Serendipity Led to Celebrity Cruises' C-suite

By Karen-Janine Cohen

In her senior year at FIU, Laura Hodges Bethge (MBA '04), now president of Celebrity Cruises, began volunteering with AHEAD, a higher-education and disability advocacy group inspired by a personal connection – her grandfather was a disabled veteran.

When Royal Caribbean Group, Celebrity's parent company, sought AHEAD's advice on hiring someone to increase cruise ship accessibility, Bethge was given the nod. She's never looked back. "I fell in love with hospitality," she recalled. She initially guided Royal Caribbean's retrofitting efforts on the company's ships with Finnish and German shipbuilders and later managed the housekeeping department. This experience, she said, highlighted the meticulous nature of hospitality at sea, particularly with a diverse crew from 80 different countries. "When starting something new, I have to get in there with the experts and work alongside them to truly appreciate what it takes to do it well. This gives me the insights needed to take things to the next level," Bethge said. And she did, working alongside cleaning crews for three months.

She later entered the MBA program at FIU Business.

Bethge's career at Royal Caribbean Group has been marked by diverse roles in hotel and marine operations, sales, marketing and investor relations, including a nine-month assignment in China, as well as in product development. Before becoming Celebrity's president in 2023, she served as executive vice president of shared services operations, responsible for Royal Caribbean Group's safety, security and environment, risk management, port operations, travel services, crew movement, and facilities and real estate.

Born and raised in Miami, Bethge was introduced to dance as a young child after her father, Miami-Dade police officer Thomas Allen Hodges Jr., died in the line of duty. Dance remained central to her life through her undergraduate years at FIU. Her understanding of psychology proved invaluable in managing people, while her statistics classes honed her decision-making skills.

"When you have to make tough decisions, you get a sense of what the data is showing you," she said, noting that sharing such information with colleagues and employees helps them understand and support her vision.

Bethge's varied experiences across the company equipped her to be a shaper and leader. "I had zero divine plan," she said. "Everything interconnects now, even my dancing background," which she has leveraged in supporting the development of show productions on Celebrity's ships.

Over a year into her role as president, Bethge's target is to keep a consistently elevated hospitality level. "We are highly focused on training our crew members and teaching them The Celebrity Way," she said. Celebrity is renowned for its exceptional service, catering to all ages, while primarily focused on couples over 45 years old year-round and couples and families during the holidays.

Outside the office, Bethge, who met her husband at Royal Caribbean, is an avid runner, and a "ferocious" reader and enjoys cooking. In fact, she was recently victorious in a cook-off event on board the brand's President's Cruise, a special week-long sailing where guests enjoyed fun and interactive events with Bethge and her leadership team.