Hospitality company Benchmark has been managing hotels, resorts and conference centers around the globe for nearly four decades. Today, the company's two hotel portfolios, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection, represent a wide array of independent hotels throughout North America and the Caribbean.
From mountain top locales to city centers, the properties comprising these two brands boast distinctive lodging experiences with select shared elements such as the Monterey, Calif.-produced wines served exclusively at these hotels. The label, Mo zaik, was born in March of a partnership between Benchmark and Scheid Family Wines of Monterey. But that's not all that travel agents should know about Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection.
Here, Suya Davenport, corporate director of leisure sales for Benchmark, provides travel retailers with the highlights of working with this hotel shop.
What's new at Benchmark this year?
Our portfolio of hotels & resorts continues to grow! This year we have transitioned in some spectacular resorts such as La Cantera Resort & Spa, Skamania Lodge, Lansdowne Resort, Spruce Point Inn and the opening of Kartrite Resort & Indoor Waterpark. As we continue to grow, we continue to offer a variety of unique experiences in various destinations for travel advisors to recommend to their valued clients.
With such a diverse portfolio of resorts and hotels, what are your top two selling tips for travel professionals when selling Benchmark Resorts & Hotels?
Travel advisors should really understand their client's needs and interests and gather feedback from them on what is important to them while on holiday. Our portfolio is quite diverse and because each property is reflective of the charm and unique character of the destination where it's located, we are not a "one size fits all" brand.
What do you see as the next big trend in the independent hotel sector?
As brands consolidate, the independent hotel sector has become a very unique offering for clients/guests. In the case of Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and the Gemstone Collection, each are reflective of the charm and unique character of the destination and offer unique experiences, unrivaled adventures, culinary excellence, and intuitive personalized service.
For instance, resorts such as our Turtle Bay Resort offer a guest experience desk. But even prior to the guest arrival, we can work with travel advisors to deliver an individualized luxury experience catering to the guest's needs, whether it is rejuvenating the spirit or connecting on a deeper level with loved ones.
How does the company work with travel agents?
We provide assistance to the travel advisor on their bookings, if there are special requests, guests preferences that we may note, we are glad to gather that information to assist in making their clients stay 'extra" special. We also enjoy offering the advisor an opportunity for us to include a personalized welcome note to the guest from their travel advisor. Benchmark Resorts & Hotels pay travel advisor commissions promptly.
In regards to our travel professional page, we are in the process of developing a Travel Advisor Learning Platform. Travel Professionals will be able to access this site and learn about Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and become a "certified" advocate for the portfolio. The development of this platform is in the starting phase, we are looking forward to the launch at the start of next year as an introduction.
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