Global tour operator Collette is remarkable in many ways. The company is 106 years old – a milestone achieved by less than half of one per cent of businesses. Over that time, Collette has had just four CEOs – the founder, Jack Collette, Dan Sullivan Sr., his son Dan Sullivan Jr. and now Jacyln Liebl-Cote, daughter of Dan Sullivan Jr.
Liebl-Cote’s appointment as CEO marks the third generation of Sullivan family leadership – another milestone, as only a tiny percentage of family businesses survive into the third generation. She is also the first female CEO for the company, but she has plenty of female company in the top ranks.
Left to right: Moderator Antje Splettstoesser, Collette CEO Jaclyn Liebl-Cote, Alison Metcalfe, Executive Vice President, USA & Canada, Tourism Ireland, Diana Ditto, Senior Director, Product Marketing, and Julie Kelly, Senior Director, Global B2B Strategy and Business Development. (Photo Credit: Bruce Parkinson)
In fact, as Collette top sellers and partners gathered at Toronto’s Hotel X yesterday, the panel addressing the group was all women. The moderator was marketing consultant Antje Splettstoesser, while the other panelists were Liebl-Cote, Diana Ditto, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Julie Kelly, Senior Director, Global B2B Strategy and Business Development, and Alison Metcalfe, Executive Vice President, USA & Canada, Tourism Ireland.
After more than a century in the tumultuous travel industry, Collette is not resting on past laurels. 2023 was the best year in its history, another remarkable achievement for a company that started as World War I came to a close.
Collette has a long history in Canada, where it opened its first international office in 1989. The first employee of that office was Brett Walker, and he remains with the company as GM International Operations. Another long-time Collette Canada employee is Ron Lonsdale, Canadian Director of Strategic Partnerships – he’s been the familiar face of Collette to Canadian travel advisors for more than 30 years.
Liebl-Cote grew up with all things Collette, and after following the “family rule” of working outside the business for at least three years following college, she joined the company as a product manager in 2005. Over the next nearly 20 years she has helped design product, worked in the call centre to learn about the reservations side of the business, and made her way to the top with a focus on product differentiation and data-driven strategies.
In 2008, Liebl-Cote saw “a huge opportunity” in small group travel, which she says was mostly sold direct-to-consumer at the time. The Collette Explorations line was created, focusing on tours with a maximum of 24 travellers, an average of 18.
Left to right: TTAND's Penny Martin, Franca Uele from Ensemble, TTAND's Flemming Friisdahl and Ensemble's Kristina Boyce. (Photo Credit: Bruce Parkinson)
The Explorations line has now grown to 47 different tours, about a third of Collette’s overall product base. It has been especially appreciated in the Canadian market, where it now represents 40% of revenues, versus 25% in the U.S. That number continues to expand, which is great news for Canadian advisors, as the small group tours cost more and result in higher commission cheques. Average commission on a Collette booking is about $1,500.
There are other reasons why Collette is popular with Canadian advisors. In tough times, the company has stood by its partners and its travellers. When the pandemic struck, Collette paid out an incredible $200 million in refunds. The recent strife in the Middle East saw another $25 million refunded for cancelled tours.
“That’s what you get when you book with Collette,” says Liebl-Cote. “Some companies put the advisors between the company and the traveller in hard times. Not us.”
The pandemic shutdown saw Collette forced to cut its staff from 700 employees to less than a tenth of that, which gave Liebl-Cote a clean canvas to “build back.” Today, the employee count has exceeded the pre-COVID number as business booms.
One of the things that sets Collette apart is that it creates all of its tours from scratch. It doesn’t work with DMCs, using its own people to source in-destination partners, from hotels to hosts for home dinners.
“We obsess over our travellers,” says Liebl-Cote. “We don’t assume what they want. We use focus groups, data and customer feedback to create itineraries. Our guests are well-travelled, savvy and culturally curious and we’re creating the travel experiences people want today.”
Ron Lonsdale, a Collette Canada employee for over 30 years. (Photo Credit: Bruce Parkinson)
Travel advisors are integral to Collette’s sales strategy, and Lonsdale says the company always has their back. “We don’t rebate. We don’t work with Costco. We’re here for you.”
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