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The Travel Career Connexxions Opportunities Newsletter
06/22/04 The only weekly newsletter detailing essential trends, news and top executive moves in travel. Opportunities is a free newsletter that provides you with the vision to "see" travel industry opportunities in the making. Whether you are in sales, business development, guiding your company's growth or managing your career, reading opportunities will give you the advantage to succeed. Opportunities is another innovative tool brought to you by Travel Career Connexxions. For more information, visit our main Travel Job resource page. This week in Opportunities:
MGM Mirage's Mandalay Buy Could Mean Top Job Changes To ensure that you always receive this newsletter and other communications from Travel Career Connexxions, please add our address to your Address Book (newsletter@travelexecutive.com). This will keep most email spam filters from misinterpreting and discarding these emails. Did you know? As of 6/22/04 there are 110 executive level travel jobs published in the Travel Career Connexxions employment report. Positions include Executive Vice President (6/21), Director of Sales & Marketing (6/18), Director of Finance (6/18), Vice President of HR Operations (6/16), Vice President of Marketing (6/16), Director of Security (6/15), CEO, Chief Marketing Officer and more. It only takes one person to fill the job of a lifetime - and that someone could be you! http://www.TravelExecutive.com OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS! MGM Mirage's Mandalay Buy Could Mean Top Job Changes What a difference a week makes. After initially rejecting a $68 per share bid, Mandalay Resort Group agreed to be acquired for $71 per share by MGM Mirage on June 16. The two companies entered into a definitive merger agreement under which MGM Mirage will acquire Mandalay for $71.00 per share in cash, a premium of approximately 30 percent on Mandalay's closing share price on the day before MGM Mirage made its initial offer. The total value of the acquisition is approximately $7.9 billion. Mandalay Resort Group owns and operates 11 properties in Nevada: Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus and Slots-A-Fun in Las Vegas; Circus Circus-Reno; Colorado Belle and Edgewater in Laughlin; Gold Strike and Nevada Landing in Jean and Railroad Pass in Henderson. The company also owns and operates Gold Strike, a hotel/casino in Tunica County, Miss.; a 50 percent interest in Silver Legacy in Reno; and a 50 percent interest in and operates Monte Carlo in Las Vegas. MGM Mirage owns and operates 12 casino resorts located in Nevada, Mississippi, Michigan and Australia, and has investments in two other casino resorts in Nevada and New Jersey. Its properties include Bellagio, MGM Grand, The Mirage, Treasure Island, New York-New York, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino and 50 percent of Monte Carlo, all located on the Las Vegas Strip; Whiskey Pete's, Buffalo Bill's, Primm Valley Resort and two championship golf courses at the California/Nevada state line; the Shadow Creek golf course in North Las Vegas; Beau Rivage on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; and MGM Grand Detroit Casino in Detroit. MGM Mirage also is a 50 percent owner of Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey. What does all mean for on the executive front? At the highest levels it most likely will lead to the eventual departure of Mandalay's top executives. At the property level, however, many executives may end up staying, especially if MGM Mirage keeps Mandalay as a separate unit, something it did when it acquired Mirage Resorts several years ago. Whatever happens, it's clear there will be some movement at the top in Las Vegas' executive ranks! Virgin Unveils Low-Cost U.S. Carrier Name, Executive Team Fred Reid, head of the new Virgin-branded U.S. domestic airline, unveiled the carrier's official name, Virgin America, and said the airline has entered into agreements to acquire and lease up to 105 Airbus A320 aircraft. The U.S.-based, American-owned and operated company said it selected the Virgin brand for its official name--Virgin America. Virgin America, which is scheduled to begin service in 2005, also unveiled its new management team, which includes: Don Applegarth, chief information officer, previously a vice president at Navitaire, a division of Accenture, and a vice president and CIO at Western Pacific Airlines; Bob Dana, chief financial officer, who has more than 16 years experience as an investment banker with U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray and Credit Suisse First Boston where he focused on airlines, air freight and other transportation accounts; Stacy Geagan, director of communications, who most recently was the director of public relations and corporate communications for Song, Delta Air Lines' low-fare start up; Joe Houghton, chief pilot, who has more than 20 years of management and operations experience, most recently as assistant chief pilot for US Airways; Todd Pawlowski, vice president of airports and customer service, who most recently spent eight years as the North American vice president of customer service at Virgin Atlantic; Terry Rendleman, senior vice president of technical operations, who was most recently senior vice president of maintenance operations for United Airlines and senior vice president of technical operations for Northwest Airlines; and Bob Weatherly, senior vice president of flight operations, who has been vice president of flight operations at Atlas and Canadian Airlines. Reid himself has more than 25 years of experience in airline management, most recently serving as president and chief operating officer of Delta. Earlier this month, the new airline announced that its flight operations hub would be located in San Francisco, though its corporate headquarters would be in New York. The airline is expected to generate the most jobs in San Francisco. Virgin America also unveiled a new web site, at www.virginamerica.com. Independence Begins Flights From Washington-Dulles Hub Independence Air, as expected, began new low-fare service from its hub at Washington Dulles International Airport on June 16, by launching inaugural flights to its first five destinations--Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS) Chicago O'Hare (ORD), Newark (EWR) and Raleigh/Durham (RDU). New destinations and departures will be added throughout June, July and August so that by Sept. 1, Independence will serve 35 destinations from Washington, with a schedule of 300 daily departures, making Washington Dulles the largest low-fare hub in America. But even as Independence launches, its major airline competitors are seeking to boost flights out of its Washington Dulles hub. Delta has announced it will fly one flight per hour, and add four new flights to its Atlanta hub. The new flights will be a mix of Delta aircraft and regional jets flown by Delta Connection carrier Atlantic Southeast Airlines. It appears a number of other airlines may ramp up operations at Washington Dulles, meaning more jobs could be generated in and around the airport. Major Carriers Like Delta Are Still Struggling Along With new airlines like Virgin America and Independence Air ramping up, what's up with the major airlines? At least one may be on the verge of filing for bankruptcy protection, which could affect the employment picture at the carrier. Delta Air Lines Chairman Gerald Grinstein said on June 16 that it is "completely clear" the airline cannot survive in its current form, as fare levels continue to erode despite an improving economy. A number of airline analysts have speculated that Delta might have to file for bankruptcy to significantly cut labor costs. But Grinstein, speaking at a Merrill Lynch transportation conference in New York, said Chapter 11 would only be used as a last resort. Meanwhile, Delta said it was reducing its September schedule for Song, its low-fare unit, by 25 percent but expected to resume the full schedule of 144 daily flights in October. Delta has been reviewing its Song operation, which was aimed at competing against JetBlue, AirTran and other low-fare airlines, since January and is expected to make a final decision on expanding or contracting the fledgling carrier in August. Whatever happens, another revamp of Delta's executive team could be the result, even though Grinstein has already reshuffled that team significantly over the past six months. Carnival Results Show More Good News for Cruising Just how well is the world's largest operator of cruise lines doing this year? Amazingly well, apparently--so much so that Carnival Corp. & plc said it is revising upwards estimates for the entire year. Carnival reported record net income of $332 million on revenues of $2.3 billion for its second quarter ended May 31, compared with pro forma net income of $124 million on pro forma revenues of $1.6 billion for the same quarter in 2003. Micky Arison, Carnival chairman and CEO, said that with a 22 percent capacity growth, the company achieved a 13 percent improvement in revenue yields. Three new ships joined the fleet during the second quarter of 2004. Holland America Line's Westerdam, Princess Cruises' Caribbean Princess and Sapphire Princess. These vessels joined the four other ships that were introduced in the last seven months, including the Costa Fortuna in November 2003, Queen Mary 2 in January 2004, and the Carnival Miracle and Diamond Princess in February 2004. Carnival company expects full year 2004 earnings per share to be in the range of $2.10 to $2.20 per share, versus previous guidance of $2.05 to $2.15 per share. The company expects that net revenue yields for the third quarter of 2004 will increase approximately 6 to 8 percent compared to last year's third quarter. So if you're looking for a growing industry segment, stick with cruises-and the Carnival cruise brands. PricewaterhouseCoopers Sees Better Hotel Numbers in 2004 The hotel sector is still on the upswing, meaning there could be a wealth of job opportunities later this year. PricewaterhouseCoopers is forecasting an increase of 3 percent in average daily rate (ADR) for U.S. lodging industry in 2004. The average daily rate increase is due to a change in inflation from 1.4 to 2 percent, a faster than anticipated change in the mix of business versus leisure travel, with a slightly higher proportion of business travel, less of difference between merchant model price and the rate paid to hotel (PricewaterhouseCoopers research reveals a reduction of almost 5 percent), and more discipline, in part a result of consolidation, in increasing rate in favorable occupancy periods. PricewaterhouseCoopers' research says hotel results have been affected by consumer confidence trending positive; increases in business travel that began in September, with improvement almost every month; colder, wetter winter in the Northeast; and a sense that room rates will increase in the near future and that current hotel rates are "a bargain." The company forecasts occupancy will rise from 59.2 percent in 2003 to 60.8 percent in 2004, and Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) will increase 5.8 percent in 2004 from $49.19 in 2003 to $52.03 in 2004. Hawaii Reports Big Increases in Room Revenues, Visitors Want to work in a U.S. destination that's clearly back on the upswing? During the first quarter, Hawaii leads the U.S. in revenue per available room (RevPar) with hotel occupancy at 81.1 percent. The Hawaii Visitors & Convention Bureau (HVCB) says the state hosted a record 1.1 million domestic visitors in the first quarter, up 7 percent compared to the same period in 2003. During the first quarter, Hawaii also led all U.S. states in revenue per available room (RevPar) with hotel occupancy at 81.1 percent. It also recorded a 4.5 percent increase in total airline seats, driven by the 14 percent rise in seats from the U.S. mainland. Total airline seats were also up 4.5 percent, due in part to a recent 14 percent increase in airline seats from the U.S. mainland. Hawaii may get an even bigger promotional boost this summer, when two television shows, North Shore and Oahu, are expected to be broadcast. Hilton Gets Top Marks in Customer Satisfaction Want to work for a company that is tops in customer satisfaction? Hilton Hotels Corporation was just ranked number one in the hotel industry for customer satisfaction, according to the latest statistics from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). It's the third first-place ranking in five years for Hilton, which now has more than 2,100 hotels under the Hilton, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, Hilton Garden Inn and Homewood Suites by Hilton brands. With a score of 77 points out of a possible 100, Hilton regained the leadership position among the six hotel companies cited in the survey. In addition to posting the highest score, Hilton also achieved the largest percentage increase (plus 4.10 percent) from 2003 to 2004. The American Customer Satisfaction Index is produced through a partnership of the University of Michigan Business School, ASQ, and CFI Group, which measures customer satisfaction in the competitive hotel industry on a regular basis. Four Seasons Hotels Set to Sail the Seven Seas Luxury hotelier Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts just signed on to manage a new residential cruise ship, the MS Four Seasons. Finland's Kvaerner Masa-Yards said it has signed a conditional contract with FS Ocean Club, managed by Miami-based Ocean Development Group, to build a 42,500-ton, 700-passenger residential vessel that will be branded, operated and managed by Four Seasons. The ship will be built if Ocean Development meets its sales target to sell 30 percent of the ship's residences by July 2005. The 656-foot planned ship will have eight decks with 90 apartments and 10 guest suites for a total of 574 beds. Dining venues will include the 48-seat Four Seasons Restaurant and a Mediterranean restaurant and bar. Ten cabins will be sold as timeshares for roughly $200,000 for two-week stays, while the remaining 90 will be sold as condos with prices ranging from $4 million to $12 million. Just what new top executive posts will be generated by Four Seasons' new seafaring operation remain to be seen. Private Jet Companies Just Keep on Growing Want to be part of a sector that just keeps on growing? Try working for a private jet charter company or a firm that sells fractional ownerships in private jets. Elite Flight Solutions, Inc.'s Optimum Aviation unit is in the middle of a vast expansion plan to acquire new aircraft and establish additional hub facilities in the United States. The plan moved forward last week with negotiations to purchase two SAAB thirty-passenger aircraft. Optimum is set to acquire the new aircraft upon the completion of due diligence and financing programs. The planes could be delivered within 75 days of completion of the pre-buy process. Optimum Aviation already has access to an extensive network of charter jets. Vacation Ownership Sector To Add Two New Resorts Here's yet another sector of the industry that keeps expanding--vacation ownership resorts. Last week two new properties were unveiled in the U.S.--one a conversion from an existing hotel and another entirely new resort. Wyndham International, Inc. and The Ireland Companies just contracted to purchase and redevelop the former Wyndham Bonaventure Resort & Spa in Weston, Fla., and will spend $75 million to redevelop the resort, which will 252 luxury residences and a 48,000-square-foot Golden Door Spa. The two parties will also enter into a long-term agreement for Wyndham to manage the resort. The new project, the Wyndham Resort & Golden Door Spa at Weston, Fla., will be redeveloped over a period of 18 months, with renovations planned to begin September 2004 and expected to be completed in late 2005. The residences will be available for individual sale and occupancy by unit owners, who will have the opportunity to become part of Wyndham's rental program. Separately, Starwood Vacation Ownership, a division of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide announced the grand opening of its fourth Westin-branded vacation ownership resort, The Westin Kierland Villas in Arizona. The resort is located on 10 acres within the exclusive 730-acre master-planned community of Kierland, home of the new Westin Kierland Resort & Spa. The first phase of the resort includes 51 two-bedroom villas. The Westin Kierland Villas is an example of Starwood's mixed-use strategy of developing a vacation ownership resort adjacent to an existing Starwood-branded hotel. Elsewhere, Starwood's Sheraton Hotels & Resorts has been selected to manage a new 1,000-room convention hotel in downtown Phoenix. The Phoenix City Council chose Sheraton yesterday after an eight-month competitive bidding process. The hotel, which is expected to include 100,000 square feet of meeting space, several restaurants, a swimming pool, fitness center and spa, plus Sheraton's signature Sweet Sleeper Beds, is scheduled to open in late 2008. Shangri-La Plans To Open New Hotels in China, Canada Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts is one Asian chain that's on the growth path. The company said it would open two new properties--one in Ningbo City, China and another in Vancouver, Canada, the first Shangri-La in North America. Last week it broke ground on a new five-star hotel In China's Ningbo City, scheduled to open in early 2007. Shangri-La also is developing a hotel that will be housed in the tallest building in Vancouver when finished. The Vancouver property also will be Shangri-La's first expansion into North America. The development, known as Living Shangri-La, is slated to begin construction this fall and will be completed in 2008. Ritz-Carlton Set To Open Fourth China Luxury Hotel Luxury hotel company Ritz-Carlton has been growing leaps and bounds over the past few years, and it doesn't seem to be stopping yet. The company will open a fourth luxury hotel in China, in fall of 2006, in the Beijing's Financial Street area, the heart of the capital city's emerging financial district. The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing, Finance Street will be a 256-room property that will be a showplace of glass and chrome contemporary design in the western portion of the city, home to many domestic and multi-national banks, insurance companies and other financial related businesses, as well as major tourist attractions including the Summer Palace. Ritz-Carlton currently manages 58 hotels in Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Mexico. Looking for that Hotel Job in Paradise? It's Been Filled! A few weeks back we discovered that Outrigger Hotels & Resorts was looking for a new general manager to oversee operations at the Te Tiare Beach, a resort in Huahine Island in French Polynesia that Outrigger had just signed on to manage effective July 1. Now it appears Outrigger has found its general manager in Philippe Sizaret, a veteran hotelier in the area, most recently serving as general manager of the Maitai Polynesia in Bora Bora. For the last 20 years, he has held various management positions throughout Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Thailand, Malaysia and New Caledonia. The Te Tiare Beach Resort is an exclusive luxury resort with 41 over water and beachfront accommodations, located on island of Huahine between Tahiti and Bora Bora. OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS! AIRLINES: United Airlines named two new executives as well as new responsibilities for two current executives. Dennis Cary has been named vice president-revenue management. Barry French will join the company as vice president-corporate communications. In addition, the company has announced new roles for two current executives, Lynn Hughitt and Rick Wysong. With these changes, more than 90 percent of the company's officers are new to the company or their positions in the last two years. As vice president-corporate communications, French will manage United's corporate image and reputation, internal and external communications, crisis management and creative services function. French comes to United from Dell Inc., where he held the position of director-public affairs and international services. French will assume his position at United in July and will report to Rosemary Moore, senior vice president-corporate and government Affairs. As vice president-revenue management, Cary will oversee all pricing and inventory management and will focus on maximizing revenue, increasing efficiency and strengthening customer focus. He also will oversee Global Distribution System (GDS) management and will be responsible for revenue forecasts, annual plans and data analysis. Cary assumes his position at United later in June and will report to Greg Taylor, senior vice president-planning. Prior to joining United, Cary was president of AAdvantage Marketing Programs at American Airlines, where he led a team responsible for all aspects of American's frequent-flyer program, including loyalty strategy, promotions, member communications, customer service and program partner acquisition and development. Cary joined American in 1991 and has held various positions within the airline's planning and marketing groups. Cary replaces Rick Wysong, who will be vice president-strategic planning and budgets for United Services, United's Maintenance and Engineering division. Wysong will transition into his new position in July and will report to Greg Hall, senior vice president-United Services. In her new role as vice president-compensation and benefits, Hughitt will contribute to United's global human resources strategy and have responsibility for designing and implementing all of the company's compensation and benefits programs worldwide. This newly created position supports the company's goal of developing leading-edge compensation and benefits to attract, retain and motivate quality employees and to create and drive the company's performance culture. Hughitt will assume her new role effective immediately and will continue to act as controller until her successor is named. She will report to Sara Fields, senior vice president-people...Delta Air Lines appointed Paulette Corbin as senior vice president of its In-Flight service division. Corbin was previously vice president of Airport Customer Service (ACS) for Delta's western region. As the leader of Delta's In-Flight Service division, she will be responsible for leading Delta's flight attendants. Corbin began her Delta career in 1973 as a Boston-based flight attendant. She held various management positions of increasing responsibility in In-Flight Service and Reservation Sales before being selected to serve on the team that launched Delta Express. Corbin served as managing director-Delta Express from 1998 to 2000 and was responsible for driving the strategic, financial and operational performance of the unit, as well as marketing and employee programs. As vice president, ACS-West, Corbin played a key role in the transformation of Delta's airports. Sharon Wibben, who preceded Corbin as the leader of Delta's In-Flight Service division, announced her resignation to pursue opportunities outside of Delta. She served as the leader of In-Flight Service for five years, most recently as senior vice president-In-Flight Service. CRUISES: Edie Bornstein, vice president of business development at Cunard Line, is moving to sister company Carnival Cruise Lines, where she will also be vice president of business development, reporting to Vicki Freed, senior vice president- sales and marketing. At Carnival, Bornstein will take on special projects and serve as a liaison between the sales and marketing department and the operations team. At Cunard, Bornstein focused on product development for the Queen Mary 2, including the Todd English Restaurant, the Hermes and Chopard shops, the liner's custom Wedgwood china and Waterford crystal and the QM2 coffee table book. She starts at Carnival on June 21...Jamie Haller was promoted to director of deployment and itinerary planning at Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises. Haller joined the company in April 1997, starting in the operations analysis area before moving into corporate planning and later strategic planning. Haller was previously manager of deployment and itinerary planning. DESTINATIONS: Ana Maria Viscasillas has been named president and chief executive officer of the Puerto Rico Convention Bureau, effective immediately. Viscasillas has served as acting executive director, following the resignation of Jorge Pescara. The new Puerto Rico Convention Center is scheduled to open in late 2005...James Townsend has been named executive director of the Tourism Economic Development Council (TEDC), a subsidiary of the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. In this role, he will work to boost the competitiveness of metro Detroit as a tourism destination and to ensure the priority of tourism as part of the region's economic development initiatives. Townsend most recently was executive and founding director of the Michigan Suburbs Alliance, where he led a consortium of 24 suburban communities that represent just under one million residents. He simultaneously served as president of Townsend Consulting, LLC in Ferndale, Mich., an independent consulting practice offering market and public policy analysis, business strategy and integrated marketing communications services to a range of public and private sector clients. His past experience includes five years at Ford Motor Company where he held the positions of Windstar marketing manager, worldwide revenue coordinator for compact SUVs and brand development analyst. Townsend also worked as legislative director for U.S. Rep. Nita Lowey and as press secretary at the office of U.S. Senator Frank Lautenberg. HOTELS & RESORTS: Carlson Hotels Worldwide named Terry Logsdon as vice president of development for the Southeast region of the United States. In his new role, Logsdon is responsible for seeking and securing managed, owned and franchised opportunities, as well as joint-venture and acquisition business for the company's full-service hotel brands: Regent International Hotels, Radisson Hotels & Resorts and Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts. Logsdon reports to Bill Sipple, corporate vice president of development for full- service hotels in the Americas, Carlson Hotels Worldwide. Logsdon has worked in the hospitality industry for more than 30 years. His experience spans franchise sales, real estate development, regional management and hotel operations. Most recently, Logsdon served as the director of franchise and real estate development for InterContinental Hotels Group of Atlanta, Ga. In this position, he was responsible for all development activity for the InterContinental and Crowne Plaza brands in the Southeast region of the U.S. Prior to that, Logsdon was a regional vice president for Hilton Hotels Corporation, where he managed the brand's franchise business in a nine-state region that consisted of more than 50 hotels...The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman named Tracey Fentem as director sales and marketing of the resort. In this position, Tracey will oversee all sales and marketing efforts for the 365-room resort, which is scheduled to open in late fall 2004. Since joining Ritz-Carlton in March 1999, Tracy has been working solely with the Caribbean properties. Prior to her current position, she served as area director of Incentive & Insurance for the Ritz-Carltons, Caribbean & Mexico for two years. She also served as the director of sales and marketing at the Ritz-Carlton Rose Hall, Jamaica, where she was responsible for pre and post opening sales and marketing. She also has served as director of sales for the El Conquistador Resort & Country Club in Puerto Rico as well as Hyatt Resorts Caribbean, which included resorts in Puerto Rico, Aruba, Grand Cayman and Key West...Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has tapped Peter French as general manager for its flagship Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, effective July 2004. French brings with him more than 30 years experience in the hotel industry, 11 years of which were spent with Mandarin Hong Kong as general manager at both Mandarin Oriental and The Excelsior. He rejoins Mandarin Oriental from his previous post as executive vice president and managing director of The Carlyle Hotel in New York. He was also general manager of the Grosvenor House Hotel in London...Jeff James has been appointed vice president of sales and marketing-United Kingdom and Ireland for the Walt Disney World Resort. James will relocate to London and lead all sales and marketing activities for Walt Disney World Resort in the U.K., as well as play a key role in the ongoing integration of international activity with Disneyland Resort Paris. James, who joined the Walt Disney Company in 1996, most recently served as vice president of national accounts and travel agency sales. Prior to joining the Walt Disney Company, he served as an executive at Holland America Line-Westours and Windstar Cruises, overseeing the cruise line's national accounts program as well tour operator and wholesale relationships. He will report to Denise Godreau, senior vice president of marketing for Walt Disney World, and Craig Parsons, vice president of international travel industry sales and marketing...Graeme Davis, general manager of the Westin St. John Resort & Villas in the U.S. Virgin Islands, has been named area managing director of the Caribbean for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. Davis has direct responsibility for the St. John property, where he will continue as general manager, as well as for the Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort in the Bahamas and Temenos Anguilla, a St. Regis Retreat in Anguilla. Starwood also named Bill Thompson as area director of sales and marketing for the southeast region of the U.S. for four Westin properties: the Westin St. John Resort & Villas; Westin & Sheraton at Our Lucaya Beach & Golf Resort in the Bahamas; the West Hilton Head (South Carolina) and the Westin Savannah (Georgia)... PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP named Fred Hipwell as office managing partner responsible for spearheading the expansion of the firm's National Gaming Practice headquartered in Las Vegas. The practice provides audit, tax, internal audit outsourcing, regulatory compliance, advisory and research and analysis services to its gaming clients, including Las Vegas destination resorts, Native American casinos, gaming equipment manufacturers, and other industry suppliers. Hipwell, who previously served as a partner in the Las Vegas office, replaces Randy Vallen, a 22-year gaming industry and PricewaterhouseCoopers veteran. Vallen, who served as Las Vegas' first office managing partner for 10 years, will soon assume a different highly visible leadership role within the firm. A separate announcement regarding his new position will be issued in the coming weeks. Hipwell has 19 years experience with PricewaterhouseCoopers, serving clients in many segments of the gaming industry, including Las Vegas destination resorts, Native American casinos and gaming equipment manufacturers...HSMAI University, a joint effort of the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI) and HSA International, has named Barb Taylor Carpender as managing director role of HSMAI University and Lori Farnell as lead HSA trainer for the program's New sales essential sessions. Taylor Carpender will oversee HSMAI University's various day-to-day activities including curriculum design, public workshop management, private label development, expansion of online learning offerings, and the establishment of the University's Speaker Resource Center. At the corporate level with Hilton, Doubletree, Sheraton and Holiday Inn, Carpender served as regional director of sales and marketing, advancing to national director of training and development, responsible for all levels of sales and marketing training for more than 60 hotels system-wide. Farnell was vice president of sales for Red Lion Inns, a division of West Coast Hospitality. TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: CoachQuote.com, the travel industry's first online group-booking engine, has selected David Sullivan as chairman. Sullivan, who has 35 years of experience in the hospitality industry, will focus on building long-term value for the company as it moves into a new phase with second-generation technology. The new technology completely automates the entire group-booking process and enables tour operators and group leaders to not only book their group trips online, but also manage every aspect of them up until the time they take the trip. Sullivan's career in the hospitality industry began with American Express Company where he eventually served as vice president and general manager for Europe and later Mexico. He then spent 15 years with Holiday Inns, Inc., where as senior vice president-administration, he had responsibility for reservations, marketing, worldwide sales, and franchising. As executive vice president and chief operating officer for the Promus Hotel Company, he was responsible for the day-to-day operations of over 1,000 Hampton Inns, Homewood Suites and Embassy Suites hotels. In 1997, Sullivan co-founded ResortQuest International, the first brand name and online booking service in vacation rentals, serving as the company's first chairman and CEO...Here's a travel technology job that has the potential to affect major airports throughout the country. Identix Incorporated, a multi-biometrics technology company, selected security industry veteran Elissa Lindsoe as chief financial officer effective June 21. Lindsoe brings more than 14 years of financial experience to her role with Identix, including more than seven years of network and identification security experience in senior financial positions with Secure Computing Corporation, a $100 million in annual revenue global provider of network security products, including firewalls, user identification and authorization software, and Web filtering applications. Lindsoe, who was most recently vice president and treasurer of Secure, will be responsible for the company's finance organization, including controller functions, financial planning and analysis, SEC filings, risk management, tax and corporate finance. TOUR OPERATORS: Milwaukee-based Mark Travel has named Ray Snisky as president for its flagship Funjet Vacations. Mark Travel founder and Chairman Bill La Macchia and Chief Operating Officer Bill La Macchia Jr. remain in charge of Funjet, but have tapped Snisky and a new management team to market the product to a select group of top-selling travel agencies. Snisky will offer broad support to agencies, including joint marketing, sales training, technology, destination and business management. In addition to Funjet, Snisky will oversee all of Mark Travel's in-house wholesale brands, which include TransGlobal Vacations, Vacations by Adventure Tours and Mountain Vacations private-label vacation-package brands. He started with Mark Travel in 1995 as manager of business development of United Vacations. Ron Jacobs, who had been general manager of Funjet since 2002, has been named chief financial officer for Mark Travel...Bobbie Mellor has been named South Pacific specialist at New York-based Pacific Delight Tours, a major provider of escorted and independent tours to China, the Orient and Southeast Asia. Mellor will create customized independent travel program, plus group and incentive itineraries, doubling the size of the company's existing Australia/New Zealand/Fiji brochure. She also will oversee technical support on all South Pacific booking requests; and assist with regional sales efforts, reporting to Andrew Miller, Pacific Delight s senior vice president of sales and special projects. Mellor was previously a destination specialist in charge of Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific at ETM Travel Group, a wholesale travel agency in Westport, Conn., and a reservations manager for Trawlers, a bare-boat charter operator in St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
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