American Queen Steamboat and Victory Cruise Add Four New Names to Executive Team
by Daniel McCarthy /
Hornblower Group, the parent company of American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines, on Friday announced four new hires that will be part of its sales and revenue management teams.
Joe Jiffo, most recently vice president of business development at NEST, has been named vice president of sales for American Queen.
Garrett Ford, most recently sales director for Visit Orlando, has joined the group as the new senior director of sales for Victory Cruise Lines.
Kevin Smith, most recently a BDM for American Queen who, prior to that, spent time in sales with AmaWaterways and Silversea, joins American Queen as its new senior director of sales.
Christian Laskaros, who most recently worked as director of revenue management with IHG at its flagship New York property, will now serve as director of revenue and yield for both companies.
“Following the successful launch of our latest paddlewheeler, the American Countess, we are excited to continue the momentum with the growth of our sales and revenue management teams,” shares Shawn Bierdz, president of American Queen Steamboat Company and Victory Cruise Lines.
“This particular group of executives boasts an impressive background, and we look forward to utilizing their expertise as we expand our offerings,” he added.
Both American Queen and Victory are readying for a return to service that includes a vaccination mandate for all guests beginning July 1. That requirement will also apply to shipboard crew members and non-ship crew across all seven of its ships.