From a FAM trip event in Los Cabos to a retreat focused on romance in La Romana, among other trips in the past month, Playa Hotels & Resorts has not let up the gas on providing unique opportunities for travel advisors to grow their businesses.
The resort company chose to power through the COVID-19 pandemic with perseverance, keeping its partnership with the travel agent community a top priority.
In addition to hosting several events for advisors, Playa Hotels & Resorts continues to reveal plans for growth, most recently with the announcement of The Yucatan Resort Playa del Carmen and the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun.
TravelPulse recently heard from Kevin Froemming, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer with Playa Hotels & Resorts, on additional details regarding these expansion plans.
TravelPulse (TP): Playa recently announced The Yucatan Resort Playa del Carmen is opening in May and Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun is opening later this year. Does the company have plans to continue growing in the Cancun and Riviera Maya area?
Kevin Froemming (KF): Yes. Expansion is a big part of our growth strategy. We do have plans to continue growing in this specific area, but the truth is we are always looking for high-quality products in tropical destinations that are easy for our customers to travel to.
TP: The Playa Hotels & Resorts brands are currently in Mexico, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic (specifically: Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Los Cabos, Puerto Vallarta, Montego Bay and Cap Cana). Are there any destinations outside of these where Playa is planning to open properties in the future?
KF: There are lots of other destination that are attractive to us which have the right profile for customers. Of course, some of this does relate to airlift. We do hope to have a presence in more destinations in the near future.
TP: Playa focuses on working with "highly visible global brands" for its all-inclusive resorts. Will this remain the case moving forward? Outside of the current brands in Playa's collection (Hyatt, Hilton, Panama Jack, etc.), are there any new ones the company is hoping to work with?
KF: Yes. There are several brands we hope to work with sooner rather than later. Our strategy has continually been to team up with global brands for mutually beneficial partnerships. We've always felt strongly that partnering with globally recognized hotel brands could drive higher direct bookings, better guest engagement and loyalty, and result in higher Average Daily Rates.
TP: Are there any new amenities, room categories, unique restaurants, etc. of note at any of the new properties?
KF: We're constantly striving to improve the guest experience. We have the best resort operation teams in the business and the most dedicated staff at the hotel level and the awards to back it up. There's a lot of really exciting things in store for guests at our new properties like Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun's brand-new oceanfront waterpark or the rooftop pool parties at The Yucatan Playa del Carmen featuring a live DJ. There are great dining concepts and room categories at both resorts, and I recommend agents explore more about all the cool features these resorts have to offer on AgentCashPlus.com.
TP: What is the best way for travel advisors to stay up to date and learn more about the new properties?
KF: AgentCashPlus.com has all the resources that travel advisors need to stay up to date on Playa Hotels & Resorts from fact sheets and webinars to special offers and marketing materials. Also, I encourage agents to take advantage of the fact that we continue to offer the opportunity to visit our resorts and experience them in the same ways their customers will. There is no better way to close a sale than to tell the customer that you've been to the destination and experienced the product firsthand and that you yourself recommend it highly.
Going forward as the market evolves, there is always going to be a place for a well-educated and well-traveled travel advisor to close business with customers, and I believe this is a major advantage over various low touch booking systems and OTAs.
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