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| Karisma's Azul Beach Hotel |
Karisma Hotels & Resorts recently completed a clean sweep in the All-Inclusive Resorts category of Travel Agent’s 2015 Top Supplier Sales Reps honors.
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| Cesar A. Briceno |
Cesar A. Briceno, regional sales and marketing manager, took the top honor for the category, while Gilberto Machain, regional sales and marketing manager, and Carrie Oztas, regional sales and marketing manager — Southeast and West USA, both tied for second. There was no third place prize.
Briceno arrived in Riviera Maya, Mexico, 15 years ago after graduating with honors from the Hotel School of Venezuela and served several hoteliers and other suppliers before joining the Karisma Hotels & Resorts team four years ago.
For Briceno, the key to a successful business career in the travel industry is to view agents not only as business partners but also as dear friends. He tells Travel Agent that he is extremely honored to be recognized for his hard work and thankful to every agent who voted for him. He attributes his success to his ever-growing relationships and non-stop commitment to his travel agent partners.
“My dedication to this industry has allowed me to advance my career,” says Briceno, “and also has given me the opportunity to create great relationships, especially with travel agents, some of whom I’m lucky to also call friends.”
Machain started his career as an event planner with eight years of experience managing his own company. In 2007, he joined Lomas Travel as an onsite wedding coordinator for all Karisma Hotels & Resorts properties.
In 2010, he took advantage of an opportunity to join the sales team of Karisma Hotels & Resorts and hasn’t looked back since.
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| Gilberto Machain |
“Great communications is the best tool / method that there is to maintain a strong relationship,” says Machain.
Oztas started in the travel industry by working for 20 years with a U.K./Canadian tour operator in destination management.
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| Carrie Oztas |
“From an early age I had the travel bug, my mom had trained as a teacher in Spain and I was fascinated by that,” she says. “I completed a business degree in travel and tourism in order to work in the travel industry.”
She has also lived and worked in a variety of destinations, including Turkey, Spain and Cuba.
“I attribute my success to commitment, organization, and the support of my husband since I cover a large territory and can be away from home for several weeks at a time,” she told Travel Agent.
For the full Top Supplier Sales Reps feature, click here and keep visiting www.travelagentcentral.com for all the latest Caribbean news. Follow Travel Agent’s Joe Pike on Twitter @TravelPike.