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:

WTO Survey Shows Strong Tourism Growth Continues
Job Growth Slows With Service Sector Reporting Gains
Positive Trend For Charter Services Incentive Travel
Travel Companies Rate Among Top IT Employers
Americans Booking High-End Travel
New Opportunities!
Opportunities Networking!
Executive Movers! See who's going where?
Travel Executive Employment Report

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OPPORTUNITIES NEWS & TRENDS!

WTO Survey Shows Strong Tourism Growth Continues

The travel industry could be on the verge of some major growth, if the World Tourism Organization's recent survey is correct. According to the WTO, short-term tourism data for the first months of 2004 confirm the upward trend for travel that was already visible at the end of 2003. The latest issue of the WTO World Tourism Barometer shows that conditions in the major tourism markets are present for demand to be back on the track, leading to more growth. Long-haul travel is finally also picking-up, particularly out of Europe, though short-haul and domestic travel are still performing comparatively better. The majority of countries with data available report substantial increases for the first months of the year, though this is compared to the negative or very weak numbers from the same period last year. Nevertheless, in most cases last year's losses have been taken into account and a real increase remains. Results are boosted by the existing pent-up demand after three hard years for the industry. According to the WTO, all regions, but in particular destinations in Asia and the Pacific, show a strong rebound for tourism. WTO surveyed more than 230 experts from over 100 countries and territories. These experts assessed the past four months with an average of 3.7, the highest of ever recorded for any similar period, and up from the 3.5 average evaluation for the period September-December 2003. This means that the number of experts that evaluate the situation as better (4) or much better (5) clearly outnumbers those experts evaluating the situation as equal (3) worse (2) or much worse (1). For the subsequent May to August period, the panel reaches a score of almost 4, equivalent to better. In Europe, the terrorist bombings in Madrid in March don't seem to have influenced the pace of tourism growth. Spain ended the year to date until May with a 3.8 percent increase over the same period last year, whereas other important destinations also improved their figures over 2003. WTO said the evolution of tourism in the Americas continues the pattern already observed in the previous months. Destinations in the Caribbean, Central and South America continue to report a positive performance, while inbound figures in the United States during the first four months were positive for the first time since 2001, though still far from the volume achieved that year. Particular good results were obtained in the major neighboring source markets of Canada and Mexico. Separately, despite last year's poor tourism industry performance, the WTO's ranking of top destinations did not change significantly. The first four positions in terms of tourist arrivals as well as in terms of tourism receipts remain unchanged, with France and the United States as unchallenged leaders.

Job Growth Slows With Service Sector Reporting Gains

Job growth slowed dramatically in June, as employers added just 112,000 workers to payrolls last month, a number that came in well below forecasts by private economists. The increase was about half of May's revised gain of 235,000 jobs, and was the weakest since February following three straight months of strong job growth, the Labor Department reported. Economists had forecast a gain of 250,000 jobs, on average. The unemployment rate was 5.6 percent, unchanged from the May reading of 5.6 percent and in line with economists' forecasts. But part of the slowdown in June was attributed to a drop in manufacturing (not service) jobs after the sector had posted four straight months of jobs growth. Manufacturers cut 11,000 jobs last month, the construction industry posted no job gains and the retail sector added a modest 7,000 jobs. In contrast, the services sector (where most travel jobs are found) added 122,000 workers, though even that was the second-weakest gain of the year. Most economists say that despite the weak report, they expect solid growth to resume soon and continue throughout this year. But some analyst say job growth probably won't be as strong as it was in the spring, when the economy created 300,000 jobs a month on average in March, April and May.

Trend Is Positive For Charter Services Incentive Travel

Want to join a sector of the travel industry that is clearly on the upswing? According to a new survey, U.S. corporations are beginning to loosen their purse strings a bit, at least in terms of providing more incentive travel for employees. Albuquerque, N.M.-based CSI Aviation Services Inc., one of the largest and oldest air charter services management companies in the U.S., says it has observed an increase in corporate aircraft charters over the past few years, but a substantial decrease in incentive travel. The trend for incentive travel was much slower to recover. But company officials say in the past six months the pace of incentive travel business has substantially picked up. East Coast companies are leading the way in incentive travel, with the West Coast being a bit slower to ramp up. The Caribbean, Central America and South America are the most popular destinations at this point.

Two Travel Companies Rate Among Top IT Employers

If you're in information technology and want to make the transfer to travel, here's two good bets for great companies in the IT sector. Marriott International and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. were just selected by ComputerWorld magazine as two of the 100 "Best Places to Work in Information Technology." Each year the magazine recognizes the "Best Places to Work in IT," examining such factors as benefits, diversity, career development, training and retention. Marriott was among the top 100 selected for the second year in a row, placing 24th among the 100, and first among lodging companies selected. Meanwhile, Royal Caribbean ranked number one in ComputerWorld's Tour and Travel category and number 13 in the 100 overall selections. Royal Caribbean was cited for its unique approach to training and development, including a career banding structure that offers parallel and dual career path opportunities for senior level technical employees and management. The company's IT office maintains a continuous improvement team, comprised of a cross-section of IT staff, which meets regularly as a clearinghouse for departmental enrichment ideas and project suggestions. The company also was praised for the diversity of its IT management team and workforce, as well as its unique leadership development program, known as Lead-IT, and its employee cruise benefit program.

Survey Shows Americans Are Booking High-End Travel

If you're looking for a career in travel, or even to change your existing travel career, you can't go wrong by choosing a company in the luxury sector. More Americans are traveling this summer than in any other time since the post-9/11 period and more of them are choosing big ticket travel experiences, such as around-the-world cruises and exotic tours, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California. A survey by AAA indicates that 40 percent more Americans are planning vacations this summer compared to 2003. Sales data from the Auto Club's AAA Travel shows strong growth in the highest-end vacation packages. For example, Holland America Line's 100-day Grand World Voyage, which sells from $22,700 to $176,300, is an around-the-world cruise that sold out this year. AAA Travel booked five times as many passengers on this cruise in 2004 as 2003. Bookings to date for the 2005 cruise have already equaled 2004 figures and are set to surpass them. AAA said this is a clear indication that Americans are rejecting the fear of travel that was so prevalent following Sept. 11, 2001, and want to take back a measure of control of their lives. Since June of last year, AAA has seen a pent-up demand for leisure travel, but 2004 has exceeded even 2000, the last full year before 9/11, in terms of sales and volume of passengers. Growth in travel also is not limited to so-called "safe" locations, such as Alaska, Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean. According to AAA, high-end travel packages from Tauck World Discovery to Italy are selling at a rate of 52 percent more than 2003, and tours to Eastern Europe have had a 96 percent increase in bookings. The tours to Italy start at $4,890, while the trips to Eastern Europe begin at $3,870.

OPPORTUNITIES WATCH!

Starwood Keeps Opening W Hotels in Europe and Beyond

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide is continuing to expand its popular W hotel chain. Last week it said W will make its debut in Europe with a 475-room waterfront hotel in Barcelona, Spain, scheduled to open in 2008. Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht said he anticipates announcing several more W deals in Europe in the near future, citing London, Rome and Paris as possible sites. W will open two international hotels in coming months, the W Seoul Walkerhill in July and the W Montreal in September. The W Maldives-Fesdhu, W's first resort, is scheduled to open in 2005, followed by the W Dallas in 2006 and the W Fort Lauderdale in 2007. Currently there are 18 W Hotels brand-wide in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans, San Francisco, Seattle, Honolulu, Silicon Valley, Atlanta, San Diego, Sydney and Mexico City. Separately, Starwood said it would open its first W Hotel in Arizona in 2007. The W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences will feature 225 guestrooms, a spa, a restaurant, two bars and 25 to 30 luxury condominiums.

Puerto Rico Convention Center Selects Starwood for Hotel

W Hotels also isn't the only growth opportunity for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide. The company was just selected by the Puerto Rico Convention Center District Authority to operate the new 500-room convention center hotel. The Sheraton San Juan Convention Center Hotel, set to open in 2007, will be located adjacent to the 580,000 square-foot Puerto Rico Convention Center, which is scheduled to open in 2005. The hotel will include 63,000 square feet of meeting and banquet facilities, a 10,000-square foot spa, a selection of restaurants and several outdoor pools. With design elements of an urban resort, this development will also include 50,000-square feet of retail space, an eight-screen cinema complex, a 14,000-square foot casino and a 25,000-square foot multi-level nightclub/entertainment venue with a music hall for live performances. The $415 million convention center is currently under construction on 113 acres on the peninsula of Isla Grande next to historic Old San Juan and is scheduled for completion in mid-2005.

Norwegian Cruise Lines Adds Even More Ships to Fleet

Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has been announcing more growth in leaps and bounds over the past few weeks. NCL, which just rechristened the Norwegian Sky as Pride of Aloha, the first modern U.S.-flagged vessel in 50 years, is growing in Hawaii and beyond. Pride of Aloha will be joined on Hawaii sailings next year by the new Pride of America, and in 2006 by the Pride of Hawaii. Meanwhile, Norwegian Wind is already sailing Hawaii itineraries that include a trip to a foreign port, Fanning Island. NCL also said last week that it would further strengthen its commitment to New York in 2005 by adding a second year-round ship, Norwegian Spirit, for a total of two ships sailing year round and a summer ship, Norwegian Crown, sailing to Bermuda. Finally, NCL announced the name of its newest ship, Norwegian Jewel, and details of her deployment. The ship, a sister to the Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn will sail in two of the industry's biggest cruise markets--the Caribbean out of Miami and Alaska out of Seattle. The 92,000-ton Norwegian Jewel will be the company's fourth purpose-built ship for Freestyle Cruising and will feature 10 restaurants.

Cendant Forecasts Strong Summer Travel Bookings

Cendant Corporation, whose more than 30 travel companies include Avis, CheapTickets, Days Inn, Budget, Howard Johnson, Traveler's Advantage, Cuendet, Holiday Network and Galileo, reported that many of its units are seeing more than 10 percent year-over-year increases in bookings. For example, advance reservations at Avis and Budget combined were up more than 10 percent for July 4th weekend and nearly 5 percent for July as a whole. Domestically, high growth cities include Philadelphia and Seattle, up 24 percent and 25 percent, respectively (2004 versus 2003). Advance bookings across all of Cendant's brands are up 5 percent this summer, with the Days Inn brand reporting a 7 percent increase for July and AmeriHost Inn seeing a 14 percent increase. Most growth has been through the Internet with an approximately 50 percent increase in direct online bookings year-over-year across all brands. Meanwhile, travel through Cendant's CheapTickets.com was expected to increase roughly 50 percent year-over-year for the July 4th weekend and the entire month of July. Cendant said customized vacation packages are in great demand this July. Sales of such packages by CheapTickets.com for the July 4th holiday were up more than 100 percent over 2003. The most popular markets include Orlando, Las Vegas, Hawaii, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition to selling more packages, the average number of nights per package has also grown, from an average of five nights last July 4th, to an average of six nights this year. Cendant's Galileo, one of the world's largest global distribution systems powering more than 44,000 travel agencies, forecasts 9 percent growth in travel segments for the month of July. Galileo's traditional travel agency clients continue to see demand for their one-stop shopping services as evidenced by continued growth in bookings.

OPPORTUNITIES NETWORKING!

Meet Top Marketing Execs at TIA's Marketing Outlook Forum

James "Jay" Rasulo, president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, will be the keynote speaker at the Travel Industry Association of America's Marketing Outlook Forum, Oct. 27-29. Rasulo chairs the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotion Advisory Board that is advising the U.S. Commerce Secretary on an international travel promotion campaign. The Forum, being held at the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, Ariz., is a great place to network with some of the industry's best marketing minds. The conference unites travel industry leaders in a series of sessions providing attendees with detailed projections related to industry segments, economic outlook, demographic changes, technological advances, and the international inbound market into the United States. Featured speakers and panelists participating in the Forum include top industry executives, leading economists, industry analysts, and social, demographic, and business experts. For more information, visit www.tia.org.

OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS!

AIRLINES: Theo Panagiotoulias, an American Airlines executive with 13 years of experience in the Asia/Pacific region, has been named managing director-Japan for American. Panagiotoulias, who will be based in Tokyo, replaces Nancy Knipp, who was recently named managing director-premium services for American and is moving back to the United States. Panagiotoulias most recently served as managing director-Asia/Pacific based in Hong Kong. He is a native of Melbourne and joined American in 1997 as its manager-Southern Australia after working for several years for a major Australian travel company. In 1998, he was assigned to Singapore as American's regional manager-South East Asia and the Indian Sub-Continent. He then moved to Tokyo as director-corporate sales for the Pacific Division, a role he held between 2000 and 2002...American Airlines also named Kurt Stache as president-AAdvantage Marketing Programs. Stache fills a vacancy created by the departure of Dennis Cary earlier this month. He currently serves as American's managing director-international revenue management. Stache originally joined American in 1995. He has held increasingly responsible management positions within the airline's revenue management department. Before being selected to lead AA's international revenue management effort, Stache served as manager-airline profitability analysis and gained strong sales experience as manager-sales strategy and analysis...Delta Air Lines announced the promotion of two Delta veterans to head the airline's international and sales divisions. Both promotions were effective July 1. Jorge Fernandez, formerly director-Latin America and Caribbean, is now vice president-international and alliances, replacing Paul Matsen, who was recently named Delta's senior vice president and chief marketing officer. Pam Elledge, formerly director-sales and distribution, is now vice president-sales and distribution, replacing Lee Macenczak, recently promoted to senior vice president and chief human resources officer. Fernandez and Elledge will report to Matsen. Fernandez will be responsible for all of Delta's Caribbean, Latin American, Pacific and Transatlantic operations. In addition, he is charged with developing Delta's international and alliances strategy, managing Delta's role in the SkyTeam global alliance and overseeing codeshare relationships with 16 partner airlines around the globe Fernandez joined Delta in 1999 from Veridian Engineering. His previous career experience also includes 24 years in the U.S. Air Force as a command pilot, strategic planner and international affairs advisor. Originally from Cuba, Fernandez was recently named by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential Hispanics" in the U.S. for 2003. Elledge, who began working for Delta in 1980, has varied experience within the marketing division. She will be responsible for implementing industry- leading technology solutions, developing key strategic sales partnerships and continuing to expand delta.com...TeamSAI, a Denver-based global aviation strategy and operations consulting firm, appointed Christopher Doan as president and chief operating officer. Doan brings 37 years of airline, technical and manufacturing executive experience to the consulting and executive search practice he will lead at TeamSAI. Most recently, Doan was president of Triumph Precision Casting Company. Prior to that, he was the senior executive responsible for maintenance, engineering and related operations for US Airways and Northwest Airlines...World Airways, Inc., an international passenger and cargo charter airline, has named two vice presidents at the company's headquarters in Peachtree City, Ga. Gary Goodpaster was promoted from director to vice president-flight operations. A 15-year World veteran, Goodpaster is an MD-11 captain and check airman. He had previous experience with United Express. Larry Montford has been named vice president-technical operations. He is responsible for maintenance of World's wide-body fleet of 16 MD-11 and DC-10 aircraft. Formerly vice president of technical operations for Air Jamaica, Montford has more than 24 years of aviation experience, including positions with Northwest Airlines and USAirways. Goodpaster and Montford both report to Charles McDonald, senior vice president-operations.

CRUISES: Delta Queen Steamboat Company, owned by Delaware North Companies, has named cruise veteran Bruce Nierenberg as its new president. Nierenberg will oversee operations for the American-flagged Delta Queen, Mississippi Queen and American Queen. He replaces former President Rick Abramson, who has been named president of Delaware North Companies Sportservice. Nierenberg, who previously served as Delta Queen's executive vice president and as a consultant to the line, has held top executive posts with Norwegian Cruise Line, Premier Cruise Lines, Costa Cruise Line and American Family Cruises...Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. named Susan Hooper as managing director-Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Hooper will be responsible for developing and implementing a comprehensive business development strategy throughout the EMEA market. She will report to Jack Williams, Royal Caribbean's president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining Royal Caribbean, Hooper served as commercial vice president, EMEA, for Avis Europe. In that position, she was responsible for overseeing the company's global and regional sales, brand marketing, corporate strategy, e-Commerce, pricing, revenue and yield management, and customer-contact centers. Hooper also has held senior positions in general management, brand marketing and strategy with PepsiCo, Frito-Lay International and the global consulting firm McKinsey & Company in both Eastern and Western Europe...Silversea Cruises has appointed Kari Tarnowski as director of marketing, North America. Tarnowski was previously director of marketing for Hotels.com. She will also be responsible for Silversea's Venetian Society loyalty program and its guest relations. Separately, Cindy Litzie has joined Silversea as regional sales director based in Southern California. Her area includes Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Westside and parts of Orange County, reporting to Christine Anderson, Western regional director. Litzie previously served as director of loyalty programs and guest relations for Crystal Cruises...Laura Flager was named project liaison for Celebrity Cruises' program with Cirque du Soleil. She reports to Jim Cannon, Celebrity's manager of entertainment...Holland America Line has created a new Culinary Arts Department and appointed Steve Kirsch as director of culinary operations. The department will oversee all food service operations across the fleet as well as Holland America's new Culinary Arts Theaters, which feature show kitchens with broadcast capabilities. Holland America ships will also add wine and gourmet specialty shops. Kirsch joined HAL in 1987 after several years in food and beverage operations for Westin Hotels. He reports to Johan Groothuizen, vice president-marine hotel operations.

HOTELS: Omni Hotels promoted Michael Deitemeyer, formerly the company's chief operating officer, to president, effective immediately. In addition to his current responsibilities, in his new position Deitemeyer will also be charged with the product development, human resources and development areas. Jim Caldwell, who formerly held the president's title, will continue as chief executive officer. Deitemeyer is a 13-year veteran of Omni Hotels and its parent company, TRT Holdings. He joined the Shoreline Operating Company, the former hotel operating arm of TRT, in 1992 as controller and moved up in the ranks to become chief operating officer of Omni Hotels in 1999. Omni Hotels based in Irving, Texas, offers luxury accommodations at 40 hotels and resorts in North America... Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc. announced a new development structure that is intended to accelerate growth through future acquisitions, joint ventures and new development opportunities. Tom Storey will take on the new role of executive vice president-development and will work alongside CEO William Fatt in Toronto to further define and execute Fairmont's growth strategy. Along with his new responsibilities, Storey will continue to oversee the company's vacation ownership division, but will relinquish his duties relating to sales and marketing. Prior to this appointment, Storey served as Fairmont's executive vice president-business development and strategy and has sat on the company's investment committee for the past four years. Previously, he held senior management positions with a number of U.S. lodging companies including Marriott, Doubletree, Radisson and Promus. Meanwhile, John Johnston will take on the new position of executive vice president for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Also reporting to Fatt, Johnston will be responsible for managing Fairmont's overseas operations and the brand's development opportunities in these regions. Johnston is a veteran hotelier who has worked with other hotel companies, including Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts and Loews Hotels. Most recently, Johnston was Fairmont's executive vice president-development...Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has promoted Tom Conophy from senior vice president and chief technology officer to executive vice president and chief technology officer. Conophy, who has overseen all the technological enhancements at the company since he joined Starwood in 2000, will continue to supervise Starwood's technology strategy and lead the company's information technology team and all associated initiatives, reporting to Bob Cotter, Starwood's president and chief operating officer. Prior to joining Starwood, Conophy served as senior vice president-strategic architecture for Sabre Inc., which he joined in 1996. Before joining Sabre, Conophy spent a decade with Galileo International (previously Covia/United Airlines), where he held the consecutive positions of design analyst, technical systems development manager, and general manager of Intuitive Products Technology...Wyndham International, Inc. named Philip Gosch as senior vice president, acquisitions and development, effective immediately. In his new position, Gosch will be responsible for new business development through acquisitions, new management and franchise contracts, brand affiliation arrangements, leases and joint ventures, as well as asset dispositions. Gosch came to Wyndham in 2001 as vice president and assistant general counsel. In August 2003, he was promoted to senior vice president, chief counsel, real estate and finance, where he had primary responsibility for the legal aspects of all real estate and finance transactions and project development. Prior to joining Wyndham, Gosch spent seven years with law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York specializing in real estate transactions with emphasis in development and finance management...

Cendant Corporation's Hotel Group appointed Erik Sabato to the post of director-sports accounts, responsible for managing key client relationships and strategies throughout North America and developing new marketing initiatives to increase the company's share of the sports market. Sabato, who will be based in Colorado, had served the Hotel Group as a contractor since February 2002 and was an integral part of the successful launch of its sports program in August 2002. Prior to working with Cendant, he was the owner of Team Lodging, a sports consulting company in Greenwood Village, Colo. From 1996 to 2004 he worked for the Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club as part of its Media Relations Game Night staff. From 2000 to 2002, he was director, national sports marketing, for La Quinta Inns in Dallas. He also worked for Vail Cascade Resort & Spa in Vail, Colo., as national sales manager from 1997 to 2000, and has held various sales management positions at both the Embassy Suites Hotel & Athletic Club in Denver, Colo., from 1995 to 1997, and the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York from 1993 to 1995...Rosewood Hotels & Resorts named Rik Blyth as managing director of luxury resort Caneel Bay on St. John in the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI). Blyth succeeds Brian Young, who is relocating to Dallas to become vice president of operations at Rosewood. Blyth began his career with Hyatt Hotels in Seattle in 1980, holding management positions of increasing responsibility at hotels in California, Minneapolis and Chicago. He also served as general manager of Sugar Bay Resort in the USVI, and is head of the USVI Hotel and Tourism Association Communications Committee... Four Seasons Resort Nevis named Martin Sinclair as general manager. Sinclair replaces Robert Whitfield, who will become general manager of the new Four Seasons Hotel in Palo Alto, Calif., heading the hotel's pre-opening team. Whitfield was with the Nevis property for six years. Sinclair joined Four Seasons Resort Nevis in September 2002 as resort manager. Effective Aug. 1, Todd Cilano, currently director of rooms at Four Seasons London, takes over as resort manager at Four Seasons Nevis...The Ritz-Carlton, St. Thomas named Brad Jencks as general manager. Jencks previously worked for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels and other resort development projects. He replaces Jamie Holmes, who has relocated to a luxury lodge in Montana...Presidente InterContinental Hotels & Resorts has appointed Amadeo Cruz as sales and marketing director at the Presidente InterContinental Guadalajara. Cruz previously held a number of top executive posts at Camino Real, Westin, Radisson and Sidektur. For the past 10 years, he was director of dales and marketing at various properties throughout Mexico, including the Camino Real Leon, Continental Plaza Veracruz, Fiesta Americana Hermosillo and Crowne Plaza Torremar Veracruz...Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts named Desmond Hatton as general manager of Shangri-La's Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa, Muscat, effective July 1. The hotel is Shangri-La's first property in Oman and is scheduled to open in summer 2005. Hatton joined the group in 1994 as general manager of Shangri-La's Fijian Resort in Fiji; Traders Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar; Rasa Ria Resort in Sabah, Malaysia;, and most recently Mactan Island Resort in Cebu, the Philippines. Meanwhile, Timothy Wright, currently general manager of the Shangri-La Hotel project in New Delhi, has moved to replace Hatton as general manager at Shangri-La's Mactan Island Resort in Cebu, starting 28 June 2004. Gilbert Jung, most recently general manager of Shangri-La Hotel, Penang, has transferred to Shangri-La Hotel, New Delhi. The property, Shangri-La's first hotel in India, will open in January 2005 with 326 guest rooms. Replacing Jung in Penang will be C.V. Healy, who has previously held general manager positions at the group's hotels in Taipei, Shanghai and Qingdao...Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group has named Susanne Hatje as general manager of its new hotel under development in Hong Kong, The Landmark Mandarin Oriental, due to open mid-2005. Hatje has worked for Mandarin Oriental in senior positions for nearly five years. Most recently she was resident manager at Kahala Mandarin Oriental, Hawaii. Prior to that, she was general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Munich, and was also instrumental in guiding the former Rafael hotel's smooth transition into Mandarin Oriental's fold...

Kempinski Hotels & Resorts has appointed John Serbrock as regional vice president sales and marketing for the Asia Pacific region. This appointment is part of Kempinski's continued expansion in China, where it now manages five properties (Beijing, Chengdu, Dalian, Shenyang and Wuxi). Projects are also being finalized in Sanya and Urumqi. Serbrock is based at the Kempinski Hotel Beijing Lufthansa Center in Beijing and will oversee the sales and marketing activities of all Kempinski properties and projects in the Asia Pacific region. He was previously group director of marketing and sales for Bilderberg Hotels & Resorts for the past six years and previously worked with Kempinski from 1996 to 1998 in Geneva, where he was responsible for the sales and marketing activities of Kempinski Hotels in Europe, Middle East and Africa...Patrick Quek, one of the founders of PKF Consulting, the national hospitality consulting firm, is retiring as its president and CEO. PKF Consulting is one of three entities under the holding company, Hospitality Asset Advisors International. The other two are the PKF Capital Markets Group and the Hospitality Research Group, based in Atlanta. Quek's CEO responsibilities will be split between Thomas Callahan, PKF Consulting's chief financial officer and former executive vice president in charge of the firm's San Francisco office, and David Arnold, former executive vice president in charge of the firm's Philadelphia office. Arnold will oversee the PKF Consulting offices in the East--Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Houston, and Atlanta--while Callahan will handle the firm's Western offices--San Francisco and Los Angeles. Callahan will continue as CFO of the firm. As co-CEOs, Callahan and Arnold will also be in charge of Hospitality Asset Advisors. R. Mark Woodworth, will continue as executive managing director of the Hospitality Research Group and be responsible for all marketing and national brand awareness for all three of the entities under Hospitality Asset Advisors. Quek began his career with the Management Advisory Services (MAS) division of accounting firm Pannell Kerr Forster (then Harris Kerr Forster) in 1973. He rose to become the firm's national director of MAS. In 1992, with the restructuring of Pannell Kerr Forster, Quek and several other consulting executives (including Callahan and Arnold) purchased its hospitality consulting practice and launched PKF Consulting...

David Carroll and Chris Corrado have been named Central Division vice presidents for Harrah's Entertainment, Inc. The company also named Michael O'Hagan as vice president of Harrah's Operating Company, a subsidiary of Harrah's Entertainment. Carroll and Corrado join Harrah's from Horseshoe Gaming Holding Corp., which was acquired by Harrah's on July 1. O'Hagan is a four-year veteran of Harrah's. Carroll has been named Central Division vice president of human resources; Corrado has been named Central Division vice president of marketing; and O'Hagan is now Harrah's vice president of human resources operations. Carroll and Corrado will report to Anthony Sanfilippo, president of Harrah's Central Division; O'Hagan will report to Jerry Boone, Harrah's senior vice president of human resources. In his new position, Carroll will be responsible for human resources operations in the nine-property Central Division, which includes the three Horseshoe properties in Indiana, Louisiana and Mississippi. Carroll joined Horseshoe Gaming as senior vice president of human resources in 1997. He has nearly 30 years of experience in human resources management, including positions with Southwest Airlines, Mattel Toys and Harrah's Shreveport. Corrado will be the top marketing executive for Harrah's Central Division. As Horseshoe's senior vice president of marketing, he oversaw database marketing, advertising, players club and investor relations initiatives for Horseshoe Gaming. As Harrah's vice president of human resources operations, O'Hagan will oversee the company's human resources operations and strategy in the Eastern and Western divisions. O'Hagan is currently responsible for executive talent management. Since joining the company in 2000, he has served as vice president of human resources for the Western Division, vice president of human resources for Harrah's Lake Tahoe, and director of human resources for Harrah's Reno...Alliance Gaming Corp. said that Richard (Dick) Haddrill has been appointed president and chief executive officer effective Oct. 1, 2004. Haddrill succeeds Robert Miodunski, who will remain CEO until Sept. 30, and will serve as a consultant to Alliance Gaming's board of directors. Alliance Gaming also formed an Office of the Chairman to oversee a seamless transition and management succession. The Office of the Chairman will consist of Board members David Robbins (Chairman) and Joel Kirschbaum, Dick Haddrill, newly appointed CEO, and Robert Miodunski. Haddrill has served on the Board of Directors for Alliance since April 2003 and most recently completed five years as CEO of Manhattan Associates, Inc., a leader in software solutions to the supply chain industry throughout the world...Invicta Group Inc. hired Joe Fahoome as president of subsidiary Casino Rated Players Inc. Fahoome has more than 25 years experience in the casino industry and was co-owner of VIP Junkets of Detroit, Mich. He will be located in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., and will report directly to CEO Bill Forhan. Invicta Group Inc. is a technology company that specializes in the travel and entertainment industries.

TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Key2Travel Inc., a provider of entertainment, concierge, and VIP services in top destinations worldwide, has appointed Michael Daly to oversee the development of a national sales and account management team, as well as the creation of a global distribution channel. Key2Travel allows customers to plan their stay beyond the traditional air, hotel and ground transportation reservations through a transaction-based platform. Daly comes to Key2Travel from Travelocity Business, where he was senior sales director for the Western Region. Prior to that, he held several sales positions with GetThere, another Sabre Holdings business unit. Before joining GetThere, Daly owned a consulting company specializing in online travel management, founded www.traveltaxi.com, and held several senior executive positions at TransAmTravel.com. He launched his career in the travel industry as a sales executive in New York with United Airlines in the early 1990s.

TOUR OPERATORS: Private Label Travel Inc., based in Downers Grove, Ill., a top branded tour operator, has retained Cathy Featherstone, Brenda Dubeck, Sherrie Holl and Anne Finn to oversee the marketing and sales efforts of the Private Label brands and product lines, including MTI Vacations. Private Label, which acquired MTI Vacations in 2002, will re-launch its Hawaii and Mexico product line later this month. Private Label currently operates Amtrak Vacations, Play Thru Golf Tours, MTI Vacations, Ski Vacation Planners and Touritalia.

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