Michelle Fee Honored as Florida’s Only Travel Agency Business Leader
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. (PRWEB) October 18, 2018 -- Michelle Fee, CEO and Founder of Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, has established herself once again as a powerful female executive with a spot on the 2018 Florida Trend 500 influential power list. The list recognizes a range of Florida’s most prestigious business leaders for their impact in Florida’s industries, especially those with compelling rise-to-power stories. Fee is ranked among the strongest CEOs in hospitality and tourism including, Carnival Cruise’s Arnold Donald, Royal Caribbean Cruises’ Richard Fain and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings’ Frank Del Rio.
Michelle Fee (Center) attends a Mother Earth Ceremony in Sacred Valley, Peru along with a group of Cruise Planners’ top-producing travel advisors and preferred travel partners on an immersive Peru tour in March 2018, part of the company’s Elite Summit.
When Fee first started Cruise Planners in 1994, she did not expect to become a travel agent franchisor with more than 2,000 travel agents throughout the United States. Fee believed that the world of travel was changing and saw an opportunity to help travel agents adapt ahead of the curve by investing in technology, great leaders and helping travel agents succeed. Fee has created a rock-solid business model with a strong focus on innovative technology that drives powerful marketing and propels Cruise Planners franchisees to the top. This year, Fee, along with Cruise Planners Home Office Team, travel agents and executive team are kick-starting the company’s 25th anniversary celebrations, which will be full of the brand’s signature “CruisitudeTM”.
“The most rewarding part of my job is knowing that I have created a company where people can earn a living, all while working remotely and being their own boss,” Fee said. “We create the ability for our travel advisors to work from any smart device, whenever and wherever.”
Cruise Planners is a driving force in the travel industry due to its solid business structure, a nationwide network of Cruise Planners’ travel agents and innovative and growing Home Office Team. Fee has placed her mark on the travel industry recently being named the No. 2 women-owned business in South Florida as ranked by South Florida Business Journal and receiving the Ernest & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for hospitality and leisure in Florida. Cruise Planners will continue to flourish in the travel industry as Cruise Planners agents build successful businesses.
Beyond business, Fee is actively involved in charitable giving through the company’s philanthropy, CP Cares. Through various fundraising opportunities, Cruise Planners has helped raise more than $1.5 million and Fee was named Woman of the Year for the South Florida chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. She maintains a commitment to helping the community while positively impacting people’s lives and spreading positive Cruisitude.
“Michelle is truly the most caring and passionate leader – it’s remarkable to see how she has developed this company by continuing to inspire franchise owners, drive sales and putting people first,” said Vicky Garcia, Cruise Planners COO and Fee’s business partner. “I am so proud that I get to work alongside and witness the growth and success of our award-winning network with not only my mentor, but my best friend too.”
About Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, is the nation’s largest home-based travel agent franchise network in the travel industry. Cruise Planners operates a network of more than 2,000 franchise owners who independently book vacation and travel experiences for their clients. Headquartered in Coral Springs, Fla. since 1994, Cruise Planners supports its network of franchise owners with innovative marketing, booking and technology tools, professional development and training with the industry’s top executives. Cruise Planners and has been named the No.1 travel franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 15 consecutive years and was recently featured in Entrepreneur as one of the top 30 franchise innovators in technology. Consistently named as one of the Top Women-Owned Businesses by the South Florida Business Journal, Cruise Planners is on the Inc. 5000 list as one of the fastest-growing private companies in America, has been ranked as the #1 travel franchise by Franchise Business Review for 6 years and is recognized as one of the Top Workplaces by the Sun Sentinel.
Cruise Planners has achieved top producer status with every major cruise line including Royal Caribbean International, Norwegian Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America Line, MSC Cruises, Viking Cruises, Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection and Regent Seven Seas Cruises, as well as many land vendors such as Travel Impressions and Sandals and Beaches Resorts. As an American Express Travel Representative, Cruise Planners maintains a reputation for quality and offers exclusive American Express Travel benefits such as Pay with Points. Cruise Planners has earned the American Express Travel Representative Excellence Award since 2004, as well as numerous marketing, technology, franchise and philanthropy awards including an International Franchise Association FranTech award for innovation, Magellan Awards from Travel Weekly and Travvy Awards from travAlliance media. Cruise Planners celebrates diversity and supports are troops as one of the Top 50 franchises for Veterans according to GI magazine, the Top Franchise Brand for Veterans according to Franchise Business Review, one of the Top 25 franchises for African-Americans by Black Enterprise magazine and a member of the International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association. Visit our website, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, for more information or to view the complete list of awards and honors.
Stay in Touch: Media can stay up-to-date with Cruise Planners by visiting our media room or Socially Yours page for social media updates and handles. For additional information or to make reservations, vacationers should locate a travel advisor near them. For those interested in becoming a franchise owner, please visit the Cruise Planners franchise website.
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Media Contact:
Caitlin Gardner, Director of Corporate Communications and Digital Strategy
Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative
CGardner(at)cruiseplanners.com
954-344-8060
Caitlin Gardner, Cruise Planners, http://www.cruiseplanners.com, 954-344-8060, [email protected]
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