Starting March 31, Debbie Fiorino will take over leadership at CruiseOne and Cruises Inc., two of the biggest brands at World Travel Holdings (WTH). A Boston native, Fiorino started with WTH in 2003 as a benefits manager and rose to become senior vice president of human resources. She discussed her new role with cruise editor Tom Stieghorst.
Q: What changes do you plan for CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.?
A: First of all, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. have been very successful brands. I obviously plan to expand on that success. Our No. 1 goal will continue to be the support, achievement and recruitment growth of the network. In my [previous] role I had been able to work closely with this division. It's not going to be just what I think; it will be working with the staff, working with the network to determine what is the next evolution of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
Q: Will you be based in Boston or in Fort Lauderdale?
A: Both, for now. I plan to spend at least two weeks a month in the Fort Lauderdale office, in addition to other travel that is required. My family and I are considering a move to Florida in the near future.
Q: How does your background in human resources prepare you to lead a sales-driven organization?
A: I truly believe everything I have done in my career has gotten me ready for this opportunity. My background includes recruiting, engagement, recognizing, reporting, incentivizing, communicating, initiating -- all those things you need to do in a sales organization. Being in a strategic position like human resources, I've been able to drive change, both to the top line and to the bottom line.
Q: Do you plan to move CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. further away from their cruise-only roots?
A: We don't look at it as moving away from the cruise-only roots; we look at it as expanding into resort vacations. Our customers certainly love to cruise, but if they want to do a resort vacation, we want to make sure we're there for them.
Q: What is the most critical issue facing cruise agents today?
A: For cruise agents, it's about getting into their communities, getting people wherever they are to understand the value of a travel agent. The biggest thing agents can do today is to be talking to people when they're at the supermarket, when they're at the chamber of commerce, to really get the word out.
Q: How would you rate this year's Wave season?
A: We're experiencing a very solid Wave season. We're seeing a lot of inventory, new ships, the Caribbean is on fire, so that's providing us with great opportunity. The cruise lines are helping because they're all advertising on TV now. Some of them haven't advertised in years. That's really helping us get people to book this time of year.
Q: Why should a potential franchisee pick CruiseOne?
A: Being part of World Travel Holdings, we are a powerhouse in the industry. It allows us to have phenomenal supplier relationships. We fund money into lead-generation programs. We just put almost $500,000 into technology system enhancements. They earn 100% of the industry's highest paid commissions. If I boil it down, it's the power of WTH and the power of CruiseOne and Cruises Inc.
Follow Tom Stieghorst on Twitter @tstravelweekly.