Golf-Hotel-Resorts AND CASINO News: Europe Travel CEO Pay Ranked + Accor Mulls Air France-KLM Stake + Wyndham's Post-Spinoff Plan

June 4, 2018

Editor's Note

You wouldn't exactly call them paupers but it is striking to see the contrast in pay for travel industry CEOs in Europe versus their counterparts in the U.S. Our Europe Editor Patrick Whyte has compiled our compensation list for Europe for 2017 and notes how much lower the pay is for European executives despite, in some cases, delivering profits that would make U.S. CEOs envious. Luis Maroto, CEO of Madrid-based Amadeus, was the highest paid CEO with comp of $5.6 million, a marked difference from TripAdvisor CEO Stephen Kaufer's pay of $47.9 million, overall the highest for travel in the U.S.

We're glad we have Whyte on the case every year, studying those corporate filings, because Europe offers much needed perspective when it comes to the explosive issue of CEO pay. What we missed in the Europe numbers was the new metric required by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission of the ratio between the CEO's pay and the median pay of company workers. Maybe next year. Whyte hints a similar rule may be coming to Europe, too.

— Tom Lowry, Managing Editor

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The Highest Paid Travel CEOs in Europe in 2017

European travel CEOs are paid well by most standards — but not compared with their peers across the pond.

AccorHotels Considers Buying Stake in Air France-KLM

If AccorHotels actually does invest in Air France-KLM that certainly would bring the company that much closer to being the full-service travel services company/brand that its CEO Sebastien Bazin has said he wants it to become.

Wyndham Hotels CEO on Life After Company Split: 'La Quinta Will Be Transformational'

In the hospitality business, the big are getting bigger — and, we hope, getting smarter about how they communicate that to consumers, and how they keep their hotel owners and franchisees happy. This points transfer and status match between Wyndham and La Quinta is a good start.

Air France and KLM Will Stay Together Despite Recent Turmoil: KLM CEO

KLM CEO Pieter Elbers is honest. He knows some of his employees question why KLM, which is thriving, needs its long-term marriage to Air France. But Elbers knows that in airlines, the biggest carrier usually wins. Plus, he knows there's no other way forward. For better or worse, Air France and KLM are probably together forever.

United Loyalty Boss Luc Bondar Relaunches Explorer Card to Compete With Premier Rivals

United's new vice president of loyalty wants to bring more value to MileagePlus customers across a wider spectrum of travelers. He's starting that process by spearheading an overhaul of the company's co-branded credit card.

Travel Service Provider Serko Turns Slight Profit and Gets Ready for Growth

By revenue and booking volume, Serko remains a small player among global travel management companies. Its technology prowess, however, has outstripped many of the bigger players, setting it up for future expansion.

Lisbon's post-crisis evolution and corresponding tourism boom show the dramatic impact and lasting ramifications of overtourism. Efforts have centered on sustainable tourism and limiting tourism's potential negative impacts, but, in our view, the focus has been all wrong. Sustainable tourism should be about sustainable cultures, and we all have a role to play.

Marriott's Plans for Homesharing, Malls, and All-Inclusive Resorts

Marriott is already dabbling in tours and activities, homesharing, and cruising and soon, potentially, all-inclusive resorts. So, what's next? Aviation?

Delta CEO Dismisses Threat From Low-Cost Transatlantic Airlines

European and U.S. airlines years ago underestimated the threat posed by short-haul discount airlines. Since then legacy carriers have treated transatlantic low-cost airlines as serious competitors. But there's reason to believe the low-cost model may not be as appropriate for longer routes. Legacy carriers might be OK this time.

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