PHOTO: Aerial view of the Breezes Bahamas property.

It’s not hard to understand exactly why more travelers are opting for the latest generation of all-inclusive resorts. The newest resorts in this category offer something close to perfect vacation experiences. Contemporary all-inclusive properties have grown from gritty beginnings to offer vacationers an array of upscale, feature-rich properties that also offer the additional convenience of tremendous value.

That’s because, despite their development over the past few years in terms of amenities, facilities and services, they all share the all-inclusive pricing structure under which vacationers pay one price, up front for accommodations, dining and entertainment.

And because their cost concerns are handled up front, travelers are free from worries about pulling their wallets out time after time for expenditures on meals and activities. All-inclusive resorts provide vacationers with the freedom to focus on enjoying the good times—which is what vacations are for in the first place.

In addition, over the 20-plus years of the all-inclusive category’s development, operators have closely monitored travel trends and vacationers themselves to tailor their properties to improve the quality of their experiences and offer resorts designed for specific travel segments.

In fact, today’s all-inclusive resorts are so specialized that to successfully sell all-inclusive resorts, travel agents must effectively qualify their clients to accurately determine their vacation needs and desires, and match those clients with the right all-inclusive resorts.

We spoke with a several key all-inclusive resort executives to get their perspective on strategies retailers can use to successfully sell all-inclusive resorts.

What do today’s vacationers expect from all-inclusive properties?

“Customers’ expectations are evolving,” says Kevin Froemming, executive vice president and chief marketing officer for Playa Resorts Management. “[Guests] now want a higher level of service, more dining options, more sophisticated amenities and outstanding personalized service. They are seeking brands that not only provide a great value but also deliver a five-star experience.”

Frank Maduro, vice president of marketing for All Inclusive Collection, agrees. “The concept has evolved tremendously in the past 10 years,” he observes. “Clients are expecting more amenities, better quality and dedicated service. They have also come to expect unique amenities and programs for travelers of every age.”

For his part, Sandals Resorts International CEO Adam Stewart finds that customer expectations fall loosely into three categories: overall luxury in terms of the experience, an unprecedented commitment to dining based on authenticity, choice and excellence, and finally customization.

Stewart places special emphasis on customization, noting that “guests want an experience that meets their individual needs and desires, so we offer many dining choices at each resort with the Discovery Dining program, [plus] different types of accommodations and elevated service programs.” This even includes Sandals’ bridal program, which has been revamped to give brides more choices and to express their individuality. “Rather than choosing from a set menu of predesigned options,” says Stewart, “brides at Sandals have their wedding their way.”

A desire for personal attention is what Zein Nakash, vice president of marketing and environmental affairs at SuperClubs, has found to be a top expectation for SuperClubs guests. “The most important element an upscale all-inclusive should offer guests is personal attention,” he notes. “Our properties remain independent and family run, allowing us to keep a boutique approach and pay greater attention to our guests and valued travel agents.”

Sandals’ Adam Stewart agrees with this as well: “We learned a long time ago that while we continued to offer more, and we still do, luxury happens on an individual basis. Treating guests as individuals and being attuned to their needs is really one of the things that sets Sandals apart.”

What strategies should travel agents employ to successfully sell all-inclusive resorts?

“It’s essential that they visit the resorts and the destinations firsthand,” says Playa’s Froemming, “and thus can speak to their clients from a point of knowledge. Firsthand knowledge is the single largest advantage that travel agents have over OTAs.” He adds that Playa welcomes thousands of travel agents at its resorts each year, to the extent that the company blocked 150 rooms per night for the first 60 days for the grand opening of Hyatt Ziva Rose Hall, Hyatt Zilara Rose Hall, and Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. “That’s part of our commitment to travel agents, allowing them to experience our resorts,” Froemming says.

Sharing this sentiment is Nakash, who says that at SuperClubs “we think it’s important that agents familiarize themselves with specific products by visiting as many resorts as possible. There is no better way to sell than through firsthand experience.” He notes that with this knowledge, agents are “better equipped” to answer questions from clients about hotel specifics, what clientele it draws, the destination itself, and so forth. “Brochures and websites can only go so far from an educational standpoint,” Nakash says. “We believe that the best recommendations come from staying, doing and seeing.”

In Maduro’s opinion, “The most important strategy is to select a small group of partners travel agents know intimately — versus offering too many partners they don’t know as well.” He says that once travel agents decide on partners, it’s crucial to take the time to learn the product and curate key contacts who will help throughout the partnership. And, of course, he notes how important it is to qualify clients in order to fit them to the right property.

Gary Sadler, senior vice president of sales for Unique Vacation Inc., an affiliate of the worldwide representative for Sandals Resorts International, offers this overview of the steps to successful selling: “Agents expert in the art of selling do three things consistently. First, they understand the product. Successful agents specialize and are uniquely qualified to match the right hotel with the right client because they know the product intimately. This is why Sandals Resorts invests as heavily as we do in agent education.

“Second, they deliver service. Qualifying a customer is really about delivering excellent customer service and it begins with asking questions. What is important to your customers? Do they golf, for example? And whose needs must be satisfied first? A spouse? The children?

“And most importantly, savvy agents will always ask about the budget. People make things unnecessarily complicated. Don’t assume, ask and then present solutions based on what you know about your client.

“Finally, successful all-resort sellers ask for the sale. It may seem elementary, but agents who sell successfully are trained to ask for the sale. Many agents are simply not accustomed or perhaps uncomfortable with this crucial step, but once an agent has satisfied the client’s concerns, close the sale by asking for the business.”

What are some of the most innovative travel agents doing to grow their all-inclusive sales?

Says Froemming, “The best ones are leveraging social media. Travel agents need to post their adventures on Facebook and Instagram from the destination, and engage us on Twitter to give their clients a preview of what they could experience if they come to our resorts.”

He finds that many agents are having success with blogs that document their reviews of the hotels they visit. “We support this,” he says, “by making it easy for travel agents to visit our resorts, by inviting them to private site inspections and fam trips, and providing them content via multiple channels to share—whether in the form of a text, email, direct mail, or online post.”

What are you doing to differentiate your resorts?

PHOTO: The courtyard in Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios, Jamaica.

For Gordon “Butch” Stewart, chairman and founder, Sandals Resorts International, it’s about offering a wide range of inclusive features. “The bottom line: we offer more,” he says. “I like to say a vacation at Sandals or Beaches is always unlimited, always included. Sandals Resorts offers more quality inclusions than any other all-inclusive resort company on the planet, and we are challenging agents to take a closer look at all we offer their clients. Our resorts are located on some of the most beloved islands in the Caribbean and some of the most undiscovered. All are on prime beachfront. We simply offer more inclusions from the number of restaurants at each resort to our extensive and included watersports program.”

What sets Playa apart, according to Froemming, is its concentrated effort to keep guests happy. “There are many five-star, all-inclusive resorts in our destinations, but what elevates ours is that our top priority is 100 percent guest satisfaction. We aim to surprise, delight, and exceed expectations of what a five-star, all-inclusive vacation can be. We do this by continuous and rigorous training of staff. We encourage our staff to go further for the guest, to pay particular attention to details that can enhance the guest experience, to make anything an activity.”