Off the Cuff: A Q&A with Scenic Group’s Ken Muskat

February 28, 2025

Ken Muskat is the managing director for the U.S. and Latin America at Scenic Group

“Off the Cuff” is a Q&A series from Luxury Daily exploring the career paths, current projects and next steps of those shaping the world’s best luxury brands.

The interviews feature a Proust-style twist, allowing readers to get to know industry leaders on a personal level. This edition features Ken Muskat, managing director for the U.S. and Latin America at luxury cruise line Scenic Group.

In this Q&A, Mr. Muskat discusses learning leadership at camp, valuing employees at every level and the true luxury of travel experiences.

Here is the dialogue:

What was your first job ever? What did it teach you?
My first job ever was a summer camp counselor when I was 16 years old. This was at an eight-week-long sleepaway camp located in Georgia where I had attended as a camper for the previous nine years before becoming a counselor.

To this day, I credit my camp counselor experience with teaching me how to become a good leader. Besides my day-to-day roles, which taught me how to guide, influence, support and lead young minds, there was a particular experience that prepared me for many leadership roles to come in my professional career.

The camp conducted a color war, where the campers and staff were divided into two teams that would compete in Olympic-style sports and activities for three days. I was voted by my peers to be color war captain for one of the teams. This resulted in my responsibility to lead the team of a few hundred in three days of sports, team-building, various daytime and nighttime competitions, be the motivating voice of encouragement and ultimately demonstrate strong leadership and teamwork.

And yes, this resulted in a win!

Which skills have been critical to your success? Did you gain these skills within or outside of the workplace?
Skills that have been most critical to my success: open and frequent communication, transparency, demonstrating a clear understanding of goals and where we stand to achieving them, and the willingness to listen and provide support while not micromanaging, but rather supporting my employees. The ability to accept that mistakes will happen and that we learn from those mistakes to ensure we improve and don’t repeat the same mistake in the future.

Lastly, the skill to treat all employees as equals. From the lowest-level employee to the highest, I encourage creativity, solutions, new ideas and open communication so everyone is clear on what we have accomplished and what is still yet to be done, with ideas to accomplish these goals more than welcome from anyone and everyone in the organization.

For the most part, these skills were gained from within my professional workplace experiences.

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?
The best piece of advice I have ever received was “Remember where you came from - you are not above or better than anyone else.” I have always reminded myself of this with every promotion and new opportunity throughout my career.

Having always worked in the cruise industry, where I started as an entry-level employee and worked my way up, this piece of advice is a daily reminder. This has led to my leadership style of frequent and open communication and transparency across the organization via town halls, quarterly business updates, weekly status reporting and visible goal achievement dashboards, to name a few.

I also place importance on relationship building with employees at all levels via my open-door policy, hosting small group lunches for more direct access to myself and publicly recognizing outstanding employees.

Finally, this advice is a constant reminder in my interactions with the crew onboard our ships who ultimately make the guests’ vacation experience memorable. Being accessible, approachable and a good listener with our crew has always resulted in a teamwork atmosphere where everyone shipboard, shoreside and at all levels of the organization strive to achieve one common goal.

How has your field changed since you started out in luxury, and what do you think your industry will look like in a decade?
The luxury and ultra-luxury cruise segment has seen significant growth over the past few years, with more brands entering the cruise industry, more “living list” destination options, differentiated luxury experiences shipboard and shoreside and increased demand for smaller boutique ships that deliver on outstanding service, culinary, wellness and exploration.

Accomplished with a nearly one-to-one crew-to-guest ratio, unique amenities onboard include helicopters, submarines, spa facilities and specialty restaurants and in some cases up to 20-plus expedition specialists to educate and deliver on once-in-a-lifetime experiences in places such as Antarctica.

In addition, luxury and ultra-luxury cruise experiences have become more accessible to a broader, often times younger, demographic. No longer only for retired consumers who have the time and discretionary income, these luxury options are now appealing to a broader demographic looking for Instagrammable moments, have the means to work remote and have the desire to experience destinations that offer activities such as hiking, biking, paddleboarding, kayaking, glacier hiking and more before they are too old to really enjoy the active options many of these destinations offer.

In a decade, this industry will continue to push the limits in shipbuilding innovation and amenities, Michelin-starred restaurants at sea, health and wellness celebrity collaborations and an increased evolution of experienced cruisers who have sailed on mass-market brands with larger ships who now want the alternative of sailing on small boutique ships that can visit the most remote destinations of the globe.

In addition, a significant increase in first-time cruisers who had written it off as a vacation they would never do now wanting to try it for the first time because of increased options, awareness, uniqueness and accessibility.

What recent projects have ignited your passion for working in luxury?
What has ignited my passion for working in luxury the most are recent life experiences that have exposed me to the benefits and fulfillment of luxury travel, and therefore the desire to make these experiences more accessible to a broader audience.

When I was CEO of a cruise line based in China, I had the pleasure of living in Shanghai for two years, which exposed me to some of the most luxurious hotels, restaurants and shopping I have ever seen.

Personal vacations or work trips on luxury river cruises, superyachts, glamping in Montana and an African safari made me realize the memories created thanks to the life changing experiences that take place on these luxury vacations are so meaningful and unique, and that working in luxury is a way to share these and encourage others to go after these “living list” opportunities before it’s too late.

Who, in any industry or sphere, would you most like to share a long lunch with and where would you take them?
I would like to share a long lunch with Oprah Winfrey, and I would take her to the restaurant at the top of the Ritz Carlton in Shanghai, where you feel on top of the world.

This restaurant is meaningful because you feel like you have reached the top of your game, not to mention it represents luxury and accomplishment, which Oprah would clearly appreciate.

To have lunch with someone who has been such an influential figure around the world would be an honor. Understanding what motivates her every day, how she comes across so natural, caring and approachable and what drives her to be a life changer, which has clearly paved the way for what will be her legacy, would be an incredible learning experience that I would put toward my own personal and professional development.

How do you get into the right mindset before a big meeting or presentation?
I look in the mirror and say, “It’s showtime.” This simple phrase and practice has gotten me through incredibly tough times, whether it be simple nerves to anxiety or life changing career moves.

This phrase reminds me I can do anything as long as I am confident, prepared and convinced I can provide the audience with something valuable to take away with them.

In addition, it is also important to dress the part, which gives you the confidence needed to make a long-lasting impression. Understanding the audience and matching this with the content of the meeting or presentation will allow you to dress in a way that supports what you want to get accomplished.

On your days off, what can you be found doing to relax or have some fun?
I can be found relaxing by the pool, doing outdoor physical activity, such as running or biking, and having brunch with friends. This gives me the ability to reset, take time for myself, maintain a healthy lifestyle and share memories with friends and family.

Being outdoors is something we are lucky to take advantage of living in Miami, and this gives me the feeling of freedom and the ability to breathe and therefore forget about some of the challenges that come with work during the week.

What does luxury mean to you?
Luxury, to me, means service that goes above and beyond what I would ever expect, from initial planning to final execution, accommodations that are spacious, culinary that provides a first-time tasting experience, pampering via various health and wellness options and finally a person, event or activity that provides a life-changing experience to be remembered forever.

Luxury is a good mix of material things that provide comfort with emotional connections and experiences that provide stories for life.

Whether a product or service/experience, what is your favorite luxury indulgence?
My favorite luxury indulgence is the ability to travel to remote locations around the world and to experience first-hand what makes that particular location special. From specific foods or wines that a region may be known for to experiencing wildlife that you can only visit in that particular part of the world or spending time with the locals to understand their culture, luxury travel provides these memorable experiences that live on forever and can be used to encourage others to do the same.

I have a saying that I embrace quite often which is “live life.” The ability to travel is the most fulfilling way to live life, live your dreams and make an impact on yourself and others.

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Off the Cuff: A Q&A with Scenic Group’s Ken Muskat

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