PONANT EXPLORATIONS appoints Gino Andreetta as chief client & hospitality officer

PONANT EXPLORATIONS has appointed Gino Andreetta as chief client and hospitality officer, effective July 1, 2026.

Reporting directly to Benoit-Etienne Domenget, CEO, and joining the Executive Committee, he will lead the newly created client and hospitality division, a strategic function designed to elevate the end-to-end guest experience and support the company’s ambition to lead the exploration travel space.

With more than 35 years of international experience in luxury travel and hospitality across four continents, Andreetta brings a rare combination of strategic vision, operational excellence and customer-centric leadership.

Throughout his career with Club Med, he has successfully driven premium repositioning initiatives, accelerated digital transformation, expanded brands into new markets and transformed customer experience standards while embedding environmental responsibility and talent development at the heart of business performance, said PONANT.  

“His leadership journey, shaped by diverse cultural and economic environments, is guided by a strong conviction: the luxury of tomorrow will be defined by the depth of the experiences it creates and by the care it shows for the world around us,” the company said.

The creation of the Client and Hospitality division marks a new milestone in PONANT EXPLORATIONS' transformation.

Under Andreetta’s leadership, the division will bring together Hotel Design & Operations, Product Design & Development, Explorations, Client Satisfaction and Onboard Activities, ensuring a seamless and distinctive guest journey at every stage of the experience.

The integrated approach aims to reinforce the company’s commitment to delivering exceptional exploration experiences while continuously raising standards of hospitality, innovation and service excellence.

Benoit-Etienne Domenget said Andreetta’s hiring comes at “a defining moment in our development.”

“His exceptional international background, his proven ability to successfully drive premium positioning and his deep understanding of client expectations make him uniquely positioned to help us achieve our North Star ambition,” said Domenget.

“The creation of the Client & Hospitality division reflects our conviction that excellence in exploration begins with an extraordinary guest experience, seamlessly delivered from the very first spark of inspiration to disembarkation and beyond.”

In a statement, Andreetta said he was “honoured to join PONANT EXPLORATIONS, a company that has redefined exploration travel through its pioneering spirit and commitment to excellence.”

“I look forward to working with the teams to further elevate the guest experience, creating journeys that are not only exceptional and deeply meaningful, but also aligned with the evolving aspirations of luxury travellers,” he said.

“Together, we will continue to shape a distinctive vision of hospitality where emotion, authenticity and responsibility go hand in hand."

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.