Working with Donna over the past 2 years has hardly felt like work at all, her natural rapport and high levels of professionalism have endeared her to me, my team and suppliers alike. Donna has extensive experience of product development and contracting destinations in luxury travel all over the world. Her knowledge has great depth and this coupled with an extensive network of good connections makes her a valuable resource. She is highly skilled in negotiations and has mentored team members new to the role of contracting.
Donna has the rare and valuable talent for striking the perfect balance of rapport and procurement skill. Never idle, always on point with high levels of attention to detail and extremely versatile with many strings to her bow, I have been able to direct her knowledge and skills to various projects across our product and contracting team. These have included destination management, product development, research and feasibility study, mentorship, legal development and marketing projects.
I would recommend Donna unreservedly – work with her – she will add value to your business.
Fiona Malan, Product & Procurement Director, Tailormade, Travelopia
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Donna Quinlan has been instrumental during her tenure with the relationship between the Hotel Bahia del Duque Tenerife and Sovereign Luxury Travel (Travelopia). Her determination and efforts are strong but always pursuing a win:win situation. She understood at every moment our needs and has taken a smooth & very professional approach to all shareholders of our Hotel. Her dedication has been constant and this has proven to be successful in times where market conditions are very challenging. She always has bright ideas and listened to any suggestions from our side as well. Very fair and sincere, never underestimating the operational challenges that a hotel can face.
There is no doubt that she matches very well the soft and hard skills that this business needs, never forgetting that this is a people business. Those aspects are the ones which bring success to the table and make her achieve our common goals. I wish her all the best in the future.
Ane Ugarte, Sales & Marketing Director, Hotel Bahia del Duque, Tenerife
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It has been a pleasure to work with Donna. She is a true professional, always determined and striving for perfection with fantastic attention to detail. Her kind assistance and availability throughout our challenging project has really been appreciated.
Carmen Guerra, Health Journey, Mallorca
I had the pleasure to work with Donna Quinlan while I was Sales Director for the Latin American Hotel Chain Grupo Posadas. During the two years that we worked together, Donna not only showed high degrees of professionalism, dedication and responsibilities beyond expectations, but she was always a true guidance on how to approach the UK market and what UK travellers expect from a product abroad. She was always negotiating with a smile and with the interest of both companies in mind. Since then, Donna was always been keen to hear from new suppliers and learn about new products in Latin America, giving her a wider vision of what is on offer in this exciting continent.
Carlos Barcenas, Latin America
I have worked with Donna for more than ten years. I must say I’m very proud to have her as my business partner and a close foreign friend. Donna is quite a professional. She has been to China many times and is very knowledgeable about my country. In order to obtain first hand information, she was never afraid of any difficulties. I still remember one winter many years ago during low season, when completing inspections and meetings, despite the bitter weather and no heating, Donna insisted on the completion of her work. Donna understands the market, and knows the interest of the customers. During the years she was the product manager, she helped organize thousands upon thousands of people to tour China.
Rujie Zhang, CYTS, China
I have known Donna personally for over 10 years as a work partner. Throughout our business partnerships, she has never failed to carry herself professionally, consistently delivering her work with efficiency and excellence. Most importantly, she has always treated suppliers like my company, with fairness and integrity whenever it comes to business dealings. She is also a trustworthy individual whom I can count on, be it for business or personal matters. Above all else, she is an absolute pleasure to work with, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her.
Jaclyn Yeoh, Siam Express, Singapore
Donna Quinlan has been instrumental in matching our business with Saga Holidays where she used to work. She continuously improved the process to run smoothly and successfully for all stakeholders. It was a win-win relationship at all times. We admire her dedication, fairness and sincerity in dealing with people. She worked closely with us so we learned what we needed to do to serve the clients well and make the business profitable. Her industry knowledge and best practices helped us streamline our operations to meet the expectations of the clients. We’ve been working now with the same company for 5 years and the satisfaction ratings we receive from our guests are always very high and exceptional. Her professional drive has always inspired us and so we wish her the best for all her new endeavours in life.
Jose Ting, Bangkok Maenam Riverside, Thailand
For almost 10 years I worked closely with Donna in developing and operating business into Peru and during all that time Donna proved to be highly professional and efficient. Her dedication, pro activeness and sympathy was very much appreciated.
Miguel Velasco, Coltur, Peru
I worked with Donna back in 2012 when we handled a group series to Bali.
Donna is a very detailed person and knows her clienteles well. One thing I admire in Donna is her energy and enthusiasm in the project she is managing to ensure everything is on the perfect track.
Mahalia Panca, Tour East, Indonesia
It is with great pleasure I write this reference for Donna. I have had the pleasure to work with you for the past 6 years during which our resort’s business with Saga Holidays has gone from non- existent to it being one of our largest Tour Operators. This huge increase in business could not have happened without you. Your dedication, drive and marketing skills have been the key to our success. You were always reachable and due to your great communication skills and foresight we were able to continually grow our business. We wish you success with your new endeavours and I hope our paths will cross again in the near future.
JP Martens, Grotto Bay Hotel, Bermuda
Donna is a consummate travel professional with many years experience and broad geographical expertise. She is widely respected by all those with whom she comes into contact with from Chile to China for her diligent, thorough and pragmatic approach. In addition, she is quietly efficient and a pleasure to work with whether as a colleague or customer.
Stuart Douglass Lee, Saga Holidays, UK
I have worked with Donna for more than 10 years and have been consistently impressed by both her passion, her attitude towards work and her professionalism in a challenging growing market. I highly value her interpersonal relationships skills with suppliers across China, she is extremely good at communicating with clients from multi-cultural backgrounds. She knows the travel market well and has designed several best selling tours for many years. She is quick in coming up with ideas and choosing the most suitable programmes for her target market. She is also skilled at locating cost variances and securing the best possible rates through hard negotiation. I highly recommend her negotiation skills when managing world wide partners, she demonstrates a strategic vision in the process of supplier development, relationship building and dealing with emergencies during the overall management of her duties.
Chen Chen, CYTS, China
QPQ Consultancy Ltd 