Windstar Cruises has appointed Stijn Creupelandt as its new Vice President of Hotel Operations and Product Development.
A 20-year veteran of the luxury cruise sector, Creupelandt will be in charge of the overall leadership, management, and operation of the Windstar guest experience, including all onboard hotel services, entertainment, wellness and spa, shore excursions, guest relations, food and beverage, and customer loyalty.
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“I’m thrilled to welcome Stijn to the Windstar family,” said Windstar President Christopher Prelog. “We’re fortunate to add his luxury cruise experience and astute cultural understanding to our executive team, and I’m confident Stijn will continue to build upon the award-winning service, the once-in-a-lifetime shore excursions, the amazing food, and all of the 180 degrees from ordinary experiences that Windstar is known for.”
and Product Development, Windstar Cruises
Creupelandt will be based in Windstar Cruises’ new Miami headquarters, reporting directly to Prelog. He will work in tandem with newly-promoted Vice President of Marine & Technical Operations, Paul Barrett, to manage all of the operations aboard Windstar’s fleet of six yachts.
Windstar revealed earlier this year that it will be moving its office from Seattle to Miami in June of 2022, with some corporate positions moving to Denver and others operating remotely from the Seattle area. The Miami office will accommodate mostly cruise operation functions and some direct supporting teams to operations.
Creupelandt was most recently the Director of hotel services at Seabourn Cruise Line, before that serving as the director of human resources and in other roles throughout his 20-year career there.
Meanwhile, Windstar Cruises’ fourth ship has returned to commercial services. The 342-guest Wind Surf relaunched with an eight-day voyage from Barcelona to Lisbon in the Mediterranean, with port calls at Palma de Mallorca, Cartagena, Almeria, Malaga, Gibraltar and Cadiz.
Windstar is returning to operations in a phased manner, with its fleet of six yachts debuting on various dates through November, while requiring vaccines of all passengers amongst a host of health and safety precautions including testing, social distancing, masks, and high-tech air filtration. Wind Star, Star Breeze and Wind Spirit returned to service over the past two months. All yachts are sailing with vaccinated guests and crew.