WHY IT RATES: New education programs and promotions are available with Sandals Resorts.-Codie Richards, TravelPulse Associate Editor
On the personal invitation of Gordon 'Butch' Stewart, Chairman of Sandals Resorts International, travel agents across the United States and Canada are currently being invited to attend a series of 'Overdrive Unveiling' events, designed to showcase the latest innovations of the Sandals and Beaches brands.
Kicking off the tour entitled "SANDALS OVERDRIVE, Powered By Travel Agents Fueled By Vision," the unveilings proved to be off to a successful start with its first three stops along the East Coast this past week. The Baltimore unveiling, hosted at the Hilton BWI, saw more than 400 travel agents in attendance, a record number for the city, and received a surprise visit from the Orioles Mascot, The Oriole Bird.
The Philadelphia stop, hosted at the Sheraton Philadelphia Downtown Hotel, was attended by 300 agents, who were treated to a step dance performance from the local Temple University step team. The Pittsburgh unveiling hosted at the Pittsburgh William Penn Omni Hotel & Resort was attended by 200 agents, along with four-time Super Bowl Champion J.T. Thomas Jr. of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gary Sadler, senior vice president of sales for Unique Vacations Inc. stated "We recognize that our clients are not sitting and waiting for us. It is, therefore, necessary for us to go where they are, and the best way for us to get them to help the Caribbean particularly at this time is for us to promote the Caribbean. We are aggressive about building our partnership with travel agents, and our Unveilings are doing just that."
Each unveiling featured a number of exciting brand reveals, including a special sneak peek at Sandals Resorts' upcoming wedding inspirations, new Five Star Global Gourmet dining concepts planned for Beaches Resorts and all the #SandalsFirsts set to debut at Sandals Royal Barbados this December.
Travel agents also learned about Beaches Resorts' unique opportunity to become a Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATP) and save 50-percent on cost training using promo code 'BEACHES' on IBCCES.org, now through December 30. To see more from each unveiling, search Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag #SandalsOverdriveEvent.
Over the course of the unveilings tour, more than 6,000 travel agents are expected to attend. While space is limited, agents can still register for remaining cities listed below on the Overdrive Unveilings tour by visiting the Travel Agent Portal.
Nashville 10/10
Atlanta 10/11
Charlotte 10/12
Minneapolis 10/18
Detroit 10/20
Orlando 10/25
Miami 10/26
Dallas 11/1
Houston 11/2
Denver 11/07
Phoenix 11/09
Milwaukee 12/4
Chicago 12/6
Sandals Resorts Launches #ChooseMeSandalsContest
Sandals Resorts is thrilled to roll out the new #ChooseMeSandalsContest social media campaign live from October 5 through November 5. The contest is designed to encourage Sandals guests to share their favorite experiences from their Sandals vacation through engaging photos and videos.
In order to qualify, participants must follow @SandalsResorts and upload their favorite photo/video moment from their Sandals vacation with the hashtag #ChooseMeSandalsContest. One grand prize winner will receive a romantic Caribbean getaway to a Sandals Resorts of their choosing (blackout dates and restrictions apply).
Entries will be judged based on clarity of image and creativity, then narrowed down to a selection of the top five entries. The final Grand Prize winner will be chosen at random among the five.
The Grand Prize winner of the #ChooseMeSandalsContest will be announced on Sandals Resorts' Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages on November 6, 2017. The social media contest is open to all followers in the US, Canada and the UK. Complete rules can be found here.
Fall for Beaches with Beaches Resorts New Seasonal Offer
Beaches Resorts, the ultimate family getaway, is offering parents the chance to have a time-out of their own, with the new seasonal promotion, Fall for Beaches. This new offer provides parents who book stays for seven days or longer the choice of a Sesame Street Tuck In for Tykes, a 30-minute Couples Massage or a Candlelight Dinner when they use promo code TIMEOUT17 at checkout.
Parents can take advantage of this vacation within a vacation by booking a trip now through November 20, for travel between August 14, 2018 through November 20, 2018 or August 14, 2019 through November 20, 2019. Beaches Resorts give kids extra attention with tailor-made edutainment programs all supervised by certified nannies.
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