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Virtuoso hires seasoned cruise and CRM executives

Luxury network Virtuoso appointed Melissa Araya as senior director, cruise and Michael Goldenberg as director, customer relationship management.

Anne Kalosh, Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

November 2, 2021

2 Min Read
Credit: Seatrade Cruise News

Araya returns to Virtuoso, where she previously served in a sales capacity from 2006-2007, with extensive experience in the cruise, travel and financial industries, including time with Crystal Cruises, Silversea Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

In her new role, Araya will lead Virtuoso’s implementation of the annual sales strategy and budgets for its cruise department, overseeing member production and ensuring annual goals are achieved. Duties include negotiating agreements around member commissions, conducting ongoing reviews of cruise revenue forecasts and collaborating with regional general managers to activate global partnerships. 

Most recently at Crystal, prior to Araya's promotion to VP sales and marketing international in April, she managed the line's relationship with Virtuoso as director of strategic partnerships (national and key accounts). Araya began her career at American Express, where she spent 15 years in executive roles in New York and Mexico City.

Michael Goldenberg

Goldenberg brings a wealth of experience in customer relationship management. He's tasked with further developing targeted marketing strategies and analytics that foster long-term, profitable relationships with Virtuoso clients and prospects and creating deeper engagement and a higher value of return for the network’s members and partners. 

Before Virtuoso, Goldenberg spent more than a decade with Cendyn in senior leadership roles in the US and abroad. Earlier, he co-founded Statability, a web-based reporting and analytics company with products used by more than 5,000 hotels, restaurants, hospitals and car rental outlets across 15 countries. 

Araya and Goldenberg will both work remotely from their home offices in Naples, Florida, and Boca Raton, Florida, respectively.

Araya reports to Beth Butzlaff, VP global partner relations, and Goldenberg to Helen McCabe-Young, SVP marketing. 

About the Author

Anne Kalosh

Editor, Seatrade Cruise News & Senior Associate Editor, Seatrade Cruise Review

Anne Kalosh covers global stories, reporting both breaking and in-depth news on cruising's significant people, places, ships and trends. A sought-after expert on cruising, she has moderated conferences around the world, including the high-profile State of the Industry panel at Seatrade Cruise Global. She created and led the acclaimed itinerary-planning case study for Seatrade's cruise master classes held at Cambridge and Oxford universities. She has been the cruise columnist for AFAR.com, and her freelance stories have appeared in a wide range of publications, from The New York Times to The Miami Herald.

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