Gold Coast based tourism, travel and hospitality and investment leader MFS yesterday announced its re structured Stella Group.
Stella Group formed through the merger of travel company S8 and MFS’s Stella Resorts Group, has now been split into two divisions, with Stella Hospitality responsible for corporate and leisure accommodation across about130 properties and 15,000 rooms across Australia and New Zealand and Stella Travel Services for agency and product supply.
Stella Travel Services will be headed up by former Flight Centre senior executive and travel industry leader Keith Stanley, while Bob East will remain as CEO of Stella Hospitality.
Both will report directly to Rolf Krecklenberg, MD of MFS Tourism and Leisure , while former S8 CEO Chris Scott will remain on board as a consultant to Stella Travel Services.
Keith Stanley only joined Stella Resorts Group in a senior marketing role last October, from Flight Centre, with Rolf Krecklenberg saying that Keith would bring to his new role as Stella Travel Services CEO an intimate understanding of the industry, our business and our products, adding that Stella is creating a substantial, fully integrated travel business and Keith’s experience will be vital in growing the great brands we have acquired from S8.
Chris Scott, who founded S8 in 1998, prior to MFS’s $700 million takeover in December, said he was looking forward to the new challenge at Stella saying that is was a perfect fit for him as he had the freedom to look at the big picture.
Stella Travel Services has more than 2200 employees and 2300 franchisees with a total transaction value of $7.5 billion a year and retail brands which include Harvey World Travel, Travelscene American Express and Holiday Shoppe, with wholesale businesses include Gullivers Holidays, Newman’s Holidays, TalPacific and Transonic.
Stella Hospitality’s brands include Mantra, Peppers, Breakfree and the Saville Hotel Group.
Report by The Mole
