146 Maintaining and improving the quality of the onboard experience is essential for Anglo-Eastern, says Dietmar Wertanzl INTERVIEW Putting on a show Dietmar Wertanzl of Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management speaks with Alex Smith about how the company is striving to deliver constant improvements in the guest experience Ship management company Anglo-Eastern completed the acquisition of Cruise Management International (CMI) and CMI Leisure Management (CMILM) in March 2023, rebranding the two arms of the business as Anglo-Eastern Cruise Management and Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management. The move marked Anglo-Eastern’s first foray into the travel and tourism sector after almost five decades of managing merchant vessels, and signalled a new beginning for the employees of CMI. One of the people at the heart of the transition is Dietmar Wertanzl, president and CEO of CMILM, who has continued in the same positions at Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management. “The acquisition has gone very smoothly overall,” says Wertanzl. “As with any acquisition, it’s a long process, and there’s still some final work to do in aligning systems and processes. But I think we’re now in a position where we can fully take advantage of the know-how and resources of our parent company.” Though Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management is now part of a larger company, it remains an independent and seperate unit. According to Wertanzl, this allows the business to remain agile and apply its expertise in the cruise sector to improve the quality of its service while retaining the support of the wider Anglo-Eastern group. “From a wider corporate perspective, the focus is on risk management, and it’s absolutely a priority to maintain safety standards first and foremost,” says Wertanzl. “But the difference in the experience for the guest is still the quality of the service. In the cruise division, we’re empowered to focus on providing that level of excellence and passion for the work. As experts in cruise hospitality, we know what tools are needed to make the guest and crew experience better. We’ve been able to use a bigger toolbox from Anglo-Eastern to continue doing what we do best.” Photo: Anglo-Eastern Leisure Management
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