EHL (Ecole hôtelière de Lausanne)

Future of Travel Leadership | Achim Schmitt & Hotelplan CEO Laura Meyer

Laura Meyer, CEO of Hotelplan Group – Switzerland’s largest travel company – joins EHL to discuss how the industry’s rapid transformation reshapes executive priorities. She outlines her dual role on tourism boards and advisory councils, emphasizing that today’s travel leaders must juggle operational stability while steering disruptive change. Meyer frames the CEO’s core challenge as allocating capital between “must‑have” low‑risk projects and bold, high‑risk innovations. She stresses that sustainable growth hinges on a leadership mindset rooted in adaptability, curiosity and a love of learning, enabling firms to meet shifting traveler expectations and evolving employee demands. The conversation turns to mentorship, which Meyer describes as an impartial partnership that both challenges and supports the mentee. She argues that effective mentors broaden perspectives, amplify ambition, and create a two‑way learning loop that benefits executives as much as their protégés. For travel companies, the takeaway is clear: embed adaptive leadership, invest strategically in emerging technologies, and institutionalize mentorship to attract and develop talent. Those who master this balance will secure relevance in a market where consumer preferences and digital disruption evolve daily.