The merged travel management teams of Maupin Travel and Hess Corporate Travel announced their next chapter: unified branding and operations under the new name Sequel Travel. Building on a combined eight decades of experience, Sequel Travel is a new brand for the new landscape of business and vacation planning.
Sequel Travel is led by Trevor and Jordan Smith of Maupin Travel alongside Mike Davidson of Hess Corporate Travel who serves as President and COO. Both Tzell Travel Group branches, Maupin Travel, founded in 1979, and Hess Corporate Travel, founded in 1985, merged in 2022. Sequel Travel integrates Maupin’s and Hess’s expertise in corporate and vacation travel planning to provide the adaptability and versatility necessary to navigate the volatile travel landscape.
“With Sequel Travel, we’ve combined the best of two legacy companies, providing stability and continued growth for our combined teams,” Davidson says. “We know firsthand how fragmented and complicated travel can be, and by bringing together our advisors’ decades’ worth of experience across the industry, we’re able to simplify the entire process for our corporate and vacation customers.”
While some in the travel industry lament the evolution of travel booking and planning, Sequel embraces the opportunity to serve modern travelers in even more relevant ways—all with a bigger, more cross-functional team. From same-day navigation of business travel disruption to designing a multi-generational vacation off the beaten path, Sequel’s trusted travel advisors address modern challenges and stay engaged at every step.
“As the industry shifts toward travelers having more access to create their own itineraries, the overwhelming volume of information without any clear direction has created decision fatigue for many travelers hoping to plan a meaningful vacation,” Chairwoman Jordan Smith says. “Our advisors are experts at discerning customer needs and shaping itineraries in a way a search engine can’t.”
With dedicated advisors across the country, Sequel Travel is ready for what’s next—for the industry and for their valued vacation and corporate clients.
“It’s a different company than it was a year ago,” CEO Trevor Smith says. “We’ve added to our 50+ person team, and we’re excited to continue growing. Our customers will still receive the same high level of service they’ve come to trust but with even more agility than before. While technology plays a significant role in this new chapter, we are committed to leading with personal connection. Sequel is all about real people helping people, and we couldn’t be more proud of the new brand representing the heart of our company.”
About Sequel Travel
Sequel Travel is a global mid-market innovator in business and vacation travel. Formed in 2022 by the merger of two Tzell Travel Group branches, Sequel is the convergence of eight decades of expertise from industry leaders at Raleigh, North Carolina-based Maupin Travel and Hess Corporate Travel in Utah. Grounded in the clear premise that booking is only the beginning, Sequel combines the latest technology with personal connection to customize trips across the globe. To learn more, visit www.sequeltravel.com.
