Cruise Planners' Brian Shultz Powers Up Winning CIO of the Year at the Technology Awards
Brian Shultz (center), CIO of Cruise Planners, accompanied by his wife Melissa Shultz(right), is honored by the South Florida Business Journal. He is surrounded by Cruise Planners co-owners and executives, Vicky Garcia(left) and Michelle Fee(right) along with leaders from Cruise Planners Home Office Team.
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, the nation’s largest travel franchise company, solidified its territory as a top technology innovator with its Chief Information Officer, Brian Shultz, earning CIO of the Year Award at South Florida Business Journal’s Annual Technology Awards.
Innovation as a Way of Life
The award is the result of Shultz’s commitment to using technology to help Cruise Planners travel advisors run their businesses remotely. Under Shultz’s technological guidance, Cruise Planners reinvests in technology infrastructure and prioritizes the people who manage it. Technology, coupled with the right team of passionate techies adds value and collaboration, driving maximum value and increasing efficiency using a customized strategy for our travel advisors and their clients.
“I am so proud of Brian’s well-deserved recognition as we take pride in innovating and maintaining Cruise Planners’ cutting-edge industry position,” said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. “Brian and his team’s performance turn our collective vision into reality and continue to wow. Our team members and franchise owners love and appreciate his driving force, leadership and project execution, which make him not only savvy, but also personable and approachable.”
Travel Advisor New Websites Roll Out
Most recently, Cruise Planners unveiled its new travel advisor websites. The websites offer options provided to franchise owners with the flexibility of operating multiple websites; each with their own theme. The modern, responsive and faster websites are packed with engaging features designed to spark ideas about new, and interesting vacation options and destinations offered by travelers’ Cruise Planners Travel Advisor.
Some website features include:
- Dramatic travel imagery
- Easy to navigate cruise search
- Prominent video gallery
- Special offers section
Lead Innovator in the Hospitality and Travel Industry
Shultz is a standout in the hospitality industry. Starting out in help-desk role invoked a deep curiosity for “IT.”
“I couldn’t have asked for a better initiation into IT,” said Shultz. “As time went on and systems became more complex, the core experience I gained in those early days still hold true. Having great systems means nothing if those systems don’t do what the users need. That’s a lesson I continue to learn to this day.”
Shultz’s tried-and-true method of always challenging himself and his team have led Cruise Planners down an award-winning trailblazing path. From implementing the company’s Alexa Skills to constantly updating and optimizing the Cruise Planners mobile app, the leading-edge technology is always his core focus.
During his award acceptance speech, Shultz said, “I work for the best company in America, run by the two best owners in America, and I have the best team in America. And I stand by that.”
More Innovation… Now Loading
Shultz and his team have all new high-tech announcements planned for Cruise Planners annual Convention, held in Hollywood, Fla. this December. Each year the company unveils innovative technology advancements and much more to its network of home-based travel advisors.
