Romance Rules at Today’s All-inclusive Resorts

Over the past several years, all-inclusive resorts have gone all out to appeal to romance travelers. The development comes as traditional nuptial ceremonies have expanded to include customized destination weddings, proposal trips, babymoons, mini-moons, vow renewals and ceremonies designed to celebrate significant anniversaries.

The sheer complexity of servicing today’s romance-seeking clients demands that travel agents take several steps to ensure they are properly positioned to achieve success in the increasingly lucrative romance travel category.

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AGENTatHOME spoke with several experienced agents who are skilled at selling romance-themed vacations, as well as a handful of top all-inclusive resort company executives, to discuss effective strategies for identifying, booking and servicing travelers seeking the ultimate romantic getaways.

1 - Getting Started

Perhaps the most important first step in servicing clients seeking romantic vacations at all-inclusive resorts goes back to one of the most basic of strategies: qualify your client.

“When it comes to romance travel, it really is about those added touches, the little details, and tailoring to the couple’s specific needs by customizing their experience as much as possible.”
— Frank Maduro, AIC Hotel Group

“So many clients do so much research and get so confused even about what they finally decide upon and actually book,” said Linda Dancer of Honeymoons Inc. in Nashville, Tenn. “So from the beginning I try to make sure clients know the difference, say between luxury rooms at Sandals and club-level or butler service suites. If they really want room service, and they book a resort or room category that does not offer this, from the beginning [of their trip] they will be disappointed.”

“Since they’re planning one of the most important trips of their life, a great deal of care has to be taken in knowing and listening to all of their wishes for a successful honeymoon or destination wedding,” said Kem Mathews, owner of Enchanted Honeymoons in Omaha, Neb. “There is a fine line between pushing the agent’s thoughts while not listening to what the clients want and making suggestions based on their thoughts.”

2 - What to Look For

Because today’s all-inclusive resorts offer increasingly varied amenities and services to romance-seeking guests, agents are challenged more than ever to select a resort for their clients.

“What we have done is to try to engage with travel agents and make sure that when they are booking, we are engaged with their customers from the time they make the booking.”
— Kevin Froemming, Playa Hotels & Resorts

But what should the agent look for? A good place to begin is with resorts that emphasize personal service, said Frank Maduro, vice president of marketing for AIC Hotel Group.

“Personalized service can go a long way in making a couple’s stay memorable. When it comes to romance travel, it really is about those added touches, the little details, and tailoring to the couple’s specific needs by customizing their experience as much as possible,” he said. “If we’re talking about weddings or vow renewals, our U.S.-based personal wedding planners and personal onsite coordinators make all the difference in the world and make the planning process seamless, especially since [this service] comes included and not at an additional cost.”

Kevin Froemming, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Playa Hotels & Resorts, agrees that special attention and personalization is of paramount importance.

“What we have done is to try to engage with travel agents and make sure that when they are booking, we are engaged with their customers from the time they make the booking,” he said. “A lot of conversations take place between the time [clients] make the decision to come down and when they travel. That preparation is actually as important as what happens when they are on the resort.”