Bookassist Appoints Director of Sales and Marketing for Czech Republic

Jaroslav Tibitanzl has been appointed as Director of Sales & Marketing for Bookassist in the Czech Republic and joins Bookassist's existing Sales, Account Management and Support team in the Prague office.

Jaroslav is well known in the hotel industry in the Czech republic, having previously been the General Manager of the Hotel Sax, the award winning design hotel in Prague, as well as being the Director of Finance for the famous Prague landmarks the Hotel Aria and the Hotel U Zlate Studne. He holds Bachelors and Mssters degrees from the Hotel University in Prague.

Bookassist Appoints new Search Optimisation Specialist

Bookassist announces the appointment of Paul Ferry to the position of Search Optimisation Specialist. The role forms part of Bookassist's Traffic Builder team and will be based in the Dublin office.

Paul has extensive web design experience with hotel and hotel group websites in particular. Bookassist continues to expand its strategic marketing teams as well as its development teams in its Dublin office, and in its offices abroad, as hotels increasingly seize the opportunity to build direct booking business on their websites.

Bookassist Appoints new Development Project Manager

Bookassist has announced the appointment of Diego Núñez as Development Project Manager. Diego will work directly with the Core Development team based at Bookassist's Madrid offices and will be responsible for leading, organizing and scheduling development for Bookassist, reporting to CTO Dr Robert Whittle.

Prior to joining Bookassist, Diego was IT Architect and Business Consultant at Panel Company. He has worked on software projects in several business fields such as Air Traffic Control, Financial Risk Analysis and Logistics/Distribution, involving Societé Generale Equipment Finance, Leroy Merlin, AENA and others. He brings considerable experience in development methodology, in particular with Java technologies, to the Bookassist team.

Bookassist Appoints new Support Coordinator in the Czech Republic

Leading online marketing consultant and booking technology company Bookassist has appointed Andrea Houdková as Support Coordinator to join the team in Bookassist's Prague office. Andrea will coordinate the set-up and training of hotels and groups using the Bookassist Booking Engine and other products such as GDS Manager.

Andrea has previously worked as a professional trainer for internet banking at Raiffeisenbank in the Czech Republic. Prior to joining Bookassist she was with Citibank as Account Manager with responsibility for international payments.

Recruitment - Bookassist is expanding and hiring in multiple offices

Bookassist is recruiting to build its teams in a number of its offices over the coming months in order to deal with the increasing client list and ongoing expansion of its geographical reach. Despite the economic downturn in many areas, Bookassist business has continued to see year-on-year growth with March showing record booking numbers.

Bookassist has introduced a number of new products recently which are bringing added value to its partnerships with hotels and hotel groups in all its operational areas and which are allowing it to more quickly enter new markets with a very mature and established product offering.

Bookassist growth is accelerating and we will be announcing major new acquisitions and market developments in the coming weeks.

For further information on positions available at Bookassist, see Bookassist Jobs http://www.bookassist.org/jobs.jsp

Bookassist appoints new Operations Manager in Prague Office

Leading online marketing consultant and booking technology company Bookassist has announced the appointment of Jaromir Pazout to its Czech Republic team as Operations Manager, based in Bookassist's Prague office.

Jaromir comes to Bookassist from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Prague and has extensive experience in the industry, particularly in online business and marketing. He has previously operated as a consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and has worked with eBanka Internet Bank in the Czech Republic.

Commenting on the appointment, Bookassist's Head of Business and Operations Yahya Fetchati said: "Bookassist has a strong and focused presence in the Czech Republic for some years now and is rapidly growing there thanks to the skill of the existing team. Jaromir will be an ideal addition to expand our presence to the wider region centered on the Czech Republic. Bookassist has built its reputation in Ireland in particular on having a strong local presence, on focusing on the local market and in delivering the best possible local support and service. This localisation model is a model we are committed to and won't deviate from, and even as we expand in other regions, our strategy is to build local teams to re-create that winning Irish formula."

Jaromir will join the Prague team with responsibilty for Bookassist's Central Europe sales.

New Appointments at Bookassist Spain and Ireland

Bookassist Spain

Bookassist has appointed Almudena Sampò as Sales Manager for Spain, based in Madrid office.

Almudena has a broad experience in the tourism industry, from sales positions in tour operators to GDS representation and other technology account management positions. Prior to Bookassist she worked for Pegasus Solutions as account manager for Utell Hotels in Southern Europe and in the international contracting department in Bancotel.

Almudena will coordinate the expansion of the company in Cataluña and in the Mediterranean area.

Bookassist has also appointed Luis Miguel Llopis to the Traffic Builder team responsible for online marketing services to increase the online visibility and direct sales of Bookassist client hotels in Spain. Luis is based in Madrid office.

Luis has more than 10 years experience in the tourism online industry as project manager with responsibility for operations teams implementing website applications for travel agencies, airlines companies and hotels. He brings considerable experience working in SEO, SEM, Social Networks and email marketing for the tourism industry.

Bookassist Senior Management

Mary Collins has been appointed to the position of Head of Internet Marketing based in the Dublin office. The role oversees online marketing strategy for the company as a whole, covering the Traffic Builder and Site Builder products as well as affiliate programs and web presence for the company.

Mary was previously Web Presence Team Leader at Bookassist Ireland and in her new role will report directly to the CEO.

New Business Development Manager Appointed in Scotland Office

Bookassist has appointed James Kennedy as Business Development Manager for Scotland, based in the Ayrshire office. James is well known across the Scottish Tourism industry and has been working in Business Development over the past four and a half years for VisitScotland.com.

"We've been expanding very rapidly over the past twelve months with Bookassist performing exceptionally well across all accommodation sectors but we recognised that we needed to increase the reach as we go into a challenging period for Scottish tourism. James' understanding of the market place and most importantly the people in that market place made him easily the the number one person for this position", said Ian McCaig, Operations Manager for Bookassist in Scotland.

James will now be reponsible for a raft of new marketing opportunities for Scottish tourism businesses including the rolling out of Bookassist's Web 2.0 tools, the new and exciting Sitebuilder product and the continuing growth of the Bookassist Trafficbuilder programmes. "I'm delighted to be joining the Bookassist team and look forward to working with clients old and new over the coming months and years. The Bookassist suite of products offers real and affordable solutions for all sizes of operators throughout Scotland and will be able to help many hotels, guest houses and self catering businesses get their product to the market more directly", said James.

Bookassist appoints Pascal Gauthier as Director of Operations in Paris office

Bookassist has appointed Pascal Gauthier to head its operation in France.

Pascal has in excess of 20 years experience in the hotel industry, with a specific focus on sales, promotions and marketing at various hotel groups in Paris and beyond. He has a strong knowledge of national and international markets, global distribution systems and internet distribution networks. He will be based at Bookassist's office at Rue Faubourg Montmartre in Paris, represented online by the localised corporate website bookassist.fr.

Ciaran Rowe appointed to lead the Trafficbuilder team at Bookassist's Irish office as Bookassist continues to grow rapidly

Ciaran Rowe will be responsible for operations in the Trafficbuilder service team for the Irish market at Bookassist. Ciaran has been with the company since early 2007 and has been involved in the planning and strategy behind the rapid expansion of the Trafficbuilder team throughout 2007 and 2008. He is Senior Search Engine Marketer with Bookassist and is a qualified Google Adwords Professional.

Bookassist has doubled its total staff in the 12 months since February 2007, in all areas ranging from strategic management and finance to sales, research, development and online marketing expertise.

Bookassist appoints new Business Development Advisor

Christina Roche has been appointed as Business Development Advisor in Bookassist's Dublin office. Christina will work directly with Bookassist partner clients to help increase direct revenue through their hotel websites.

Christina is a graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology at Cathal Brugha Street where she studied for a degree in Hospitality Management. Prior to her appointment with Bookassist Christina worked as Reservations Manager in the Irish Management Institute.

Bookassist appoints new financial controller

Vivian Kelly has joined Bookassist as Financial Controller for the Group. Prior to this role, Vivian worked in Property Development and IT Consultancy working with various Companies in both the Hospitality and Travel Reservation Software Industry.

Vivian is an associate of the Irish Institute of Taxation and also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

Mary Collins to head Trafficbuilder strategy development across all offices at Bookassist

The Board has appointed Mary Collins, Web Presence Team Leader at Bookassist, to also head overall Trafficbuilder strategy development across all Bookassist offices. Bookassist Trafficbuilder services for online marketing are operated out of a number of Bookassist offices in different countries, since the service often requires localisation.

Mary has been with Bookassist since its formation in 1999 and is a Physics graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology and a Management graduate of the National College of Ireland. She has held a number of development and management positions over the years at Bookassist.

Bookassist appoints Operations Manager for the Spanish Office

Cristina Arano joins Bookassist Spain office as Head of Operations in Spain

Bookassist has announced that Cristina Arano has joined the company as Operations Manager for Spain. Cristina Arano has over 12 years experience in the travel industry, working in the UK and Spain, occupying various positions in intermediary companies such as hotel Contracting Manager for international markets and Director of Sales. She will have direct responsibility for the 10 staff currently in Madrid and will oversee expansion.

Cristina Arano is based in Bookassist's office in Madrid and oversees the development and growth of the company in Spain

Bookassist appoints Sales Manager in Ireland

Bookassist appoints Sarah Collins to head Sales in Ireland

Sarah Collins has joined Bookassist as Sales Manager (Ireland). Sarah will obtain new business to partner with Bookassist, who provide an award-winning booking engine and proven online marketing expertise. Bookassist are at the forefront of online reservations technology with offices in Ireland, Spain, Scotland, Czech Republic and Argentina. Prior to this Sarah held the position of Sales and Marketing Executive with the Irish Hospitality Institute. She is delighted to continue working within the Hospitality Industry, where she can maintain the relationships she made during her time with the Irish Hospitality Institute.

A native of Co. Limerick, Sarah spent 4 years in Cardiff where she obtained a Degree in Marketing.

Bookassist appoints Sales Manager in Spain

Ismael García-Ortega Camino has been appointed to head the sales division in Spain and Portugal markets to grow business and introduce the Bookassist Bookingengine and Trafficbuilder services, as the perfect technological partner to mainly drive bookings directly into the hotel's website and reduce distribution costs.

Ismael García-Ortega Camino brings significant experience in the world of tourism, particularly in hotels. Since he graduated in Business and Tourism Activities at the UNED over the past ten years his career has led him to play different positions in chains such as Rafael Hoteles and Hoteles Porcel and also on the side of the Tour Operation in companies such as Bancotel.

Bookassist appoints Head of Business & Operations

Bookassist appoints Yahya Fetchati as Head of Business and Operations.

Bookassist has announced that Mr Yahya Fetchati has joined the company as Head of Business & Operations. Yahya Fetchati brings considerable industry experience to the management team at Bookassist and is a former Director of Hotel Partner Marketing at Lastminute.com and former Managing Director of Hotels for Europe at Hotels.com.

Yahya Fetchati has worked in the online hospitality industry for well over a decade. He is based in the Dublin office and will oversee all strategy and sales operations at Bookassist in all marketplaces, reporting directly to the Board.