Preferred Travel Group—a family-owned company that operates global travel and hospitality brands Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Beyond Green, Historic Hotels of America, Historic Hotels Worldwide, PTG Consulting and Beyond Green Travel—has made three strategic appointments within its global and regional leadership, as well as a promotion.
Stephanie Dowling steps into the newly created position of SVP, corporate communications and PR; Gladys Camphuijsen has been named VP, sales and new business development for Europe, South Asia, Middle East and Africa; and Jennifer Munro has been appointed to VP, loyalty. The company also promoted Simone Mariote to EVP, South America from VP, global sales, Latin America.
These appointments come at a time of significant development for Preferred Travel Group—which recently rebranded from Preferred Hotel Group to strengthen its identity as a travel and hospitality company—and are designed to accelerate the growth of its family of brands, the company reports.
“It is truly exciting to announce this series of key appointments as new opportunities continue to materialize across all travel segments,” said Cheryl Williams, chief revenue officer, Preferred Travel Group. “Our company has always embraced change and pursued growth, and these talented executives embody this spirit, bringing with them significant expertise and fresh perspectives to further accelerate the development of our brands, cultivate loyalty among new and existing audiences, and drive revenue to our hotel and destination clients.”
With more than 25 years of brand management, PR and marketing experience, Dowling leads communications efforts for Preferred Hotels and Resorts, Beyond Green and PTG Consulting. Leveraging the collective talent and regionalized expertise of the company’s PR, social media and corporate communications team located across the U.S., London, Beijing and Tokyo, to scale up the implementation of communication strategies globally and expand the company’s client base.
She started her career at NBC Nightly News, where she earned two Emmy award nominations, before deciding to pursue her passion for hospitality, which led to progressive senior public relations for Starwood Hotels and Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia and a tenure as chief marketing officer/deputy director for the Arizona Office of Tourism. Most recently, she headed up strategic communications, brand management and PR for Black Hills Energy.
With a focus on new route-to-market objectives for Preferred Hotels & Resorts and Beyond Green, Amsterdam-based Camphuijsen has strategic oversight of sales operations and new business development, which includes identifying tools and resources that support the company’s sales teams across these regions. She previously served at Lore Group, where she was director of sales & events for Pulitzer Amsterdam before her promotion to commercial director for the group’s hotels in London, Amsterdam and Washington, DC. Her prior experience includes senior sales and marketing roles for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in the Netherlands.
Munro leads strategy for I Prefer Hotel Rewards and is responsible for setting a vision for the program’s evolution and directing all operations and delivery initiatives, encompassing marketing, brand partnerships and program extensions to drive profitability across engagement channels. She joins the company with over 20 years of experience honed at Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International and Hyatt Hotels Corporation where she held various global and divisional roles across loyalty operations, digital and marketing communications, including serving as the principal liaison to hoteliers for loyalty processes and performance and leading member communications.
Additionally, Sao Paulo-based Mariote, who has held various sales leadership roles at Preferred for more than 20 years, now leads development and retention efforts in the region through expanding the company’s portfolio presence in addition to intra-continental and outbound sales from South America.