Vacayou, the online platform for exceptional wellness and active travel experiences, is excited to announce it has appointed travel industry expert Chris Brown as Chief Product Officer.
TAMPA, Fla., April 10, 2022 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — “We are thrilled to have Chris join our team and lead product development and tech to achieve new heights!” says Murielle Montecalvo, founder and CEO of Vacayou. “Wellness tourism is one of the fastest growing trends in travel and projected to globally reach $1.3 trillion USD by 2025.
“While countless brands use the term ‘wellness’ in their marketing, Vacayou breaks through the hype and hand selects the best well-being and active experiences around the world. Many of our clients are first-time wellness travelers. It’s important that we educate them on the types of retreats, spas, tours and resorts available that contribute to leading a healthier lifestyle,” says Montecalvo.
Brown, a travel industry veteran, has had multiple successful travel startups. Prior to joining Vacayou, he co-founded travel tech startup TrustedTrip, which is the industry’s first verified travel review solution. Formerly, he co-founded and was the innovative creative force behind the independent holiday review website Holidaywatchdog.com in 2000. Holidaywatchdog.com was acquired by TripAdvisor in 2008.
“I’m passionate about using technology to redefine the user experience in travel and especially in the wellness space, which we will do by introducing a new booking concept that we can leverage as a unique selling tool — an industry disruptive innovation that is yet to be rolled out by any travel technology provider,” says Brown. “I am excited to join the Vacayou team and take our travel technology solutions to the next level.”
Brown also co-founded Sunshine.co.uk, a large OTA (Online Travel Agency) in the UK where his leadership and technology expertise aided the creation of a very successful travel company which was purchased by holiday specialist OnTheBeach in May 2018 for £12 million GBP.
“Chris brings unmatched OTA experience and UX design to the table, which will ultimately bring a brand new dimension to Vacayou’s booking platform,” says Montecalvo. “With Chris’ expertise, we are building technology that will not only be a game changer within the travel industry but also provide a better user experience on how we serve our travelers, partners and communities.”
ABOUT VACAYOU
Vacayou is a wellness travel platform for discovering and booking exclusive experiences focused on well-being and active adventures to nourish mind, body and soul. Its mission is to create a healthier global community through wellness and active travel. Whether it’s introducing travelers to “a touch of wellness” or booking a fully immersive well-being or active experience, Vacayou makes planning and booking as easy as the trip itself.
Vacayou has a strong social media presence and online magazine featuring 1000s of articles from health and fitness bloggers and wellness travel influencers around the world. Vacayou was recognized as one of the “Hot 25 Travel Startups for 2022” by PhocusWire, the daily news companion for the travel industry powered by Phocuswright, the most respected travel research authority and events brand in the world. The company also received the award the prestigious “World’s Best Wellness Travel Agency 2021” by The International World Spa Awards.
Based in Tampa, Vacayou was founded by Muirelle Montecalvo, in March 2019. The site’s board of advisors include wellness industry veterans Thomas Klein, former President/COO of Canyon Ranch; Sallie Fraenkel, former COO of SpaFinder and current president of Mind, Body, Spirit Network; Dwayne Ingram, travel industry veteran formerly IBM & Amadeus, Adam Glickman, former vice chair of Global Wellness Institute for Tourism Initiative; and Andrew Gibson, former VP Well Being Luxury Brands, AccorHotels.
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Media Contact
Shelly Nyqvist, Vacayou, 1 833-822-2968, [email protected]
SOURCE Vacayou
