Hello Canada,
Thank you to all that posted a comment on my blog titled, “Get Out Of The Cold”. It was great to read about all your positive experiences and I am sure you will all have the opportunity to relive these experiences once you return to Sandals and Beaches Resorts.
I was really impressed with the effort you all put into your comments that I decided to draw TWO NAMES.
Now the winners are...DRUM ROLL...DRUM ROLL...DRUM ROLL...DRUM ROLL...DRUM ROLL....
Cindy Johnson from Platinum Events and Deborah Jensen from Kamloops Travel World
Congratulations to both of you! I am very happy to let you know that you have both one a 4 night stay at any Sandals or Beaches Resort!
Please take a look at what Cindy submitted:
Hi Gina
Where do I begin???
We first visited Sandals on our honeymoon in January 2006, we stayed at Dunns River Villagio. We returned and became "Soon Come Back" Sandals Signature Members. Why did we LOVE this resort?
1. Size: It was the perfect setting for a honeymoon. It was intimate and had a great vibe.
2. Restaurants: We never had to make a reservation for dinner and didn't have to wait long for a table. The outdoor pizza oven was one of the best places to eat. With gourmet pizza, gelato & espresso available all day. We were in heaven
3. Beach: It wasn't huge, it was perfect. White sand and calm warm waters.
4. People: Everyone asked how our day was and we often saw the GM walking around to speak to guests.
5. Cleanliness & Overall Ambiance: Everything from our room to the areas of the resort was clean. The ambiance was luxury caribbean, not something made up.
My second visit was to Beaches Turks & Caicos. Unfortunately hubby wasn't able to come with me.
1. The Italian Village Concierge Suites: This suite was the ULTIMATE. It sleeps four+ and comes equipped with an Xbox, bunk beds, a king-sized four poster bed in a separate room, and a fully stocked mini bar with snacks (including mircowave & popcorn!). The washroom was incredible, mahogany wood & marble. The nice touch was the Red Lane Spa toiletries. It's not on my must have list but it did make my trip that more enjoyable.
2. Family & Honeymoon Friendly: I have to be honest before I arrived my worry was that I could never send a wedding or honeymooners here... BOY was I wrong. Sandals/Beaches did an amazing job at planning this resort. Never did I feel that it was less romantic with families present. The resort plan obviously made sure that this wouldn't be the case.
3. Restaurants/Amenities: Aside from fabulous restaurants, there was an authentic English Pub serving Guinness, Bass, etc., plus a nightclub, Xbox Game Garage, all day coffee bistro & swim up bar for milkshakes at the pirate ship. There was enough to please and accommodate everyone.
4. Beach: This is hands down my favorite beach... The white sand felt like baby powder on your feet, the water was warm & completely calm. Perfect for anyone.
5. Cleanliness & Overall Ambiance: Once again another stellar resort by Sandals/Beaches. Everything from my room, the beach, and many other areas. My favorite restaurant is Schooners outdoor patio. Perfect place for a romantic wedding reception dinner.
My next visit was with my hubby for our 4th wedding anniversary. This time we stayed at Royal Bahamian. I found this resort to be very similar in size and ambiance to Dunns River Villagio.
1. Travel: With a flight time of 3 hours & 15 minutes from Toronto. This property was the best for a little getaway.
2. Beach: Gorgeous. We had fish eating bread right out of our hands. The sand and water was very warm. Staying in the manor side, we got to wake up to see it every morning.
3. Restaurants/Amenities: Great restaurants! To my surprise I was even served table-side, caviar at Baccarat restaurant. Sandals Cay, the private island was a nice escape by 7 min ferry. We had lunch & swam in the warm ocean. It has a great view of Cable Beach. Sandals Cay has a pool and many sun lounging areas on the beach & pool area.
Everything I have stated above is the reason why we promote Sandals/Beaches properties. Bottom line is they have something for everyone. Although every resort has its own personality and charm they all maintain the luxury-included brand that is only known to Sandals.
Cindy
Here is what Deborah submitted:
Hi Gina,
I'm always impressed by Sandals and their properties. I'm a huge fan which totally helps me sell too. Our agency is a very big supporter of Sandals Resorts International and always recommend Sandals, Beaches and Royal Plantations, and we've never had a complaint from our clients or our agents.
In the past 2 years our family purchased an existing independent agency in our town. Without much experience in this industry but lots of personal travel experience we knew we needed to find something to offer our clients and this community some place with exceptional service. The "all inclusive" had been way over done and now people were getting sick of the "cheap" deals at less then standard resorts.
Since we traveled to St. Lucia and experienced Sandals Regency La Toc ourselves we have been able to show our clients the difference which lead to an increase of 5000% (yes 5000). With the product knowledge we have from our local reps and all the support Sandals/Beaches gives travel agents we're able to focus of customer service and get the client excited for their vacations. We offer our clients a huge level of personal experience from our trips. Since that first visit to La Toc we've now visited all Sandals properties (except Antigua), all Beaches (except Turks--that's our December trip) and Royal Plantations Ocho Rios. With those personal vacations we're able to see the resorts and experience the true perfection of them in order to come home and really sell them. We've experienced both concierge and butler service so we're totally able to explain why it's necessary to have that personalized service on your holidays! (Why save your money for a vacation then cheap out!?) We've only once stayed in concierge, the rest butler level which helps a great deal in selling. Explaining that we've tried it, and loved it really helps to make our clients love the idea.
One of my favorite butler moments was in July at the Royal Bahamian. It was after dinner and drinks and we were heading back to our room, passing the chocolate buffet...I'd told myself I didn't need anything and kept walking--well that's just not right! So once back at my room I was lucky enough to find some delicious cookies left on the bed by the butler, however I couldn't get the chocolate buffet out of my mind, and one quick call later we had chocolate strawberries (both dark and white chocolate) delivered to the room...within about 10 minutes! That's service.
I'm so looking forward to the Nov/Dec trip we've planned as well. With that excitement I tell my clients about my trip to get them excited to book and experience it themselves, everyone says we go on the greatest trips, but anyone can! For December we're visiting Sandals Negril staying in the newly named Millionaire Honeymoon One Bedroom Suite with private plunge pool for 1 week, then off to MoBay staying in Bay Rock for 3 nights and then off from Jamaica to Turks staying in the Presidential 2 bedroom Luxury Suite for a week. Experiencing these vacations really helps our sales. Having the personal tips and piece of advice for our clients has done incredible things to our sales! As you can clearly see, our vacations have paid off remarkably and all within 2 years! Sandals has made some fantastic efforts to keep up it's game in this market. I can not wait for the over water suites in St. Lucia (I've stayed in Tahiti and her Islands, and I know having over water bungalows can really make your holiday a dream come true!)
Vacationing for us and our agents in our office is not just fun and games, we do visit the resorts to gain knowledge and learn about sales techniques. Sandals is always awesome for that, offering lunches and meetings with their staff to increase our sales. The staff at Sandals has always made agents on site feel more then just guests, always so greatful and thankful that we're sending clients to them. Thanks to those people and the resorts, and our reps and these blogs, all the training and products knowledge we've learned from Sandals, Beaches and Royal Plantations we've been able to satisfy our clients. Nothing is better then a returning client with no complaints! What resorts can top Rolls Royce transfers and in room plunge pools that is included in your package!?
Thank you for your advice and blogs!
Deborah Jensen
Wishing you all a positive week!!
Gina
Quote of the week:
“Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen.” – Peter Marshall
