Flavour of the week

There’s a lot to keep up with in our industry, so let us help you with this incredibly informative wrap.

GHM Appoints First Local Female General Manager for The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah in Bali’s Highlands

General Hotel Management Ltd (GHM) has named Deasy Swandarini general manager of its intimate 20-villa resort – The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, Ubud, Bali – a private hideaway nestled in Ubud’s emerald rice paddies.

Balinese by birth, Swandarini joins the GHM family after having spent a large part of her hospitality career in several of Bali’s highly regarded resorts including Kayumanis Nusa Dua, The Royal Santrian Luxury Beach Villas, The Mulia and The Ritz-Carlton Bali. Her extensive knowledge of sales, marketing and revenue management is a natural complement for her dynamic leadership, as testified by the stellar performance of the previous resorts under her charge.

Most recently the General Manager of Kamandalu Ubud where she successfully repositioned the resort by delivering a new brand identity, conceptualised new operational standards through the introduction of a butler service, among others, Swandarini had also demonstrated her adroitness through consistently high standards in overall service and quality in the resorts where she has worked. It is no coincidence that both Kayumanis Nusa Dua and The Royal Santrian Luxury Beach Villas earned the top ranking on TripAdvisor while Swandarini was at the helm.

“From the moment you set foot in The Chedi Club Tanah Gajah, you can sense the soul of this place and you’d realise what a special place this is. It is a privilege to be tasked to manage this resort, especially as its first local GM, and I am looking forward to welcoming more guests to experience this haven,” Swandarini said.

CINZ appoints new Marketing and Events Co-ordinator

Lauren Newbery has been appointed Marketing and Events Coordinator for Conventions and Incentives New Zealand (CINZ) based in Auckland.

Previously she was Events Coordinator at the New Zealand Planning Institute, organising professional development events and large conferences.

Originally from the United Kingdom, Lauren worked on the Annual STEMtech Conference and Showcase, the largest science and technology conference in the UK. She has a background in theatre performance and management.

CT Partners gears up for growth with appointment of senior industry executive as General Manager – Supplier Relations

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CT Partners announced today the appointment of Nicole Hague as its new General Manager – Supplier Relations. Hague will join CT Partners executive management team in November and will meet with CT Partners’ members at their national conference in Bangkok in late October.

Hague is presently with Travelport Worldwide based in Singapore where she is Commercial Director Air Commerce responsible for Travelport’s relationships with airlines on the Indian Subcontinent and the Philippines. Prior to this assignment she was in Sydney as Commercial Manager Global Distribution Sales & Services – Pacific. Hague has extensive industry knowledge having previously held management roles with Helloworld and Harvey World Travel.

“I look forward to the challenge of streamlining and enhancing supplier relations and raising the service level with the goal of meeting and exceeding both members and suppliers’ expectations. I know many of the members from the early days of CT Partners and I look forward to re-establishing those relationships and forming new ones with those who have recently joined” Hague said.

American Express Global Business Travel appoints new Chief Information & Technology Officer

American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) has appointed David Thompson as its new Chief Information and Technology Officer (CITO). He formally assumes the role later this year and will be based in Phoenix, Arizona.

David joins from Western Union, a global financial services company, where he was Chief Technology Officer and Executive Vice President of Global Operations. In that role, he oversaw the company’s IT strategy, operations, information security, and product development. David will join the American Express GBT operating committee and report to Chief Executive Officer, Doug Anderson.

In his new role, David will be responsible for enterprise technology, application development, IT operations and data systems, information security and the product development teams.

Thompson said: “GBT’s significant investment in technology is guided by a clear strategic vision. This is an exciting time to be joining the organisation, and I look forward to working with Doug and the team.”

P&O Cruises Appoints New Head of Sales and Marketing

P&O Cruises has announced the appointment of Ryan Taibel to Vice President Sales and Marketing Australia and New Zealand as the brand continues to expand its modern cruise holiday offering and grow the new-to-cruise segment.

Taibel will head up the Sales, Marketing and Digital teams which are responsible for brand strategy and positioning, consumer and trade advertising, strategic partnerships and sponsorships, web and loyalty marketing, research, brand development and communication.

Taibel joined Carnival Australia in 2010 and previously held the role of Sales Director for P&O Cruises where he led the trade sales and marketing activity across the Australian and New Zealand markets.

Facebook Has Quietly Named a New Head of Global Travel Strategy

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According to Skift, former online travel executive Nikhilesh Ponde has been serving as Facebook’s head of global travel strategy since July, according to LinkedIn. Facebook has confirmed his hiring.

Ponde has held a variety of roles at Expedia Inc., including at online travel agencies Hotels.com, Expedia.com and Hotwire. He served as director of mobile marketing at Expedia from August 2012 to April 2014, and as senior director of mobile, social, and partner marketing for Hotwire from May 2014 to January 2016.

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