About

Jens Thraenhart (http://www.google.com/profiles/jthraenhart) is a global tourism and hospitality strategist, with a focus on leveraging new media channels and emerging technologies, who has been marketing travel online since 1995, and established his consultancy Chameleon Strategies in 1999 with the mission to help firms ‘adapting to an ever-changing environment’. Prior to be a sought after speaker and consultant, Jens developed considerable expertise as a leading practitioner of e-marketing and CRM strategies for the Canadian Tourism Commission as Executive Director of Marketing Strategy and prior to that established Fairmont Hotel’s digital presence to international acclaim as Executive Director of Internet Strategy, as well as Executive Director of Marketing & CRM for Fairmont’s Residence Club Division. Active in North and Latin America, Europe, Middle East, and Asia, Jens has worked and consulted for hotel companies and tourist boards focused on sales and marketing strategies, e-commerce, distribution, and technology optimization, as well as organizational change, execution, and future trends.

Excited about the tremendous opportunity for travel and tourism brands to be able to connect with relevant consumers in established as well as emerging local markets, by leveraging social media technology applications and digital marketing strategies, he was motivated to develop a unique ‘think global-act local’ methodology. With China as the first consumer market of focus, he partnered with a Chinese travel technology company to create brand strategy advisory firm Dragon Trail, and launched the online resource portal and community ChinaTravelTrends.com (Twitter: @cnTravelTrends).

Jens was recognized as one of the ‘travel industry’s top 100 rising stars’ by Travel Agent Magazine in 2003, is part of the Travel Insights 100, and was listed as one of the ‘25 Most Extraordinary Sales and Marketing Minds in Hospitality and Travel’ in 2004 and 2005. During his time as head of E-Commerce at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Fairmont.com won several prestigious awards in web design and online marketing, including Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), Association of Travel Marketing Executives (ATME), Canadian Marketing Association (CMA), and World Travel Awards.

He created various “first” initiatives, including the Cesar Ritz Colleges Alumni Network Society (1995); the Cornell Hotel Society Canadian Hotelie of the Year Award (2004) as President of the CHS Toronto Chapter; HSMAI Internet Marketing Special Interest Group (2003); the HSMAI Internet Marketing Strategy Conference; the first Canadian Online Travel Conference ’Online Revealed’ (2006); the first Canadian e-Tourism Strategy Conference ‘Canada-e-Connect (2007); the first Canadian e-Tourism Awards (2007); the Canadian e-Tourism Council (2007); and the global travel blogging community ‘Tips from the T-List’ (2007). His blog “TourismInternetMarketing.com” is widely respected and frequently quoted.

With nearly 20 years of experience in hospitality and tourism, he has served on various industry boards, including both the Global Board and the Americas Board of Directors of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), as well as Global and the North America Board for the International Federation for IT and Travel & Tourism (IFITT).

Originally from Germany, Thraenhart holds an MBA-accredited Masters of Management in Hospitality from the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, and a joint Bachelor of Science in International Hospitality Management from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University Center ‘Cesar Ritz’ at Brig, Switzerland. A dual citizen of Germany and Canada, Jens is currently based in Beijing, China.

Connect with Jens:

jthraenhart