Protravel International President Priscilla Alexander, who sold her luxury travel agency to Tzell Travel, a unit of Travel Leaders Group, in November 2012, has officially retired from the company.
Protravel Chief Operating Officer Tony Shepherd, who remains in place, will now report directly to Travel Leaders Group CEO Barry Liben.
Alexander, in a surprise move less than two years ago, sold her agency, a member of the Virtuoso luxury travel network, to Travel Leaders Group. Travel Leaders then merged it with Tzell Travel, which it also owns, although Protravel continued to operate as a separate unit within Tzell.
At the time, many industry observers were surprised at the sale, because Travel Leaders owns consortia and travel networks that compete against Virtuoso. But Protravel has continued to be a member of Virtuoso.
Alexander, who founded her agency in 1984, has long been one of the best-known luxury travel agency owners in the business. Protravel has been one of Virtuoso's top performers and frequently wins sales production awards. It has sales reaching over $850 million and 22 branches across the U.S. and London, as well as a network of hosted travel agents.
"Over the course of the past year, Protravel has become an integral part of the Travel Leaders Group family," said Liben. "This could not have been accomplished without Priscilla's steadfast support. We thank her for her leadership, as well as the tremendous legacy she leaves behind.
Liben added that Protravel represents a crown jewel, not only within the New York City travel arena, but also throughout the United States and internationally. "They have established themselves as one of the industry's top travel companies," he said. "We remain committed to ensuring that Protravel retains its extraordinary and dynamic positioning in serving its corporate and luxury clientele with excellence."
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