September 2008 Archives

Leading global visitor attraction operator, Merlin Entertainments, has announced a reorganisation of its Midway division. 

This division incorporates its short stay and city centre global attraction brands - Madame Tussauds, Sea Life, Dungeons and Legoland Discovery Centres - as well as The London Eye and London Aquarium.

In future the division will be split into four geographic regions - London, Europe, USA West and USA East, each led by a divisional operating head responsible for the day to day management and development of all attractions in the region.

James Burleigh is the new Midway Divisional Director for Europe.  His responsibilities include all Merlin attractions across Europe (excluding London) - all SEA LIFE attractions; Madame Tussauds in Amsterdam and Berlin; and the Dungeons in Hamburg, Edinburgh and York.  He will be supported by 3 business unit heads - Meike Schulze (Germany); Iain Hawkins (UK) and Roland Maes (rest of Europe).

David Sharpe retains his existing role as Midway Divisional Director, London, which now incorporates the London Aquarium; in addition to The London Eye; Madame Tussauds, London; and the London Dungeon.

Adrian Jones (General Manager Midway USA West) and Janine DiGioacchino (General Manager Midway USA East) retain their existing roles.  Both areas are planned to expand significantly in 2009 with the opening of Madame Tussauds in Hollywood; and the Pepsi Globe and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre opening in Meadowlands, near New York. 

Chief executive of Visit London James Bidwell is leaving the organisation to become managing director at US lifestyle brand Anthropologie.

Now there is an interesting move out of travel.

Robert Sinclair has been appointed as the chief executive officer of Bristol International Airport. He will take up his new position on 20 October.

Formerly Chief Financial Officer of Auckland International Airport in New Zealand and a qualified lawyer and chartered accountant, Sinclair brings a broad range of airport management and general business experience to the role.

In his most recent role at Auckland Airport, he had responsibility for the finance, strategy, corporate affairs and IT divisions at an airport handling more than 13 million passengers per annum. 

Auckland Airport is the premier gateway to New Zealand receiving more than 70 per cent of the country's international visitors.  Auckland Airport was recently ranked third in the world in the annual Airports Council International awards for overall passenger satisfaction for airports that manage 5 to 15 million travelers.

All Leisure Group has announced the appointmentment of Geoff Lawrence as sales and marketing director with immediate effect.

With 17 years of experience in the travel industry, Lawrence, who has previously worked for Thomson and First Choice, joins the team from Cadogan Holidays. He will work across the Swan Hellenic and Voyages of Discovery brands.

David Yellow, managing director of Voyages of Discovery, said: "I am pleased to welcome Geoff to the group. His strategic marketing experience and innovative thinking will add considerably to the strength of both of our unique cruising brands."

Lawrence said: "I am delighted to be joining such a successful cruise business. The challenge ahead is an exciting one - to implement a new strategic marketing plan that appeals not only to our existing client base but also strives to recruit new customers in what remains a very competitive market place."

Michael Gibson has been appointed groups manager of the Travel Bureau in Gosforth, Newcastle upon Tyne.

Gibson was previously sales and marketing manager at Madventurer.

Transfer company Resorthoppa has appointed Stephen Rhodes as managing director from the 1st October 2008.

CHI Hotels and Resorts (formerly Corinthia Hotels International) has announced the appointment of Glenn Carroll in the strategic position of senior vice president for sales and marketing for CHI.

This senior appointment follows the reorganisation of the company's sales and marketing structure twelve months ago.

Carroll will be based in Hammersmith, London, in the Wyndham Hotels Group's international offices, where he will establish a CHI Hotels and Resorts presence following the joint venture agreement between the two companies.

Carroll previously spent 20 years in senior sales and marketing positions with Expotel, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts, Millennium and Copthorne Hotels, Park Plaza Hotels and more recently as group sales and marketing director for Como Hotels and Resorts and vice president sales and marketing Europe for Oberoi Hotels and Resorts.

Touring specialists Insight Vacations and Trafalgar Tours have recruited Helen Tate as sales manager covering the south west of England.

Tate joins the team from independent agency Travel World, prior to this she was sales manager for Titan Travel.

Tate joins a four-strong field sales team supported by an office-based sales support executive and sales director Paul Melinis, who both work from the London offices of parent company The Travel Corporation, one of the largest privately owned travel companies in the world. 

Other group brands include youth coach operator Contiki, AAT Kings and many more.

Other sales managers on the road are:

• Stephanie Parker, covering the North: Stephanie has years of experience in the touring sector as she previously worked for Titan Travel.
• Shirley Spooner, covering the Midlands and the South Coast: Shirley previously worked in sales roles for Prestige Holidays and Complete Caribbean.
• Jacqueline Pangman, covering London and the South: Jacqueline used to be a tour director for Insight Vacations, primarily in Spain and Portugal so she has invaluable first-hand knowledge of the companies' products.
  

Sales director Paul Melinis said: "I'm delighted the Helen has joined the team. Thanks to their combined experience we've got one of the most knowledgeable and fun teams in the business which added to the 60 year history of the group puts us in a very strong position to grow our market share even further."

The Langham has appointed Diarmuid Buckley as director of sales and Graham Parsons as director of conferences.
 
Buckley joins The Langham, London with over 20 years experience in the hospitality industry and a well established track record in London's five star hotel market. 

Most recently he held the position of director of sales at Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park. 

Buckley has also worked at Kempinski Hotels and Resorts, The Berkeley Hotel Knightsbridge, The Waldorf Meridien and The Landmark.
 
Parsons brings with him 15 years of conference and events experience, having held positions at some of London's most exclusive hotels including Four Seasons Hotel and Claridge's. 

He was general manager of Searcy Tansley and Company Ltd, Knightsbridge, for seven years, responsible for the co-ordination of the bedrooms and banqueting department. 

Industry leader Tom Nutley has joined international marketing company Representation Plus as non-executive Director.

Trustee and treasurer of the charity Just a Drop and non-executive president of Reed Travel Exhibitions, Nutley joins Representation Plus as a non-executive board director to develop the company's future strategy and expand its client base.

"I am honoured that Tom has accepted this role with Representation Plus," comments Alison Cryer, managing director.

"Tom brings a wealth of international contacts and a solid reputation within the Global Travel Industry for his integrity and business acumen which will greatly benefit the company in this stage of its development".

The Bowen Travel Group has appointed Sharon Jakeman as general sales manager.

Jakeman worked for 20 years at Flights Coach Travel and for the past five years in a similar role at Silverline Travel. Her main areas of responsibility will be maximising coach hire and developing the private hire business, with a view to introducing a conference and events programme and meet and greet service for corporate clients.

She is keen to develop further the profile of this leading coach operator.

Thetrainline.com has appointed Murray Hennessy as chief executive officer.

Hennessy was most recently chief executive of Avis Europe, prior to which he was commercial director for John Lewis department stores, with specific responsibility for the business's online activities.

Hennessy assumes responsibility for accelerating the growth of thetrainline.com in the consumer market and building on its strength in providing online solutions for the rail and travel industries. He takes over from Alan Tomlin who left at the end of August.

Cadogan Holidays has appointed two new members in its marketing team.

Jane Wilkinson has joined Cadogan Holidays as marketing manager. She will be responsible for the analysis, planning, management and execution of the marketing strategy for the company, and for brand development of the luxury tour operator.

Wilkinson, who will report to Tom Allen, managing director, joins after a few months of working with the company on an interim basis.

Wilkinson has extensive experience in the tourism and leisure industry, and has a strong background in sailing and yachting, having worked in PR and marketing roles for Navimo UK, and the America's Cup in New Zealand and the UK. 

Ipswich-based cruise line, Fred Olsen, has announced the appointment of Malcolm Cullen as director of hotel operations.

Cullen brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having many years' experience working with cruise lines.

He originally qualified as a chef, graduating form Ealing College in 1984 and started his sea-going career in 1986 aboard Pacific Princess.

He has worked for Princess Cruises, P&O and Fred Olsen as a bar manager, food and beverage manager and hotel manager.

In 2002 he left the seafaring life and bought a hotel which he renovated, but land-based life quickly lost its charm and Malcolm returned to the sea, serving about Fred. Olsen's Black Watch in 2007. 

In October 2007, he joined the Hotel Operations Team in the Ipswich office.

Managing Director Mike Rodwell said: "We are delighted that Malcolm is now heading up our hotel operations team, as his many years of hands-on service on board ship, followed by a stint in the office prove his all-round experience of this very important sector of our cruise operations. "

Qatar Airways has expanded its corporate sales team with the appointment of two new corporate account managers, Tom Breakell and Leanne Mehmet.
 
Breakell joins the airline from Silverjet where he held the position of business development executive, responsible for managing high profile client and travel management company relations.

Mehmet previously worked as a senior sales executive for Emirates Airline and more recently as corporate sales manager at Continental Airlines.
 
Qatar Airways regional manager south and west Europe Brett McDougall said, "We are delighted to welcome Tom and Leanne to the team. They will be real assets to the airline and we have no doubt their extensive corporate travel experience will prove invaluable in broadening and strengthening our relationship with our corporate travel trade partners."

Andrew Nicholson has been appointed managing director at TravelTainment UK. In this new position he reports directly to Andrew Owen-Jones who is managing director international at the global TravelTainment - the Amadeus Leisure Group.

TravelTainment's internet booking engine allows consumers to search thousands of destinations. It powers the websites of 250 travel agents and tour operators in Germany and has a growing portfolio in the UK including Anatolian Sky, Perfect-trip, 24 Holidays and Littleescapes.

Europaische Reiseversicherung, Europe's leading provider of travel insurance, has today announced the appointment of Ron Hemelrijk as Director of International Sales and Marketing, effective October 1st 2008.

Reporting directly to Richard Bader, Member of the Board, Hemelrijk is responsible for the further global development of e-commerce partnerships for all platforms of Europaische.

Apart from the cross-national support of existing partnerships, the main responsibility of his position includes the development of the global network of new markets and portfolio.

Macau Government Tourist Office has appointed Hume Whitehead Limited to raise the destination's profile, communicate key messages and increase visitors from the UK and Irish markets.

The appointment comes at an exciting time for Macau, one of the fastest growing destinations in 2008.  

The agency's focus will be to ensure that the destination becomes a "must visit" on any Far East holiday, as well as the perfect location for business events and conventions. 

Worldhotels, the international hotel group for independent hotels, announced today the appointment of Robert Hornman as vice president Europe Middle East and Africa and Worldwide Sales and Distribution.

In this newly created position, he will oversee all operations within the EMEA region for the company, as well as assuming worldwide responsibilities for the sales and distribution activities of the group.

Hornman will join the company on September 16th and will be based at the company's corporate head office in Frankfurt, Germany.
 
Hornman joins Worldhotels from Accor where he served in a number of positions, including Vice President Sales and Marketing Asia, as well as Vice President Global Sales and Business Development in the company's head office in Paris.

Previous roles include Managing Director of former Accor Dorint SMARD GmbH, a sales, marketing management and distribution company responsible for the 400 Accor Dorint hotels in Germany at the time, and Vice President Operations Sofitel for Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Eastern Countries.

Premier Holidays has announced the appointment of Dave Kneale as their new sales manager for the south of England.

Dave joins Premier from OVP Travel where he was national key account manager for the past three years; he has also worked for Shearings Holidays and Airtours.

Said head of sales and marketing, Debbie Goffin: "We are delighted to welcome Dave on board and are sure that his experience and contacts will make him a valuable addition to our agents' support team."

Servair has announced the appointment of Claude Thenevin as Executive Vice President Sales, Marketing and Innovation.

Thenevin, aged 57, started out with Air France in 1974 where he developed his
commercial and marketing expertise, in France and abroad, gaining experience in various
different functions.

After a period as Financial Manager coordinating several Air France management divisions, in 1992 he took charge of the subsidiaries of the Air France Group.

Then, he continued his career as Regional Representative for various geographical zones
(Spain, Portugal, and Central Europe). In 2003 he was appointed as Regional Representative for Air France in Japan (whichbecame Air France-KLM in 2006), the position that he held until joining Servair.

Claude Thenevin graduated from the Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers in Paris
where he specialised in Finance and Accounting.

Norwich-based holiday firm The UK Holiday Group has recruited Phil Maynard as sales and marketing manager for Grand UK Hotels.

Maynard has been in the travel trade for more than 18 years, mainly with the inbound sector, in both the leisure and corporate markets.

He moves to Grand UK Hotels from his role as a senior manager with Kalago, a London-based destination management and events company.

"This new role with Grand UK Hotels is very exciting for me as it is a blank canvas. I wanted a new challenge and this is a wonderful company with a proven track record of success," he said.

"I shall be seeing how we can generate more business for the hotels and approaching plenty of associations and clubs. I am also excited about meeting all the folks at the hotels."

Phil's first opportunity to meet the trade will be at the Group Leisure Travel Trade Show in Birmingham on 24th-25th September.

Sales director Harold Burke said: "The hotels group has taken on a life of its own so I am pleased to hand over the sales and marketing reins to Phil as he will help us to open up lots of new business opportunities for the properties."

Grand UK Hotels carried out more than £410,000 worth of renovations at two of its nine properties earlier this year as part of an ongoing refurbishment programme.

The Hotel Richmond in Torquay - acquired in July 2007 - reopened earlier this year after a first-phase refurbishment costing £250,000.

And the Glen Usk Hotel in Llandrindod Wells, mid-Wales, completed a £160,000 renovation project in conjunction with the Heritage Trust.

The nine hotels are all in ideal touring locations from the south coast to the Scottish Highlands, and are suited to the more mature holidaymaker.

For more details see

Hays Travel acts on expansion plans by taking on four new directors as well as promoting within the company.

The Sunderland-based company has appointed directors to head up roles in marketing, Hays Faraway, Hays Beds and foreign exchange.

Charlie Bateson joins as Head of Web and Direct Marketing - he had previously worked as Marketing Director for Trailfinders.

Nick Coates joins as Sales and Commercial Director for Hays Faraway. Nick joins the company from Audley Travel where he was Sales and Operations Director.

Nigel Hebron is the new Finance and Commercial Director for Hays Beds Limited - Hays' new wholly owned subsidiary which has been created to supply quality, price-competitive hotel and apartment accommodation to the rest of the group.

Nigel joins from Huntsman Chemicals, where he was Financial Controller for Europe.

Sue Jarvis has recently become Finance and Operations Director of Hays Foreign Exchange Ltd. Sue joined Hays Travel six years ago as an accountant and after a couple of years moved into general management in the commercial department and then the foreign exchange team. She now takes on responsibility for Hays Foreign Exchange Ltd with a director's role.

Andrea Kendal has been in the travel industry for 18 years and started with Hays Travel in 2006 as an area sales manager for the Hays Travel Independence Group. After a year she moved into the commercial team as Commercial Manager and now Andrea takes on the role of Head of Cruise, where she is responsible for cruise sales across the Hays Travel group.  

Holiday Inn Edinburgh North has appointed new general manager, Gehan Eriyagama to raise the profile of the premium three-star hotel, just 1.5 miles from the city centre.

Gehan brings a wealth of hospitality management experience to his new role, most recently as operations manager at the Carlton Hotel for three years, and similar roles with Macdonald Hotels at the Holyrood Hotel and Houston House Hotel. He has also held managerial roles within Crown Plaza and Ramada Jarvis Hotels.

Stephen Rhodes, commercial and product director, Stella Travel Services UK, sent this email to colleagues announcing his departure from the travel company. 

I wanted to be the first to let you know that I have decided to leave Stella Travel Services UK.

Following Maria Whiteman's (Managing Director Travel 2) recent return from maternity leave, my previous role which covered air product, ground product and commercial and trading has changed with the setting up of a dedicated air department for Stella Travel Services UK and Global ground buying for all worldwide Stella Travel Group companies.

These changes in role and responsibilities have, after a great deal of thought, led me to the decision to move on and look for a broader position outside the organisation. My last day with Stella Travel Services will be 19 September 2008.

I wish to thank my Ground Product and Commercial & Trading teams for their support and thank my past and current colleagues who have made my time at Travel 2 and Stella Travel Services most enjoyable.

At this stage a replacement has not been announced and Maria will be in touch when she has more news.

Thank you for your support over the past few years and I am sure we will come in contact again as I very much intend to stay within the travel industry.