Launching In Early 2022, Glinert Will Lead Business Efforts For Venture Ashore, The Largest And Most Experienced Independent Shore Excursion Company In The World, Making It The Newest Addition To The City Experiences Portfolio of Brands
New York, New York (December 7, 2021) – City Experiences announced today that Rinat Glinert has been named chief operating officer for Venture Ashore. Launching in early 2022, Venture Ashore will be the largest and most experienced independent shore excursion company in the world, delivering thousands of shore excursions, tours and activities led by professional guides in hundreds of ports worldwide. Venture Ashore will join the City Experiences portfolio of brands as its newest addition, supporting the company’s overall business strategy as the leader in amazing experiences.
“As we prepare for the upcoming launch of Venture Ashore, the newest addition to our portfolio of land-based excursions, it was imperative to have a strong individual with institutional knowledge at the helm of leading the organization,” said Cameron Clark, chief strategy and business development officer, Hornblower Group. “Rinat has an impressive career within the travel and shore excursion landscape, including heading up her own shore excursion company, and will bring valuable knowledge leading our operation. I am confident her considerable talent and leadership skills will only further strengthen our business strategy as we work towards the launch of Venture Ashore and beyond.”
As chief operating officer, Glinert will lead the team to grow and expand the Venture Ashore offerings on a global basis. Additionally, she will be responsible for establishing strong functionality of the business to drive extensive and sustainable growth through designing and implementing business strategies, plans and procedures. Glinert will work closely with City Experiences world-class business development and marketing teams, headed up respectively by Clark and Kristina Heney, chief marketing and revenue officer, to deliver on our digital strategy to provide frictionless and cohesive access to some of the world’s most amazing experiences through digital tools. Chief technology officer, Nasi Peretz, and Glinert will collaborate on exciting initiatives underway to enhance the traditional shore excursions experience for our guests and our partners. Glinert will also be responsible for working closely with travel advisors to develop relationships, resources, offerings, and features to improve the booking process, which will be essential in promoting Venture Ashore to their clients and prospects
“I am excited to join the City Experiences family and collaborate with a group of people so driven by their core company vision to create amazing experiences, built on the commitment and values around Respect. This commitment is going to allow us to create and deliver amazing one-of-a-kind guest experiences to today’s cruise traveler,” said Glinert. “I look forward to working together with the team and bringing my background in the cruise and travel industries to help establish a clear business strategy for Venture Ashore that will both strengthen and enhance the shore excursions division as we continue strive to bring a best-in-class experience for our guests.”
Glinert’s career spans more than 18 years in the cruise and travel industry beginning with Royal Caribbean International in operations aboard the Vision of the Seas. |She then proceeded to hold several progressive leadership positions at the corporate headquarters, culminating in overseeing guest services operations for over 22 ships and nearly 5,000 employees. As head of the strategic projects group, she was responsible for identifying and implementing onboard staffing efficiencies to better serve both employees and guests, as well as launching new services throughout the fleet. As a part of the newbuild hotel operations team, Glinert was instrumental in the design, buildout, and launch of the largest ships in the world, including the Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas cruise ships, as well as overseeing the creation of Royal Caribbean’s VIP suite operations in Labadee, Haiti. In 2012, Glinert left Royal Caribbean to launch her own company, ShoreFox, which created technology tools for independent tour guides for nearly 2,500 tours in more than 220 destinations worldwide. Glinert shares a deep passion for travel and loves the connectivity it provides for people to take part in new experiences and broaden their horizons.
Rinat is a graduate of Cornell University with a degree in Hotel Administration. She resides in Rockville, Maryland with her husband and 2 children. She is an avid scuba diver and her favorite excursions include swimming with the pigs in Nassau, Bahamas, hiking Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska and sailing aboard a catamaran in the azure waters of Bora Bora.
About City Experiences
City Experiences represents Hornblower Group’s expansive portfolio of water- and land-based experience companies and includes two sub-brands: City Cruises and City Ferry. City Cruises companies operate dining, sightseeing and private events across 22 destinations in the U.S., Canada and the UK. City Cruises companies also operate cruises on behalf of the National Park Service and the Niagara Parks Commission and currently hold service contracts to provide ferry service to the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, Alcatraz Island and Niagara Falls. City Ferry companies offer specialized knowledge and expertise required to transport passengers, vehicles and other cargo safely across inland and coastal waterways, serving as operator of NYC Ferry and Puerto Rico ferry system, among others. City Experiences’ portfolio of companies also offers a range of water- and land-based experiences including shore excursions, partner-offered experiences, multi-port packages, with companies including Cruising Excursions, ShoreTrips, Niagara Jet Adventures, Walks and Devour Tours. For more information visit cityexperiences.com.
Press Contacts:
Melissa Gunderson / City Experiences / [email protected]
Mike DeiCas / City Experiences / [email protected]