Kelly Poling has been promoted to CEO of Premier Worldwide Marketing, the exclusive worldwide representatives for Karisma Hotels & Resorts. Previously, she had been the company’s executive vice president of marketing.
In her new role Poling will focus on leading the growth of the company’s partnerships with Viacom International Media Networks and Margaritaville Holdings, which have resulted in the launch of the Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts and Margaritaville Island Reserve by Karisma brands, respectively. The first luxury all-inclusive Margaritaville resort is planned to launch in Cancun this winter, with three more in the pipeline; Mexico’s Riviera Maya, Jamaica and Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic are among the planned destinations for the brand. In 2020, Karisma will open its second and flagship Nickelodeon property, the newbuild Nickelodeon Hotels & Resorts Riviera Maya, next to the company’s Generations resort. Poling will also work to evolve Karisma’s other resort brands in Mexico, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe: El Dorado Spa Resorts, Azul Beach Resorts, Generations Resorts, Karisma Villas, Hidden Beach Resort, Sensatori Resorts, Sensimar Resorts, Allure Hotels and Karisma Hotels Adriatic.
Poling spent two years as the company’s executive vice president of marketing, during which time she oversaw a number of creative campaigns, introduced a data-driven approach to decision-making and grew the resort company’s Millennial clientele.
Prior to joining Premiere Worldwide Marketing, Poling served as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for WoodSpring Hotels, where she led both the marketing team and management of all reservations channels, including the website, contact center, third party partnerships, and B2B sales. Before that, she served as vice president of consumer marketing strategy and operations for Rosetta Stone and spent seven years at Choice Hotels International, leading the corporate strategy, marketing and e-commerce teams. She has served on numerous hotel industry and not-for-profit Boards of Directors as well. Poling holds a Master’s in Business Administration from The Wharton School of Business at The University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Business Administration from The George Washington University.
Premier Worldwide Marketing says that Poling is joining a number of other female leaders at the company, including Elizabeth Fettes, vice president of marketing and brand strategy, and Maury Lundahl, vice president of eCommerce.
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