Insight From the C-Suite: Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Preferred Hotels & Resorts

As part of a new, members-only series, Women Leading Travel & Hospitality is asking industry executives about their professional journeys, mentorship, how they stay up-to-date on the latest technology and trends, how they take care of themselves, and so much more. This week, insight comes from Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO, Preferred Hotels & Resorts.

Women Leading Travel & Hospitality: How do you define and communicate your long-term vision for both your personal leadership journey and the success of your organization?
Lindsey Ueberroth: Our Preferred Travel Group ideology starts with four simple words: We believe in travel. For me, this isn’t only a professional ideal; it’s part of who I am. Travel is in my blood. Connecting people with unique locations is something the entire Preferred family is passionate about and collectively celebrates. This year, my family is marking 20 years since we invested in this company. Throughout the past two decades there has been one common theme: Our Preferred family is better together. Our more than 300 associates come together day in and day out from across the globe to make life better for each other, our customers, clients, partners, and the guests who seek out travel to connect and grow. It truly is an honor and a privilege to lead our Preferred family in this endeavor. As an extension of our ideology, I lead with a belief that I’m here to co-create brighter futures, nurturing each associate’s individuality and potential. I travel extensively throughout the year to see as many of our hoteliers and associates face-to-face as I can and host a monthly meeting with the entire organization to answer questions and share information. Being together is essential to our culture, and this year we brought the entire global team together under one roof for a week. The week was essential for our continued future success, offering opportunities to collaborate in a truly meaningful way and grow together as a global team. We help each other, encourage one another, make difficult decisions together, and lift one another up. It’s what family does. Reflecting on all the conversations and collaboration throughout the week, I know we’re truly better together. That vision of working together like a family will create even more opportunities for us for years to come.

WLT&H: Describe a situation where you encouraged innovation or took a calculated risk in your role. How do you foster a culture that embraces creativity and risk within your team or organization?
LU: We closed on purchasing Beyond Green, our sustainable travel brand, in February 2020. And then the world shut down. In the midst of a global pandemic -- while most companies were going through the process of clamping down -- we had to make a decision to move forward or not. As I met with our board and discussed our options, we made an intentional decision to change our mindset from what we were willing to lose to what we were willing to invest. We decided to play to win, not merely play to play. It was with this psychological safety that we launched the brand. During a dark time in the travel industry, launching Beyond Green was a bright spot. It gave us a focus on building something so that when we came out of the pandemic, we could springboard forward. We had to look at the big picture of what was happening in the industry daily, but also drill down on the tasks at hand to launch a brand. All the data was saying to pause, but I knew this was something we needed to do. To be fully transparent, there were emotional moments along the way, but the enthusiasm our team had to make a positive impact for our planet and create something in the midst of tragedy was an incredibly positive move for us as individuals and as a company. This is just one example of walking the walk to show our associates, even in times of uncertainty, you can take risks and it takes courage and conviction to create change.

WLT&H: Share an example of a successful cross-functional collaboration you led. How do you build and sustain effective relationships with peers and stakeholders across the organization?
LU: Our ultra-luxury legend collection represents the world’s most prestigious hotels. I met with the owners and general managers of this collection in 2022 and heard from them that they wanted to feel like part of a community within our brand, including more clear positioning of the collection; more storytelling with our B2B and B2C audiences; and elevated sales, marketing and public relations. Not only did I hear that feedback, but I completely agreed. To make that vision a reality for this key group of stakeholders, I formed a cross-functional team from throughout our organization, bringing together experts in brand creative, marketing, PR, revenue, sales, and more. This was a tremendous opportunity to do more for this very special collection, and we didn’t want to let them down. This also offered a business opportunity for our member hotels as demand in the ultra-luxury segment expands, so the stakes were high. We went to work, redefining the imagery and language we use for the collection. Building around the theme “A legendary perspective on luxury”, the team brought to life the vision to elevate the collection, driving strong demand for each member hotel. But we didn’t stop there. We also launched a highly targeted development strategy, born from the belief that having legend collection properties in the right locations drives demand and awareness (i.e., a halo effect) for this
very exclusive group of hotels. What started as a candid conversation with stakeholders led to a major initiative that celebrates the collection. I’m proud of the sense of community we’re cultivating and the teams that collaborated to deliver for our stakeholders.

WLT&H: What steps do you take to champion diversity and inclusion within your organization, and how do you ensure that your leadership team reflects a broad range of perspectives and backgrounds? How do you measure those efforts?
LU: At Preferred Travel Group, we champion diversity and inclusion through a dedicated task force. I’m proud to say that our associate survey results demonstrate that this is truly a place where people feel they belong. I’m incredibly proud to be one of the first hotel brands to launch an LGBTQIA+ welcoming travel program, PreferredPride.com. We’ve worked to advance equality, inclusion and lasting change for our organization and for the customers we serve. My leadership team is diverse in a traditional sense, representing diversity of gender, sexual orientation, and race, and I value the unique perspectives we each bring to the table. Yes, we have diversity with the stats to back it up, but even more importantly, I measure our success in this area based on the psychological safety and freedom to bring your whole self to the workplace. It’s that feedback directly from our associates that tells me we’re on the right track.

Are you a C-suite woman executive in travel and hospitality? We'd love to feature you! Reach us at wlt@skift.com.