Midweek Catch-up with COMO Hotels and Resorts’ Chris Orlikowski

This week COMO Hotels and Resorts group director of PR and communications offered us a free hotel stay if we promised not to mention his love for Whitney Houston. Sorry, Chris, we couldn’t resist.

What’s your main goal for this year?

Professionally to inspire people to travel to new destinations and personally to improve my fitness levels.

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

It has to be the people. It’s all one big family.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Travel of course but also tennis, skiing and reading.

Have you managed to do any travelling since restrictions began to ease (domestic or international)?

Whenever travel restrictions have eased in the UK I’ve travelled. Most recently I have been to Texas, USA and COMO Parrot Cay in the Turks & Caicos.

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

That’s a tricky one because there are many great companies out there. I do like to book with Clare Levy from Different Planet Travel though.

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

Whitney Houston, Angela Merkel and Karl Lagerfeld (odd mix I know, but it could be interesting!).

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

I think people started to form more meaningful relationships and the pandemic has brought people together and formed stronger friendships.

What’s your advice for others in the travel industry on coping with the global pandemic?

Write down one positive thing you did each day of the week. At the end of the week, you see a whole bunch of positive experiences in front of you.

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

I have been hooked on The Tourist, which plays in Australia.

Do you have any travel goals for 2022?

I do, I have Greece and South Africa booked so far.