Travel Agent - September 15, 2008 - (Page 52)

DESTINATIONS CARIBBEAN A Million Dollar Suite at Sandals Regency La Toc Golf Resort & Spa SANDALS’ BIG PLANS Travel Agent’s onsite report on the all-inclusive giant’s major expansion plans SANDALS RECENTLY SENT OUT AN EMPHATIC MESSAGE TO ITS COMPETITORS: If you don’t up the ante and continue to invest in your properties, you may get lost in the dust. The all-inclusive giant is making huge strides over the competition with an announcement for a mega expansion plan that will take its Luxury Included program to the upper-echelon. Travel Agent was recently on hand for a fourhour conference dubbed “The Way Forward” at Sandals Grande St. Lucia in which the company brass, led by Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman of Sandals International Resorts, and his son Adam Stewart, CEO, laid out detailed plans on the company’s vision into 2010 and beyond. Here’s what we learned: 52 | TravelAgent September 15, 2008 I BY JOE PIKE There are plans to add an additional plasma TV to every room at Sandals Negril Beach Resort & Spa, from two to three TVs per room. I At Sandals Grande Ocho Rios Beach & Village Resort, all two-bedroom villas and all four-bedroom villas are being renovated. I At Sandals Grande Riviera Beach & Villa Resort in Ocho Rios, all Romeo and Juliet Honeymoon, four-bedroom suites are being redone. I Sandals Royal Bahamian Spa Resort & Offshore Island will have a new pool, a new pizza oven and every room will be touched up, from new linens to vanity units and imported marble from Italy. I Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa will see upgrades to the honeymoon suites on the Caribbean village side; the Mediterranean village side of the property, which consists of 180 suites, opened about a year ago. I Sandals Grande St. Lucian Spa & Beach Resort will be adding 220 rooms, including 22 Over the Water suites and a mixture of Rondoval Suites, as well as five new restaurants. I At Sandals Regency La Roc Resort and Spa, three new Millionaire Suites will be added. Travel Agent had the opportunity to see one of the suites. These rooms offer luxury bedrooms, a living room with sofas and a 42-inch plasma TV, access to an outdoor terrace through plantation-style pocket doors, 24-hour room service and private car transfers to and from both of St. Lucia’s major airports. I At Beaches Negril Resort & Spa, family suites CONTINUED ON PAGE 54

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Travel Agent - September 15, 2008 Online Now Contents Agent Insider From the Editor Hawaii Europe Pacific/Asia Las Vegas US Airways Vacations - Atlantis, Paradise Island Specialist Central & South America Mexico Caribbean Cruises Cover Story: Merge Mania France by Rail Weddings & Honeymoons Gay & Lesbian Travel Tours Agent Profile Triptailor Vacations Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Vegas Week Insights on Singapore Travel Leaders Builds New Alliances The Latest from the Caribbean A Sneak Peek at a New Ship Classified Marketplace In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Trendwatch Special Supplement: Thailand Travel Planner

Travel Agent - September 15, 2008

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