Continuing its focus on supporting the needs of the independent hotel community, Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) announces the launch of its Luxury Leisure Sales GSO division. This expansion will represent leisure Member resorts and hotels in the luxury leisure programs, consortia, business travel, luxury wholesale and entertainment segments.

 “One of the largest casualties of the pandemic was the loss of the sales talent with deep rooted relationships in the luxury leisure markets for many of our hotels,” said Michael Dominguez, ALHI President and CEO. “It’s clear that developing a luxury leisure division will address their growing need to move incremental share in these high-rated channels. We are building a team of specialists and have found some impressive talent that will help with strategy, relationship development and measured targets that will identify our success in these areas. We believe that relationships are still the cornerstone of our luxury industry and will deliver a high-touch experience.”

Anita Rahman is the newly appointed Senior Vice President of Luxury and Leisure Sales. Working closely with Dominguez, Rahman is building a team of hospitality professionals who bring deep experience in the markets of consortia/luxury agents, business travel, luxury travel and entertainment. She has more than two decades of experience in the hospitality sector, including more than five years as a Director of Sales and Marketing with Fairmont Hotels, and over 18 years of experience with Hyatt, where she represented numerous brands including Grand Hyatt, Park Hyatt and Andaz.

“As a luxury global sales team, we will extend reach for our Member portfolio with robust Client events, attendance at tradeshows and sales calls as we develop our strategies,” she said.

The strategic team is growing quickly and now includes Cesar Wurm, Senior Vice President, Member Strategy & Development, and veteran hospitality professional Barry Kushner, Director of Global Sales, Luxury and Leisure.

 

Wurm has deep roots with IHG in the luxury and premium categories, along with a broad range of positions with global brands including Sheraton, Starwood and Trust Hospitality. With more than 20 years of hospitality experience, Wurm brings a Member-first approach focused on strategic growth initiatives aligned with Member value, fostering innovation and collaborative partnerships in addition to a commercial mindset.

 

Kushner brings decades of experience to ALHI, most recently as Area Director Wholesale Leisure Sales for Fairmont. In his new role, he will focus on growing the luxury wholesale market segment.

 

Services being developed for the new division include:

  • Building a Luxury Leisure Sales team to support ALHI Members with luxury programs, luxury travel agencies, consortia, business travel and entertainment segments.

  • Building and implementing luxury leisure sales strategies for ALHI Members.

  • Development of sales plans, presentations and proposals for high-value Clients.

  • Identifying new sales prospects, business opportunities and markets to drive Member revenue growth.

  • Identifying and educating Members on relevant industry trends.

 

To learn more about this new development, contact memberservices@alhi.com.

 

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About Associated Luxury Hotels International: Associated Luxury Hotels International (ALHI) serves as a global sales organization (GSO) for its exclusive membership of the world's most distinguished independently operated or owned hotels and resorts, cruise ships and DMCs within the meeting, incentive, convention and exhibition (MICE) marketplace, and now luxury leisure space. With a dedicated GSO team of nearly 80 professionals in 26 offices across North America and Europe, ALHI delivers personalized service and connectivity to a select membership of more than 250 luxury properties worldwide. Divisions of ALHI include Group Sales, Luxury Leisure Sales, Destination Weddings, eSports, a full-service creative agency and more. For more information, visit ALHI.com.