WHY IT RATES: Melissa Araya has taken on the role of senior director, Cruise, and Michael Goldenberg will serve as director, Customer Relationship Management. -Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Senior Writer
Virtuoso has named two new seasoned executives to its team: Melissa Araya, senior director, Cruise and Michael Goldenberg, director, Customer Relationship Management. These appointments represent the latest in strategic hires for the organization and its focus on delivering deeper engagement with its travel agency members and travel advisors, preferred partners and, ultimately, Virtuoso clients.
Earlier this year, Virtuoso also announced new global general managers in Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe-Middle East-Africa, to expand Virtuoso's global footprint and elevate brand awareness with affluent travelers.
Araya returns to Virtuoso, where she previously served in a sales capacity, with extensive experience in the cruise, travel and financial industries, including time with Crystal Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises. In her new role, Araya will lead Virtuoso's implementation of the annual sales strategy and budgets for its cruise department, overseeing member production and ensuring annual goals are achieved. Duties will include negotiation of agreements around member commissions, conducting ongoing reviews of cruise revenue forecasts, and collaborating with regional general managers to activate global partnerships.
While at Crystal, where she was director of Strategic Partnerships (national and key accounts) until her promotion to vice president of Sales and Marketing for international, Araya managed the cruise line's relationship with Virtuoso, and she continues to be passionate about the network and its members. Araya began her career at American Express, where she spent 15 years in executive roles in New York and Mexico City. A large part of her success has been in building and maintaining strong and enduring relationships, a key part of Virtuoso's DNA.
Michael Goldenberg joins Virtuoso with a bold entrepreneurial spirit and a wealth of experience in customer relationship management. In his new position, he will further develop targeted marketing strategies and analytics that foster long-term, profitable relationships with existing Virtuoso clients and prospects, creating deeper engagement and a higher value of return for the network's members and partners.
Before joining Virtuoso, Goldenberg spent more than a decade with Cendyn in senior leadership roles in the U.S. and abroad. Prior to Cendyn, he co-founded Statability, a web-based reporting and analytics company with products used by more than 5,000 hotels, restaurants, hospitals and car rental outlets across 15 countries.
Araya and Goldenberg will both work remotely from their home offices in Naples, Florida and Boca Raton, Florida, respectively. Araya will report to Beth Butzlaff, vice president, Cruise, while Goldenberg reports to Helen McCabe-Young, senior vice president of Marketing.
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