Executive Search Success Story: Placing the First Chief AI Officer for an Orlando Hospitality & Travel Technology Group

How JRG Partners executed a confidential Chief AI Officer search that equipped a fast-growing Orlando hospitality and travel technology group with the enterprise AI leadership required to unify fragmented data initiatives, launch personalization and dynamic pricing capabilities, and establish AI as a board-level growth driver.

The Challenge

A multi-brand hospitality and travel technology group headquartered in Orlando had accumulated vast guest, booking, and pricing data across its properties and platforms, but AI initiatives were scattered across marketing, revenue management, and engineering with no unified ownership. Competitors were rapidly deploying AI-driven personalization and pricing, and the board recognized the company was falling behind. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening their market position:

• No executive accountable for AI strategy, investment priorities, or measurable business results
• Duplicated data science efforts across business units producing inconsistent models and wasted spend
• Revenue management still dependent on manual pricing rules while competitors moved to real-time optimization
• Guest personalization limited to basic segmentation despite rich behavioral data
• Board and investor pressure to articulate a credible enterprise AI strategy
• Uncertainty about whether the role should be a Chief AI Officer, a Chief Data Officer, or an expanded CTO mandate

To resolve these challenges, the CEO and board approved the creation of the company’s first Chief AI Officer position, reporting directly to the CEO. The mandate also included the recruitment of a VP of Data Science & Personalization and a Director of AI Engineering beneath the new executive. The company required an executive search partner with direct access to proven enterprise AI leaders and the ability to help define a role that had never existed within the organization.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Chief AI Officer Search Specialization

JRG Partners maintains a dedicated practice focused on Chief AI Officer and senior AI leadership searches. Our consultants understand how the role differs from CTO and CDO positions and how to evaluate candidates on enterprise strategy, not just technical depth.

Florida Market Knowledge

Headquartered in Boca Raton, JRG Partners has deep familiarity with the Central and South Florida executive landscape, relocation considerations, and how to position Florida-based opportunities against national technology markets.

Role Design Advisory

Beyond recruiting execution, JRG Partners advised leadership on the scope, reporting structure, and success metrics for the new position, ensuring the Chief AI Officer would have the authority and resources needed to succeed.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Role Definition & Organizational Alignment

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, CFO, CTO, and board to define the Chief AI Officer’s remit, budget authority, and first-year objectives. This phase resolved internal debate about the role and aligned every stakeholder on the executive profile before the search began.

Phase 2 — Talent Identification & Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting AI leaders at online travel platforms, hotel and resort operators, airlines, consumer e-commerce companies, and enterprise AI organizations. Over 320 executive profiles were systematically assessed for enterprise-scale AI delivery and commercial impact.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to executives with a documented history of building AI functions from the ground up, delivering measurable revenue impact through personalization and pricing, and communicating AI strategy at the board level. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Selection Process

Finalists presented a first-100-day AI roadmap to the executive team and board, followed by structured leadership assessments and reference verification focused on quantified business outcomes in prior AI leadership roles.

Key Outcomes

• 320+ AI and data executive profiles mapped across travel, hospitality, and consumer technology sectors.
• Placed the company’s first Chief AI Officer in 58 days with a fully aligned role definition and reporting structure.
• Consolidated duplicated data science spend into a single, accountable AI function.
• Delivered a 9% increase in revenue per available room through AI-driven pricing in year one.
• Built a three-role AI leadership structure spanning strategy, data science, and engineering.
• Established enterprise AI as a recurring board-level growth agenda item.