Each year, as part of the WAVE Awards, TravelAge West honors standout leaders who have made significant contributions to the travel industry over the course of their careers.
Here are the 2024 Leadership Award recipients.
Craig Pavlus, CEO and Founder of Pavlus Travel
With Craig Pavlus as the recipient of TravelAge West’s inaugural Legend of the West Award, the bar has been set high. This new award honors “a Western travel advisor and entrepreneur who has made a significant contribution to all advisors in the industry” — and Pavlus is a true pioneer.
After a 26-year career with TWA serving as senior vice president of marketing, president of TWA Getaway Vacations and president of The Travel Channel, Pavlus opened a retail travel agency in Albuquerque, New Mexico. That was 30 years ago — and what started as a small, five-person operation has now grown into a $160 million agency that employs 55 people and is recognized as one of the leading luxury travel companies in the world.
Shelby Steudle, president of Pavlus Travel, was one of those early employees. She chalks up Pavlus’ success to his ability to know what’s happening in the world, and how the agency’s clients can benefit.
Credit: 2024 Volker Corell
“Shortly after I started in 1998, Craig bought a software program called FrontPage for $98 and made a Pavlus Travel homepage, allowing us to advertise on the World Wide Web,” she said. “Computers were just starting to become household items. From that day forward, we sold airline tickets and escorted tours to customers across the U.S.”
And from then on, anytime Craig had an idea, the company would try it.
“If it was successful, job well done, but if it failed, his attitude was ‘at least we tried,’” Steudle said. “He’s never afraid to try something.”
In addition to always serving clients, Pavlus has also clearly prioritized his staff, according to Dondra Ritzenthaler, CEO of Azamara Cruises, who presented the award.
“He never closed his doors during COVID-19 and kept all employees, giving him a clear advantage coming out of that time,” she said. “His grit and determination are a couple of the reasons why he has been so successful, making him the first-ever Legend of the West award winner.”
John Lovell, President of Travel Leaders Group
John Lovell, CTC and President of Travel Leaders Group, a division of Internova Travel Group, is a travel industry veteran with more than two decades of executive experience. He’s a respected voice on trends and a leader in supporting the charitable needs of the travel community
Lovell leads a division that generates gross travel sales approaching $21 billion annually, including Internova’s consortia operation; its large host agency; and its wholly-owned cruise, leisure and specialty agencies. He oversees Travel Leaders Group’s partnerships with travel suppliers, including cruise lines, tour operators, car rental companies and travel insurance entities, working to strengthen their vital relationships with travel advisors
As President of Travel Leaders Group, Lovell is also responsible for the strategic operations, sales, marketing and overall growth of Travel Leaders Network, one of the largest travel agency organizations in North America.
Prior to his current role, Lovell served as President, Leisure Travel, Supplier Relations & Networks for Travel Leaders Group and as President of Vacation.com, formerly the largest travel agency consortium in the U.S. In 2016, Travel Leaders Network was formed when Travel Leaders Franchise Group and Vacation.com merged.
Credit: 2024 Volker Corell
Before becoming President of Vacation.com in 2011, Lovell held several other positions within the company; prior to that, he also worked for ANC Rental Corporation and Renaissance Travel Solutions. His first job in the travel industry was at The Hertz Corporation, serving as Regional Sales Manager for the state of Florida.
Lovell is recognized within the industry for his expertise on the growing popularity of travel advisors, as well as cruise and leisure travel trends and the retail travel business. But he is also a leader in connecting the travel industry with those in need at home and around the world.
In 2015, he founded the Family Bonds Foundation, the nonprofit giving arm of Travel Leaders Group that supports the charitable needs of those who work within the travel industry, as well as the broader community.
Christopher Prelog, President of Windstar Cruises
Christopher Prelog is no stranger to the high seas — in fact, his career began more than 25 years ago onboard Seabourn Legend, when he was a waiter caring for passengers while still finding his own sea legs
Now, Prelog continues to shepherd explorers from his seat as President of Windstar Cruises, and that is by design. While his first job on the ocean may have been rocky — the story goes that he wanted to quit, seasick and browbeaten, but that his father convinced him to stick it out — he found his footing and came to love the cruise world, where he continues to learn and grow as a leader and brand ambassador.
RELATED: Signature’s Alex Sharpe and Nexion’s Jackie Friedman Honored at 2022 WAVE Awards
“Our guests bond with our crew, which is a rare relationship in the hospitality industry,” Prelog said. “Our crew isn’t behind the curtain. They are center stage, friendly, and there to connect with our guests. It is not uncommon to see our returning guests and crew embracing each other like old friends. That’s what keeps them coming back, and it keeps me excited to come to work and foster these relationships while also taking our guests to some of the best destinations on the planet.”
Whether they’re onboard a Windstar ship or working on land, the brand team is Prelog’s biggest motivator, he says. Advisors are included — Prelog recognizes the strength of the travel advisor community, and the role they play in influencing travelers to try out new places and products.
“Not a day passes by when I am not in touch with an advisor,” he said. “I recently sailed with a group of our top 50 advisors so we could engage in an honest conversation about how Windstar can improve, hear what their clients want and generally get to know each other better. Because really, the best part of this work is the relationships we have.”
And Prelog’s personal history onboard ships informs his decisions regularly. He prioritizes hiring executives and other team members who have been at sea themselves, too. Building a team with onboard experience has made the team “humble, extremely guest-centric and focused on problem anticipation,” Prelog says.
