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The Travel Career Connexxions Opportunities Newsletter
09/28/04 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 http://www.TravelExecutive.com This week in Opportunities:
USTOA Signs on with Travel Career Connexxions 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 9/28/04 there are 107 executive-level travel jobs published in the Travel Career Connexxions employment report. Positions include Director of Vacation Packaging (9/24), Sr. Director of Marketing (9/23), Vice President of OPNS/RESV (9/14), Director of Airline Contracting (9/16), Assistant Vice President of Corporate Communications (9/07), 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! USTOA Signs on with Travel Career Connexxions Travel Career Connexxions, Inc., the travel industry's first executive-centric career development site, announced an agreement with the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), a professional group representing the tour operator industry. The agreement provides USTOA with an automated travel industry job board where members may list and find travel jobs and career opportunities. "We are very pleased to be providing services to the USTOA," said Matt Garton, president of Travel Career Connexxions. "The United States Tour Operators Association is comprised of many top tour operators that may now participate in a free job listing service specific to their industry segment. Our system will provide this free additional benefit to USTOA members to help them recruit and find employment in the most cost effective manner possible." In the near future, Travel Career Connexxions will provide information about events and meetings hosted by the USTOA on the Travel Career Connexxions web site, TravelExecutive.com. In return, the USTOA will provide discounts for Travel Career Connexxions subscription services. Web site visitors now receive 20 percent off all Travel Career Connexxions subscriptions. USTOA members may also view member job openings free of charge. "This agreement with Travel Career Connexxions provides a professional job listing service for our members at no cost. It is another value added benefit of being a USTOA member," said Robert Whitley, president of the USTOA. Travel Career Connexxions features the Travel Executive Employment Report (TM), which highlights executive level job openings, compelling articles and networking opportunities. The agreement also extends free services to human resource professionals and other hiring managers who would like to post job openings on the Travel Executive site and within the Travel Career Connexxions network. For a small monthly fee, Travel Career Connexxions provides hotel and travel executives access to executive-level travel job openings; salary surveys; access to networking "connectors"; and monthly articles focusing on career growth opportunities in eight travel industry sectors, including Hotels, Technology, Air, Cruise, Tour Operators, Travel Agents, Car Rentals, and Convention and Visitor Bureaus. Carnival Corp. Sets Major Order for Five Ships The cruise industry is expanding-and there's no turning back. Carnival Corp. & plc last week signed an agreement with Italy's Fincantieri SpA shipyard to build four cruise ships and redesign a fifth at a reported total cost of as much as $2.5 billion. Carnival Chairman and CEO Micky Arison said the alliance with Fincantieri lays the foundation for its newbuild program in 2007 and 2008 and allows the company to simultaneously execute its two-pronged growth strategy. The U.S. dollar agreement calls for the construction of a 110,000-ton "Conquest-class" ship for Carnival Cruise Lines at Fincantieri's Sestri yard and a 116,000-ton "Caribbean Princess-class" ship for Princess Cruises at Fincantieri's Monfalcone yard. Both ships are expected to be delivered in spring 2007. The euro-based agreement includes two similar-sized vessels--one that is 110,000 tons carrying approximately 3,000 lower berth passengers and another 116,000 tons carrying approximately 3,100 lower berth passengers. While the agreements for these ships have been signed, Carnival has a one-year option to designate which of the company's brands will take delivery of the vessels. Both are scheduled for delivery in spring 2008. They will be built at Fincantieri's Sestri and Monfalcone yards. The agreement with Fincantieri also includes a significant redesign of the Queen Victoria, for which the order was previously announced in April 2004. The vessel will be lengthened by 11 meters and its tonnage increased to 90,000 with its lower berth passenger capacity increased to 2,000. In addition, the cooperation agreement calls for Carnival to continue working with Fincantieri on new cruise ship development projects, including the "Pinnacle Project," which is a large prototype vessel for the Carnival Cruise Lines brand. Based on the new orders, Carnival's capacity growth will be 5.9 percent in 2007 and 5.1 percent in 2008, compared to an average growth rate of 15 percent in the three-year period from 2002 to 2005. Together, Carnival Corp.'s brands operate 77 ships totaling more than 128,000 lower berths, with 12 new ships scheduled for delivery between November 2004 and spring 2008. Starwood Finally Fills Top Job with Coke Exec As rumored earlier, one of the biggest jobs in the industry just got filled. Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide named Steven Heyer as chief executive officer to succeed company founder Barry Sternlicht, who will assume the post of executive chairman. Heyer, most recently president and COO of The Coca-Cola Company, will join Starwood on Oct. 1, reporting to the company's board of directors. In his new role as executive chairman, Sternlicht will reduce his day-to-day role and work with Heyer and the Starwood team to focus on long-term strategy and provide guidance on capital investment and real estate matters. Sternlicht also will assume the role of chief design officer for the Company. Prior to joining Coca Cola, Heyer was president and COO of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. and a member of AOL Time Warner's Operating Committee. At Turner, Heyer was responsible for all primary revenue and cost centers for the company including its entertainment networks, such as TBS, TNT and Turner Classic Movies, and its news networks, CNN, Headline News, CNNfn, CNNSI, and CNN Airport Network. During his tenure at Turner, Heyer was instrumental on launching 14 new television networks and led the effort to expand Turner's Internet presence, introducing 19 distinct Web sites for its CNN, Cartoon Network and its Turner Classic Movie brands in various languages. Previously, Heyer was president and COO of Young & Rubicam Advertising Worldwide, where he was responsible for Y&R's operations and growth strategies around the world. He also spent 15 years at Booz Allen & Hamilton, ultimately becoming senior vice president and managing partner responsible for the firm's marketing practice worldwide. Marriott Named a Best Company for Working Mothers Want to work for a company that seems to understand the pressures of being a working mother? For the 14th year, Marriott International, Inc. has been named by Working Mother magazine as one of the "100 Best Companies for Working Mothers." Working Mother selects the "100 Best Companies" based on the number of work-life programs offered, as well as the employee usage of such programs. The publication also considers the company's culture, employee population and policies on work-life and women's advancement. This year, Working Mother gave particular weight to three issues: flexible scheduling, time off for new parents and childcare options. To support the company's initiative to advance women, Marriott holds regional leadership conferences, which are available for the company's women executives at all levels. These professional development conferences feature workshops and speakers, and provide opportunities to network and share best practices. The company's programs are specifically designed for its broad range of employees, and include financial support through family care spending accounts and flexible work policies. Additional programs include childcare discounts; education and training; an on-site child development center at headquarters; and referral services for child, elder and family care issues. One of Marriott's most innovative work-life programs is the Marriott Associate Resource Line, which provides confidential advice and referral through a one-stop resource that can address a wide range of personal issues. The nationwide toll-free Associate Resource Line, staffed by professional social workers, supports more than 100 languages and is available to all Marriott associates. Disney Cruise Line Names Tom McAlpin as President There's a new executive at the helm of Disney Cruise Line. Tom McAlpin, DCL's senior vice president of operations, has been promoted to president. McAlpin replaces Karl Holz, who was named president and chief operating officer of Euro Disney SAS, in Paris. In his new role, McAlpin reports directly to Al Weiss, president of the Walt Disney World Resort. As president, McAlpin now oversees the entire DCL business, which is part of the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt Disney Company. He is responsible for leading all aspects of DCL including day-to-day operations for both the shore side and shipboard aspects of the business, the financial performance of the company and future planning. McAlpin has been with DCL since its inception nearly 10 years ago, when he was hired as vice president of finance and chief financial officer. He played an integral role in the creation of Disney Cruise Line through a number of endeavors including the development of the company's original business plan, the negotiation of ship contracts for the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, the purchase of Disney's private island, Castaway Cay, and the development of the Disney Cruise Line signature terminal at Port Canaveral. His most recent responsibilities included overseeing the entire scope of operations for DCL. McAlpin began his career as a CPA and senior auditor for KPMG Peat Marwick, and just prior to joining Disney Cruise Line, he was the director of corporate and financial planning for Royal Caribbean Cruises. Travel Institute Seeks New President After Preece Resigns For the second time in less than two years, The Travel Institute finds itself without a president. In a surprise announcement, the group said that David Preece, CTC, will be leaving his position as president and CEO. Preece was hired in April 2003 after a long search following the departure of the previous president, Jack Mannix. During a transition period through the end of 2004 he will continue to work with the Board of Trustees and the employee team as they implement The Travel Institute's new strategic plan. "I was asked by the trustees to lead the effort to reorient, restructure and revitalize this great organization, and that's exactly what our team accomplished," said Preece. "As I explore new opportunities, I am leaving the execution phase of our plan in the capable hands of a dedicated staff." Since embarking on this new direction nearly two years ago, The Travel Institute has made a variety of important changes in programs, products and organizational structure, and the board leadership anticipates more in the future. The new strategy was built on a foundation of clear and broadly-accepted professional education standards. This approach asserts that the industry's progress will in large part depend on the integrity and use of these standards. The Travel Institute's board is expected to meet soon to discuss a plan to find Preece's successor. President Post Open at Travcoa as Trafalgar Taps Stanley Trafalgar Tours named Tom Stanley as vice president of sales and marketing, effective Oct. 25. But Stanley's move has opened up another top post. He most recently was president of Travcoa, a luxury operator of worldwide tours, based in Newport Beach, Calif. At Travcoa, Stanley introduced innovative programs and grew revenues throughout his tenure. He started his career as a tour manager for Lindblad Travel, later joining Mountain Travel Sobek as specialty travel sales manager. He also founded Safari.net, which is now part of a successful online African tour operator. Trafalgar recently relocated its corporate offices to Anaheim, Calif., from Long Island City, N.Y. Travcoa's parent, Grand Expeditions, also recently saw another departure, when Fred Fillippi, executive vice president overseeing several units, left the company. Network with Top Travel Marketers at DMA Session So you want to grow your career in travel marketing. One of the best places to network in that area is the Direct Marketing Conference for Travel Professionals, to be held Oct. 16-17, 2004 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. Through a partnership between the Direct Marketing Association (DMA) and the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International (HSMAI), top travel industry executives will present ideas and solutions for attendees, such as: Applying multi-channel integration, superior database marketing and customer service to build a premier travel organization; integrating direct mail, Web and direct response television to boost response and revenue; leveraging e-mail relationship management to grow market share; harnessing the Internet to revolutionize database marketing and loyalty programs, while cutting costs; building partnership programs that combine the power of multiple travel industry segments. The conference is targeted to travel marketers from a range of sectors, such as hotels, airlines, cruise lines, casinos, amusement parks, car rentals, convention & visitor's bureaus, tour operators and travel agencies. Among the speakers scheduled to participate are executives from Continental Airlines, Harrah's, Hilton Grand Vacations, Expedia, Travelocity and Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The two-day agenda includes general sessions, keynote addresses and seminars, as well as a reception. The cost to attend the DMA Travel Conference is $449 for HSMAI or DMA members; $499 for non-members. For more information or to register, call 212-790-1500. To register online, or access the full schedule and session details, visit www.dmatravel.org or www.hsmai.org. OPPORTUNITIES EXECUTIVE MOVERS! AIRLINES: Northwest Airlines announced new executive assignments for the Asia-Pacific region as part of its continuing effort to improve operating efficiencies. Jun Mokudai, president of Northwest Airlines Japan, has been named chairman, NWA Japan. In his new role, Mokudai will focus on strategic issues in Japan, including government and airport affairs, corporate and agency relations, alliance development and labor relations. The airline also announced new assignments for two other key executives who also have extensive experience in Northwest's Asia-Pacific operations. Fred Deschamps, vice president-international, has been named vice president-Pacific operations, finance and administration. In addition to his current Asia operations and Pacific finance responsibilities, Deschamps will now be responsible for all Japanese operations, finance and administration functions. Laura Liu, vice president-international marketing and revenue management, has been named vice president-international marketing and sales. In addition to her current responsibility for Pacific region marketing and international revenue management, Liu will add responsibility for all other commercial functions in Japan and Asia...Delta Air Lines named Rob Maruster as vice president-Atlanta Worldport, replacing Lem Wimbish, who recently announced his retirement effective Oct. 1, 2004. Maruster will oversee all aspects of Delta's operation at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, the world's largest single-airline hub, including its transition through the largest single-day network transformation in Delta's history. Maruster began his Delta career as an airport customer service agent in 1993. Since that time, he has held positions of increasing responsibility, including his most recent leadership as director-ACS strategy, planning and performance. In this role, Maruster led several strategic projects, including planning and implementation of Delta's airport transformation in 81 domestic stations. He has also played an instrumental role in the development and execution of processes that provide a foundation for Delta's Atlanta hub restructuring, which takes effect January 31, 2005. Maruster's promotion aligns with Delta's focus on promoting from within... Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC) said William (Bill) Donohue has been named Chicago hub director, responsible for overseeing all AWAC operations at O'Hare International Airport. Donohue will assume the role of hub director on October 1. Donohue began his career in the airline industry with Eastern Airlines in 1980 as an A&P Mechanic. He spent the past 17 years with United Airlines. During his tenure with United, Mr. Donohue was at O'Hare International Airport and held the positions of manager of ground equipment maintenance and the interim manager of planeside operations. In addition, he previously was regional airport manager for the Midwest Region. Most recently, he was the manager of United Express Operations at O'Hare. Air Wisconsin Airlines Corporation (AWAC) operates as a privately held regional airline in partnership with United Airlines and is United's longest-standing regional partner. CRUISES: South Florida port industry veteran Kathy Andress has joined the Port of Palm Beach as deputy port director. Andress brings more than 24 years of experience in Miami-Dade County government, including more than two decades at the Port of Miami. For the past four years, she served as the senior administrator of Miami International Airport Properties at the county's Aviation Department. Her immediate duties at Palm Beach include taking charge of the Hurricane Frances recovery effort. She holds expertise in this area, having coordinated the insurance adjusters and federal emergency management assistance claims for the Port of Miami following Hurricane Andrew in 1992. HOTELS & RESORTS: Grand Heritage Hotel Group, LLC (GHHG), an owner/operators of luxury hotels and resorts, has significantly expanded its management team with the appointments of Michael Schurer as vice president and chief financial officer, Michael Mason as vice president of people and Victor Mills as northeast regional vice president. Schurer, who will be relocating to the company's headquarters in Portland, Ore., joins the company having dedicated his career to the hospitality segment of the real estate industry. He previously served as the CFO of Humphrey Hospitality Trust (a publicly traded hotel REIT), Humphrey Hospitality Management, Inc., (a privately held, third-party hotel management company) and Crown Golf Properties (a privately held golf course development, construction and third-party management company). He also held various senior roles over an eight-year tenure at Marriott International and its wholly owned timeshare development subsidiary, Marriott Vacation Club International. Joining the company as vice president of people is Mason, who brings a wealth of management experience as a private consultant, as well as serving as vice president-human resources for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. Mason introduced a number of successful programs for Starwood, including the Starshare benefit program, and the Sheraton Cares for You and Four Points of Service guest service training programs. Rounding out the expanded management team, Mills brings over 35 years of hospitality management expertise to the company in his new role as northeast regional vice president. Mills will be based in Providence, R.I. He has specialized in numerous turn-around situations as general manager of notable properties, including the Marriott Warner Center, Los Angeles; the Peabody Hotel, Memphis; the Hilton & Towers, Greenville, S.C., and the Peabody Orlando Resort & Hotel in Orlando. Grand Heritage Hotel Group currently manages or owns the Stanley Hotel, Estes Park, Colorado; Vanderbilt Hall Hotel, Newport, and The Biltmore, Providence, Rhode Island; as well as The Governor Hotel and The Avalon Hotel & Spa, Portland, Ore....After eight years as general manager of the legendary Hotel Adlon in Berlin, Gianni van Daalen is assuming the positions of general manager of the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski in Moscow as well as managing director of the Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Owning Company. Due to the unexpected death of the previous general manager of the Hotel Baltschug, van Daalen's transfer to the Russian capital will occur within the next few weeks. His successor at the Adlon will be announced shortly. The Hotel Baltschug Kempinski Moscow is a key anchor in the Kempinski network. Van Daalen was appointed general manager of the Adlon in Berlin in 1996. Under his direction, the hotel celebrated its reopening in 1997 and he oversaw the following years' innovations, renovations and expansions. He also oversaw the development and opening in 2003 of the Kempinski Grand Hotel Heiligendamm on the Baltic Sea. As general manager of the Adlon Kempinski, Van Daalen received numerous national and international awards for his achievements, including "Hotel Manager of the Year 2002" by the European Hotel Managers Association... Joseph Kruvi has been named area vice president, San Diego & South Orange County Regions for Hilton Hotels Corporation. In this new position, he will oversee operations, capital expenditures, budgets, new opportunities and manager-owner relationships for area hotels. He will report to Ernest Wooden, senior vice president of operations for Hilton Hotels Corporation. In his previous role, Kruvi was general manager of the Hilton Burbank & Convention Center. Kruvi began his career in 1976 as catering sales manager for the Hilton New York. He joined the Hilton in Tel Aviv, Israel, in 1980, where he served as director of catering and assistant director, food and beverage. In 1984, he became hotel manager of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, before being promoted to general manager at the Dan Carmel Hotel in Haifa, Israel. He joined Hyatt Hotels Corporation in 1989 as general manager of the Hyatt in Lincolnwood, Ill., and served in the same capacity of the Hyatt Regency in Oakbrook, Ill. In 1994 he returned to Israel to head the opening of the Hyatt Regency Dead Sea Resort & Spa and in 1998, he came to Hilton Hotels Corporation as general manager of the Hilton Burbank & Convention Center...Le MÈridien Hotels & Resorts has named its new regional managing director of Europe. Karyn Marasco, previously the hotel company's manager for the Americas and the Caribbean, now will oversee hotel operations of 47 Le MÈridien properties in the U.K. and the rest of the continent. Marasco joined Le MÈridien in December 2001 as regional managing director-Americas/Caribbean, and was promoted in March 2003 to regional managing director of the Americas/Caribbean-U.K. and Ireland. She will now be based in the company's London corporate headquarters, traveling extensively throughout the U.K. and European region. The appointment fills a hole created by Malcolm Ross, who has left the company. With Marasco's appointment, Lisa Impagliazzo has been appointed area general manager East Coast-Americas, as well as general manager of Le Royal MÈridien King Edward Toronto, where she will be based. Impagliazzo joined the global hotel group in 2002 as vice president of operations-Americas in Le MÈridien's New York Regional Office. Prior to that, she was a general manager for both Marriott and Hilton Hotels, and a regional director of operations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts. In addition to the Toronto property, Impagliazzo will be responsible for hotels in Montreal, Miami, St. Martin, Guadeloupe, Rio de Janeiro and Guyana. She will be based in Toronto. In a new hire, John Strozdas has been appointed area general manager of West Coast-Americas as well as general manager of Le MÈridien at Beverly Hills, where he will be based. His responsibilities will include properties in New York, Minneapolis, Chicago, Palm Springs and Cancun. Immediately prior to joining Le MÈridien, Strozdas worked with ResidenSea and other clients through his own private management consulting service. Prior to that, he did stints as vice president of operations-Americas with Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group; as general manager of Westwood Marquis Hotel and Gardens; and as general manager of Beverly Prescott Hotel. In another promotion, Brian Jones has been appointed vice president of global sales. Jones is responsible for all of the global hotel group's corporate sales efforts. He joined Le MÈridien in July 2002 as vice president of sales-Americas. He will be based in New York...The HouseÇ an upscale property in Paynes Bay, St. James, which is owned and operated by the Elegant Hotels Group, has named Gina-Lee Johnson as general manager. Johnson joined the company in 2000 as deputy general manager at Coconut Creek and Crystal Cove with emphasis on the food and beverage product development for both hotels. Later that year, she was promoted to deputy general manager at Turtle Beach, the largest hotel in the group. She brings a wealth of hospitality knowledge to her new position, spanning approximately 19 years mainly in the Caribbean. Her experience includes positions as a brand manager, assistant team leader of quality control, cooking school instructor, sales and marketing manager, a writer for a magazine and a consultant to restaurants...Accor Asia Pacific named Denis Seigneur as vice president, human Resources-Asia, based in Bangkok. Seigneur has worked for Accor since 1990 in Europe and South America with Eurocar and Accor Reservation Services. Most recently he was the Paris-based human resources director for Accor Services, responsible for 2,900 employees in 32 countries. TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY: Amadeus, the GDS and travel technology provider, announced the appointment of Peter von Moltke as the new senior vice president of the Airline Business Group in North America. Von Moltke will report directly to Kay Urban, Amadeus North America's president and CEO, and to the global vice president of the Airline Business Group, FrÈdÈric Spagnou, based in Madrid. His primary responsibilities will include managing existing provider relationships in North America, securing new airline distribution contracts, and developing strategic relationships with airlines throughout the region. A 25-year travel industry veteran, von Moltke joins Amadeus North America after most recently serving as president and CEO of Lufthansa Systems, Americas, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Lufthansa Systems Group. In addition to his work with Lufthansa, he also previously held executive-level positions with Orbitz, Unisys, Sabre and System One, where his responsibilities included sales and marketing, information technology, system development, customer service and corporate development. DESTINATIONS: LA INC., Los Angeles' Convention and Visitors Bureau has appointed Robin McClain as manager of media relations, responsible for working with international and domestic journalists to showcase Los Angeles as a premier travel destination. McClain was most recently a communications consultant for the Bernard C. Parks for Mayor Campaign. Prior to that, she worked as communications deputy in Council District 8 for council members Bernard C. Parks and Mark Ridley-Thomas. Previously, she was a news reporter for KNX-TV in Phoenix, Ariz., and KSTU-TV in Salt Lake City.
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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