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Two travel advisors interviewed by Travel Weekly praised the contributions of Holland America Line president Orlando Ashford and Seabourn president Rick Meadows, who are stepping down at the end of May.
Tom Garrett, owner of Union Hill Travel, a Protravel independent agency in Kansas City, Mo., said that Ashford brought “a breath of fresh air to Holland America.”
“The line has a very proud history and consistent reputation and high regard,” he said. “Some would say it tended to be formal and staid and old, others said it was traditional and true to its Dutch heritage. He brought an emphasis on higher quality entertainment and music onboard and consistently delivered it across all the ships in the fleet. And a huge increased emphasis on the quality of the food service and modernizing that food service.”
Garrett said Ashford made Holland America’s appeal skew younger to the baby boomer set, enabling Garrett to sell the line to more clients.
“I think that was the right positioning,” Garrett said.
Tom Baker, president of Houston’s CruiseCenter, said that in his short tenure, Ashford made “enormous changes to the brand and gave it a more youthful approach.” Before him, Baker said, “the brand was languishing.”
“He took Holland America to a new level,” he said. “His influence was amazing. Bringing Oprah into the fold was major. It certainly helped persuade people who might not have sailed on Holland American before.”
During Ashford’s tenure, Holland America partnered with Oprah Winfrey’s O magazine. Oprah was godmother of the Nieuw Statendam, a ship that entered service in late 2018.
Baker worked with Meadows two decades ago when he worked for Holland America.
“Rick is just overall a great guy and one of the nicest people in the industry,” he said. “He really took the Seabourn brand from that old Hollywood set and morphed it into a robust casual environment. It was a line for people in their 70’s and 80’s — it was not appealing to young people. Under Rick, there was a huge shift.”
Baker cited the line’s new ships and the culinary partnership with Thomas Keller as among Meadows’ accomplishments.
“Keller is one of most respected chefs in the country and one of pickiest people on the planet,” Baker said.
Garret said that Meadows “refined Seabourn’s brand positioning.”
“They narrowed their focus more specifically into ultra-luxury and being super all-inclusive, and this is where you want to be,” he said.
Baker wondered what direction both lines would now take.
“It’s anybody’s guess,” he said. “This is probably the most important thing: Does it start all over with someone new or do they maintain it?”
Source: travelweekly.com
