When asked what travel means to him, Andre Fournier answers with more questions.
“Have you ever looked out over the horizon from 14,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains? Or sailed the Pacific while a humpback whale breeches next to you? Or had your senses come alive because you just experienced the most amazing Balinese dish made from fresh spices from India?”
To Fournier, if the question is what blows the mind, lights up the senses and feeds the soul, the answer is travel. “The exploration of new places, people and cultures is what enriches our lives,” he says. That philosophy—and the high those experiences bring him—breathes life into his daily work as executive vice president of sales, marketing and revenue at CoralTree.
He grew up a travel-crazy kid, with parents who road-tripped and exposed him to art, food, and culture. So it was a no-brainer for him to seek his first job in the industry. As an Arizona State college student, Fournier hustled shifts at the local DoubleTree Inn, where he remembers trying to stay cool while serving their trademark fresh chocolate-chip cookies in 105-degree heat. Fournier connected with guests over his passion for the region, especially his love of the desert. And during those long, hot shifts, he realized that hospitality was his calling.
Fournier’s first major position in the industry was as the vice president for a destination management company at Scottsdale Plaza Resort. However, his big break was an opportunity to leave the desert and move to the mountains of Colorado to lead the marketing effort for the Vail Cascade Resort, which was managed by Destination Hotels & Resorts. He moved up in the ranks at Destination and returned to Arizona as the company’s regional director of sales and marketing overseeing Pointe South Mountain Resort, Royal Palms Resort and Spa, and Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center. His career continued to rise as he returned to Colorado in 2011 as the vice president of sales, marketing and revenue for the company.
When Destination Hotels & Resorts became Two Roads Hospitality in 2016, Fournier led the company’s global sales, marketing and revenue efforts. At the time, Two Roads was the largest independent hotel management firm in the world. He parlayed this experience into launching CoralTree Hospitality in 2018 as the company’s executive vice president of sales, marketing and revenue.
Fournier considers receiving the Spirit of Lowe Award as one of the most meaningful achievements in his career. The award, which is given by CoralTree peers, recognizes employees with the leadership and core values exemplified by company founder Bob Lowe. “I love it,” Fournier says. “Bob Lowe learned long ago that having a higher purpose delivered successful projects and results.” Lowe embodied the company values of acting with integrity, empowering diverse and talented people, and balancing personal with professional life, among others.
As he works to foster a passion for travel among both colleagues and customers, Fournier still nurtures his love of travel in his own personal life. But one of his favorite trips wasn’t a mind-blowing global adventure: It was a trip back to family roots in small-town Maine, just shortly after his mother died. There, joined by a host of nieces, nephews and generations of aunts, uncles and cousins, the family fished for lobster and saw where his parents grew up, and released his mom’s ashes into the St. John’s River.
These days, Fournier savors adventure wherever he can find it, and is most at home exploring rivers with a glass of wine in hand and his dog, Phelps, by his side.
