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This week in Opportunities:

MGM Mirage Named "Most Admired" Casino Resort Firm
Vegas Sands Gaming Growth Continues
New Executive Team Set for Merged Harrah's-Caesars
Travel Agencies Now Sell More Per Agency
British Airways Taps Walsh as Chief Executive
Sun Country Airlines Names Nugent CEO
Destination Specialist Mexico Course Wins PATA Gold
Opportunities Watch!
Opportunities Networking!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS!

MGM Mirage Named "Most Admired" Casino Resort Firm

Okay, so you want to work for not only the best, but the "most admired." For the fourth year in a row, Fortune Magazine has named MGM Mirage as one of "America's Most Admired Companies" in its annual survey of companies with large U.S. operations. MGM Mirage was rated the "Most Admired" casino resort company in the Hotels/Casinos/Resorts category. Overall, the company ranked second in the Hotels/Casinos/Resorts category after Marriott International, a non-casino hotel resort company. To identify "America's Most Admired Companies" for 2005, Fortune and its research partner, the Hay Group, asked 15,000 executives, directors and securities analysts to select the 10 largest companies they admire most in their industry, based on eight criteria. Criteria included: innovation, financial soundness, employee talent, quality of management, use of corporate assets, long-term investment, social responsibility, and quality of products/services. MGM Mirage owns and operates 11 casino resorts located in Nevada, Mississippi and Michigan, and has investments in three other casino resorts in Nevada, New Jersey and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit www.mgmmirage.com.

Vegas Sands Gaming Growth Continues

Las Vegas Sands Corp., owner and operator of the Venetian Hotel Resort Casino and the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas and the Sands Macao Casino in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, reported record fourth quarter and full-year financial results for 2004. "The year 2004 was a momentous one for Las Vegas Sands Corp.," said Sheldon Adelson, chairman and CEO. "We completed our IPO and successfully opened the first Las Vegas-style casino in Macau. We believe these and other events position us well for strong long- term growth." Highlights for 2004 included a successful initial public offering of Las Vegas Sands Corp. on Dec. 20, 2004, raising $744 million of equity capital; the opening of the $265 million Sands Macao Casino on May 18, 2004 in Macau, China; the start of construction of the $1.6 billion, 3,025-suite Palazzo Casino Resort project on the Las Vegas Strip adjacent to the Venetian Casino Resort; and the start of construction on the $1.8 billion, 3,000-suite (1,500 suites initially) Venetian Macao Casino Resort on the Cotai Strip in Macau, China. The company reported net income of $69.3 million for the fourth quarter 2004 and net income of $495.2 million for the full-year 2004. The full-year 2004 results include the gain on the sale of the Grand Canal Shops mall of $417.6 million along with $63.2 million in non-recurring incentive expenses related to the Phase II mall sale. "Business trends continued to be strong throughout 2004, with strong gaming revenue trends in Macau and significant increases in room rates at the Venetian in Las Vegas," said William Weidner, Las Vegas Sands Corp. president and COO.

New Executive Team Set for Merged Harrah's-Caesars

Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. said Gary Loveman will be chairman, chief executive officer and president of the company following the planned merger of Harrah's Operating Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment, and Caesars Entertainment, Inc. Charles Atwood will be Harrah's senior vice president and chief financial officer, while Tim Wilmott will be Harrah's chief operating officer. Harrah's will operate three divisions: Tom Jenkin will be Western Division president, Anthony Sanfilippo Central Division president and Carlos Tolosa Eastern Division president. Harrah's also plans to appoint William Barron Hilton and Stephen F. Bollenbach to the company's board of directors following the transaction's close. Hilton is co-chairman of the board of Hilton Hotels Corp. and a director of Caesars Entertainment. Bollenbach is chairman of Caesars Entertainment and co-chairman and CEO of Hilton Hotels. The completion of the Harrah's-Caesars merger and appointments to the board of directors are subject to customary closing conditions, including the receipt of required regulatory approvals. The companies expect the transaction to close in the second quarter of 2005. Harrah's and Caesars announced last week that stockholders of both companies separately approved an agreement to merge the two companies.

Travel Agencies Now Sell More Per Agency

What's the health of the travel agency business? There may be fewer travel agencies these days, but they're selling more airline seats per agency, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp. February 2005 sales results showed that average weekly sales by agency location exceeded $60,000 for the first time as total sales rose 3 percent above February 2004. Transactions processed showed growth with February transactions exceeding the same month in 2004 by 5 percent. International fares were 11 percent above the February 2004 level while domestic fares were down 5 percent. For more information, www.arccorp.com.

British Airways Taps Walsh as Chief Executive

British Airways Chief Executive Rod Eddington resigned and will be replaced by former Aer Lingus Chief Executive Willie Walsh. Eddington, who replaced Robert Ayling five years ago, told friends that he wants to return to his native Australia. Walsh resigned from Aer Lingus last year after failing to convince the airline's board and the Irish government to privatize the carrier.

Sun Country Airlines Names Nugent CEO

Sun Country Airlines named CFO Shaun Nugent as CEO, and will take over day to day operations of the airline effective immediately. Nugent, 41, assumes his new post as part of a leadership transition that was approved by Sun Country board of directors. Current CEO Bob Daly will continue in his role as chairman of the board. T. Jay Salmen will remain president and vice-chairman of the company. Nugent, who joined the management team in early 2002, is a seasoned financial executive. Prior to joining Sun Country Airlines, he was executive vice president and CFO of LifeTime Fitness, Inc. in Minneapolis. He also served as chief financial officer of Champps Entertainment, Inc. from 1994 through 1996 and with Arthur Andersen from 1987 through 1994. Sun Country Airlines is a privately held, low-cost, scheduled carrier based in St. Paul, Minn.

Destination Specialist Mexico Course Wins PATA Gold

Want to take an award-winning course on travel to Mexico? The Travel Institute just won the 2005 PATA Gold Award in the Education and Training Publication category for its Destination Specialist Mexico course. The course was produced in partnership with the Mexico Tourist Board and was written by photojournalist and noted travel guidebook author Maxine Cass. The PATA Gold Awards recognize exceptional achievement in a variety of endeavors, bringing acclaim to the best the travel industry has to offer. The winning projects set industry standards for excellence and innovation. The award will be presented on April 18, 2005 during a special luncheon at the 54th PATA annual conference in Macau. The Destination Specialist Mexico course is the second PATA Gold Award winner for The Travel Institute, following 2003 Gold Award winner Destination Specialist Alaska. Other available Destination Specialist courses are: The Caribbean, East Asia, European Culture and Heritage, France, Hawaii, North America, Northern and Central Europe, South Pacific, Southern Europe, Spain and St.Lucia. For more information about The Travel Institute, visit www.thetravelinstitute.com.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

The Hot Growth Market Is River Cruising

Want a career in an area of cruising that's growing fast every year. River cruises are quickly becoming a popular leisure option for U.S. vacationers, and a number of companies have emerged to meet the growing demand. Last week Victoria Cruises said it will expand its fleet to seven ships on China's Yangtze River, with the introduction of the Victoria Anna in April 2006. The Victoria Anna will be the largest ship in the company's fleet as well as boast the highest passenger capacity and the most suites of all vessels sailing the Yangtze. The Victoria Anna will have 154 cabins (132 standard accommodations, 16 junior suites, 4 deluxe suites and 2 Shangri-la suites) for a total passenger capacity of 308 (and a crew of 138). At a gross tonnage of 6,200, the five-passenger deck vessel will be 347.7 feet long, 54.4 feet wide, 50 feet high and feature a draft of 2.6 meters. Based in New York, Victoria Cruises operates the largest fleet of vessels with the coveted five-star rating from the China National Tourism Administration. Victoria Cruises' portfolio of ships comes in two categories - premier and classic. Premier ships (the Victoria Katarina, Victoria Empress, Victoria Prince, Victoria Queen and Victoria Star) are new or newly-rebuilt ships featuring enhanced facilities such as private balconies in every cabin, more spacious public areas, and a higher level of comfort, sophistication and dÈcor throughout the ships. In the Classic ship category is the Victoria Rose (rebuilt in 2001). Other vendors in the market (for both European and Chin sailings) include Viking River Cruises, Deilmann, Amadeus Waterways and Uniworld, among other companies. For more information, visit www.victoriacruises.com.

New Family Resort to Open in Virginia

Great Wolf Lodge, which touts itself as Virginia's premier indoor waterpark and family resort, will open its doors the last week in March. The four-story, log-sided resort will offer 301 family-sized guest suites and a 64,000 square-foot indoor entertainment area featuring a grand-scale waterpark, Aveda Concept Spa, arcade and game room, restaurants and more. For more information, visit www.greatwolflodge.com.

New Resort to Be Developed in British Virgin Islands

Mainsail Development Group, Inc., in conjunction with Scrub Island Development Group, has announced the development of an exclusive luxury resort and spa on the 230-acre tropical paradise of Scrub Island in the British Virgin Islands (BVI). Designed to showcase and protect the island's breathtaking natural assets, the $45 million Mainsail BVI resort development will include a boutique hotel, world-class spa, 100-slip marina, and luxurious residences and estates. Once completed, the new resort will feature a spectacular collection of 90 units, including two-bedroom marina suites, stand-alone ocean view villas, spa bungalows, and a handful of homes and estates. Mainsail expects to break ground on the first of its villas this May, and expects completion of the project in the fall of 2007. For more information, visit www.mainsailbvi.com.

Hilton to Manage First Worldwide Resort in China

Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, a low-rise beachfront resort is due to open later this year in China, in what has been hailed by tourism officials as the budding "Hawaii of China." Located in Yalong Bay on the southernmost tip of Hainan Island and separated from the mainland by a 20-kilometer stretch of South China Sea, the luxury resort will be Hilton's first Worldwide Resort in the People's Republic of China and will form an important part of the steadily growing network of seven Hilton hotels in China. In 2004, 3.7 million tourists visited the island, marking a 20 percent increase over the previous year.

Outrigger Resorts Keeps Expanding in Pacific Asia

Here's yet another resort company on the growth path. Outrigger Hotels & Resorts has concluded an agreement to manage its first resort in Southeast Asia, heralding a new growth phase for the Hawaii-based company that has steadily expanded across the Pacific, adding 20 properties in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Guam and Tahiti, since 1998. The company will manage a luxury 98-suite beachfront resort currently under construction at Legian Beach, halfway between Bali's Kuta Beach and upmarket Seminyak. Upon opening in 2006, the resort, valued at $35 million, will consist of a mix of studio, one, two and three-bedroom suites, spread across 2.5 acres of palm-fringed beach. Outrigger has enjoyed a period of steady growth in the South Pacific, including the recent opening of its largest Australian resort, Outrigger on the Beach at Salt, in Northern New South Wales; the securing of its third resort in New Zealand at Lake Taupo; its fourth in Port Douglas in Tropical North Queensland; together with the upcoming opening in May of the Outrigger Ettalong Beach Resort, just north of Sydney on the New South Wales Coast. For more information, visit www.outrigger.com.

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

Meet Top Tour & Cruise Pros at Tour Cruise Expo

If you want to network with top cruise and tour executives, check out the Tour & Cruise Travel World Show & Conference. The show, held along with the Golf & Spa Show & Conference, is scheduled for the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, Calif., May 18-19. The general session includes keynote speakers Scott Ahlsmith, chairman of The Travel Institute, and president and CEO of Magellan Travel Technologies; Brian Stack, president and CEO of CIE Tours, and chairman of the U.S. Tour Operators Association; Andy Stuart, executive vice president-passenger sales and service, and chairman of the Cruise Lines Industry Association; and Kathy Sudeikis, president and CEO of ASTA. For more information, call 925-249-2233 or visit www.tourcruiseworld.com.

Connect at TravelCom 2005

This April, Travel Commerce Conference and Expo will be bigger and better than ever before, with more exhibitors, an exciting new venue, and a comprehensive executive level conference program that has been created for the industry, by the industry! Opportunities subscribers also can save 20% on TravelCom 2005! - Simply use the following discount code when registering at TravelComExpo.com: GTC2L. TravelCom runs April 27-29, 2005 at the Marriott Marquis in New York, NY.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: JetBlue Airways has appointed Andrea Spiegel as vice president, sales and marketing. Spiegel joins JetBlue after running her own travel and luxury goods marketing firm, AKS Communications, for the last eight years. Her clients have included Virgin Atlantic Airways, Cunard Line, American Express and Nota Bene Publishing. Her last year has been spent working with Virgin USA, developing the brand identity and marketing plan for their proposed U.S. domestic airline venture, Virgin America.

HOTELS & RESORTS: Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has named Jeff Senior as the company's senior vice president, marketing & sales. In this newly created position, Senior will be tasked with fully leveraging the Fairmont brand in all elements and aspects of the company's operations. A 25-year veteran of the hotel industry, Senior joins Fairmont from InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, where he served as vice president, brand management, responsible for ensuring the successful implementation and enhancement of the company's global brand strategyÖ.Hilton Hotels Corporation has announced the promotion of Scott Farr to vice president, performance management, responsible for championing the business planning process, the balanced scorecard process and the continuous improvement process. He will lead the Performance Management Group to ensure that every team member will know and be able to measure how his or her activities affect Hilton's overall vision and strategy. Farr reports to Dennis Koci, senior vice president, operations supportÖBenchmark Hospitality International has named William Carder as general manager of Berry Hill Plantation Resort, a historic property located in South Boston, Va. An accomplished hotelier and restaurant professional with over three decades of experience, Carder was appointed by Benchmark to formally reopen and manage the Berry Hill Plantation Resort, a circa 1842 antebellum estate that is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesÖBenchmark Hospitality International of The Woodlands (Houston), Texas, has appointed Robin Ide as director of sales at Turtle Bay Resort, the landmark property located on Oahu's North Shore. Ide brings more than two decades of professional experience in the Hawaiian market to her new position at Turtle Bay Resort. This experience includes destination marketing through her previous employment with the Hawaii Visitors & Convention BureauÖInterContinental Hong Kong named Claus Pedersen as director of food and beverage. Pedersen joined the InterContinental Hong Kong team on Feb. 1, 2005. He most recently served as director of operations at the Hilton Otaru and as director of food and beverage at Hilton Nagoya in Japan. He launched his career as a hotel trainee at the Hotel Vaegtergaarden in his native Denmark. Philippe Langlois is the new SPOON restaurant manager, joining InterContinental Hong Kong from South Beach in Miami, where he was restaurant manager of the Blue Door at Ian Schrager's Delano Hotel. Langlois' career includes experience at some of the world's most prestigious restaurants, including CafÈ Boulud in New York where he was in charge of hiring staff and operation management. InterContinental Hong Kong also named Trevor Owen as its new director of marketing. Owen joins from Madrid, Spain, where he spent the past year as area director of sales for InterContinental Hotels Group, overseeing 20 hotels in Spain, France, Italy and Malta. In the newly created position of marketing service manager, Fiona Wong brings a wealth of media planning experience to InterContinental Hong Kong. Most recently she was a media planner at Mediaedge:cia Pte Limited, where she looked after the InterContinental Hong Kong account. She has also worked as an account manager at Systex Information Pte Limited and as a media planner for Dentsu Young and Rubicum-The Media Edge. Lucia Shum has been director of events. Her previous hotel industry experience was with the Conrad Hong Kong. She started as a catering coordinator and was then promoted to catering sales manager, business development manager (Catering) and catering manager. Brenda Cheung has been named assistant director of events. She joins InterContinental Hong Kong following one and a half years as the catering and conference services manager at the Mandarin Oriental, Hong Kong, where she was responsible for overseeing catering functions and meeting groups. Caroline Ng has been named Club InterContinental manager. Ng started as a front desk clerk at the JW Marriott Hotel, Hong Kong, then was promoted to guest relations officer, executive lounge supervisor, where she opened the newly renovated Club Lounge, and most recently, assistant chief concierge. Tracy Lord, the hotel's new I-Spa director, brings to InterContinental Hong Kong,experience working in Asia, Europe and the Middle East. Most recently, she worked at the Sopwell House Country Club and Spa in St. Albans, U.K., where she spent 14 months as their country club and spa manager. Prior to that, she spent a year as spa manager at the Amrita Spa, Raffles City in Singapore, acclaimed as the largest luxury spa in Southeast AsiaÖ

Millennium Hotels and Resorts, North America, has announced four appointments to administration, sales and marketing positions. Andrew Director has been named regional director of revenue management for North America; Lesly Rehaut and Cherryl Brazier will serve as regional directors of group sales; and Elizabeth Harlow joins the company as manager of marketing programs for North America. Director joins Millennium as the new regional director of revenue for North America. In this position, he is responsible for supervising all revenue managers and managing rate strategies for all North American properties in order to maximize revenuesÖWinegardner & Hammons, Inc. named Gregory John Horeth as regional vice president of operations. A 29-year veteran of the hospitality industry, Horeth has served most recently as the general manager at the Marriott Chicago Northwest, in Hoffman Estates Illinois, an owned and managed Winegardner & Hammons, Inc. hotelÖRoger Soane has been named general manager of The Fairmont Empress in Victoria, B.C. Soane has most recently was general manager for the company's two hotels in Barbados, The Fairmont Glitter Bay and The Fairmont Royal Pavilion. Soane was the hotel's director of operations at The Fairmont Empress in 1996. He has more than 30 years of international hospitality experience starting with his culinary career at the Four Seasons, and executive chef's position at the Sonargaon Pan Pacific Hotel, Dhaka, BangladeshÖ Wyndham Sunshine Suites in the Cayman Islands named Frank Givens as its new general manager. Givens recently assumed this position after relocating to the Cayman Islands from Missouri, where he was the director of resort programs/general manager of an AAA Four-Diamond Hotel and SpaÖPatrick Sorge has been named director of sales and marketing at The Hyatt Regency Boston. Sorge is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the hotel's sales, marketing and public relations efforts including that of the hotel's current $10.5 million guest room renovation and award winning restaurant, Avenue One. He has an extensive background in hospitality and brings more than 17 years of hospitality expertise to his position.

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Pegasus Solutions, Inc. named Mike Kistner as senior vice president of service delivery and operations. He joins Pegasus from Best Western International, Inc., where he was chief information officer and senior vice president of distribution. Dallas-based Pegasus Solutions is a global leader in providing technology and services to hotels and travel distributors. Kistner's position is a new one, responsible for managing all functional areas that deliver the production elements of Pegasus servicesÖ Farelogix Inc., a leading provider of independent faring and multi-source distribution technology to the global travel industry, has added three travel industry veterans to its executive team: Tim Reiz has been named chief technology officer; Theo Kruijssen is now chief financial officer and treasurer; and Dana Moo-Young is the company's new vice president of operations. As chief technology officer, Reiz is charged with guiding the Farelogix development strategy and team to bring even greater functionality to the Farelogix FLX platform, a solution that aggregates disparate content and enables comparative shopping from multiple fare and inventory sources.

DESTINATIONS: The Cayman Islands Department of Tourism promoted Kathleen Mahoney McGuinness to Northeast regional marketing manager. McGuinness has been a part of the Cayman Islands Department of Tourism since 1994 and has effectively covered the Mid-Atlantic region. In her new position she will work closely with Don Foste, senior manager, U.S. marketing and sales.

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