Windstar Cruises is definitely not ordinary, according to Jennifer West, the line’s new VP of Sales for North America. In fact, being “180 degrees from ordinary” is part of the brand promise—and West thinks there’s an opportunity to make sure more travel advisors understand exactly what that means. Recommend sat down with West to talk about what sets Windstar apart, why the cruise line “can’t do it without” the advisor community and the potential she sees in introducing its yacht-style experience to a younger generation of travelers.
Recommend magazine: You joined Windstar after coming from a very different brand. What has impressed you the most, what are some of the challenges and what should travel advisors be looking at in the coming years?
Jennifer West: Thank you. I appreciate the question. I will probably give you an answer different than what you would expect. The most impressive thing that I’ve seen with the brand is the company culture. [President] Chris Prelog, [Chief Commercial Officer] Janet Bava, they are kind, supportive, good leaders. They believe in both the trade and the direct side…. There’s a spot for everybody. We are collectively working to grow the business because we want to deliver amazing life experiences.
We want [your clients] to have the best vacation experience that [they’ve] ever had…. And that starts with the [company] culture.
So that has been the thing that has impressed me the most coming in from the outside. How do we lead our teams? How do we deliver on the brand promise? It’s not a joke. It’s not lip service, I would say. They deliver on it.
The second part is the sailing-class ships. I think that is a differentiating factor for us. It’s so cool.
And then I would say, obviously, the crew. That truly makes or breaks a vacation. A marketer can sell these beautiful shots. But if you don’t deliver…. They do such a great job delivering on the Windstar promise, which is 180 degrees from ordinary.
Our goal is not to be the same thing as everybody else. We’re trying to flip everything on its head, and that’s why I joined the brand, because my personality is “180 degrees from ordinary.”
Recommend magazine: What role do travel advisors play in all of this?
Jennifer West: Oh, my goodness. We can’t do it without our travel advisor community. Where I see the opportunity is that I think we need to educate, engage with our travel advisors a little bit more.
They have a lot of work. They’re selling a lot of suppliers, right? How does Windstar stand out? And so my goal is brand positioning. I want to make sure that the travel advisor community is informed, that they understand the product, that they know what differentiates us from everybody else.
I will not put any other cruise line, yacht company down. There’s a place for everybody in the market. But what I want to make sure of is that they know what Windstar Cruises is….
Recommend magazine: Where are most of your U.S. clients coming from?
Jennifer West: New York, Florida, Los Angeles.
Recommend magazine: Is there a specific target audience Windstar is going after?
Jennifer West: Oh, my goodness, I love this question. Thank you so much for asking.
Our core demographic is 65-plus. But I think the conversations that we are having internally…there is a market out there of 30- to 50-year-olds that have money that can pay for these experiences.
A private yacht experience, it’s really appealing. And I do think that there is a market out there for that…you obviously cannot alienate your existing customer base. At the end of the day, we just want everybody to have a good time. Come on our ships, have fun.
It’s multi-gen travel, it’s couples, it’s singles.
We are a partner with the James Beard Foundation. Good food and people, that’s what people want, you know?
