Cruise Planners' Brian Shultz Powers Up Winning CIO of the Year at Technology Awards

CORAL SPRINGS, Fla., Oct. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Cruise Planners, an American Express Travel Representative, the nation's largest travel franchise company, solidified its territory as a top technology innovator with its Chief Information Officer, Brian Shultz, earning CIO of the Year Award at South Florida Business Journal's Annual Technology Awards.

Innovation as a Way of Life
The award is the result of Shultz's commitment to using technology to help Cruise Planners travel advisors run their businesses remotely. Under Shultz's technological guidance, Cruise Planners reinvests in technology infrastructure and prioritizes the people who manage it. Technology, coupled with the right team of passionate techies adds value and collaboration, driving maximum value and increasing efficiency using a customized strategy for our travel advisors and their clients.

"I am so proud of Brian's well-deserved recognition as we take pride in innovating and maintaining Cruise Planners' cutting-edge industry position," said Michelle Fee, CEO and founder of Cruise Planners. "Brian and his team's performance turn our collective vision into reality and continue to wow. Our team members and franchise owners love and appreciate his driving force, leadership and project execution, which make him not only savvy, but also personable and approachable."

Travel Advisor New Websites Roll Out
Most recently, Cruise Planners unveiled its new travel advisor websites. The websites offer options provided to franchise owners with the flexibility of operating multiple websites; each with their own theme. The modern, responsive and faster websites are packed with engaging features designed to spark ideas about new, and interesting vacation options and destinations offered by travelers' Cruise Planners Travel Advisor.

Some website features include:
Dramatic travel imagery
Easy to navigate cruise search
Prominent video gallery
Special offers section

Lead Innovator in the Hospitality and Travel Industry
Shultz is a standout in the hospitality industry. Starting out in help-desk role invoked a deep curiosity for "IT."

"I couldn't have asked for a better initiation into IT," said Shultz. "As time went on and systems became more complex, the core experience I gained in those early days still hold true. Having great systems means nothing if those systems don't do what the users need. That's a lesson I continue to learn to this day."

Shultz's tried-and-true method of always challenging himself and his team have led Cruise Planners down an award-winning trailblazing path. From implementing the company's Alexa Skills to constantly updating and optimizing the Cruise Planners mobile app, the leading-edge technology is always his core focus.

During his award acceptance speech, Shultz said, "I work for the best company in America, run by the two best owners in America, and I have the best team in America. And I stand by that."

More Innovation… Now Loading
Shultz and his team have all new high-tech announcements planned for Cruise Planners annual Convention, held in Hollywood, Fla. this December. Each year the company unveils innovative technology advancements and much more to its network of home-based travel advisors.

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 2,500 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 16 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 No. 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 our 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
[email protected]
954-344-8060

SOURCE Cruise Planners