Director, Hotel Business Development

WHO WE ARE

Lindblad Expeditions is a true pioneer in Expedition Travel. From taking the first citizen explorers to Antarctica in 1966, opening the Galapagos and Easter Island to tourism in 1967, leading the first tourist expedition through the Northwest Passage in 1984, and launching our innovative partnership with National Geographic in 2004, we're now taking almost 30,000 guests a year to some of the world’s most remote and pristine locations on our fleet of 20 ships, and are committed to ensuring our guests experience the “Exhilaration of Discovery”.

POSITION SUMMARY

The Director of Hotel Business Development is responsible for advancing long-term growth strategies of Lindblad Expeditions’ Hotel Operations organization. This role serves as a key partner to the SVP of Hotel Operations, translating enterprise and departmental priorities into executable plans, scalable processes, and measurable business outcomes.

The Director leads Hotel Operations integration for new charters, vessel additions, newbuilds, acquisitions, and other growth initiatives, ensuring operational readiness and alignment with Lindblad’s guest experience, brand standards, financial, sustainability, and operating standards.

Working across Hotel Operations, Finance, Marine, Technical, Expedition, Sales, Marketing, HR, IT, and other functions, this position drives complex cross-functional initiatives from strategy through implementation while identifying opportunities to improve efficiency, scalability, guest experience, and overall business performance.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Charter & Vessel Integration: Lead Hotel Operations integration and readiness for new charter vessels, vessel transitions, and group charters, including operating standards, guest experience requirements, budgets, staffing implications, systems, supply chain, and shoreside/shipboard readiness.

Newbuild & M&A Integration: Represent Hotel Operations in newbuild, acquisition, charter, and M&A initiatives, assessing operational requirements, opportunities, risks, and integration needs from due diligence through implementation.

Rental Program Management : Manage the day-to-day execution of the fleetwide guest rental and parka program, including forecasting and ordering based on guest counts, historical size ratios, itinerary requirements, and inventory levels. Coordinate production, replenishment, and logistics with vendors and, and work closely with shipboard teams to manage delivery, onboard storage capacity, inventory handling, distribution, and excess stock. Maintain a strong ship-to-shore relationship to anticipate operational needs, resolve issues, and ensure the right quantities and size mix are available while minimizing shortages, excess inventory, and unnecessary logistics costs.

Cross-Functional Initiative Leadership: Lead complex initiatives requiring coordination across multiple departments, establishing clear governance, accountability, milestones, and communication from concept through implementation.

Operational Readiness: Develop structured integration and readiness plans for new vessels, programs, and partnerships to ensure Hotel Operations is prepared for successful launch and ongoing execution.

Lead brand governance across shipboard operations and related channels, including licensing and partnerships with external teams. Ensure brand and contractual requirements are consistently executed across shipboard touchpoints, including entertainment systems and onboard portal integrations, and establish clear SOPs to support compliance with partnership agreements.

Support CAPEX planning, review, and tracking, including coordination of financial reporting, budget consolidation, and reconciliation in partnership with Accounting and Finance.

Partners with Hotel operations and Sr Superintendent to organize and prioritize work scope for maintenance periods

Executive Support: Prepare strategic recommendations, analyses, presentations, and decision materials for the SVP Hotel Operations and senior leadership related to growth, investment, integration, and operational strategy.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

BA/BS degree in Business, Hospitality, Operations, or related field required; MBA or advanced degree preferred.

8–12 years of progressive experience in hospitality, cruise, travel, operations, strategy, consulting, or business transformation.

Demonstrated experience leading complex cross-functional projects and implementing initiatives across multiple operating units.

Experience with vessel integration, newbuilds, acquisitions, charters, hospitality openings, or other large-scale operational transitions strongly preferred.

Strong understanding of financial planning, business cases, budgeting, and operational performance.

Other Skills/Abilities

Strong strategic thinking with the ability to translate strategy into execution.

Excellent project and program management capabilities.

Strong financial and analytical acumen.

Ability to navigate ambiguity and manage multiple complex initiatives simultaneously.

Strong cross-functional leadership and stakeholder management and communications skills.

Process improvement and change-management mindset.

Ability to balance guest experience, operational requirements, financial performance, and scalability.

Strong executive presentation and communication skills.

Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and business analytics/reporting tools.