December 22, 2025
It Was Good To Talk: Highlights From CXM’s 2025 Interviews
From CEOs to CX professionals and those in the trenches in businesses around the world, CXM has interviewed a host of luminaries to gain CX insights at all levels of industry.
These are some of our favourite chats, including those involved in the customer experience awards, with the best comments from a motley crew it has been our pleasure to interview.
Talking Hospitality With Soul
Ilunion Hotels’ Inmaculada Martinez Ruiz was a great guest, back in the spring. Talking about the Spanish hotel chain and how it went to great lengths to create a strong customer experience. Highlights included:
What’s a great example of your hospitality where staff made a difference for a guest?
We had a guest in our Madrid hotel in 2024. They enjoyed their stay very much, but their dog enjoyed the hospitality so much more, having the best sleep ever on one of our special dog beds.
Our guests returned home planning to buy one of those beds, but shortly after, the Valencia floods devastated their home and neighbourhood. They sent a letter, asking where they could buy one of those beds. But since they were coming to Madrid to buy a replacement car for one lost in the floods, we provided them with a bed for free, plus some goods and treats to help them get over their loss.
How do you make sure your hotel experience is believed by everyone?
We believe this from the top to the bottom. I have to say it was kind of a surprise to hear our CEO Jose Angel mention that he wanted Ilunion Hotels to generalise, not to have a unique business model anymore, because all our competitors could migrate to it. But, it is a strong identity for all our staff that we are different, and a point of pride when making decisions that affect the customer experience. So that’s like magic, it’s really inspiring, to be honest.
Taking Off With JFK Airport’s Terminal 4
One of the largest projects we discussed was the multi-billion dollar new terminal at John F. Kennedy airport. Maddy Kossakowski, Designit’s executive experience design director, and Belinda Jain, vice president at JFK International Air Terminal – the operator of Terminal 4 – were on hand to chat about the huge, yet deeply personal, project.
What differentiates T4 JFK for passengers compared to other airports and the previous CX infrastructure?
Belinda: Throughout the terminal redevelopment, the use of technology has become a key driver to ensure seamless operations. We took an innovation-first mindset to reimagine the check-in experience in particular in self-service check-in kiosks, in self-service bag drop units, and in digital signage throughout the building.
Maddy: For passengers, one focus is on personalisation, and how we can make sure we’re providing that personalised experience to everyone who goes through the terminal. This is still being implemented, so it is in the early phases. But the vision right now is to provide passengers with smart, relevant, contextual suggestions and recommendations about their end-to-end terminal experience, and also make sure any interventions aren’t intrusive.
How is the hospitality side of T4 changing?
Belinda: We are putting a huge focus on a hospitality culture. Again, it is a work in progress, but our approach is to move beyond the traditional airside formula of cramming in retail and food outlets for a captive audience. We are taking a hybrid approach, mixing retail and experience – for example a coffee shop which also provides books, or combining healthy food and beverage offering with relaxation and spa services.
Maddy: In line with that hybrid approach, we’re exploring elements like live entertainment with food, or a meditation lounge with wellness drinks before a long flight, that can enable a more relaxing and enjoyable experience.
NiCE To Meet You
At many events, we’ve been testing out our video interview skills, with much more to come in 2026, check out what NiC’s Jenna Shanks had to say about the possibilities of AI in customer experience and contact centres.
Pub Chat With St Austell’s Brewery
From massive airports to a local pub, as we caught up with Amy Walters, head of pub marketing and guest experience at Cornwall’s St Austell’s Brewery to talk about how AI could improve brand and reputation in a business where AI is the last thing on any customer’s mind.
How can you track those interactions between staff and customer in the busy pub environment?
So last year, we launched a big focus on our guests. We essentially relaunched our guest strategy at the beginning of 2024 across our managed estate. Part of that was articulating what those specific touch points should be. What that enabled us to do was realise there could be up to 99 ways customers could engage with a team member in the pub.
We’ve managed to shrink that down to what we consider to be the most important and the most impactful for our guests, and we can then track that through reputation.
And what’s St. Austell’s history with reputation management?
So, I joined the business in 2021 and I think reputation had been brought in just before COVID, so that was brought in 2020. The first year was pretty much about just getting the basics right. We had a lot of work to do in terms of education within our team and why it was important.
But I’d say over the last two, three years we’ve really hit our stride. We were proud last year, so we ended 2024 with the highest reputation score in Europe for any industry. The Mason’s Arms in Branscombe, Devon had a phenomenal score of 949 out of 1,000.
That’s probably a reflection of how much the teams have engaged and got behind it. But what’s been really important is that we’ve been using it to drive improvement, not just chase the number because what’s really important is the experience that underpins it.
Discussing the Customer Experience Awards
Over the year we’ve talked to judges, award winners and awards managers about the impact of preparing for, the fun of being in the running and the surprise of winning a UKCXA, EXA or international award. Some of those highlights include:
Starting at the top with one of the final awards delivered at the last event of the season, Claire Bristowe won the International Customer Experience Awards’ CX Leader of the Year.
Thinking back to the Awards night, what was your reaction to winning CX Leader of the Year?
Honestly, it was total shock. I was up against tough competition, I felt I hadn’t delivered my presentation as well as I had hoped and I feel I am still fairly new to the CX world so I was so surprised, but obviously pleasantly surprised. (Catch up with the emotions of the night here.)
As a finalist, what did you think of the process, and do you have any tips for would-be entrant?
For me the UKCX awards and the IXCA awards are the ones I enjoy the most as I do feel having a written entry PLUS a presentation is the right thing to do.
Presentations allow for you to really get the message across, show your passion for what your working on and build that human connection to build on the written entry and showcase your key points.
My tip would be to make sure you invest time to fully understand each part of the journey. Part of the reason I felt like I hadn’t delivered my presentation well was timing, in that I hadn’t realised though 30 minutes allocated only 15 was for presenting, but luckily for me my structure allowed me to get key points across at regular intervals which helped me with the final result.
Another fun interview was with Ana Pia Pušić, a first-time judge at the recent ICXAs
Were there any surprises or wow moments from the finalists?
Absolutely! And not just from one finalist, but from several. I was particularly struck by those candidates who infused their projects with a unique spirit of innovation, truly placing their customers at the centre of their thinking.
This dedication was palpable in their approach and in the way they presented the work behind their projects.
What all the “wow” moments had in common was a certain extra layer of creativity and innovation, that special element that set them completely apart from the competition.
What would your advice be to prospective judges?
I would encourage anyone with even a small interest in customer experience to apply. While reading all the submissions and giving each the attention they deserve can be time-consuming, the rewards are far greater.
It’s also incredibly valuable for professionals in the industry to see, hear, and connect with each other, and to understand the challenges faced by markets that may be far from their own. This insight fosters growth, both as individuals and as part of an organization. I am already certain that I will apply again next year, precisely for these reasons.
We look forward to meeting new people and catching up with old friends for many more interviews in 2026, with plenty of opportunities at trade events and vendor and more video to feature on our channels. See you in 2026.
