Flavour of the week
Check these industry folk kicking goals this week! Although that’s not to say they’re playing any kind of sport or anything.
Tamara Kobiolke cements return to Australia with luxury sales and marketing representation company FiftyFive3
After two hugely successful decades in the luxury travel sector working across four continents and representing the biggest names in global hotel brands, Tamara Kobiolke has returned to Australia establishing FiftyFive3, a luxury sales and marketing representation company.
A successful sales and marketing specialist within international luxury hotel brands and events companies across the UK, Thailand and Australia, including Hotel Missoni, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, Starwood and Rocco Forte Hotels, Tamara hasn’t stopped since she landed back in Australia!
Since launching FiftyFive3, Tamara has added Hello Scotland DMC to her stable of clients achieving record sales from the Australian market. Her other addition is Rocco Forte Hotels which include some of the most exclusive properties in the world; Brown’s Hotel London, Hotel de Rome, Berlin, Hotel de Russie, Rome and The Balmoral, Edinburgh.
Baillie Lodges Takes reins, appoints senior management team at Silky Oaks Lodge
Following a joint-venture agreement with KSL Capital Partners (KSL) signed late last year, Baillie Lodges has taken the reins at Tropical North Queensland bolt-hole Silky Oaks Lodge this week and appointed a senior management team for the property to lead its integration into the existing portfolio of luxury lodges.
Silky Oaks Lodge is the first addition to the Baillie Lodges portfolio under the new partnership, which is set to further expand. The new company plans to invest in property enhancements and product developments at Silky Oaks Lodge in the coming months, aligning it with the trademark Baillie Lodges’ guest experience.
To lead the property’s transformation, Baillie Lodges has selected a new senior management team with Sonya Boaden appointed as Silky Oaks Lodge manager. Sonya comes to the team with a wealth of experience working across the tourism and hospitality space, including extended tenures with Quest Serviced Apartments, P&O Australian Resorts and Accor Hotels, as well as operating her own small tourism business consultancy.
Microhire welcomes creative director Michael Davey back to the fold
Microhire, Australia’s largest privately owned staging company, has welcomed back creative director Michael Davey to the company to head their creative arm, evoke. The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Microhire, as they roll out their new positioning as a total event staging solution.
The competitive landscape of staging companies has dramatically changed over the last few years says Frazer Watkins, Regional General Manager, Microhire.
CVFR Consolidation Services: Restructure of sales team and appointment of new sales chief
Please be advised effective Monday 8th April 2019, CVFR Consolidation Services has created a new role of Head of Sales – Australia and appointed Davina Korner to this role. Davina has been with CVFR Consolidation for 8 months and will be based in our Brisbane Office.
All-State Sales Managers around Australia will now report into the newly created head of sales for Australia (Davina Korner). Davina will report directly into Nidhi Menroy, managing director of CVFR Consolidation Services.
SiteMinder announces string of industry heavyweight hires
SiteMinder, the global hotel industry’s leading guest acquisition platform, has announced several new industry heavyweight hires, including a new chief sales officer and chief marketing officer.
SiteMinder today services more than 30,000 hotels in 160 countries from its offices around the world, with internationalised software and multilingual teams that see more than 75 per cent of revenue sourced from outside its home market of Australasia. The company’s latest executive hires follow a three-year period of 65 per cent growth in hiring at all levels.
Jonathan Bedford is joining SiteMinder as chief sales officer in June, after spending the last three years driving commercial operations as vice president of Open Text. Jonathan will be based in London, in recognition of SiteMinder’s global footprint and growth ambitions.
Mark Renshaw has joined as chief marketing officer, bringing more than 20 years’ experience across B2C and B2B brands. Renshaw was most recently at Edelman, based in Chicago as its global chair of brand practice, and, prior to that, held an array of roles at Leo Burnett over 12 years, including chief digital and innovation officer.
Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au
Flavour of the WeekLatest News
Collette goes off the beaten track with Canyon Country tour
To be clear TW is not advocating actually walking off the beaten track. Avoid the coyotes. Stay on the beaten track.
Intrepid & Korean Tourism Organisation team up to give agents a cooking masterclass
These guys learnt that Korean cooking is more than just putting kimchi on 2-minute noodles (as we once thought).
Winner, winner! Intrepid reveals the 9 lucky agents that won $2k
Who won the incentive? Which Intrepid trip will they spend it on? What day of the week is it again? Where am I? Huh?
Corporate Traveller reports 42% increase in Easter traffic this year
Business travellers just love Easter! Expect plenty of chocolate stained documents returning to the office on Tuesday.
Turbulent year wiped $384m off Qantas brand value: Report
Meanwhile, eating tuna at your desk can damage your own personal office brand value by several thousand dollars.
FAMIL: Room-Res & Singapore Tourism Board shows agents the Lion City’s roar
Click this article to see a man very impressed by a 20-layer chocolate cake. We're not kidding, he loved it!
Oceania Cruises offers sailors free pre-cruise hotel stay
Looking for ways to make your holidays as long as possible? Look no further.
Bonza launches new website to compliment app, agent portal
Does news about an airline's website fill you with ecstasy, glee and joy? Get your hit of the good stuff here.
MTA agents attends ‘Lunch ‘n’ Learn’ with AMA Waterways
When organising the event, Lunch 'n' Learn beat out Dinner 'n' Divulge and Breakfast 'n' Banter. Understandably so.
Travelmarvel reveals 2025 South America tours
If you spot any typos in the newsletter today it is because TW became distracted Googling images of Machu Picchu.
Tourists from 5 countries could be BANNED from visiting Australia
Anthony Albanese's immigration laws could impact tourism from certain countries.
Just how many passengers will Qantas & Jetstar hop around this Easter?
Airline workers are ready for gleeful Easter travellers! Also prepared for sticky children with chocolate on their face.
Air New Zealand gets ready for bumper Easter weekend
Air NZ gears up for travelling passengers this Easter, while TW looks to beat our egg eating record. 117 here we come!
Four Seasons Yachts reveals first itineraries to the Caribbean & Mediterranean
These trips look so good we wish there were five seasons! Alright, we'll see ourselves out...
FAMIL: Travellers Choice treats top agents to the wonders of Rotorua
This one's got plenty of famil pics and no one looks shockingly hungover in them! Clearly no TW staffers were there.
European Waterways celebrates 50th anniversary with week-long founders cruise
Plan on celebrating your 50th anniversary with a bottle of Moët and fairy bread? European Waterways has better ideas.
100th route! Jetstar celebrates the launch of Brisbane-Avalon with 12 hour sale
Jetstar knocks a ton and celebrates with a sale while TW once scored a ton and celebrated with about 17 beers.
Record-breaking year for NSW as visitor expenditure soars past $50 billion
Enjoy running round the Opera House? Be prepared to elbow even more tourists out the way.
Norwegian Cruise Line makes play for solo travellers
NCL ensuring you don't have to go trawling Tinder to find a cruise partner. Thank goodness, we were sick of catfishing.
Entire Travel Group’s Canada and Europe 2024/25 brochures are out now
Entire's new brochure is bittersweet; it both informs your clients and makes you envious of the holiday they'll take.
Malaysia Airlines adds 3 new destinations & A330neo seats
More seats means cheaper airfares and more money to spend on overpriced airport sandwiches. Woohoo!
Two divine days onboard Crystal Serenity
It's only pure serenity onboard this ship. Anxiety, agitation and anguish have been rejected by the bouncer.
How the Globus Family of Brands elevates coach touring: Travel Weekly TV with Chris Fundell
Chris' here so you don't think coaches mean peeling your thighs off a sticky leather seat every time you stand up!
The Flight Centre Foundation gears up for massive 2024 with 3 new board members
The foundation looks to invest $200k this year, spurring the TW journos to figure out how to qualify as a charity.
Barking Owl Communications to head up Anantara & Avani in ANZ
Fellow PR competitors had been barking up the wrong tree even thinking of bidding for this job!
Amex GBT to purchase CWT for $871m
It's big deals like this that get a firm handshake - hence the sore hands over at the CWT and Amex GBT offices.
1000MTG’s second global conference reminds agents to ‘strive and thrive’
Alongside messages to 'strive' and 'thrive' were those to 'survive', 'drive', 'arrive' and 'jive' (when appropriate).
Qantas A330 makes “loud bang”, pilots forced to shut down one engine
Qantas refusing to let Boeing have all the headlines in aviation world today!
GX Community Tourism Summit 2024 location revealed!
The new location has arrived and it'll blow your socks off! Time for another trip to Target for more socks then.
Visiting the destination my Mum didn’t want me to
Yet again, this journo has been a stress to his mother. Discover how this trip spurred his mother's anxiety here.
Agents come out of their shells at P&O’s turtle hatchery event
For some, it's a few glasses of bubbles to lure them out of their shell. For these agents, it was a bit more literal.
Boeing cleanout: CEO, chair to go as safety crisis plagues the manufacturer
CEOs are falling thick and fast these days. We should have started up a bingo game with their headshots in the office.
Virgin looks to swap MAX 10 order for MAX 8s amid Boeing delays: Reports
Virgin has changed its order for something smaller. Much like we have to at Maccas following a worrying doctor's visit.
Club Med unveils newest luxury yacht for 2024/25 early bird sale
This yacht is preserved for the early birds! Night Owls may also get onboard depending how late they stay up.
Abercrombie & Kent 2024 Asia Portfolio is here
Round up the family and get planning an Asia jaunt. Or, if they're hard to handle, brush them all and go it alone!
Elevate your earnings: Final days to secure double commission with Inspiring Vacations’ March offer
What could inspire you to sell more Inspiring Vacations? Double commission of course! That's all the inspiration needed.