Executive Vice President and Chief Membership & Commercial Services Officer, Marriott Vacations Worldwide
Search every verified Lori Gustafson interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Lori Gustafson, Executive Vice President and Chief Membership & Commercial Services Officer at Marriott Vacations Worldwide, has spoken about the company’s focus on innovation and digital transformation in the leisure travel sector. In 2022, she discussed the company’s multi-year initiative called “Vacation Next” and the introduction of a new owner program, “About by Marriott Vacations,” designed to appeal to the next generation of travelers. Gustafson described digital as “an enabler, not an end,” and emphasized the importance of maintaining high-touch moments for guests while adopting new technologies. She noted that the company faces challenges from technical debt following acquisitions and that less than 12% of corporate America executives are successfully balancing current performance with transformation. Separately, Gustafson has also spoken about mindfulness and leadership. She described mindfulness as “paying attention to how things are and not trying to change it,” and said that practices such as cleaning, walking, or cooking can serve as mindful activities. In discussions on digital transformation, she stated that people leadership is a critical component, and that transformation involves “new ways of working, new ways of thinking, and ultimately new ways of being.” She also said that the associate experience is as important as the customer experience in transformation efforts.
“It's really paying attention to how things are and not trying to change it — being present for what's happening and doing it on purpose.”
“When I am listening to someone and I am really aware that I am listening — maybe even aware that I got distracted — I can catch myself in that moment and then bring my attention back to that person; that's the moment of mindfulness.”
“It's not about just being calm — what happens when I feel agitated or irritated? Can I pay attention to that and what can I learn from it?”
“Sometimes just sitting down for one minute can be enough to calm the nervous system so that I can feel what's happening and respond in a different way.”
“Cleaning is part of my mindfulness practice — if I feel myself getting agitated or spiraling, I get out my vacuum and it helps me come right back to the present.”
“Being outside, walking, playing a sport, swimming, or cooking can be mindful practices — it's a gentle interruption of the spinning thoughts and it takes practice, like building a muscle.”
“I amplify listening in my life — when we take the time to step back and really listen, change or action can come from that; we all want to matter and to belong, even with someone we don't agree with.”
“Think about it — there's incredibly talented experts across technology fields; you can always find external resources to help you fill a gap or have an expertise in a space that you might not have internally.”
“But if you don't have the people internally to really champion and drive the vision forward and to really rally and be able to influence outcomes, the people leadership is just such a critical part of any transformational effort.”
“So much about transformational work — it's not just digitizing an antiquated or analog process; it's about reimagining what that process should be.”
“You're really saying to someone today, 'I know you do it this way — tell me what it looks like to do it in the future.' Oftentimes you gotta help people along the journey and then have the technology support and futuristic thinking to get there.”
“For me, digital is an enabler, not an end. It's really a bold ambition. In our category, you still want to make sure that we don't lose high-touch moments or opportunities to really delight our guests, our owners, our members, but at the same time, we have to be cognizant of the ways in which we want to work.”
“Mindset, vision setting, and then a commitment to the investment—our CEO and board have commitment to enabling these types of transformations. It starts with people, the right people and the right talent to make it come to life.”
“Our company has doubled in size over the last five years through acquisitions, which brings a variety of technical debt. Every company faces legacy technology solutions that can be a hindrance or create pain points, and technology teams desperately want to move to more cloud-based solutions and the technology of the fu...”
“Less than 12% of corporate America executives are scoring well in being able to pivot to perform and transform simultaneously right now. So going back to how do you show quick wins, how do you deliver for the business today and also simultaneously transform for the future, I think it's a really challenging business and...”
Lori Gustafson is a teacher with UW Madison's Health Mindfulness Program and works has a positive behavior coach in schools.
Check out Lori Gustafson of Marriott Vacations Worldwide as she speaks about leadership on our Digital 2.0 Interview Series!
We had the opportunity to interview Lori Gustafson, Chief Brand & Digital Officer at Marriott Vacations Worldwide and listen to her ...
Lori Gustafson of Marriott Vacations Worldwide sets the record straight about digital transformation and the employee experience.
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