Scenic Group Names Three to Senior Management Positions

By Susan J. Young Feb 11, 2021 9:53am

Scenic Group has appointed several executives to its senior management team for ocean and river operations for Emerald Cruises, Scenic and Scenic Eclipse.

Victor Alves joins Scenic Group as director hotel operations - ocean; Sepp Dendl is the new director hotel operations – river; and Yordan Yordanov is the new director of technical river and ocean operations. All three will report to Benny Weidacher, vice president of cruise operations, who said the company looks forward to their collective expertise "expanding our ability to deliver a truly six-star experience to our guests.”

Alves brings nearly 20 years of cruise hotel operations experience to his new position as Scenic Group’s director hotel operations – ocean. Prior to Scenic, he worked his way through the ranks at Seabourn and, in his last position there, served as deputy director for hotel/new-build expeditions operations.

Scenic in its press release about the appointments said Alves' "prior work on the guest experience, employee training and productivity improvements fit well with Scenic Group’s ongoing focus on exceeding expectation of its guests and the development of its crew’s ability to consistently deliver top results." One priority? Alves plans to develop a new top-notch training program for employees to ensure their growth and service delivery at the highest levels. at the highest levels.

A native of Portugal, Alves holds certificates in hotel and hospitality management from both Cornell University and Tourism Schools Salzburg. He values innovation and how best to use it to improve the guest experience and in making personalized service a top focus for Scenic's ocean fleet.

Sepp Dendl, director hotel operations – river

Joining Scenic Group in 2019, Dendl, the new director hotel operations – river, has been instrumental in raising the guest experience and in the decision to bring hotel management in-house for the entire fleet, according to the company.

Dendl formerly worked for AIDA Cruises, Viking River Cruises and four- and five-star hotels in Russia and Switzerland. He'll focus on streamlining the hotel management structure for faster proactive and reactive abilities; assuring the variety of the numerous menus correspond with the local foods and wines of the country in which the ships are sailing; making greater use of local vendors and products; and moving the company towards their goal of ecological sustainability.

Yordanov has spent the past 10 years leading cruise engineer teams with Pullmantur Cruises and Grimaldi Lines. Having first-hand experience in nearly every aspect of engineering, Yordan will serve as both a peer and leader for his Scenic Group technical team. Scenic Group’s absorption of its nautical operation in-house gives Yordan the opportunity to expand his skills onto the rivers and work with those crews to continue to present the best ships on the rivers.

Beyond engineering, he'll handle everything from training marine environmental awareness to safety training of crew in direct contact with guests to security and crisis management.

For more information, visit www.scenicusa.com,

Scenic Group Names Three to Senior Management Positions

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