Mateus Lira, senior vice president of trade sales for Crystal, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at last month’s Virtuoso Travel Week about how Crystal will now offer pre- and post-trips and even excursions provided by sister luxury tour company Abercrombie & Kent. The new tours are evidence of the synergy created by the combination of A&K and Crystal. For more information, visit www.crystalcruises.com and www.abercrombiekent.com.

John Diorio, managing director and vice president of business development for Celestyal, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about his first impressions of the boutique destination-focused cruise line, which sales the Mediterranean in Greece and the Adratic and the Gulf of Arabia. Diorio, who joined Celestyal only a few months ago also reveals details of the cruise line’s new Sail & Stay program offering cruises with land packages in Athens. He also talks about Celestyal’s travel advisor engagement survey and how that will result in new programs for the trade. For more information, visit www.celestyalcompass.com or www.celestyal.com. 

Marrett Taylor, now chairman-Global AKTG Advisory Board & trade relations, talks with James Shillinglaw at this month’s Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas about the latest synergy between Abercrombie & Kent (A&K), a leading luxury travel company, and sister luxury cruise line Crystal. A&K’s Expedition Cruises division, has partnered with Crystal to deliver A&K's cultural voyages aboard Crystal's fleet beginning with a pilot program in August 2026. For more information, visit www.abercrombiekent.com. 

Jennifer Suarez, director of sales Celebrity Cruises, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Virtuoso Travel Week about her cruise line’s upcoming new ship, Celebrity Xcel, and what it will mean for the upper premium cruise line. She also details new ways travel advisors can sell Celebrity now. For more information, visit www.thecelebritycommitment.com. Or www.celebritycruises.com.

Helen McCabe-Young, Virtuoso’s senior vice president-global products and former senior vice president-global marketing, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Virtuoso Travel Week about how the luxury travel network uses a new social media program to help its members market their luxury travel services. McCabe-Young also provides an update on other marketing initiatives such as the So Virtuoso campaign. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com.

Gilad Berenstein, creator of the Virtuoso Tech Summit, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about what the Summit, held on Aug. 9 during Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas, focused on, including AI and trending technology topics. Berenstein, a tech entrepreneur, investor and Virtuoso board member, has staged three Virtuoso Tech Summits in the last three years and this one was the largest yet. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. 

Danny Genung of Harr Travel talks with Alan Fine of Insider Travel Report about why Star of the Seas is ideal for multigenerational cruising and how Royal Caribbean delivers consistently across dining, entertainment and ship design. Genung highlights onboard flow, family neighborhoods, entertainment quality and how travel advisors can use these features to sell the product more easily. For more information, visit www.cruisingpower.com or www.royalcaribbean.com. 

Michael Anthony, partner chef at the newly reopened Waldorf Astoria New York, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report about the restaurants and cuisine at the hotel. From the two-level Lex Yard restaurant, named after the railroad yard beneath the building, to the light dining (and breakfast) in the famed Peacock Alley, Chef Michael delivers a modern interpretation of American classic cuisines. And yes, we did have a (reinterpreted) Waldorf salad. For more information, visit www.waldorfastorianewyork.com. 

David Kolner, executive vice president of Virtuoso, talks with James Shillinglaw of Insider Travel Report at this month’s Virtuoso Travel Week about how sales are with the network (up 12 percent overall), where luxury travelers are going these days, what’s the mood among Virtuoso’s luxury travel advisors and much more. Get a status report on Virtuoso. For more information, visit www.virtuoso.com. 

Marc Kazlauskas, the new CEO of Avoya Travel, talks with James Shillinglaw of insider Travel Report about his new role leading the innovative host agency, now completely owned by Certares, the travel investment firm, after it purchased the remaining stake from Avoya’s founding Anderson family. With a background running tour operators and a large travel agency, Kazlauskas seems well prepared to take Avoya to the next level completely with its patented Live Leads technology. For more information, visit www.avoyatravel.com.