AUGUST 26, 2008. Holland America Line recently named Tim Murphy to the position of vice president, guest programs. Murphy is now responsible for the supervision and development of the company’s reservations, guest administration, air/sea, documentation and group travel departments.

“Tim’s proven track record of excellence make him a great asset in his new position,” said Meadows. “I look forward to seeing the new heights that our Guest Programs’ service levels will reach under his direction.”

In his role serving as the head of reservations department, Murphy’s focus will be on making booking a cruise as efficient as possible. His duties will include reservations staffing, training, group travel, policy planning and overall supervision of Polar Online for Holland America Line. His duties also include the management of the guest relations department, corporate and guest air travel, and the documentation process for cruise sailings.

High on his priorities list will be furthering the already strong bonds and excellent business relationships that exist between travel agents and Holland America Line, as well as providing for an even stronger atmosphere of cooperation and partnership.

“Holland America Line’s commitment to excellence isn’t something that just exists once our guests step on board our ships; it is something that starts long before that day,” continued Murphy. “Ultimately that dialogue begins with the travel agent who is selling our cruises, and it is in recognizing the power of influence that agents have with our guests that makes creating and maintaining an open door policy paramount. I want these agents to know that their interaction and feedback is always welcome at Holland America Line, and I’m committed to doing whatever it takes to keep this line of communication open and productive.”

Hoping to use his background in troubleshooting to his new department’s benefit, Murphy hopes to capitalize on his prior experiences to aid his department in dealing more effectively with any level of agent and guest related concerns that may come its way.

“One of the biggest underlying principles in Holland America Line’s Signature of Excellence commitment centers around ensuring that every guest becomes a return guest, and at the heart of this is customer service,” said Murphy. “For my department this means not only streamlining our reservations process to make booking a cruise easier, but it also means making sure that all guest complaints and concerns are addressed in a manner that is both prompt and effective.”

Most recently, Murphy served as director, budget and planning, where he coordinated the development, and assisted in the preparation of annual capital and operating budgets for Holland America Line. Murphy has worked for Holland America Line since 1987 and has successfully mastered several key positions within the finance department since coming on board. Murphy is a certified public accountant and holds a bachelor of arts in accounting from the University of Wyoming.