Thomas Cook has created a combined marketing and comms role within its Hotels & Resorts arm, which "recognises the increased blurring" of the two disciplines.
The promotion of David Child (pictured) comes alongside the departure of group marketing director Jamie Queen.
Formerly Hotels & Resorts head of comms, Child’s new role is head of communications and marketing, Hotels & Resorts. Thomas Cook said the new role "aims to deliver a consistent and co-ordinated approach to the promotion of the group's own-brand hotels across all its markets".
Child will work with heads of marketing and comms in each market to grow awareness and attract new customers to its own-brand hotels, the group said, with a focus on the "hero brands" of Casa Cook and Cook’s Club, along with 20 new hotel openings set for this summer. Child joined Thomas Cook from Edelman 18 months ago.
Thomas Cook group comms director said: "This is all about giving real focus to our own-brand hotels in all marketing, in the same way in which we have already done in comms, and putting the function at the heart of the hotels business, where it can sit closest to the brands to drive a consistent and coordinated approach to the content and campaigns across all the markets.
"It also makes total sense from an efficiency perspective to have one person overseeing all PR, influencers etc from one place without that debate about whether it’s ‘PR’ or ‘marketing’. [It] recognises the increased blurring between the two in brand PR."
Thomas Cook said Queen will leave in April after five years at the company "to pursue new challenges". He has held several senior marketing and ecommerce roles, both in the UK and at group level, most recently as group marketing director.
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