Jens Thraenhart is one of the up-and-comers in the travel industry, displaying his Internet expertise with Fairmont Hotels & Resorts. We chat with Jens about his recent award and Fairmont's Internet strategy and get his personal thoughts on the present and future of on-line distribution.
Jens Thraenhart is a native of Germany with 15 years of international hospitality experience in hotel and restaurant operations, revenue management, sales & marketing, e-business, strategic planning, as well as hospitality consulting with companies such as Four Seasons, Fairmont, Marriott, Kempinski, and Ian Schrager Hotels. Prior to joining Fairmont, he co-founded a New York City-based Internet company focused on upscale leisure travel. He holds an MBA-accredited Masters of Management in Hospitality from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration. Jens acts as chair of the HSMAI Internet Marketing Committee, is a member of the advisory board of the Canadian Code of Practice for Consumer Protection in Electronic Commerce, and was recently recognized as one of the travel industry's top 100 rising stars by Travel Agent Magazine.
As Director of Internet Strategy, Jens is responsible for setting, communicating, and executing Fairmont's overall direction on the Internet, including the company's websites, online marketing, search engine optimization, web distribution, and trademark protection in order to increase revenues and brand awareness.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is a collection of world-class resorts and city center hotels that enjoy unrivalled prominence in the communities where they are located. Operating 42 properties throughout six countries, Fairmont is committed to providing guests with exceptional service in distinctive surroundings. Featuring such storied hotels as The Fairmont San Francisco, The Fairmont Banff Springs, Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac and The Plaza, Fairmont properties are often deemed attractions in and of themselves. For more information visit us online at
www.fairmont.com.
Kevin Heilbronner is the US Editor for
wiredhotelier.com and
hospitalitynet.org, providing streaming multimedia-content for these websites. Based outside of Washington DC, Heilbronner has worked with Hsyndicate to conduct interviews at several hospitality trade shows in the US and Europe over the last couple of years. His column and content are featured in the Hospitality Net weekly newsletter. A familiar voice in Washington, DC, Heilbronner is the stadium announcer for the NBA's
Washington Wizards, WNBA's
Washington Mystics and WUSA's
Washington Freedom. He resides in Centreville, VA and can be reached via email:
Kevin@hsyndicate.com.
