Founded with a passion for empowering travel entrepreneurs, KHM Travel Group has grown from a small business into a nationally recognized host agency supporting thousands of independent travel advisors. Over the years, our journey has been defined by innovation, education, and a commitment to helping agents build successful, sustainable businesses. From expanding our partnerships and technology to launching new programs and resources, each milestone reflects our dedication to evolving with the travel industry while staying true to the relationships that started it all.
KHM Travel Group got its start around a kitchen table with a handful of team members, including Rick Zimmerman. After operating as an agency within another travel host for several years, the team decided to take their passion for travel and venture out on their own. KHM Travel Group was launched with 86 agents, and over the past 20 years, has grown to support 5,000+ agents across the country.
The name KHM Travel Group was first used, giving our newly founded company an identity and allowing us to expand our small host agency into a well-recognized, reputable name in travel.
Opened our first Corporate Office at 50 Pearl Road in Brunswick, Ohio with six employees.
Our first FAM Trip! Apple Vacations hosted 20 KHM Travel Agents and staff in Cancun, Mexico.
KHM Travel Group’s passport-stamp style logo makes its first appearance, and the palm tree becomes an essential part of our brand identity.
We hosted KHM Travel Cruise Night in partnership with Royal Caribbean on July 17 at 50 Pearl. The event tagline was “Experience Cruising without the Water.”
Our Agent Support department was first established with one team member to assist agents with questions and provide guidance. Agent Support would later grow to become one of the largest teams at KHM Travel Group, serving as an irreplaceable resource for our travel agents.
Won our first major award, Royal Caribbean’s 2009 Partner of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region, based on our 150% growth over the previous year.
Thanks to our new marketing team, we published the first issue of The Compass Magazine. The issue was 20 pages, with 10 supplier advertisements. Content included tips on how to build your client base, hosting a travel night, and a review of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas.
We started our Agent-Only Facebook Group as a convenient, fun avenue for our agents to connect, ask questions, and share their successes with other agents across the country.
Our team hit the road to host our first regional educational event in San Antonio, Texas. 85 agents attended to learn from a lineup of suppliers and from our team on how to build their businesses.
KHM Travel grew to 22 team members and we expanded our Corporate Office to new facility at 1152 Pearl Road in Brunswick.
Launched TravSearch® website (later known as Travel Agent Connection) to give agents a marketing presence online and allow clients to view current promotions.
We went on tour in 2011 to bring 2-3 days educational events to agents in Ontario, CA; Chicago, IL; Baltimore, MD, and Galveston, TX.
KHM Travel Group obtained approval from ARC (Airlines Reporting Corporation).
We launched the Pinnacle Elite Agent Program to incentivize and provide additional resources to agents at higher production levels. 42 agents qualified for Pinnacle in its first year.
KHM Travel Group held its first Destination Success in Brunswick, Ohio to educate agents and connect them with our supplier partners.
We held our very first Boot Camp in our Brunswick office. Roughly 25 agents joined us for a two-day marketing and sales-focused event. Boot Camp has involved into a four-day, comprehensive and hands-on introduction into the world of travel.
The Regional Coordinator Program was launched, originally as the Regional Development Coordinator program. We started with five regions to connect agents to local events and peers in their area. One of the original RCs, Becki Doby, is still involved in the Regional Program today.
For our first-ever Agent of the Year awards, we honored 20 agents for their overall productivity and their supplier sales. Sherry Mattlin was our first Agent of the Year.
LoveShack Vacations, our specialty program for romance travel, officially launched on Valentine’s Day. The program, which ran for seven years, offered home-based travel agents the benefits of the host agency, with a special focus on the unique needs of Romance Travel Specialists.
The first Agent Advisory Board was formed with 12 agents to establish a formal way for our agents to give feedback and advice on how to improve the agent experience and the company.
Since there’s nothing more rewarding than traveling together, we decided to turn our agent awards into a trip! The first annual Crystal Conference and Awards was held at the Iberostar Cancun with 80 attendees.
MyTravelAgentPortal was launched in February, which replaced the previous Travel Agent Portal that was managed by a third-party company. Having more control over the platform allowed us to make changes and improvements faster than ever. It also became much easier for agents to access and find what they’re looking for.
KHM Travel hopped over the pond for its first-ever European FAM. 41 agents joined Geoff Cox for an amazing trip to the Azores for several days of food, tours, and natural beauty!
Nearly 200 agents, guests, and staff members gathered at the Hyatt Ziva and Zilara in Montego Bay, Jamaica for our second Crystal Conference and Awards. In addition to our educational sessions, agents also visited resorts around Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, and Negril and participated in a give-back at Tiny Hope Children’s Home.
We started the Basecamp program to provide rising agents with extra benefits and incentives to help them make the ascent to Pinnacle. At the time we announced its launch, 168 had obtained Basecamp level.
KHM Travel acquired Encompass the World Travel, an established local travel agency owned by Bill Coyle. With the additional of Bill and three other experienced agents in the office, we were able to add to the expertise we bring to our agents.
Working with Travel eSolutions, we rolled out myTravelCRM™ out to agents. This new platform allowed agents to more effectively manage their clients, bookings and commissions all in one place.
David brings a wealth of experience to KHM Travel Group, including over 20 years in senior financial management and 13 years in consulting. He plays a large role in important initiatives for our host agency including strategic planning, financial analysis, and process improvement.
In its third year, our Crystal Conference and Awards event took to the sea on the Norwegian Sky. We had 167 agents, guests, supplier partners and staff join us on board February 19-22 to celebrate together and experience Norwegian’s Freestyle cruising concept.
KHM Travel Group entered the Travel Weekly Power List for the first time at #58, with $115M in sales.
In 2016, KHM Travel Group announced the promotion of Geoff Cox to Vice President of Sales, recognizing his leadership, supplier partnerships, and commitment to helping travel advisors grow their businesses. Geoff’s industry experience and agent-first mindset helped strengthen KHM’s education programs, sales growth, and overall support for independent agents.
We released KHM Travel Group’s updated Vision and Mission Statement along with 13 Core Values that the company prides itself on. Revising our Vision, Mission, and Core Values was a team effort and living up to them remains a part of our daily culture!
The Carnival Conquest played host to our fourth Crystal Conference and Awards, which brought 369 travel agents, suppliers, and team members on board. In addition to celebrating our collective achievements, Rick also gave a State of KHM Travel address, which led to a memorable discussion based on the event theme, “Discover Your Why.”
Our Key Player program was launched to help us recognize other team members for going above and beyond for our agents, suppliers, and each other. The program has evolved to the current Drops of Impact name.
KHM Cares, our charitable initiatives team, started with the mission to organize and deliver meaningful opportunities for our team members and travel agents to participate in our charitable initiatives.
At the beginning of the year, we began paying agent commissions on a weekly basis, which was a change from our bi-weekly payouts. Agents who were due a commission could now look forward to that commission bell ringing each week.
With the theme of “The Value of You,” we set sail on KHM Travel’s 5th Crystal Conference and Awards on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas. The 376 agents, staff and suppliers that attended January 27 - February 1 left with new ideas and skills to advocate for the value of travel agents.
We held our first in-destination Boot Camp in Florida in collaboration with our host Club Med Sandpiper Bay and Carnival Cruise Line.
At our 2019 Crystal Conference, more than 350 independent travel agents, supplier partners, and KHM Travel Group team members gathered to get energized and “Take Action” in the coming year and make it our most successful year yet.
Our Corporate Office returned to its roots and moved back to our original location at 50 Pearl Road in Brunswick, Ohio. Our beautiful new space on the top floor of the building has given us plenty of room to grow internally to meet the needs of our agent base.
With the addition of Karen to the Executive Team, she is able to share her diverse background in regulatory, corporate, and employment law. She remains dedicated to ensuring that our host agency remains compliant with the dynamic travel industry laws.
Our Travel Agent Tips video series was introduced as a way for our team to cover everything from getting your business started, to advanced business tips, and destination guides.
Our Education team hosted the first Boot Camp 2.0 event geared towards more experienced agents. We had 22 agents at Basecamp level or above attend the event, which was focused on Alaska, Hawaii, Europe, and introduced agents to business growth strategies.
In January, we were proud to announce our merger with Ticket to Travel, a California-based host agency of 100+ independent travel agents. The partnership represented a merger of values and priorities in that we both put the needs of our travel agents first. With the acquisition of Ticket to Travel, KHM Travel Group gained the expertise of industry powerhouse Anita Pagliasso. Anita advocates for travel advisors through her leadership roles in several industry associations.
After 26 years of fun, KHM Travel Group got into the Super Cruise action for the 27th annual cruise February 1-8, 2020. This annual cruise is world’s largest Super Bowl Watch Party at Sea, with exclusive games, prizes, and activities.
In March, KHM Travel Group celebrated our 15th Anniversary. We recognize and appreciate the relationships we have with our travel agents. They are what make this milestone and our company’s success possible.
As the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world, few industries were hit as hard as travel. In the wake of a National Emergency, CDC No Sail Order, and Stay at Home Order in Ohio, KHM Travel Group outlined a Survive, Revive, Thrive COVID-19 response plan. This plan outlined steps and messages to keep our community of agents and team members informed and positive about the future of travel.
ROAM Magazine was created for all those who love travel and the joy it brings. This first issue of ROAM Magazine provided timely information and inspiration for clients’ future getaways. Past issues are available on ROAMTravelMagazine.com.
With a shared vision of assisting travel professionals, KHM Travel Group and Travel Professionals of Color (TPOC) established a partnership to amplify their efforts to recognize African American, Hispanic, Asian American, and Native American travel agents.
KHM Travel Group launched Virtual EDU – a robust 12-week online educational series. Each week’s lesson was taught by the team through video presentations. We also hosted weekly Q&A Happy Hours via Zoom for agents to chat with one another, team members, and special guests like travel suppliers.
KHM Travel Group found another new way to connect with travel advisors in the form of a live, weekly KHM Today talk show with interviews with industry leaders, destination information, sales and business tips, and other fun segments. Past episodes are available on YouTube and as a podcast.
Agents returned to the heart of what they love through exclusive familiarization (FAM) trips. Kicking off in May and running through September, our multiple FAM Forward events allowed agents to learn about the new protocols that clients can expect when visiting resorts in Mexico and the Caribbean.
After nearly 600 days of virtual education and networking, KHM Travel Group welcomed agents back at KHM Together Again. 158 travel agents and 34 suppliers joined the KHM Travel Group team for the in-person event in Cleveland, Ohio. Highlights included agent and supplier-led panels, educational sessions, a supplier tradeshow, and multiple networking opportunities.
As we developed a new visual representation of our company, there wasn’t any symbol more appropriate than the palm tree. Each frond (or leaf) represents an equal part of our success and the key ingredients to our partnership with travel advisors. The heart of our business is our focus and mission to always put the travel advisor first in all of our actions. Our success as a host agency is measured by the happiness, significance, and success of our travel advisors.
The growth of our Education Team and creation of an Agent Engagement Team, led by a new role of Vice President of Agent Engagement, sparked unique initiatives to reach agents and provide resources necessary for growth.
KHM Travel Group team members were welcomed back into the Corporate Office, back at 100% hours after nearly 2 years of reduced hours through the Shared Work Ohio program. Now team members enjoy a hybrid work schedule.
With the introduction of On the Concourse, KHM Travel took our events on the road to meet agents in cities across the country.
In July 2023, we officially reached the milestone of 5,000 agents enrolled with KHM Travel Group. And that number continues to grow every day.
With the launch of KHMPrintShop.com, agents can purchase fun travel agent apparel and tote bags. Agents can even customize the pieces with their logo and branding for extra promotion of their business everywhere they go.
Travel Stories Unpacked was launched as a different take on travel, where we talked about all things travel from the silly to the serious and everywhere in between. Past episodes are available on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts.
KHM Travel Group made our mark on Celebrity Reflection from February 25 - March 2 for our 2024 Crystal Conference. In addition to learning and making connections, we also recognized our 2023 Crystal Award winners.
We hosted our first-ever Group Camp event to help our agents understand and grow their group business. At Group Camp, our group travel experts and supplier partners dive into the profitable niche of group travel.
KHM Travel Group won 3 Travel Weekly Magellan Awards: Gold for both "KHM Travel Group’s Commitment to DE&I" and "Engaging Video Content for All Who Love Travel" and Silver for "Travel Through the Agent Journey with Education & Events."
KHM Travel Group celebrated our 20th anniversary as a host agency!
KHM Travel marked our journey of 20 years at the Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace from March 2 - 6. It was a memorable event with live entertainment, agent education, and even a red carpet. We also recognized our 2024 Crystal Award winners.
We launched “Your Host, Your Voice” Agent Survey to gain feedback on KHM Travel’s events, resources, technology, and support.
KHM Travel Group was named a Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer Top Workplace 2025 based on team member feedback on our workplace culture.
Due to our growing team, we expanded our offices to the additional space on the 2nd floor of 50 Pearl.
KHM Travel Group won 2 Gold Travel Weekly Magellan awards for “KHM Travel Group's 20th Anniversary Celebration at the Crystal Conference” and our “One-On-One Coaching Program.” We won Silver for “Webinars to Help Agents ‘Level Up’ Their Businesses.” These 3 awards are the result of collaboration and hard work of our entire team.
KHM Travel acquired Levarté Travel, strengthening our ability to drive innovation within the industry while continuing Levarté’s legacy of uplifting travel advisors.
Levarté founder Lori Speers joined KHM Travel Group as Vice President of Business Development bringing deep expertise and a proven track record in working with independent travel agents who are looking to take their business to the next level.
Hosted our first Weekend Boot Camp 1.0, allowing more agents to fit Boot Camp into their busy schedules.
In January, we held our first-ever virtual Boot Camps, providing education without the need for attendees to travel. Boot Camp 1.0 was designed as a virtual, weekend event and drew 109 attendees tuning in from across the country. Boot Camp 2.0, originally scheduled as an in-person event, pivoted to a virtual-only format due to widespread flight cancellations and travel disruptions caused by a winter storm.
KHM Travel Group welcomed 500 travel advisors, supplier partners, and team members aboard Norwegian Encore for our annual Crystal Conference, a week dedicated to education, connection, and community.
Enrolled a record breaking 268 new agents – the most agents we have onboarded in one month in KHM history!
KHM Travel was honored with Travel Leaders Network's Golden Legacy Award for U.S. Affiliates. This is the single highest honor bestowed upon any Travel Leaders member agency, commemorating a lifetime of remarkable career achievements.
