Why the Travel Industry Needs More People Like This

In this series, professionals share their hiring secrets. Read the stories here, then write your own (use #HowIHire in the body of your post). 

Modern business is very complex. There are so many components that go into making a great product or providing excellent service that it’s impossible for one person to embody every quality necessary for success. I like to say that my primary role as CEO of Ovation Travel Group is to be a catalyst for the business and to surround myself with a team where everyone in every position knows they are important and contributing something worthwhile to our business.

The world is changing and moving so fast now; technology in particular is changing every industry, and business travel is no exception. There’s a misconception out there that the offline travel business is a dying industry that has been disintermediated by the internet and disrupted by technology, but that is simply not the case. In fact, with technology evolving in every arena from booking to reporting and expense management, there is an exciting opportunity to create new industry standards of excellence. It’s my job to create a company where everyone feels empowered to share ideas and discover new best practices, and the process begins with recruiting and hiring the right people.

I’ve written about this before, but it’s still true that one special challenge in this process is to get the word out to people who are new to travel and not “in the know” that the industry is both growing and thriving. I have always said that Ovation’s employees are our “special sauce,” and that they are the ones who ultimately ensure our success. I am always looking for innovation and welcome people who come from different fields in order to bring fresh perspectives. Over the years, we’ve brought in different people from finance, business, accounting, law, fashion, and academic fields, just to name a few. I believe that bringing in a variety of experiences, skillsets, and passions helps to create an environment that inspires creative thinking.

There are a lot of recent studies that describe the ideal workforce landscape for millennials, and the bottom line is that culture matters. Of course a competitive salary and benefits are important (and something I wholeheartedly believe in), but quality of life and company culture are increasingly important factors in choosing a career and workplace for a person at any stage of her career. I have an open-door policy for anyone who wants to discuss a new idea, and want people to feel comfortable coming into my office. My goal with Ovation is to position us as a forward-thinking, innovative, tech-savvy company, and hence I will always try to encourage independent thinking and discussion in order to push us to that next level.

For those just starting their careers, one of the issues is that colleges and training programs may focus on hospitality, but don’t offer programs specifically geared toward retail travel. There’s a big opportunity out there to write specific curriculum and courses to better train people for the travel industry. At the moment, a lot of people don’t even realize it’s a career option. This past year, for the first time ever, we launched the Ovation Academy, a partnership between Ovation and Monroe College, here in New York. We implemented a 10-week program that offered travel consultant training in all areas of travel management, including customer service, geography, and the Sabre Global Distribution System (GDS). Students received a total of 75 instructional hours by Monroe professors, in addition to 50 hours of online self-study training. Seven out of 10 students who successfully completed the program have joined the company as Ovation’s first class of junior travel consultants.

As our client base has always demanded experienced travel consultants, each of the junior graduates of the Academy partnered with senior travel consultants to further learn the skills required to service our demanding travelers. Some of these skills include advanced work with the GDS, reviewing and checking reservations, and learning to work with air, hotel, and car suppliers. The junior consultants have done really well here, and gained a more extensive, interactive experience on providing excellent customer service.

Another organization dedicated to mobilizing the next generation of travel professionals is YTP (Young Travel Professionals). Originally founded in New York in 2011, YTP developed from the realization that there was no go-to organization dedicated to serving and motivating earlier-career travel industry professionals. In just a few short years, there are now over 10,000 members across the globe who meet at organized events on a regular basis to network, make connections, share ideas and practices in the industry, and develop relationships. Many of Ovation’s employees are among them, and I always look forward to getting updated not only about things like an amazing new mobile app that is generating buzz or the development of a new partnership with a hotel, but really about the feeling of excitement from newcomers to the industry.

The travel business is a great industry to consider — whether you are just beginning your career or looking for something new. When hiring at Ovation, we obviously look for strong references, educational/training background, and experience in line with whatever department one is applying to (GDS for travel consultants, technology skills for IT staff, online booking, customer service, etc.). Really, though, that’s only a part of what we look for. We want people who will support our philosophy of “Going the Extra Mile,” who are personable and take pride in service excellence, and who are interested in being part of an amazing team. We want people who are enthusiastic about sharing ideas and aren’t afraid to think creatively. The bottom line is that it’s an exciting time to consider a future in the travel industry, and it’s the people we hire who will take us there.