TripAdvisor has announced the appointment of Heather Leisman in the role of vice president, industry marketing.

In this role, Leisman will lead global marketing to the hospitality industry and will report to TripAdvisor for Business president, Marc Charron.

She joins TripAdvisor from HotelTonight, bringing with her more than 19 years of experience in the travel industry.

“We’re excited to add someone of Heather’s calibre, expertise, and experience to the TripAdvisor for Business leadership team,” said Marc Charron, president TripAdvisor for Business.

“With Heather on board, we look forward to further building the hotel industry’s understanding of what TripAdvisor can offer - how they can reach and engage with the world’s largest online audience of travellers and put to use the tools and resources at their disposal to make the most of their presence on the site.

“When I think about what we want to achieve in our long term efforts to more closely partner with hoteliers, I can’t imagine anyone better suited to the task than Heather.”

TripAdvisor for Business was launched in 2010 to help hospitality businesses compete on a more level playing field.

The dedicated division aims to engage with the hotel sector, and provides free marketing services and resources for business owners.

TripAdvisor for Business has seen rapid growth in the adoption rate of both paid products, such as Business Listings and TripConnect, and free marketing tools for travel professionals around the world.

“I’m delighted to be joining TripAdvisor – throughout my career I have always chosen companies that I believe are useful and for which I have a passion, and TripAdvisor is a great example,” said Leisman.

“Over the last 20 years, there has been a lot of change in the travel landscape, with clear winners emerging.

“When you consider what is important for the future of travel, I believe TripAdvisor is best positioned to be the undisputed leader, not only in reviews, but also in delivering a full-circle holistic travel experience.

“And I look forward to helping hospitality professionals take an active role in managing their customer’s experience – from start to finish.”

Prior to joining TripAdvisor, Leisman led the strategic direction and day-to-day execution of HotelTonight’s European operations as managing director.

Before that, she served as vice president of partner development and operations at Jetsetter where she was responsible for partner relations, operations and customer service.

Previously, she worked as senior director of merchandising at Orbitz.