Modern CX leadership isn’t about dashboards. It’s about action, visibility, and adaptability at scale.
On this episode of The Modern Customer Podcast, I sit down with Derek De Salvia, Chief Customer Officer and EVP at Hilton Grand Vacations. Derek leads customer experience for 22,000+ employees across 200+ global resorts, and his approach to metrics, personalization, and employee engagement is a masterclass in high-impact CX.
If you’ve ever struggled to turn feedback into action or connect digital tools to real human outcomes, this conversation is for you.
Derek shares how his team looks beyond NPS and focuses on real-time customer signals like post-call surveys and in-stay satisfaction scores. These metrics drive both day-to-day decisions and long-term strategy, giving the team a live pulse on what guests actually need.
We also dive into how Hilton Grand Vacations uses AI across the guest and employee experience, from sentiment analysis and quality control to predictive trip planning based on member behavior.
But what really makes Derek’s leadership stand out is his commitment to staying close to the customer. He walks properties, chats with frontline teams, and listens. CX doesn’t happen in the boardroom. It happens at eye level.
Episode Highlights:
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Use real-time data to drive action, not just reporting
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Apply AI to reduce friction and personalize member journeys
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Elevate EX to unlock stronger customer loyalty
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Design for Millennial and Gen Z travel behaviors
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Lead from the floor: how presence builds trust and insight
Ready to hear how a legacy brand is building the future of hospitality?
This episode is sponsored by SCAYLE Commerce Engine, the flexible and scalable eCommerce platform built to grow enterprise brands pain-free.
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform.
Blake Morgan was called “The Queen of CX” by Meta. She is a customer experience futurist and author of three books on customer experience. Don’t miss her new book, “The Eight Laws of Customer-Focused Leadership.” To learn more visit www.8CXLaws.com.
For regular updates on customer experience, sign up for her weekly newsletter here.