On the Go With GOGO

GOGO Vacations has been true to its name in the past couple of years. It’s been busy adding hotels, rebranding a small group division, introducing properties to its perk-rich My Time program, restructuring its branded affiliates and launching a new rewards program. What hasn’t changed, said John Van den Heuvel, president, is that GOGO deals only with travel advisors—as has been the case since its founding in 1951.

New Resorts in Mexico

The company has added multiple properties on the east coast of Mexico, including the emerging Playa Mujeres and Costa Mujeres areas north of the Cancun Hotel Zone.

New resorts are being added in Cancun itself, including Margaritaville Rivera Cancun, which will be managed by preferred partner Karisma, when it opens in March. GOGO added the Hard Rock and Nobu resorts in Los Cabos, which debuted last year.

Caribbean Expansion

In the Caribbean, GOGO’s portfolio includes Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, which opened recently in the Dominican Republic, as well as AMResorts’ Dreams Macao Beach in Punta Cana, which is slated to open in March.

GOGO also features AMResorts’ newly branded Dreams Curaçao (formerly Hilton Curaçao) and Secrets St. Martin (formerly Riu St. Martin), both of which underwent multimillion-dollar renovations. In Jamaica, Ocean Coral Spring will open early this year.

A new partnership with Palladium Hotel Group adds 14 resorts to the Mexico/ Caribbean portfolio. GOGO will add Palladium resorts in Spain in the coming months.

On the cruise front, the GOGO Cruise Desk is adding multiple ships, including Norwegian Encore, Sky Princess and Carnival Panorama.

Small-Group Touring Options

With growing interest in small group touring, GOGO is now branding that product as Blue Roads Touring, said Van den Heuvel. These programs feature experiential vacations with off-the-beaten-path itineraries in a relaxed environment for a maximum of 18 travelers.

GOGO also enhanced its group booking platform, making the process more streamlined for the agent, while delivering more extensive offerings for customers. Also, an Air-Only Group Sales division was launched, a service that Van den Heuvel said “fills a hole” and maximizes efficiency for agents by handling all contract negotiations from start to finish.

The operator continues to enhance its My Time program, a brand differentiator. My Time is a holiday experience from check-in to check out where customers enjoy exclusive services, upgraded amenities and extra inclusions at no additional cost in 135 resorts across 25 countries.

Looking Ahead

This year looks promising with the encouraging news that the Dominican Republic, a major destination, is recovering and offering “amazing” deals, Van den Heuvel said. Strong demand for Europe will continue, so the company strongly encourages booking major destinations like Italy, Spain, Greece, the U.K., Ireland and France earlier than usual, he added.

Asia and the Pacific will also continue to grow. “We are excited added to launch Cambodia more campaigns to their support Southeast the growth in Asia 2020 portfolios, backed by curated experiences that will be designed with the U.S. customer in mind,” Van den Heuvel said.

Rewarding Agents

GOGO Rewards, which launched in August, is a “robust” program that motivates travel advisors to earn points every time they book a FIT or group product, said GOGO President John Van den Heuvel.

The more advisors book, the more they earn. Points can then be redeemed for merchandise rewards from brands across multiple categories like handbags, electronics and small appliances—with 10,000 options in all.