Following her time as the former senior vice president of sales at Celebrity Cruises, Dondra Ritzenthaler has just come onboard as the new CEO of Azamara Cruises. As an industry veteran with over four decades of experience, she has built a reputation as a staunch supporter of the travel trade.
Just days into her new position, she sat down with TravelAge West to discuss where Azamara is currently, and where she intends to steer the cruise line next.
Want to see the full interview? Watch the video below.
How do you plan to approach Azamara Cruises as its CEO?
With my sales background, I have the privilege of working with Michelle Lardizabal, who runs sales for Azamara. And I told her, “Listen, I want to work side by side, but do not let me get involved in your business. You're running sales.”
What I think is important now, as the CEO, is that I really pull back a little bit and look at the entire company and what we need to do to make sure that we set this brand off on the right trajectory.
Knowing that Azamara was originally conceived as an offshoot of Celebrity Cruises under its previous owners, and that you, too, came from Celebrity, does any of that factor into your vision for the brand moving forward?
Dan Hanrahan, [the executive team] and I brought those two beautiful ships [Azamara Journey and Azamara Quest] out many, many years ago. And I really enjoyed working with them. And then, of course, we turned it over to Larry Pimentel, who did a terrific job.
I've always had a special place in my heart [for Azamara], because it's just like your family or your kids. So, when the opportunity presented itself, it felt like coming home. I get to come in and literally be the leader of not only those two beautiful ships, but now we've added two other ships. I really want this brand to soar and be very successful.
Dondra Ritzenthaler is now CEO of Azamara.
Credit: 2024 Azamara CruisesAnd the experience that I got from my previous jobs, not only at Celebrity but also at American Airlines, just helps me understand how to be able to strategically look at everything.
What can travel advisors and their clients expect will stay the same — and what will change — for Azamara?
One of the things that we know will stay the same is that we are so blessed that even though we're a small company, we are the global leader in small-ship, destination-immersion cruising.
So, what we're not going to move away from are the three things that really give us a global presence: One is that we simply take our guests to places that some of the larger ships can't go. They just can’t [go] up the river in Seville [Spain] or into the Bordeaux [France] city center when others have to park a couple of hours out.
Then, there’s the fact that we are the leader in late nights and overnights. What that means is our guests aren't rushed. They have this relaxed experience. They can come back to the ship anytime they want. And as an example, [at] the Sydney Opera House, you can go and listen to the opera at night when other [cruises] have already left.
And then the third reason is that we do these AzAmazing events that we create. They're very authentic, and things the guests couldn't do if they tried to on their own.
That magic that our crew gives to our guests; that's not going to change. We're going to make sure that we have the best culinary experience and the best wines that our guests can buy. We're going to make sure that our marketing is very clear and that our sales team is very committed to our travel agents.
What could potentially change is what our guests, our crew and our travel advisors [are] saying we need to look at. And while I don't have the answers to that yet, I will be open to what we learn.
We're going to make sure that our marketing is very clear and that our sales team is very committed to our travel agents.
Where do you place Azamara in the market currently, against its competitors? Do you consider it an upscale brand, or is it evolving into something different?
I think we are definitely in that upper-premium category. I ask where our guests [have] cruised previously … and it's really interesting. We’ve had them come from Crystal and Silversea. We've had them come from Oceania [Cruises] and Viking, and we've had them come from Holland America [Line]. And I think the reason that we get guests who come to us from those other amazing lines is that they go there, they decide they love cruising, but then they really want to take this beautiful small ship that gets them into the destination in a super authentic way.
What opportunities do you foresee for the brand’s growth? Might newbuilds be in the equation?
We definitely want to grow as a brand — no question about it. And I've had multiple questions and thoughts with Sycamore [Partners] — the private equity company that is our owner, which we're so proud of — and I believe that is 100% in our control.
What we've got to do is make this brand wildly successful, have the travel agents really embrace it and sell it, and then I think we'll be able to really have meaningful conversations about growing as a brand.
What we've got to do is make this brand wildly successful, have the travel agents really embrace it and sell it, and then I think we'll be able to really have meaningful conversations about growing as a brand.
Why should travel agents be selling Azamara at this time?
We really need them. Eighty-five percent of our product is sold by our travel advisors. And I'm so grateful already.
I think the reason that Dan and the board at Sycamore thought I would be the right leader is because my relationship with the travel agent community is super real and authentic. They know we're going to be there for them. We have already made additional financial investments in co-op and bonus commission and the things that they need, because [travel advisors are] in it to make money.
In addition to that, [they] know and tell us that the No. 1 reason that people take a cruise is the destination, and they know that we will deliver on that promise when they trust their guests with us.
Not only do the guests come back to us, because our repeat ratio is off the charts, but they also then come back to the travel agent. And so, it really is a win-win.
We're going to partner with them in a real way. We're going to give them more financial incentives than we've had in the past.
Not only do the guests come back to us, because our repeat ratio is off the charts, but they also then come back to the travel agent. And so, it really is a win-win.
Is there anything else you’d like the community to know about Azamara now, and in the near future?
I think Azamara has been a little too much of a secret. We're going to be much more vocal and louder and out speaking at conferences. We promise to be more of a household name. We promise to get that consumer to call more and ask for Azamara. We promise to make sure that we deliver for the travel advisors.
I think all of those things combined, with the fact that we really do have four beautiful ships and the crew makes people feel so comfortable, [is] the message that I need to get to our travel advisors.
We're listening, we're committed, we're going to be there for them. And we're going to do a lot of great things together.
