Gwen Stephens Jones is an experienced marketing and sales professional with over 20 years of experience in the travel and hospitality industry. She has held roles such as Head of Marketing, Sales, and Operations for various companies in India, Sri Lanka, and the UK. Her expertise includes developing unique guest experiences, managing teams, product development, and digital marketing strategies. She is seeking a new opportunity to help startups shape experiential travel concepts through short to mid-term project work.

1. Gwen Stephens Jones
gwenii72@yahoo.com
Personal:
Date of Birth: 15th
January, 1972
Place of Birth: Ottawa, Canada
Nationality: British
Profile:
I am an experienced product, sales and marketing professional with wide ranging skills and
experience in the travel and hospitality industry. My core strengths include developing and
honing guest experiences in the field of experiential travel and hospitality, people
management, guest relations and hosting, product development and wide ranging marketing
and representation experience, with a vast network of contacts within South Asia and the UK.
My expertise has given me a solid grounding in people management, administration and an
in-depth and well-rounded knowledge of the travel industry. I am seeking to use my skills in
an environment where I can make a significant contribution in helping to shape and hone
experiential concepts of new ventures - ideally working on short to mid- term projects,
helping to deliver unique, genuine and memorable guest stays.
Employment History:
Rakkh Resort, Himachal Pradesh, India
January 2016 – Present
Head of Marketing, Sales and Pre-Post Opening Operations (Delhi and Resort based)
 Develop and refine the concept, philosophy and mission statement of Rakkh leading
up to the final stages of construction as well as honing the branding of Rakkh and the
creation necessary collaterals (business cards, resort signage, in-room guest
amenities, etc) with the brand-managers.
 Standard Operating Procedures: Creating and helping implement SOPs for each
department, with particular emphasis on ensuring a streamlined and personal
approach to the entire process of a guests’ experience of Rakkh – from initial enquiry,
invoicing, ensuring concise and accurate information always given , pre-arrival,
check in and check-out protocols and post-stay feedback communication
 Restaurant Concept: Working with the F&B team to develop menus and overall
dining experience at Rakkh
 Experiential Excursion and Activities: developing guided biking and hiking trails for
Rakkh guests, putting together interesting and less-commercialised experiences and
excursions off site. For example working with a local estate owner to offer a hands
on tea tour, visiting a local artist studio, offering guests genuine and non-voyeuristic
local interactions, visiting an unknown Tibetan monastery and offering guests an
opportunity to meet novice monks – the emphasis most certainly for all excursions
was to offer a glimpse of local life, untainted by mass tourism.
 Website content and design: creating a sophisticated, original and aesthetically
pleasing website, working with the web design team and guiding them to ensure our
vision was achieved. Copy editing all content for the site, as well as image selection.
 SEO/SMO: Initially setting up the Facebook and Instagram accounts for Rakkh,
working alongside the team in terms of a FB strategy, target market and audience,
copy editing all Blog and FB posts before posting
 PR: Acted at spokesperson for the resort, arranged pre-opening Press Trip and
monitored all subsequent articles appearing in such publications as LBB,
Bringhomestories.com,
 Online Travel Agents, and DMCs: Set up accounts with major Indian based OTAs,
including Agoda, Make My Trip, Cleartrip, Airbnb, Goibibo, etc in conjunction with

2. Staah’s Booking Management Software – ensuring room inventory always up to date,
content correct, special offers and rates kept current, booking confirmations chase
ups and ensuring payments are processed.
 Working alongside Evoque Marketing, Rakkh’s Delhi-based representation company,
to design all the necessary sales and marketing material, including power point
presentation, brochure design and production, special offer pitches. Organising agent
cocktail and canapé events in Delhi to showcase Rakkh. Visiting key clients in
person, hosting agents at resort on FAM trips, designing special interest packages
(such as yoga retreats, stay for 4x4 self drive groups) as well as visiting key London
based agents in August to introduce Rakkh to the overseas market
January 2015 – December 2015:
I was fortunate enough to be able to a 1 year sabbatical from my career, as I decided it was
time to return to my travelling roots by going backpacking for a year – visited Cambodia and
Indonesia where I learnt to dive and did some voluntary work in Bali before returning to
Europe in the Spring. Spent 5 months in Italy learning (and mainly failing) to learn Italian in
Bologna, working on an organic farm home stay in Calabria, helping to run a hostel in Sicily
and finally travelling around Turkey for 2 months before my funds ran out!
Sri Lanka in Style/Red Dot Tour, Colombo, Sri Lanka
April 2014 – January 2015
Head of Product and Marketing
• Managing the Product and Marketing Team at Sri Lanka in Style (and latterly Reddot Tours
following the merger in August 2014)
• Overseeing the budget for both departments and producing monthly reports for the CEO
• As head of department I was involved in weekly meetings in the lead up and post-merger period
• Conducting weekly meetings with the team and bi-annual staff evaluations
• Product Role:
• Overseeing the development of new experiential elements for SLIS guests, with the main goal that
these experiences would be personality driven and would be exclusive only for SLIS/RDT guests
• Managing the devising of new itineraries for overseas agents – which included specialized group
tours and experiential focused tours
• Organising regular FAM tours for sales and product staff – emphasis on visiting new properties as
well as trialing new experiences, and assessing their suitability to be included on the SLIS website.
Withdrawing properties from our website which fell below expected standards.
• Monthly product training sessions for sales staff as well as organizing regular training sessions by
our suppliers
• Marketing Role:
• Arranging press trips for journalists as part of the SLIS MPH (Media and Personality Hosting)
programme which was a collaboration between SLIS and 7 key partners (Uga Resorts, Resplendent
Ceylon, The Wallawwa, Manor House Concepts, Leopard Safaris, Why House, KK)
• Managing all agent FAM tours
• Liaising with PURE and Virtuoso for SLIS attendance to the conferences as well as organizing
online webinars for Virtuoso agents
• Ensuring online marketing (Instagram, FB, Blog, Newsletters, Pinterest) were kept updated at all
times
• Overseeing Jeff Fuchs’ Tea Tour of Sri Lanka – a marketing event co-sponsored by our MPH
partners – showcasing events hosted by Jeff who is an expert on tea and in particular tea from the
Tibetan Plateau and the Tea Horse Road. Events were hosted for guests at Wallawwa, Ulagalla,
Kandy House, Tea Trails, Why House and a final gala event in Colombo.
Borderlands Lanka (Pvt) Ltd, Colombo, Sri Lanka

3. September 2011 – April 2014
Manager of Sales and Marketing (Leisure)
• Initial role was to develop a leisure market for Borderlands, an outdoor adventure company with a
river-side camp on the Kelani River, operating in Kithulgala. This included introducing best practice
in terms of service standards and comfort levels at the camp, introducing tourist friendly menus,
hiring international river guides to oversee international standards of safety on the river and a more
tourist-friendly rapport with guests, and enabling local guides to learn by example.
• Second stage was developing marketing material, including brochure and marketing video. Visits to
all relevant DMC’s in Sri Lanka, organizing site visits for agents (local and overseas) and a Sales
Trip to London and Oxford to visit key UK agents.
• Setting up our Triadvisor page and following up each stay with a personal e-mail (Borderlands
within the first year of my involvement was on 5* rating)
• Establishing a more streamlined reservations and invoicing system
• Developing a new daily activities-rooming system which enabled head office in Colombo and
management in Kithulgala to vastly improve communication and efficiency in terms of the daily
logistics of client stays.
• Stand-in manager when camp-manager was on leave or during peak periods, working as host and
guide in the field
• Incorporated managing all school and youth programming into my remit: pitching to international
and local schools who were looking for a local partner to run Youth Development and Leadership
Programmes, liaising with organisers in terms of itineraries, schedules, invoicing as well as attending
each programme in person to work as contact between Borderlands and the teachers. Logistical
planning of each programme (transport, meal requirements, rooming, ensuring insurance, visa and
medical forms from each student was received prior to arrival, local staffing, organizing social
community projects for the schools to raise funds and spend a day with, and for local schools a pre
and post programme presentation – schools I worked with included American Community School of
Beirut, Dubai International School, German School of Dubai, Lebanese School of Dubai, Overseas
School of Colombo, British School of Colombo, Elizabeth Moir School Colombo, HK International
School and Doha International School)
Banyan Lanka Tours and Travels (Pvt), Colombo, Sri Lanka
July 2010 – June 2011
Manager of Operations
• Overseeing the re-establishment of operations of Banyan Lanka Tours after a 2 year hiatus in
business
• Negotiating direct contracts with new and existing partner hotels
• Devising itineraries and executing bespoke travel arrangements for an upmarket and discerning UK,
US, Australian and European clientele base
• Arranging press trips and putting together original travel proposals for press and media PR requests
• Making all necessary reservations with hotels.
• Invoicing clients and ensuring all suppliers paid promptly and on time.
• Implementing specific quality control guidelines and ensuring all drivers trained to an exacting level
of customer service.
• Meeting every guest in person on arrival and departure in Colombo.
• Providing 24 hour assistance to all guests traveling in the country.
India and Sri Lanka Portfolio, London UK (a subsidiary of Real Holidays)
May, 2004 – July 2010
Product and Reservations Manager
• Devising bespoke travel itineraries for a high end UK clientele to India and Sri Lanka, specifically
off the beaten track destinations, and small heritage hotels and boutique villas and hotels.
• Liaised with our PR Company producing press releases for brochure and website launch, weekly
shorts, round ups and arranging press trips for travel journalists from the broadsheet newspapers.

4. • Developed a new company website produced all copywriting and had creative collaboration with
web designer on layout and style. Ensured website content was kept dynamic and up to date
Real Holidays, London UK
November, 1998 – May 2004
Sales Consultant
• Commission driven sales job which involved meeting and exceeding targets
• Handling face to face, phone and e-mail client enquiries
• Arranging bespoke honeymoons, family holidays, RTW itineraries and ensuring a high level of
customer service and attention to detail at all times.
• Using expert knowledge and resources to match clients request to their perfect holiday
Education:
University of Sheffield, UK 2:1 Bachelor of Arts
September 1991 – June 1995 American Studies
Dinas Bran School, Llangollen Wales
A Levels: English A, History B
Sociology A
GCSEs: 10 GCSE’s awarded grades A-B
Skills:
Sales and marketing, project management, Product Development, Managing employees and team members,
Logistical and operation management, researching, small event management, project management,
administration, computer literate.
Personal Interests:
Reading, traveling, cooking, scuba diving, hiking, cinema, animal welfare