Midweek Catch-up with SKYE Suites’ David Bowen

For our last Midweek Catch-up of the year, we sat down with SKYE Suites’ regional head of hotels to try and blag one last free hotel stay for the year.

What is your main goal for next year?

My main goal is to lead our business and our team successfully through this post-pandemic period.

This new era brings with it a new mindset, different customer expectations, different ways of working and most importantly, new opportunities and I want to ensure SKYE Suites is in the best position to leverage these changes.

What’s your favourite thing about working in the travel industry?

Being in an industry where you have the opportunity to have a positive impact on the customer experience, whether that be for business or leisure, is a great privilege and certainly the best part of the job.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Managing the SKYE Suites business and having a young family doesn’t leave me a lot of free time, but when I do get some I generally like to run; it helps me de-stress and gives me the opportunity to do some creative thinking.

Have you managed to do any travelling this year (domestic or international)?

Earlier in the year we travelled to Karachi in Pakistan for a long overdue family vacation and just recently I travelled to Los Angeles and New York for business – after a two-year hiatus, it was certainly great to get out into the world again.

What’s your favourite travel company, besides the one you work for?

My favourite travel company is Gagudju Dreaming based in Kakadu in the Northern Territory. It’s an Indigenous tourism business that offers accommodation, cruises, cultural experiences and land-based tours.

I was lucky enough to work with the Traditional Owners in developing this business and spent three years living and working in Kakadu.

If you could invite three famous guests (dead or alive) to a dinner party, who would you choose?

I would invite Enzo Ferrari – he built an amazing company and a brand-defining product, it would be very interesting to hear his views on brand and product development (however I think I would need to learn Italian!).

I would also invite Russell Peters, a Canadian Indian comedian for some entertainment, and Nigella Lawson to cook for us!

What’s something positive you’ve witnessed or experienced since the global pandemic hit?

The resilience of our team has been absolutely amazing. Through many lockdowns and countless challenges our team remained focussed on looking after our guests and each other, and I am in awe of how they have handled the last two years with such positivity.

What’s your advice for others in the travel industry on coping post-pandemic?

Always look for the positive. No matter how small, finding the positives can make a huge difference and can give you that extra strength you need to keep moving forward.

What book and/or TV show can you not get enough of lately?

The TV series, Cobra Kai is my guilty pleasure. Brings back so many good memories of the 80s and 90s.

Do you have any travel goals for 2023?

After not getting a proper summer last year due to La Nina, I am definitely looking forward to a beach holiday!

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David Bowen Head of Hotels midweek catch-up midweek interview profile Skye Suites