Kathleen Leuba
Background
Having completed a degree in French, Kathleen envisioned a career as a language translator. But life had more interesting plans, and Kathleen entered the travel industry with Meridien Hotels, selling international incentives and meetings, later moving to the Martinique as the hotel’s sales manager. She joined Mondotels in 1982, developing sales for international convention centers, and helping evolve the company from hotel sales into the meetings arena, where Mondotels has become an industry leader in marketing convention cities around the world.
Kathleen’s Passion for Places
There was a specific moment in 4th grade when Kathleen first recognized her longing to discover distant lands. Interviewing her grandfather for a school project, she learned that she had a lot in common with Heidi – Swiss Alps, watch-making, goat herding – it was all in her legacy. That began her passion for learning French, leading to student trips to Europe, living in France and working in the French Antilles. Traveling for business and leisure, Kathleen has enjoyed discovering Italy, UK, Germany, Spain, Russia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Tanzania, Australia, Dubai, Brazil, St. Martin, Anguilla and St. Lucia. Her joy is to connect with new people in every country, continually fascinated by the amazing number of cultural differences that can fit into one human race.
Notable Results
- Kathleen has served as a panelist for a variety of business events, bringing her experienced viewpoints to conferences about the U.S. market for Caribbean travel, trends in the meetings industry and techniques for destination marketing.
- In line with her client’s need to expand awareness of their product in the upscale New York consumer market, Kathleen secured sponsorship of an existing event hosting New York’s Most Powerful Women, providing her clients with 50 new buyer relationships among these influential spokespersons, without the high cost of consumer outreach.
- In the competitive meetings marketplace, where securing face time with buyers is a keen challenge for all destinations, Kathleen has created more than 30 highly successful hosted events to attract these sought-after attendees. Each program is themed to highlight the destination, such as Melbourne, Madrid, Scotland, Lisbon and Dubai, featuring creative components that break through the noisy marketplace, resulting in new meetings traffic for the host city.
Up Close
Kathleen is a committed city-lover, uncommonly satisfied with her home of choice in New York City. To keep up with her extended family, she initiates visits to Maryland, South Carolina and Peoria. So naturally, she encourages reciprocal visits, hosting a passel of family and friends on discovery trips to New York like a born tour guide. Kathleen’s lifelong appreciation of yoga and meditation connects her with a strong community of friends.
Where You’ll Find Kathleen on the Weekend
It might be a museum, or perhaps a concert, or a book-reading. It could be a yoga class or a painting class. It’s always something to engage the mind, to spark conversation and learning.
Places that Kathleen Has Called Home
Baltimore, Maryland
Washington, D.C.
Avignon, France
Martinque and Guadeloupe, French West Indies
New York, New York
Surprising Facts about Kathleen
Both Rhyme and Reason
Kathleen enjoys writing poems as a hobby. Never afraid of the blank page nor stray scrap of paper, Kathleen composes on buses, trains and planes, around the world. She has delivered her work in public readings only twice so far and will increase her exposure now as a member of the International Women’s Writing Guild.
On the Lookout
So often people ask “How did you get into the travel business?” Only Kathleen can respond “I met a travel writer at a nudist colony.” Yes, it was easy to doubt his agenda when he promised to keep an eye open for a future job, citing her language skills and outgoing personality. But naysayers were quashed when, six months later, true to his word, he called to connect her with the right interview that landed her first travel job. You just never know.
My Own Audience
Yes, that’s right, Kathleen’s family is a big expansive Irish-American crowd: ten brothers and sisters altogether. The best part was the weekly Sunday supper with grandparents, where the chaos was shared by 23 cousins, who probably were the first to invent the whole concept of “let’s put on a show.”
Hello, Mr. President
Working on a U.S. presidential visit in the hotel industry is a delightful opportunity, seeing up close the intensity that follows world leaders when they travel. Surprisingly, Kathleen participated in three such visits—different presidents, different locations, always amazing. And yes, there was a person a few steps behind with the famous red-alert brief case.
