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The Travel Career Connexxions Opportunities Newsletter
06/22/05 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 http://www.TravelExecutive.com This week in Opportunities:
AAA Sees Rise in Summer Travel Bookings 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 filters from misinterpreting and discarding these emails. Did you know? As of 06/14/05 there are 164 executive-level travel jobs published in the Travel Career Connexxions employment report. Positions include Sales Director (06/21), Director of Hotel Operations (06/20), VP Sales (06/20), Director of Public Relations (06/15), Director of Communications (06/14), Executive Director of Sales (06/15) 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! AAA Sees Rise in Summer Travel Bookings Summer travel is showing no signs of slowing down. Neither higher fuel and hotel costs nor a weak U.S. dollar will keep Americans home this summer, according to AAA's annual summer survey of its travel agents and auto counselors. AAA travel agency bookings bear this out, with total sales up more than 5 percent through the first four months of 2005, including a more than 20 percent increase in international airline ticket sales. AAA's annual summer travel survey of its travel agents shows 84 percent seeing overall summer bookings that are up (69 percent) or the same (15 percent) as last year, with an average increase of about 4 percent. The positive trend is nearly as strong for international travel, with 50 percent seeing increases and 28 percent seeing the same as in 2004, with an average increase of about 1 percent. Cruise bookings are up for 70 percent of agents and even for 13 percent, with an average increase of 6 percent. Auto travel is expected to be about even with last year, with 27 percent of AAA's auto counselors seeing increases and 46 percent seeing the same level as last year, with an average decrease of about 1 percent. AAA Travel agents' top summer international destinations are London, Cancun, Rome, the Caribbean and Montego Bay. AAA's top domestic destinations are Orlando, Seattle, Las Vegas, California and Hawaii. U.S. Lodging Forecast Sets Record Highs PricewaterhouseCoopers Hospitality & Leisure Practice has issued its revised U.S. Lodging Forecast with few changes from its prior forecast. RevPAR (Revenue per available room) will increase 7.8 percent in the current forecast compared with 7.3 percent in the previous forecast. PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts positive occupancy growth through 2007 and record high room rates. It forecasts occupancy will reach 63.4 percent in 2005, an increase of 3.3 percent, which will be at the highest point since 1997. Never before has the industry experienced five consecutive years of positive occupancy gains. The industry experienced four consecutive years of growth during the period 1992 through 1995 and in the late 1970s and the last time the industry experienced two consecutive years of strong positive occupancy growth was in 1993-1994. Room rates will achieve record highs at $89.97 in 2005. At a growth rate of 4.3 percent, this is the strongest increase since 2000, when the rate was 5.4 percent. The luxury segment is forecast to experience the strongest average revPAR growth in the period 2004 through 2007, at 9.9 percent. In 2005, the segment's revPAR is forecast to increase by 11.3 percent, the highest growth rate since 1996. The luxury segment's occupancy is forecast to reach 70.8 percent in 2005, the highest since 2000. The midscale without food and beverage segment is expected to experience the second highest average RevPAR growth rate during the period 2004 to 2007 at 7.9 percent. The segment is expected to reach occupancy of 66.8 percent in 2005, the highest since 1996. RevPar is expected to increase by 12.2 percent in 2005. PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts industry profits to reach $20.8 billion in 2005, the highest level since 2000, and only $1.7 billion below the record set in 2000. In 2006, profits are expected to reach a new record high of almost $25 billion. In 2004, the business travel rebound boosted overall lodging demand by approximately 110,000 average daily rooms, according to analysis of Smith Travel Research data, resulting in a 4.5 percent increase in room demand. In 2005, PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasts that the business travel rebound will contribute 102,000 average daily rooms to total U.S. demand. Blackstone Group Buys Wyndham International Here's a major deal that could have an effect on the job front down the line. Wyndham International, Inc. entered into a definitive merger agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of The Blackstone Group, a private investment firm, in a transaction valued at $3.24 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Blackstone will acquire all of the outstanding common stock of Wyndham for $1.15 per share in cash as well as the assumption of debt. The board of directors of Wyndham unanimously approved the Merger Agreement and recommended approval by its shareholders. Wyndham offers upscale and luxury hotel and resort accommodations. It owns, leases, manages and franchises hotels and resorts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. No word yet on how this will affect senior management at Wyndham, including Chairman, President & CEO Fred Kleisner. Preferred Gives Birth to New Boutique Brand It's the birth of a new hotel brand; is it also a source for new executive opportunities? The Preferred Hotel Group unveiled a new brand that it's calling Boutique-A Preferred Hotel Group Partner. Boutique promotes a new standard of excellence for intimate, design-savvy properties of 150 rooms or less. The Boutique collection of hotels will be distinguished by a commitment to exceptional service and distinctive style, creating uniquely memorable travel experiences. Currently focused on worldwide development, the brand will begin rolling out consumer-oriented initiatives later this summer. As managing director of Boutique, Lindsey Ueberroth said the new group's emphasis will on service and quality assurance standards. "For hotels, our goal is to create a significant increase in a property's revenue and visibility," Ueberroth said. "For consumers, we want to be the brand that defines the boutique hotel experience. Development is a big focus for the brand. The Boutique collection currently features roughly 40 properties located primarily in the U.S. with aspirations to grow to roughly 100 properties worldwide by year-end. China Emerges as Major Travel Market If you had any doubt about it, China is emerging as a major travel and tourism market. Research and Markets' new China Outbound Tourist Market survey shows China's tourism industry is one of the fastest-growing industries in the national economy and is also one of the industries with a very distinct global competitive edge. The total revenue of China's tourism industry reached $67.3 billion in 2002, accounting for 5.44 percent of the country's GDP. It had dropped, largely due to SARS, to $59 billion in 2003. Nevertheless, for areas rich in tourism resources, tourism has become the main source of tax revenue and the key industry for economic development. A large middle class population with strong consumption power is emerging in China, especially in major cities. China's outbound tourists reached 20.22 million in 2003, overtaking Japan for the first time. Currently there are 65 countries/areas open to Chinese tour groups. Based on the current economic growth situation and the social development of China, China's outbound tourism is poised to achieve a new growth peak. Carnival Reports Record Net Income Yes, the cruise business is still booming, if the latest financial results are any indication. Carnival Corporation & plc reported record net income of $409 million on revenues of $2.52 billion for its second quarter ended May 31, 2005. Net income for the second quarter of 2004 was $332 million on revenues of $2.26 billion. Net income for the six months ended May 31, 2005 was $753 million on revenues of $4.92 billion, compared to net income of $535 million on revenues of $4.24 billion for the same period in 2004. The increase in second quarter earnings was driven by both a 5.3 percent increase in new cruise capacity and a significant growth in cruise net revenue yields (revenue per available berth day), which more than offset substantially higher fuel costs. Net revenue yields for the second quarter of 2005 increased 8.4 percent compared to the prior year, primarily due to higher cruise ticket prices and, to a lesser extent, higher occupancy and the weak U.S. dollar relative to the euro and sterling. Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said he was very pleased with the continuing strong growth in demand for the company's cruise products. "The recognition by consumers of the extraordinary value of our cruise products helped to increase our net revenue yields by over 8 percent in the second quarter - the fifth straight quarter of net revenue yield increases of 7 percent or better," he said. "The strong revenue yield performance enabled us to grow net income over 23 percent in the second quarter despite historically high fuel costs." Assuming a continuing strong demand for travel, Carnival has increased its expectation for net revenue yields for the last six months of 2005, on a constant dollar basis, by approximately 1 percent to an increase of 4.5 to 5.5 percent, compared to last year. The company has one ship scheduled to enter service during the third quarter of 2005. Carnival Cruise Lines' 2,974-passenger Carnival Liberty will launch the line's first-ever Mediterranean cruise program beginning July 20, 2005. Affluent Cite High Interest in Cruising Yes, the cruise business is hot. But the cruise business for the affluent may be even hotter, according to a recent survey by Phoenix Marketing International, a market research and advanced analytical modeling firm. According to the company's poll, there has been a sharp increase in interest in cruise vacations among wealthy households. The Phoenix data, drawn from a questionnaire completed in April, 2005, reveals that 23 percent of affluent households, defined as those having at least $250,000 in investable assets or $150,000 in income, say they are likely to take a cruise in the next six months. This is up sharply from roughly a year and a half ago when only 18 percent of the affluent were interested in cruise vacations. "Affluent investors have not been particularly bullish on the stock market", notes David Thompson, vice president of the Affluent Practice at Phoenix Marketing, "but they certainly are bullish on cruises." Indeed, cruise vacations stood out above most other leisure categories measured by Phoenix Marketing regarding affluent consumer intentions. Interest in cruising increased most dramatically among younger, "emerging affluent" households. A year and a half ago, only 7 percent of these affluent households expressed intent to go on a cruise in the next six months. Their intentions rose to 19 percent in April of this year, more than double from the previous rating period. Specific cruise lines singled out by affluent respondents in the Phoenix survey were Carnival, Norwegian, Viking and Seaborn. Two Hotel Groups Named Best for Diversity Marriott International and MGM Mirage have been named to Black Enterprise magazine's "30 Best Companies for Diversity" list. Black Enterprise, the nation's premier business and investment publication for African Americans, evaluated diversity programs, consulted with diversity experts and corporate diversity officers, and conducted an extensive survey of 1,000 of America's largest publicly traded companies and 50 leading global companies with significant U.S. operations. The companies that made Black Enterprise's list outperformed other corporations in their peer groups in four key areas: the percentage of total procurement dollars spent with companies owned by African Americans and members of other ethnic minority groups; the percentage of African Americans and members of other ethnic minority groups represented on corporate boards; the percentage of senior management positions held by African Americans and members of other ethnic minority groups; and the percentage of African Americans and members of other ethnic minority groups represented in the total workforce. Online Travel Segment Stays Hot The online travel segment continues to be a hot button in the industry. In 2005, nearly one-third of U.S. travel will be booked online, with online agencies accounting for nearly half of that total, according to the Travel Agencies Online Report. Still staggering from the post-9/11 slump, the $206 billion U.S. travel industry is only now recovering, registering annual growth of 5 percent this year. By contrast, after recording huge gains over the past three years, the online segment should see growth in the high teens for the next three years. But with success has come competition. Selling direct, airlines and hotel chains have aggressively entered the market. Now shoppers bounce from site to site in search of the lowest price, and online travel search engines are springing up, serving up aggregated fares from multiple sources. The Travel Agencies Online report aggregates the latest data from leading researchers -- including comScore, DMA, Forrester, Hitwise, JupiterResearch, Keynote Systems, Nielsen//NetRatings and PhoCusWright. D.C. Agency Named a Best Place to Work Want to work for a top travel agency that has been cited as a great place to work? The Washington Business Journal recognized Executive Travel Associates (ETA) as one of the region's best places to work. The award recognizes the company's achievements in creating a positive work environment that attracts and retains employees through a combination of employee satisfaction, working conditions and company culture. ETA was the only travel company to be nominated or selected. ETA was among 49 diverse companies hailing from virtually ever business sector. The top companies were selected from a pool of more than 230 nominations. For more information on ETA, call 202-293-7550. ETA was founded in 1988. Over the last 1y years, it has grown to be the largest independent travel management company in the Washington area. The staff averages over 18 years of experience and a near-zero turnover rate. As the Mid-Atlantic representative of Travel Management Alliance LLC, ETA provides the highest level of service to clients around the world. For more information, call 202-294-7550 or visit www.exectravel.com. Air New Zealand Seeks New Chief Executive Job opening of the week: Air New Zealand Ltd., which is still facing significant challenges, expects the demanding nature of its business to attract strong candidates to its soon to be vacated chief executive position, the airline's chairman said. New Zealand's national carrier announced last week that Ralph Norris, its chief executive for just over three years, will leave later this year to join Commonwealth Bank of Australia. Norris presided over a period of significant change at the airline, which came close to collapse in 2001 before it was bailed out by the New Zealand government. He shifted the business to low-cost, no-frills service on its domestic and trans-Tasman routes, and initiated expensive upgrades to its short-haul and long-haul fleets. Air New Zealand's global search to replace Norris will begin almost immediately, and the airline expects talented and skilled candidates to be lured by the job's "exciting challenge." New Hilton Vancouver Opens for Business The new Hilton Vancouver in Vancouver, Wash., has opened in the heart of revitalized downtown. The 226-room hotel offering upscale amenities, a new restaurant, stylish accommodations, and extensive convention and event facilities. It also features an eco-friendly design that maximizes sustainability while minimizing impact on the environment. The hotel is currently registered with the U.S. Green Building Council and is, according to the architects, scheduled to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating after completion, which would make it the first LEED certified major hotel in the country. The Hilton Vancouver, Washington is owned by the City of Vancouver and managed by Beverly Hills-based Hilton Hotels Corporation. Warwick International Adds New Brussels Hotel Warwick International Hotels is yet another hotel group on the growth path. The company last week announced the acquisition of the Mayfair Hotel in Brussels, formerly the Hyatt Regency Barsey Hotel. With three hotels in Belgium already, the Warwick Collection is growing and is now offering two addresses in the heart of Brussels. The acquisition of the former Hyatt Regency Barsey Hotel allows Warwick International Hotels to expand its presence in the capital of Europe, where Warwick International already owns and operates the 266-room Royal Windsor Hotel Grand Place, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World. The hotel has been renamed The Warwick Brussels Hotel and like other Warwick hotels it will offer its clients elegant surroundings and attentive yet unobtrusive service. The bar and restaurant will live up to the high expectations of not only its clients, but also the discernable "Bruxellois" known for his "bon vivant" traditions. Warwick International Hotels was launched in 1980 with the purchase of The Warwick New York, a hotel originally built for William Randolph Hearst. The company now includes more than 30 prestigious hotels and resorts worldwide located in city center and resort destinations in the United States, Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and Africa. InterContinental Opens New Beijing Hotel InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, joining the hospitality rush in China, announced the opening of InterContinental Financial Street Beijing, the first InterContinental and the first international luxury hotel in the city's Financial Street District. The InterContinental Financial Street Beijing offers 332 luxurious guestrooms and suites of stylish contemporary design, banquet and meeting facilities seating up to 380 persons, a spa, an indoor swimming pool and state-of-the-art fitness facilities. Network with Cruise Execs at cruise3sixty Want to network with top cruise executives and cruise-selling agents. Find a way to get to cruise3sixty, the first global cruise event sponsored by the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA). You can also hear from Jeb Bush, governor of Florida and a longtime cruise industry supporter, who will address an expected crowd of more than 1,500 travel agents and cruise industry suppliers as the opening speaker at the first general session. The event will be held the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, Sept. 30-Oct. 2. Gov. Bush's address will precede a first-of-its-kind "Cruise Visionaries" session featuring interviews with the leaders of the cruise industry's three largest companies - Micky Arison, chairman and CEO of Carnival Corporation & PLC; Richard Fain, chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.; and Colin Veitch, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Group. For more information on cruise3sixty, including agent registration, schedules, promotional partners and exhibitor information, visit www.cruise3sixty.com. OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS! AIRLINES: Air Canada announced three key executive appointments to support the airline's strategic business objectives and complete its organizational realignment. Sean Menke, formerly senior vice president and chief operating officer at Frontier Airlines, joins Air Canada as executive vice president and chief commercial officer. He will be responsible for all commercial aspects of Air Canada's worldwide operations including marketing, sales, scheduling, brand, research and product development, international affairs, alliances and Jetz, the carrier's specialty charter service. Joshua Koshy, formerly senior vice president, information technology at Emirates Group, joins Air Canada as executive vice president and chief financial officer. Koshy will be responsible for all aspects of Air Canada's financial reporting, Six Sigma and project management organization. At Dubai-based Emirates, he was responsible for financial services throughout the group prior to leading its information technology activities. He replaces Rob Peterson, who continues in his role as executive vice president and CFO, ACE Aviation Holdings Inc., Air Canada's parent company. Reporting to Koshy is Danielle Poudrette, vice president, Corporate Initiatives. David Tait, formerly executive vice president of Virgin Atlantic's North America operations, joins Air Canada as senior vice president, customer service. Tait will be responsible for customers' airport and in-flight experience, call centers, customer solutions and customer service strategyÖNorthwest Airlines said it reorganized its marketing and sales function in order to better reflect the airline's renewed commitment to developing travel products that best serve the needs of its business and leisure customers. Thomas Bach, vice president-market planning and Airlink, has been named to the new position of vice president-network planning and revenue management. Bach will be responsible for the airline's worldwide route planning and scheduling for Northwest and Northwest Airlink. In addition, he will be responsible for the revenue management group including North American pricing, revenue analysis and yield management optimization. In this role, he will lead the development and implementation of pricing strategies, automated systems and marketing programs to maximize the revenue contribution of the airline's North American route network including Northwest Airlink. Jim Cron, vice president-domestic pricing and yield management, has been named vice president-passenger marketing and sales. In addition, he has been named CEO of MLT Vacations, the wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest. Cron will now be responsible for the company's passenger and airline partner marketing, marketing and loyalty programs and sales organizations. At MLT, Cron will be responsible for marketing Northwest's WorldVacations products, as well as other leisure travel packages sold under the WorryFree Vacations brand. Crystal Knotek, vice president-reservations sales and services, has been named vice president-reservations and customer care. Knotek continues to be responsible for the management of the airline's five domestic call centers. In addition, she will now lead Northwest's customer care organization that works with the airline's customers to understand their needs and address any of their concerns. Bach, Cron and Knotek will continue to report to Tim Griffin, executive vice president-marketing and distributionÖKris Kutchera has joined Alaska Airlines as managing director of applications development. In this role, she will lead the overall vision for the use of technology to support e-commerce, maintenance and engineering, ground and flight operations, and the airline's mileage plan. A20-year information technology veteran, Kutchera comes to Alaska Airlines from F5 Networks, where for the past five years she served as vice president of information technologyÖNorthwest Airlines has named William Lentsch as its new vice president-station operations. Lentsch replaces Suzanne Boda, who became the airline's vice president-in-flight services earlier this month. Lentsch has been serving as chief operating officer for Bloomington, Minn.-headquartered Champion Air since November 2003. Prior to joining Champion Air, Lentsch was Northwest's vice president-engine and component maintenance operationsÖContinental Airlines has named Mike Bonds as senior vice president human resources and labor relations, replacing Michael Campbell who retired at the end of 2004. In this position, Bonds, 43, will be responsible for all of Continental's human resources and labor relations, including compensation, benefits, staffing and corporate training. He will continue to report to Jeff Smisek, president. Bonds served as vice president human resources at Continental since 2003, and held various positions at the company since joining the airline in 1995, including vice president and controller and vice president corporate development. CRUISES: Seabourn Cruise Line has assembled an independent team of five veteran professional sales managers to represent its three all-suite yachts across the United States. Four of the members of the new team have previously represented The Yachts of Seabourn, as part of the combined sales force that until recently represented both Seabourn and Cunard Line. Joan Arkut formerly represented Seabourn in Southern California. She will now assume responsibility for Seabourn there and in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico. Sheila Bielich, based in Dallas, has represented Seabourn since before its merger with Cunard, and will serve the Midwest region including Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Minnesota, Texas and Wisconsin. Sherrill Kaplan, who has managed Northern California for Seabourn, will now add coverage of Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon and Washington. Pat Riley, Cunard and Seabourn's longtime sales manager in the New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania region, will now extend her reach to the entire Northeast including Connecticut, District of Columbia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts and Virginia. Joanne Oyen is a travel sales professional whose extensive experience includes representing Princess Cruises and American Express Platinum Center in the South Florida territory. She is leaving Travel Bound to represent Seabourn in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee and the CarolinasÖViking River Cruises, which just relocated to the new LNR Warner Center in Woodland Hills, Calif., announced the hiring of two new senior corporate executives: Michael Bonner as senior vice president-planning and finance, and Robert (Bob) Roe, who assumes the role of group financial controller. Although both are based in Viking River Cruises Los Angeles office, they have corporate-wide responsibilities, including the group's financial functions. Bonner joins Viking River from Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises, where he was vice president, corporate planning. Prior to RCCL, Bonner worked as a consultant with Booz Allen & Hamilton. Roe most recently was chief financial officer at Uniworld, a Los Angeles-based river cruise company. DESTINATIONS: Vernice Walkine, a 26-year veteran of the Ministry of Bahamas Tourism, has been named director general of tourism by Minister of Tourism Obie Wilchcombe, to succeed Vincent Vanderpool-Wallace. Walkine previously held the position of deputy director-general since 2001, having held several managerial positions including head of advertising, North and South American sales and product development. She joined the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism in 1979, rising from bilingual tourist information assistant to her current post as director-general. She is the first woman to attain this position. During her tenure, she has developed marketing plans, overseen worldwide advertising programs, managed and restructured Bahamas Tourist Offices throughout North and South America, and managed the Ministry's product improvement initiatives in promotion of the Islands of the Bahamas as a premier vacation destination... The Tourism Corporation Bonaire (TCB) announced that Ronella Croes has been named director of tourism. Croes will be responsible the four tourist offices in Bonaire, The Netherlands, Venezuela and New York. She previously held positions at Aruba Adventures, a tour company and the Aruba Hotel and Tourism AssociationÖVisitBritain, the national tourist office for England, Scotland and Wales, has made two new appointments to key public relations posts in their Americas offices. Paul Gauger has been appointed as regional press & public relations director, The Americas, with a wide-reaching remit to develop and direct VisitBritain's public relations activity across North America and South America, overseeing staff in offices in the United States, Canada, Argentina and Brazil. Katrina Sutton has been appointed as film tourism and public relations manager. Gauger, based in VisitBritain's New York office, was previously head of publicity and destination PR in the organization's London headquarters for two years, where he had responsibility for domestic public relations for England and devising international PR strategies across 31 markets globallyÖThe Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority (LVCVA) announced the promotion of two of its staff in the leisure sales department. Art Jimenez is the LVCVA's new director of leisure sales. In his new role, Jimenez will oversee the marketing and sales efforts for the wholesale market, "Vegas Certified," the LVCVA Laughlin office and act as a liaison with travel agencies throughout the United States. Neil Johnson has been promoted to position of sales executive. Before his promotion, Johnson was an account representative. In that position, Johnson worked with sales executives to market the destination to groups such as trade show producers and convention and meeting planners. HOTELS & RESORTS: David Simpson has been appointed director of acquisitions and development, Pacific region, for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Asia Pacific Division. In this role, Simpson is responsible for overseeing acquisitions and development in the Pacific region. Overall, he has 25 years experience in the hotel industry and has been employed by Starwood since 1997Ö Noble Investment Group announced that Jim Williams has been appointed general manager of its new downtown Winston-Salem Embassy Suites. In addition, Ron Stephens has been selected as director of marketing for its new downtown Winston-Salem Hotel and Convention Center complex. Noble is renovating the current Adam's Mark hotel into a four-star Marriott Hotel and Embassy Suites with a completion date scheduled for June 2005. Williams, with more than 16 years of leadership experience in the hospitality industry, was promoted from his current position as director of marketing for the complex which includes the Marriott Hotel, Embassy Suites and the Benton Convention Center, managed by NobleÖMillennium & Copthorne Hotels plc named Sudheer Raghavan as its president for the Americas. Sudheer will take up his appointment on Aug. 1. He has had a progressive career at Singapore Airlines, rising from a junior executive in 1981 to his most recent position of senior vice president in the Singapore Airlines Cargo CompanyÖ Unique Vacations Inc., the worldwide representatives for Sandals and Beaches Resorts, has promoted Frank Corzo to national director of sales. A nine-year veteran of the company, Corzo has been a vital component in the growth of sales throughout the entire east coast region. In his new role, Corzo will lead the 50-member-strong sales team to develop and maintain relationships with travel agent partners in an effort to help promote and sell Sandals and Beaches ResortsÖBenchmark Hospitality International has announced the appointment of Jim Bullock and Hal Powell to the newly created positions of regional vice president of sales and marketing. The appointments represented promotions for both Bullock and Powell, who have been with the Benchmark organization for several years. Bullock is a hotelier with over three decades of experience in both property and corporate-level positionsÖ Pascal Metivier, a 12-year hospitality industry veteran and a recognized specialist in hotel security for more than a decade, has been named president of ASSA ABLOY Hospitality for Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America. Metivier will be based in EuropeÖKimpton Hotels & Restaurants said Carol Daniel has rejoined the company as vice president, restaurants. In this role, she is responsible for overseeing the operations, including training, service, facilities, personnel, and financial results, for the Kimpton's 39 restaurants. As the company continues to grow, she will direct new restaurant development for future restaurant locations. TOUR OPERATORS: Yolanda Ramirez, former manager of product development, Mexico, has been promoted to director of the department at Pleasant Holidays. She joined Pleasant Holidays in 2003. Ramirez is responsible for hotel rate negotiations and securing special sales offers from 160 hotels in Mexico. She also works with Mexico vendors to enhance the Pleasant Holidays product line. Her travel background spans more than 25 years, including experience in sales, marketing, wholesaling, retail operations, accounting, and group and F.I.T. business development. TRAVEL AGENCIES: TravelSavers has expanded its sales team with the recent appointment of Waldo Carmenate as director of sales, Southwest region. Carmenate will be responsible for increasing TravelSavers' agency membership throughout the southwest territory of the United States. Carmenate joins TravelSavers with 20 years of experience in the travel industry. TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Pegasus Solutions Inc., a global leader in providing technology and services to hotels and travel distributors, has named Olivier Dombey as its vice president of sales and account management for Asia-Pacific. The company also announced that it has opened an office in central Beijing: 2/F Office Tower II, Landmark Towers, 8 North Dongsanhuan Rd. Dombey officially joined Pegasus in January of 2005.
Looking for more? Do you see Opportunities? Tell us! Please send all travel news and top executive changes to: opportunities@travelcareerconnexxions.com. |
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