Gus Antorcha was named president of Holland America Line in July after nine years with Carnival Cruise Line, most recently as COO. He replaced Orlando Ashford, who left at the end of May. News editor Johanna Jainchill talked to Antorcha about what the line will look like it when it resumes service and the importance of brand execution.
Gus Antorcha
Q: You are coming from Carnival, a line which in many ways is at the opposite end of the Carnival Corp. brand spectrum from Holland America. Why do you think you were chosen?
A: Yes, we're different, but in reality, we're a corporation with a lot of resources to lean on. Ultimately, we're more similar than we are different. I think some folks don't realize that the biggest competitor to cruise is land-based vacations. Yes, there are important differences between the brands -- the target group, the product, different itineraries -- but ultimately it's similar in that we're selling a cruise vacation. You have to be aware that what might have worked at Carnival may not work at Holland. Especially now that we're virtual, you have to be very thoughtful in listening to the teams that have worked on Holland about what's different and why Holland does things a certain way. You can quickly do more harm than good. At the same time, it's also good to question and think about the way things have been done and if there is a way to do it better or differently. The current pause gives us a little time to reflect on the operation and all aspects of the business and what we can do better and differently.
Q: Ashford emphasized the brand's entertainment and culinary sides. Do you plan to continue that focus?
A: Absolutely. Orlando did a fabulous job moving the product forward. To evolve your product, you have to try different things. Holland has, and the vast majority were extremely successful. You need to do that because consumer tastes evolve over time. You need to always feed the brand with new-to-brand, new-to-cruise guests, and the innovation that the team drove allowed Holland to do that. I plan to continue to support and evolve the brand on the entertainment and food side. But my experience is also on the operating side and the sales and marketing side. I think some of those areas need some focus. When you think about the execution onboard, how effective we are at driving guest satisfaction, how effectively we operate, our sales and marketing strategy with the trade, some of our digital efforts -- all of those are become increasingly important, especially going forward. I think there will be less evolution of the product and more focus on execution.
Q: What kind of changes should the trade expect on the sales and marketing side?
A: When we think about returning to cruise, the trade is going to play an incredibly critical role. We're going to have to reeducate consumers in health protocols, what the operations now look like, that in fact it will be safe -- we won't operate if we don't think it's safe. We're going to need everybody communicating and convincing our guests. The trade will be critical to that. We also realize that this has been difficult for everybody in the travel sector, especially cruise because we're not operating. The trade needs more support than ever. A lot of our trade partners are big, but a lot are small and medium-size companies. Everyone is hurting and they are hurting just like we are, and we have to think about how we come together to support the trade along the way.
Q: The line lost four of its 14 ships. What will the brand be like when it resumes service?
A: Where we'll end up as a fleet will be in a very good place. We'll have a mix of hardware. The smaller ships, which are very important to past guests, give you a more intimate cruising experience and the ability to visit places you can't go to on larger ships, like Montreal. But at the same time, we have the larger ships that have more space, so they have more venues and the opportunity to offer features that have allowed us to market to and attract new-to-cruise and new-to-brand customers. Holland will have a portfolio that will let us offer the best of smaller ships and the best of larger ones.