide, in the course of five years, has been able to go from a handful of countries to a hundred countries, and has become the most trusted name globally, is because everybody believes that we've been there, we've verified it, our standards are tough, the system has integrity, you can't game it, and you can't buy it.

The Ritz Paris - Forbes Travel Guide 2018 5-star award winner and PressReader partner.

The one mistake the travel industry made is that the disruptors never put into their formula what the music people, the TV people, and the film people did.  They didn't put the quality element in, and that's where they're going to get burned going forward.

You're absolutely right and that's so mething that we're seeing even with Airbnb now. They're investing in human verification of about 2,000 properties, but I can’t imagine how they can scale that to bring quality standards into the platform as a whole.

See, now there's another distinct point. If you make a mistake downloading music or you make a mistake downloading TV or even film programming, how big is the mistake?

You make a mistake booking a trip with your family, not only is the mistake potentially super expensive financially, what's the cost of the mistake in terms of time and emotional discomfort? Gigantic, and that's happening with great regularity.

What is the value of an OTA to a hotel then?

There are only two values. Its value to the consumer is transactional and convenient.

The value to the hotel is the temporary increase in market share. But what all the hotels are now realizing is that if they increase market share by bringing in the wrong guest, it's more of a problem than a benefit.

Because the industry has grown so fast, it has adopted a market-share philosophy instead of an average-rate philosophy. If one looks at luxury, from 1950 to the millennium, the entire industry was driven qualitatively by the right guests who supported the rates of the hotel.

Post-millennium, the entire industry shifted to an occupancy strategy, which made hotels do deals with the OTAs – deals which many of them now are regretting.

Very interesting. It reminds me of the publishing industry that got into bed very quickly with the facebooks and googles of the world and is now very much regretting that.

The discoverability element of smaller properties is certainly something that cannot be disputed as a value in working with otas, but there’s a very big piece missing there and that’s the ability to subsequently engage with that guest. how do hotels establish that personal relationship with a guest who has booked their stay with a property through an ota.

All hotel companies, independent and corporate, are being forced to go back to what the OTAs told them was going to be too expensive – direct communication and pre- and post-direct contact with the guest. People said, “We'll take the cheaper alternative and trust you.” Now everyone has realized, that may have been a generationally-defined mistake.

So now the hotels are going back to a much deeper, pre-communication with the guest, which is new because they very rarely had any pre-communication.  Prior to arrival, and then post-departure they now say, “Was everything up to your expectation? What would you like the next time you come back? We were really thrilled that you were here. We haven't seen you in a year. We have these offerings...”

The pendulum has now swung the other way and, by and large, the entire global luxury community is not only going back to the model of during- and post-communication, it has now embarked on a very aggressive, pre-arrival communication to set the tone of what you want individualized to enhance your experience. Because if you get the guest off on the right foot, there is a much greater chance their entire stay will be more satisfactory than not.

Has that forced the OTAs to provide these details of people who are booking?

No. No. No! They refuse to because now they're acting like commodities.   As a result it's set off a gigantic Transformer-like war between the OTAs and the major brands.

What you're going to see is that as the mega-brands continue to buy sub-brands – like what Marriott/Starwood has done, what Accor is doing internationally now, what Intercontinental is doing, what Hilton is doing, Disney, and Hyatt – those mega-brands now are going to form new strategies and they're going to go directly head-to-head and cut or severely limit the allotments to the OTAs.

There's a big war brewing. It's already started, but it will play out over the next few years and it's going to be the first lodging world war. It’s going to be luxury lodging versus the OTAs.

Going back to the change in consumer behavior… The younger generations have grown up in a very different world without brick and mortar travel agencies. How do you see hotels adapting to their needs, given their very different expectations?

I would suggest to you that it's no different than other generational adjustments. When the jet arrived in the 1960s and deregulation of the airline industry came in the 1970s, they completely altered travel patterns. You had foreign guests that you never had before.

What happened when all the Chinese showed up, when all the Japanese showed up? What did you do when you didn't know their [cultural] customs?  It took time for the industry to adapt to that.

The millennial generation is easier and I'll tell you why.

They have a much higher disposable income than previous generations of their age. They have a much higher inherent knowledge of their age and a much greater global sophistication than previous generations.

So they're more sophisticated, they're more knowledgeable, and they have more resources. What they don't like being told is how to do things because they're not trapped in the self-esteem generation of their grandparents and parents. They're the first generation of the self-actualization that says, “It's not important for me to show you what I earned.  I don't have to impress you with my jewelry and my car and my houses like my grandparents and parents did. That's self-esteem. It's important how people see me. It's important how I see myself and that will define how you see me on Instagram and different social media that are sharing experiences, not necessarily material goods.” 

So the touchpoints are less with millennials than with their parents and grandparents who want a lot of interaction because they like the feeling of being served where they couldn't be served before.

The kids now, or the younger ones are more sophisticated, they're saying, "It's not that I don't like being served, but I will tell you, or I will show you, or I will behave in a way that indicates I want to be served; and when I don't want you, give me my space."

In other words, circa 1980-1990, when Mr. Jones was told by the hotel that they were giving him a butler, he would respond this way, "I bought a suite at the St. Regis and now I have a butler. Wow, that's cool. My wife loves the fact that they’ll unpack for her and pack for her because that's an amenity and a service that my parents could never afford and we could never afford. Wow, having a butler makes me feel good about myself.”

Now, the millennial generation says, "Hey, that's cool. I like having a butler, but I don't want them hovering over me. I know where they are when I want them."

Millennials are misrepresented by those who say they're twitchy or that because of technology they're non-communicators and don’t like human interaction. That’s actually not true.

What is true is that they like less interaction, which means as a hotel, instead of having one in 20 chances to please them, you may only have one in 10 chances to please them. You've got to be able to read them in terms of their sonar that indicates, “I'm ready to be served.  Or not.”

It's going to take the luxury global community two to three years to catch up with the mores and norms of that generation, but we're learning it very quickly.  They're going to be the easiest generation to take care of as compared to the three or four generations the preceded them.

That's very interesting. On a more personal note, what inspires you?

Two things. On a deeply personal level, what inspires me are acts of kindness, courtesy and graciousness – when people are unforced and thoughtful because that's the humanity that connects us.  It’s who I am; it’s in my DNA.

The other thing that's highly inspiring is that we may not like the same things, we may not share the same ideology, but like Sting said, we share the same biology.

One thing you know, Nikolay, is that the more you travel and the more you interact, the more humble you become.  You’re humbled because you realize how small you are in the big picture of things, how unique cultures are all over the world, and how their culture is expressed in dance, music, and cuisine.

That's why losing my pal, Tony Bourdain, was very painful because he brought a different type of signature to travel and made it more accessible to people.

Everybody's globally tied in now and that to me is very, very inspiring.  And I love the fact that there's no industry that joins humanity and connects the dots of the touchpoints of humanity more than inn keeping and tourism. Certainly, we've done a lot better of a job than the airline industry, which has now become a commodity where it's just like moving cattle.

When you travel, what are the things that you miss the most when you're away from home and how do you satisfy those things that are missing?

You miss the people you love. Period. You miss the people you love and you miss the conveniences of your idiosyncrasies that are programed for you, which are generally around your work and your community – things that are familiar, things that are particular to you because you built your life around them.

If you're a cyclist or a book worm, if you draw or are a cartoonist, your house usually is set up around these hobbies or habits. When you get detached from them, you miss them, but a lot of times what you get on the other side is enlarging because you will always pick up something of enlightenment or something that was not anticipated.

The one thing that's unbelievable is when you see the kindness and graciousness of every culture despite language, theology, gender, or sexual orientation. When you see people who really care and provide a sense of welcome, that's a beautiful thing.

So, what keeps you awake at night these days?

I think there are two things. One is terrorism and the fact that there are a lot of things that are beyond the control of us in the tourism community; no place is exempt. That causes a caution and deliberation of people traveling and interacting, so that keeps me up.

The other thing that keeps me up is the normalization of things that are selfish or that interfere with things that join us together. I would rather have magnets that draw people together than the opposite ends of the magnets that repel.

So, what keeps me up at night is not just our industry and terrorism, but also anyone who deceives, or lies, or is ungracious or unhelpful, or doesn't keep a promise. That's what keeps me up at night.

Thanks so much Jerry.  Do you have any closing advice for our hotel partners?

I think the closing advice is that the biggest component in travel in the next five to 10 years is going to be that people are going to go.  You're not going to put that genie back in the bottle. People are going to explore, because it’s about the luxury of time and experiences, not the expectation of accumulating material things. 

But “if you build it, they will come” no longer suffices because it doesn't tie into human connectivity. Those who build uniquely will have a slight advantage. Those who program will have a slight advantage – how you engage your guests, what restaurants you have, and what entertainment you offer. 

But those who serve and provide graciousness and human connectivity, they will have a huge advantage on emotional connectivity and loyalty. That's the Holy Grail.

Jerry, thank you so much for sharing your insights into the hotel industry and of yourself. I really appreciate how you, as CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, are driving the industry towards making the world a better place, helping to connect people, and allowing us to continue to enjoy life through unforced acts of kindness and unexpected courtesies that we experience along the way.

Well, I thank you, too, because you've been trailblazers, all of you.  You're an exceptional group of people.  We fit into each other with our commonality of point of view. We're both surrounded by a lot of great people and you have our respect and our admiration as an organization; it's our pleasure.

About Gerard J. Inzerillo, CEO Forbes Travel Guide (2014 - 2018)

Jerry, as he is known by most in the business, is a visionary recognized for his trademark innovation and his extensive network of contacts in tourism, hospitality, entertainment, and business, cultivated during his five decades as a manager and executive in the hospitality and entertainment industries.

During his storied career, Inzerillo has developed some of the world's most famous and successful lifestyle brands in tourism and entertainment.

His leadership has been instrumental in the successful globalization of Forbes Travel Guide as well as in the conceptualization and operations of breakthrough properties, such as Atlantis, One&Only Resorts, Ian Schrager Hotels, Four Seasons and Hilton Hotels. During his tenure as CEO of Forbes Travel Guide, Inzerillo led the company from its North American origins to the most trusted and respected recognition of service excellence worldwide. Forbes Travel Guide evaluated more than 2,000 of the world's finest properties.

Post Interview: On September 5, 2018, Jerry left Forbes Travel Guide for his new role as the CEO of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority in Saudi Arabia.  We wish him all the best.

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Fortune Magazine Names a New C.E.O.

Anastasia Nyrkovskaya, who was the chief financial officer and chief strategy officer, is the first woman to run the company.

“The overarching goal for the company is growth,” Anastasia Nyrkovskaya said in an interview. Credit... Carly Zavala for The New York Times

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By Katie Robertson

• April 9, 2024

Fortune named Anastasia Nyrkovskaya as its next chief executive on Tuesday, making her the first woman to lead the 95-year-old business publication.

She takes over from Alan Murray , who announced in October that he would step down in 2024 after nearly 10 years at Fortune. Ms. Nyrkovskaya had been the chief financial officer and chief strategy officer since 2019.

In an interview, Ms. Nyrkovskaya said Fortune was profitable and had added more than 130 positions in the past 12 months across the editorial and business sides. The newsroom has doubled in size since 2021, she said. The company now has about 360 workers, including just over 100 in the newsroom.

“It’s a huge bet for us, especially in the current environment,” she said. “We’re building up a lot.”

Ms. Nyrkovskaya, 47, who was born outside Moscow and studied there, previously worked at NBCUniversal, Birchbox, XpresSpa and KPMG. Fortune appointed her as chief executive two and a half years after hiring its first female editor in chief, Alyson Shontell.

Fortune was started in 1929 by Henry Luce, a co-founder of Time magazine. Once part of the Time Inc. publishing empire, it was bought by Chatchaval Jiaravanon, a Thai businessman, for $150 million in 2018. The company is known for its Fortune 500 list, which annually ranks U.S. companies by revenue. The first Fortune 500 list was published in 1955.

Mr. Murray, the departing chief executive, said in a statement that Ms. Nyrkovskaya had steered Fortune through three years of profitable growth.

“She appreciates and supports the power of Fortune’s great journalism, its iconic lists and its first-in-class executive communities, and understands how they work together to make business better,” he said.

Ms. Nyrkovskaya said Fortune had worked for the past few years on diversifying its revenue streams by adding different conferences and events and introducing Fortune Well, which covers health and wellness tips for businesspeople.

More than 40 percent of the company’s revenue comes from digital subscriptions and advertising, she said, while Fortune-branded conferences and events make up 30 percent. Print magazine subscriptions and advertising, as well as the licensing of foreign editions, contribute about 25 percent of revenue.

Ms. Nyrkovskaya said she intended to focus on continued growth with the global expansion of events and new franchise lists, such as the Fortune 50 A.I. Innovators list, which came out in November.

She said Fortune would soon announce an artificial-intelligence-based project that used Fortune’s archives, though she declined to provide more details.

“The overarching goal for the company is growth,” she said, adding: “We think about the growth supporting journalism, investing in journalism.”

Katie Robertson covers the media industry for The Times. Email:  [email protected]   More about Katie Robertson

Advertisement

Pophouse, the Swedish company behind ABBA Voyage buys KISS’ music catalog for $300 million

The rock band KISS is selling its song catalog, as well as its name, image and likeness, to Pophouse Entertainment Group AB, the Swedish company behind the popular ABBA Voyage live avatar performance.

Pophouse is paying more than $300 million, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing the terms of a private deal. The agreement includes master recordings and publishing rights.

Pophouse wants to turn KISS into an act that remains popular in culture long after its members stop making new music and performing. The company has announced plans to make a biopic about the group, as well as a live music show featuring avatars of its members.

Pophouse has already made a live show featuring the members of ABBA, the legendary Swedish pop group. That show, called ABBA Voyage, is making more than $1 million a week in London. Tens of thousands of fans flock to an arena purpose-built for the show to watch avatars of the group perform hits like  Dancing Queen  and  Chiquitita . ABBA’s Bjorn Ulvaeus founded Pophouse with Swedish investor Conni Jonsson.

Bassist and KISS co-lead singer Gene Simmons and his band mates started talking to the team at Pophouse a couple of years ago in the midst of their final tour, the  End of the Road  World Tour. The rock band, formed by Simmons and Paul Stanley in the early 1970s, has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, and their final tour stretched over five years. 

KISS and Pophouse and have spent many months working through future projects, and the members of KISS have already flown to Walt Disney Co.’s Industrial Light & Magic to put on bodysuits and have cameras capture their performances for the avatar show.

“Kiss the touring band is over — we’ve stopped touring after 50 years,” Simmons said in an interview. “What Pophouse will do with our images, our music and our personas is unlike anything anyone has ever seen.”

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