Resorts
Choice Launches ‘Book to Build’ Campaign
Choice Hotels Canada is kicking off its third annual “Book To Build” campaign with fundraising efforts beginning this week. The campaign raised over $115,000 last year and this year, the goal has been increased to $145,000, with 100% of proceeds going to Habitat for Humanity Canada. Kicking off on May 10, guests at any of the 150 participating properties will have a portion of their rooms proceeds donated to help families in need of affordable housing. The campaign runs until May 26. “We make it a priority to give back to the community and it’s very important to us as a...
Club Med Launches Travel Professionals Advisory Board
Club Med's newly founded Travel Professionals Advisory Board held its first official meeting this week at Club Med's Montréal office in its new collaborative space called “Le Lab.” The board is composed of nine Canadian travel experts, including the following travel advisors: Salwa Bariche, Cinquième Saison Francine Martin, Voyages Régence Karen Fine, Flight Centre Béatrice Charmettant, Voyages Claudelle Jennifer Brousseau, Sportvac Marie-Ève Cloutier, Club Voyages Tourbec Vaudreuil / Lapointe Nathalie Guilbert, Groupe Voyages VP Michelle Green,...
Barceló Launches New Agency Loyalty Program
There's no doubt that Barceló Hotel Group loves travel advisors and appreciates their hard work in selling the group's products day in and day out. And that's why the international hotel chain has created a brand new loyalty program designed to make the travel advisors' jobs easier and increase their bottom lines. So say 'Hello” to Barceló Pro Rewards. It's simple, informative and packed with perks. Barceló Pro Rewards is designed to reward travel advisor efforts with cash and rewards, plus points which can be redeemed towards complimentary room nights and gift...
Dive into The Dominican Republic
As the oldest continually inhabited European settlement in the Americas, Santo Domingo is home to a lot of firsts, writes assistant editor Ann Ruppenstein in this week's Travel Courier cover story. “We’re going to the city Christopher Columbus loved the most,” announced tour guide Carlos Batista as the bus approached the capital of The Dominican Republic. “Santo Domingo is a city of firsts. The first road, first hospital, first cathedral, first university in the New World.” After coming face-to-face with some of the key attractions in the Colonial Zone like Alcázar de...
Sandals Connects With Canadian Agents
Sandals Resorts has released the May schedule of its weekly webinars, created exclusively for Canadian agents. The fast-paced online sessions are just 30-minutes long, but include a wealth of useful information including Canadian-specific booking incentives, sales and marketing strategies for agents and up-to-the-minute product updates directly from the resorts management teams. And simply by registering, agents will also receive a recorded version post-webinar that they can play back at their leisure in the event that they are unable to participate during the live...
Vacation Better With Sunwing
Sunwing is on the road these days, taking its Vacation Better Shows to Canadian agents to help them help their clients to Vacation Better. Press Today had a chance to ask the operator's vice-president of sales, Deana Murphy a number of questions about where agents fit in the company's plans; for some highlights of the new product that they were launching; for an update on the Boeing 737 MAX 8 situation; and, naturally, how they're different from the competition. Here's what Murphy had to say: Press Today: Can you talk about how big a role travel agents have played in the success...
New Brand For Stratosphere Signals Major Upgrade
The iconic Stratosphere Casino, Hotel & Tower in Las Vegas, notable for its sky-scraping profile in the city skyline, is now undergoing significant upgrades and changes under new owners. A rebranding of the property – to the STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod – is the most obvious initial alteration. But the changes and improvements go much further than that. New owners Golden Entertainment took possession of the hotel late in 2017. Golden Entertainment began the transformation with a remodelling that started in mid-2018. For instance, in August The STRAT unveiled the...
Irish Castle Fit For A King… And Rock Stars!
Although Dromoland Castle, the former ancestral home of the O'Briens – who were direct descendants of the High King of Ireland in the 11th century – is steeped with history, the five-star hotel has undergone a refurbishment to the tune of €20 million. Over the years, the property has seen many notable guests, from Demi Moore and Bruce Willis to The Beatles, who had to escape from the premise while hiding in laundry baskets to avoid the masses gathered outside to catch a glimpse of the fab four. Even Edge and Bono of U2 unexpectedly crashed at the hotel during a snowstorm, even...