Home-Based Travel Agent - February 2008 - (Page 28)

Recommending the Right ALL-INCLUSIVE RESORT A 28 PROPERTIES TARGET MARKET SEGMENTS WITH SPECIAL AMENITIES AND SERVICES BY KATHLEEN M. MANGAN LL-INCLUSIVE RESORTS ARE TAILORING THEIR FACILITIES AND SERVICES TO APPEAL TO CERTAIN TRAVELERS, IN ORDER TO DIFFERENTIATE THEIR PRODUCT FROM COMPETITORS. The challenge for travel agents is keeping up with market developments and determining which all-inclusive properties are right for their clients. Here we recommend some new and longtime favorite all-inclusives suited for various types of travelers. Note the importance of reading the fine print on rate inclusions to ensure the property meets the client’s expectations and budget. For example, some all-inclusives charge extra for alcoholic beverages or airport transfers, while others have a fee for à la carte dining or room service. For Romantic Getaways The couples-only Sandals Resorts continues to set trends in the romance category. In 2007, the company launched its most luxurious, dreamy properties to date. Unique Rondoval Suites with plunge pools debuted at Sandals Grande St. Lucian, while stylish Swim-Up River Suites were introduced at Sandals Negril and Sandals Royal Caribbean in Montego Bay. The new MediterraneanVillage, a luxury resort-withina-resort at Sandals Grande Antigua, features 180 large suites with massive marble bathrooms and Jacuzzis for two. All rooms at the 12 Sandals resorts feature king-size, four-poster mahogany beds; guests staying in top suites get extra pampering, such as butlers and exclusive dining on the pier or beach with white-glove service. At Galley Bay in Antigua, guests cross a wooden bridge over a bird sanctuary lagoon in a golf cart to get to the 69-room resort set on a curved, ¾-mile-long beach. The most romantic rooms are either the Tahitistyle Gauguin Cottages, with private splash pools and concealed sundecks, or the Premium Beachfront Suites, featuring a sunken living room with a wet bar and floorto-ceiling windows, private terrace and oversized bathroom. Galley Bay’s romance package includes a champagne sunset cruise, couple’s massage and candlelit bath with aromatic oils and rose petals. Built on volcanic rock cliffs, The Caves in Negril, Jamaica, offers 10 airy cottages made of wood, stone and thatch, with secluded sundecks and interiors in sea-washed tropical colors. Romantic couples can jump hand-in-hand off the cliffs into the sea, snorkel in grottos beneath the cliffs, soak in the cliffside Jacuzzi and dine in a private candlelit cave strewn with flower petals. Beachfront room at Bolongo Bay on St. Thomas Home-BasedTravelAgent F EB RUARY 2008

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Home-Based Travel Agent - January/February 2008 Editor's Note Publisher's Note Your Lifeline Agent Spotlight: Tracy Dennis News Hot Deals Reader Survey All-Inclusive Resorts Home-Based Travel Agent Expo Portugal New York Bermuda Cover Story: Singapore Cruise: What's New Tours: Adventure New Products

Home-Based Travel Agent - February 2008

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