Glenn Fogel Emerges as Highest-Paid Travel CEO in 2023 With a Total Package Valued at $46.7 Million

Glenn Fogel, the CEO of Booking Holdings and its flagship brand Booking.com, claimed the title of the highest-paid travel CEO among S&P 500 companies in 2023, with a total package valued at $46.7 million. For the analysis, only pure-play travel companies were considered, excluding CEOs from banks such as JPMorgan Chase, which also have travel businesses.

Despite securing the top spot in the travel industry, Fogel ranked 10th overall among S&P 500 CEOs. The top three positions were held by Hock Tan of Broadcom ($161.8 million), Nikesh Aurora of Palo Alto Networks ($151.4 million), and Stephen Schwarzman of Blackstone ($119.8 million).

Fogel’s compensation package, alongside three other travel industry peers, was bolstered by exceptional performance. Booking Holdings, Delta Air Lines, Host Hotels, and Royal Caribbean, achieved top scores in total shareholder return compared to their respective industries, earning a score of 5 on a scale of 1 to 5.

Here’s how the CEOs of these top-performing travel companies were compensated:

• • Glenn Fogel, Booking Holdings: $46.7 million
  • Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines: $34.2 million
  • James Risoleo, Host Hotels: $17.7 million
  • Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean: $17.2 million

In addition to stellar shareholder returns, Fogel, Bastian, and Risoleo were also among the highest-paid CEOs in their industries, earning a score of 5 for compensation.

However, while Risoleo’s compensation package was rated only a 3, indicating it fell within the top 60% of his peers, Robert Isom of American Airlines and Chris Nassetta of Hilton received compensation packages in the top 20% of their industries despite their companies’ total shareholder returns ranking in the top 60%.

Expedia Group’s former CEO Peter Kern received a total compensation package of $1.1 million, while Tripadvisor CEO Matt Goldberg’s package totaled $1.9 million, with both companies not included in the S&P 500.

Airbnb’s CEO Brian Chesky, although not a part of the S&P 500, saw his compensation package of $300,000 last year rank him at 413th place. Nonetheless, his 10-year pay package of “$120 million,” announced in 2021, could potentially exceed $1 billion if Airbnb meets specific stock price targets. Despite its impressive performance, Airbnb’s total shareholder return in 2023 earned a score of 4, placing it in the top 80% within its sector.

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