Tim Hentschel, CEO HotelPlanner: Baby boomers’ wealth and leisure time drive travel growth

HotelPlanner is a leading travel technology platform specializing in hotel bookings, while its sister brand, Meetings.com, focuses on meetings, events, and group accommodations worldwide. Together, the companies leverage advanced AI and real-time pricing to simplify travel planning at scale.

Tim Hentschel is the co-founder and CEO of HotelPlanner and Meetings.com and a recognized expert on global travel trends. He spoke on U.S. TV network News Nation over the travel boom in the holiday season. 

Travel demand is projected to be more than 2% higher than last year. How much of this growth is driven by pent-up demand?

Tim Hentschel – This is actually the fourth consecutive year of record-breaking travel numbers, so I see it less as pent-up demand and more as a long-term trend. A big driver is the baby boomer generation—they have accumulated wealth and now have more leisure time. That’s especially evident during the holidays, when we consistently see bigger and bigger travel volumes. This year will be no exception.

Weather disruptions are already affecting parts of the U.S. How much does that factor into holiday travel stress?

Tim Hentschel – It’s interesting because while the Northeast and Northwest are getting significant snowfall, I’m currently in Oslo, Norway—just a couple of hours north—and Europe is unseasonably warm. Scandinavia is actually making artificial snow right now, and it’s barely holding. Weather always complicates travel, but demand remains strong regardless.

AAA estimates about eight million Americans will fly domestically this holiday season. What practical advice would you give travelers dealing with congestion and possible delays?

Tim Hentschel – Flying out of secondary airports rather than major hubs can make a big difference. International travel is up sharply, and airports like JFK, Heathrow, and Dulles are extremely busy right now.

Getting to the airport early is critical. Programs like TSA PreCheck or CLEAR in the USA help a lot, as does lounge access through credit cards or airline status. Anything that allows you to skip lines reduces stress. Security remains the biggest bottleneck, and late arrivals trying to rush through tend to slow everyone else down.

There are reports of able-bodied travelers abusing disability assistance to board early. What are you hearing about this trend?

Tim Hentschel – It’s definitely a sensitive issue. Airlines emphasize that not all disabilities are visible, and that’s absolutely true. But we are seeing situations where honeymoon couples, champagne in hand, are boarding early under the “needs assistance” category. It’s becoming an operational challenge, similar to what Disneyland has faced with disability access passes.

Do you think airlines need to rethink their boarding procedures?

Tim Hentschel – Possibly. My wife actually suggested an interesting idea—let everyone board first, and then allow passengers with disabilities and families to board last with extra assistance once the plane is mostly seated. In theory, that achieves the same goal without creating incentives to game the system. I’m not sure if airlines will adopt it, but it’s worth discussing.

How do you balance compassion with fairness in these situations?

Tim Hentschel – I try to err on the side of compassion. That said, after a five-hour delay with a screaming one-year-old, seeing 25 people in wheelchairs—half of whom appear perfectly fine—can be difficult to reconcile.

That said, the travel boom is being fueled in part by aging baby boomers, so we should expect more passengers genuinely needing assistance. Overall, record travel numbers are a positive sign for the industry, and as a travel CEO, I see that as encouraging.