Azamara’s Incoming Chief Sales Officer Alex Pinelo Can’t Wait to Get Started

Long time cruise industry sales executive Alex Pinelo has only been “away” from the cruise industry and his travel advisor partners for less than a month and he already misses speaking with industry friends on a daily basis.

“I have to tell you but this month… I’ve tried through social media and emails, tried to stay as connected as possible, because that really is what drives me… that connection, those relationships. They don’t go away.”

Fortunately for Pinelo, who left his position as chief sales officer at AmaWaterways at the end of July, has less than a week to go until he starts as chief sales officer for Azamara Cruises.

“I’m ready,” he said enthusiastically.

Pinelo told TMR he isn’t only looking forward to getting back out on the road and talking to advisors. He’s ready to the challenge of learning something new.

“If you look at my career, four decades, from Norwegian to Disney to Ama, I really learned that growth means being willing to take on new challenges… and Azamara is definitely that challenge,” he said.

Just as important, Pinelo said, is that he believes he can make a real difference.

“It’s at a stage where I can make a real impact on its next chapter, really grow North America. And that’s exciting to me. Not intimidating.”

Why Azamara?

TMR asked Pinelo what about Azamara enticed him away from the river cruise industry and back to his ocean cruise roots.

First and foremost, he said, was its CEO, Dondra Ritzenthaler.

“That was a big part of it… I believe that travel advisors aren’t just a distribution channel. They’re partners. They’re your friends, and they deserve to be treated that way. That philosophy is at the core of who I am, so it had to be a part of any company that I chose.”

Speaking to Dondra brought it all together for him.

“She has always put advisors first and you can see that show up in real tangible ways as she shapes this brand’s next chapter. It’s not something you can fake and it’s not something that happens by accident. It really takes genuine commitment from the top, and knowing I’d be working alongside a CEO who leads with that same advisor-first mindset made the decision easy.”

Alongside Ritzenthaler’s leadership and Azamara’s travel advisor focus, Pinelo told TMR he loves the Azamara Cruises product.

“It’s really a genuinely differentiated product with everything they offer from the longer port stays, overnights, and the immersive destination experience.”

Other things he likes about Azamara are the size of its ships, the Always Azamara inclusions, and the culinary offerings.

He’s also excited about Azamara Forward, the company’s extensive fleetwide refurbishment initiative.

Easy Transition

In some ways, Pinelo told TMR, the Azamara experience is actually similar to a river cruise (smaller ships, destination immersion, more inclusive), making the transition an easy one for him.

He’s also not worried about getting back into the ocean cruising saddle, after several years away.

“The fundamentals of this business, they don’t change. It’s still about going back to relationships, trust, delivering, something guests can’t get anywhere else. I built my career on the ocean side and those instincts don’t fade just because I spent the last several years growing river.”

How He Sees His Role at Azamara Cruises

While Pinelo will be in charge of expanding and contracting Azamara’s partnerships with consortia and hosts, he really sees himself as a brand ambassador.

“It’s about getting more people excited about the brand,” he said and showing them where there’s opportunity for them to grow their businesses.

“The relationships that I’ve built with travel advisors, the friendships that I’ve built, the partnerships, they don’t disappear because I’ve changed the name of my business. If anything, I see it as an opportunity to bring those partnerships to this this new space.”

It’s also important that he get a better understanding of what travel advisors need from an ocean cruise line that wants to be a better partner. And that means listening.

“Where I want to sharpen up is definitely staying close to the day-to-day realities ocean advisors are navigating right now. The shifts, the booking windows… It’s exactly the kind of thing I’m looking forward to driving back into, and there’s no better way to do it than by getting back out in front of the trade and really listening.”

Gratitude for the Trade

While Pinelo is excited to begin the next phase of his career, he remains firmly rooted in gratitude for the travel advisor community that has been his support since the beginning.

“This industry has given me an incredible career. It’s lasted this long based on relationships and I don’t take a single one of those for granted.”

He added that he wants every travel advisor to know that the person they’ve trusted and worked with at AmaWaterways isn’t changing.

“Maybe my email signature and my business cards will be different, but I’m still going to be the same person that they’ve known and grown to love and respect and support. I’m still going to show up. I’m still going to be just as accessible. Still going to fight for them and their clients the same way I always have. That’s non-negotiable for me, no matter what brand I represent.”