Windstar Cruises announces that Peter Tobler has joined the small ship cruise line as Director of Marine Hotel Operations.
In his new position, Tobler is responsible for overall leadership and guiding principles overseeing hotel management for the six ship fleet including food and beverage operations, revenue, product development, service standards, and employee training and development.
“Peter Tobler is one of the most recognized hotel operations professionals in the industry and a very detailed culinarian. Peter possesses a unique expertise and finds his true passion for hotel operations in helping his team become the best in the industry,” noted Vice President of Fleet Operations Christopher Prelog. “Peter has been an idol of mine and a leader for many others in hospitality for years. His leadership will set the standard for hospitality excellence in small ship cruising.”
Tobler’s 30-plus years of hospitality, travel and cruise experience spans completely complements the impressive talent team found both aboard and on shore at Windstar Cruises.
“My goal is to assemble a tour-de-force of hospitality leaders that establishes Windstar as an employer of choice in cruising and travel,” said Windstar President John Delaney. “We aspire to not only deliver the absolute best travel experience in small ship cruising, but to be a recognized leader of trends, innovation, and personalized service in the greater tourism industry. We are in the business of creating vacations that exceed expectations, surprising and delighting our deserving guests along the way. With the leadership and expertise of Chris and Peter, Windstar is well positioned to fulfill that promise.”
Tobler begins with Windstar immediately, fresh off running his own business, consulting on strategic development and implementation of global culinary operations. Prior to that, Tobler held successive positions as vice president of culinary/food and beverage, managing worldwide operations for Princess Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, as well as director of food and beverage operations for luxury operators Seabourn and Cunard. Tobler started his cruise career as a Hotel Manager at Seabourn working on board Windstar’s now Star-class yachts, fostering his true guest-centric perspective, and extensive knowledge of the remarkable growth and innovations in the world of cruising.
Tobler’s recent cruise industry successes include acting as team lead and receiving the Best Cruises for Food Lovers distinction by Food & Wine Magazine; recognition by the Seatrade Insider Cruise Award for the Chef’s Table, and a 31st Annual Telly Award for Love at First Sip; as well as an award-winning partnership with world-renowned Master Chocolatier Norman Love for Chocolate Journeys.
Educated at renowned institutions, namely the School of Hotel Administration at Cornell University, the UCLA Anderson School of Management, the Culinary Institute of Zurich in Switzerland, and the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), Tobler is a lifetime member of the Cornell Society of Hotelmen and past president and chairman of the board of directors for the Marine Hotel Association.
Tobler is relocating to Seattle to join the 130-plus employees on the Windstar team in the cruise line’s corporate headquarters. He will lead an 800-strong team of ship culinary and service staff and crew across the six-ship yacht fleet, offering more than 250 cruises annually sailing to 170 ports worldwide. The leader in small ship cruising recently won the “10Best” award as #1 Best Boutique Cruise Line voted on by readers of USA Today and was named to Condé Nast Traveler’s 2017 Gold List.