The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection Adds Four Senior Sales Executives

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is expanding its global sales team with the addition of four senior hires, spanning the U.S., Canada, and Asia, along with a global representative for all charter and incentives sales.

Joining the team as regional director of trade sales for West USA and Western Canada is Bonnie Newman who brings with her extensive sales experience in the luxury travel and cruise industry, including building partnerships and driving growth through the travel advisor community. She has directed sales strategies for Virtuoso, SeaDream Yacht Club, and Aurora Expeditions, where she most recently served as director of national and key accounts.

Kathy Lu joins The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection as regional director for trade sales of the Southwest, Midwest, and Eastern Canada. She has more than 17 years of experience in the luxury cruise sector and most recently served as business relationship lead for the Southeast U.S. for Explora Journeys. She began her career at Crystal Cruises rising to strategic business development manager in 2019.

Jessica Painter takes on the role of director of charter and incentive sales on a global scale. She will be responsible for developing and executing charter buyouts and meeting and incentives group sales strategies for The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. She has previously served in group sales roles for luxury hospitality brands such as EDITION Hotels and JW Marriott.

In Asia, Melissa Ong will serve as director of travel partnerships, bringing with her more than 15 years of experience and a deep understanding of the Asia market. Most recently, she served as Global Account Director, Luxury Sales at Marriott International, where she developed and managed strategic relationships with travel agencies worldwide to support sales and revenue growth. She will be based in Singapore.

The appointments come on the heels of the brand’s recent fleet growth, having welcomed Luminara in July.