The Spanish company Palladium Hotel Group operates 48 hotels in six countries – but U.S. travel advisors are likely most familiar with its 16 all-inclusive resorts in the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Mexico, which operate under the Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts and TRS Hotels brands.

Those properties reopened from July through November 2020, when permitted to do so and abiding by local health regulations. The pandemic was not an easy time for any travel business, but company executives want travel advisors to know that they are appreciated.

“This is the moment for us to take this opportunity to thank them for their business and support. This time was not easy for anyone, but we are heading into a brighter future," said Pilar Arizmendi- Stewart, Vice President of Sales and Marketing the Americas, for Palladium Hotel Group. “Travel advisors were heavily impacted by the pandemic, so now more than ever, we support the travel agent community. They need us, and we need them. More than ever.”

The company’s all-inclusive resort brands attract different kinds of travelers, explained Sergio Zertuche Valdés, Palladium’s Chief Sales and Marketing officer.

Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts

Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts are located in beach destinations and attract many families, as well as couples and groups. The resorts offer services to accommodate weddings, business meetings and incentive travel. They have multiple restaurants and play areas for the children.

TRS started as The Royal Suites, a luxury, adults-only hotel within-a-hotel in Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts. But its popularity prompted Palladium Hotel Group to establish TRS Hotels as its own brand with plans for more stand-alone properties.

TRS Hotels

TRS Hotels have a “value proposition,” Zertuche Valdés said, offering 24/7 butler service, an app to request transportation within the complex, better food and beverage offerings including lobster and premium drinks, and the three-hour dinner-show spectacular called Chic Cabaret & Restaurant. It can be seen at TRS Yucatan Hotel on the Riviera Maya, TRS Coral Hotel in Costa Mujeres-Cancun, and TRS Turquesa Hotel in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.

The show features acrobatics and dance numbers to a soundtrack featuring classic 50s, current pop songs and a touch of Latin rhythm. Reservations are required, as is a cover charge of $35 for TRS guests and $135 for those staying at a Grand Palladium Hotels & Resorts or Family Selection.

"It is the number one dinner show in the destinations we have it," Zertuche Valdés said. "Entertainment is a huge word in our company."

Family Selection

Family Selection is a hotel-within-a-hotel available at Grand Palladium Costa Mujeres Resort & Spa and Grand Palladium Vallarta Resort & Spa offering a luxury experience for families. “It offers a luxurious experience like TRS Hotels but for families,” Zertuche said.

“It’s for that niche of people that want to be in a TRS Hotels for the luxurious experience, but they cannot do it because they’re traveling with kids.”

Family Selection includes butler service, a separate reception area, an exclusive pool and a private restaurant.

"The kids are the VIPs in Family Selection," Zertuche Valdés said. "We have 64 special amenities for the little ones – in TRS Hotels, turndown service might leave chocolate for the adults, but in Family Selection they leave nice cookies for the kids. We treat them like kings.”

Other amenities for youngsters include bubble baths with toys, a video game lounge, age-appropriate programming and activities, and more. Each family is assigned a Family Host to assist with special requests during their stay.

An Expanding Portfolio

Palladium Hotel Group plans to continue to expand – it even opened two new properties during the pandemic, Grand Palladium Sicilia Resort & Spa and Grand Palladium Palace Ibiza Resort & Spa.

Two more resorts are expected to open this fall – TRS Ibiza Hotel and Grand Palladium Tenerife.

"We’re looking very actively in destinations we do want to be in," Zertuche Valdés said. "Cabo San Lucas is one such destination; we are going to be there as soon as we can."

Other destinations in the sights for new or expansions at existing resorts are Costa Rica, Jamaica and Cancun.

A Focus on Sustainability

Your clients who want to travel with minimal disruption to the environment should know that Palladium Hotel Group is focusing on sustainability in a major way – for example, reducing one-time plastics and adding solar energy to some resorts, to name two.

In June, Palladium Hotel Group signed the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, promoted by the United Nations Environment Program and the World Tourism Organization. The program aims to reduce waste and pollution by eliminating problematic or unnecessary plastic packaging, among other goals.

"It represents a further step in our commitment to the environment and consolidates our work towards sustainability," Palladium Chief Operating Officer Raúl Benito said in a press release.

"At Palladium Hotel Group, we have been working for years to reduce single-use plastics in all hotels, eliminating them through process optimization and replacing them with materials with a lower environmental impact."

The Importance of Agents

Travel advisors book about 60 to 70 percent of Palladium Hotel Group’s business, according to Pilar Arizmendi-Stewart, Vice President of Sales and Marketing-the Americas.

"Travel advisors are very loyal to us," she said. "One of the things we do every year is bring a lot of travel agents to our hotels so they can experience the service, the amenities and the product we have."

The company created Palladium Connect (PalladiumConnect.com), which rewards cash to agents who make bookings for clients, refer another agent, post a hotel review during their stay and take the online courses at PalladiumAcademy.com.

Registering also gives agents access to promotions and travel agent rates.

"Palladium Connect can be used when agents register their bookings regardless of whether they booked on our website or tour partners’ sites," Arizmendi-Stewart said.