# Lisa Chen

> Lisa Chen is the Austin-based CEO and president of ToursByLocals, a global marketplace for private, locally guided travel. Her route to the role ran through Ogilvy, Monitor Group, Disney, BedandBreakfast.com and Expedia, with a 13-month journey through 16 countries providing the decisive turn toward travel technology. She now pairs marketplace infrastructure with a deliberately human proposition: help travelers find the right guide, while giving independent guides room to shape and price their own work.

- **Role:** CEO and President at ToursByLocals
- **Organizations:** ToursByLocals, Expedia Group, Vrbo, BedandBreakfast.com, The Walt Disney Company, Forte Foundation, Monitor Group, Ogilvy
- **Education:** MBA in Marketing and Corporate Strategy, The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, BA in Psychology, Cornell University
- **Known for:** Led BedandBreakfast.com’s transition into a fully transactional e-commerce marketplace serving independent properties globally., Led Expedia lodging connectivity and software work that expanded API-based relationships with property managers and hotels., Guided ToursByLocals through a website, user-interface, brand and core technology modernization completed in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **Early career** — Worked as an account director at Ogilvy with multinational technology clients, then as a Monitor Group consultant on marketing, branding and sales-force strategy.
- **Six-year tenure** — Led brand, marketing and consumer strategy projects across Disney, ESPN and ABC at The Walt Disney Company.
- **Career sabbatical** — Traveled for 13 months with her husband through 16 countries, living in Argentina, China and Taiwan and studying Chinese.
- **After the sabbatical** — Moved to Austin and became director of global marketing at BedandBreakfast.com, entering travel technology and two-sided marketplaces.
- **Seven-year tenure** — Held general manager and vice president roles at Expedia Group, including leadership of lodging connectivity and software for vacation rentals and hotels.
- **2023-02** — Joined ToursByLocals as president.
- **2023-10** — Became CEO and president of ToursByLocals as co-founder Paul Melhus moved to executive chairman.
- **2024** — Oversaw the launch of a modernized ToursByLocals technology platform, redesigned website, new interface and rebrand.
- **2025** — Outlined plans to use AI for administrative efficiency, traveler-guide matching and content discoverability while keeping human connection central.

## Achievements

- Led BedandBreakfast.com’s transition into a fully transactional e-commerce marketplace serving independent properties globally.
- Led Expedia lodging connectivity and software work that expanded API-based relationships with property managers and hotels.
- Guided ToursByLocals through a website, user-interface, brand and core technology modernization completed in 2024.
- Named a 2025 Women We Admire honoree in Austin.
- Has led strategy and transformation work across consumer brands, SaaS products and two-sided marketplaces.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Appeared on the tours and activities track at ITB Berlin to discuss global traveler research and operator strategy.
- **2025-12** — Published a LinkedIn article examining what meaningful and authentic travel require in practice.
- **2025-06** — Joined the Tourpreneur podcast for a discussion about guide platforms, fair treatment of independent guides, commissions, trust and social commerce.
- **2025-04** — Discussed changes in Google travel search and the need to prepare authentic marketplace content for AI-driven discovery.
- **2025-01** — Outlined ToursByLocals’ technology modernization and AI plans in a PhocusWire CEO Spotlight interview.

## Links

- Website: https://www.toursbylocals.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisawchen
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/Tours_By_Locals
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ToursByLocals
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toursbylocals/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/toursbylocals/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lisa-chen
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-26