ALG Executives Discuss Hyatt Acquisition, 2022 Bookings and More

Apple Leisure Group (ALG) recently held its 2021 Ascend Conference in Cancun, Mexico. After being forced into a virtual show in 2020 because of the pandemic, the company was thrilled to finally be back together in person, connecting and growing relationships with travel advisors and various suppliers.

How do executives feel the conference went?

"It exceeded my expectations," said Alejandro Reynal, CEO and President of ALG. "I think it's great to see everybody back in person here but most importantly, all the emotions, the desire for people to share experiences and to look forward to working towards a great 2022."

"Everyone had a lot of fun," said Jacki Marks, Executive Vice President. "I think [travel advisors] are leaving away inspired to be part of the travel industry again."

Of course, the big topic on the minds of many in attendance was what does the future hold for ALG after news broke two months ago the company would be acquired by Hyatt.

Travel advisors need not worry though, according to Ray Snisky, Group President at ALG Vacations.

"We can't be successful without the travel advisor," Snisky said, noting that commissions will not be cut as part of being acquired by Hyatt.

The current plans have Hyatt letting ALG operate as they have been. The current ALG leadership team will continue to lead the company's business.

"I think the point they made of keeping us a distinct division and really respecting our expertise and knowledge in this space is something that you don't always see when companies get acquired, and I think that part is going to be fantastic," said Snisky.

Scott Wiseman, Senior Vice President & General Manager at ALG echoed those thoughts.

"They respect what we're doing, they respect how we're doing it and they're looking to help make that stronger," Wiseman said. "So, we're hoping that that means, and I think it will, that we continue business as usual is what we've been told, which is exciting. I think it's just the next step in ALG's growth and continue to move. One thing for sure is that in the five years I've been here we haven't stood still, and we just keep getting better and better, so I'm elated."

Reynal will report to Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian. He noted how right now, it's all about figuring out how the two can continue to succeed.

"What we have identified is a series of what we call business coordination initiatives, which at the end of the day are geared more towards how do we make both companies better over time," Reynal said. "I think there's a lot of untapped growth opportunities that we can collectively achieve and that's what we're focused on."

The executives couldn't dive too deep into Hyatt discussions because the $2.7 billion deal won't officially be closing until later in the fourth quarter.

However, they did share a promising outlook for 2022.

"Research has said 60% of Baby Boomers are saying travel is back to normal - they're not feeling any change in their patterns, they are back to traveling." Marks said. She noted it's at 70% for Gen X and Millennials.

Snisky said the first quarter looks "fantastic."

"We actually have more groups on the books now for 2022 than we had booked and traveled in all of 2021. A lot of our charter inventory is selling really well and, in some cases, looking to add more capacity, that's how well it's going. We're excited. I anticipate a good pick up during the holiday season, but we're thrilled about 2022. Agents are getting their legs under them, you know, they're starting to get some ramped up businesses as well so it's a really good sign."

As for the top destinations, those that have been trending well throughout 2021 remain the same for the early part of 2022.

"Cancun particularly is doing very well but also the Dominican Republic is very strong," Reynal said. "So, I think what we're seeing is an extended continuation of the good demand we're seeing this last part of the year going into 2022."

"Hawaii of course is always big for us as well too," Wiseman added. "Domestic destinations for a while were really popular because there was less restrictions and we hope to continue that pace, but I think we're going to see more of a normalization of the international really being the bulk again - a lot in the Caribbean and Mexico - and then still having a certain segment of the domestic as well," Wiseman added.

Advisors echoed these feelings and spent hours during the conference continuing to learn about ALG to grow their sales. They also had the chance to connect with suppliers from Mexico, the Caribbean and popular US destinations such as Hawaii, Las Vegas and Orlando.

"I'm a firm believer in face-to-face relationships…so this will be a staple of our engagement moving forward," Snisky said.

Marks told TravelPulse that the 2022 ALG Ascend Conference will return to Cancun.

"We've already secured our dates to be back here in Cancun. We will be announcing them shortly to get advisors excited and holding the dates. We don't want people to get their calendars filled up before they can join us, and I'm hopeful that I think we've built up so much buzz that we're going to have probably more interest than we have available spaces, so we're going to have to think about how we choose the advisors this time. We were selective still in the advisors we chose this time, we want people who are invested in us or willing to grow with us, but yeah, we're already thinking about how to make sure that we bring and deliver another great conference next year."

When asked what her message was to the entire travel advisor community, Marks shared what she feels they need to know.

"My message is that you know whether you've worked with us or not we've been on a three year transformation journey since our merger three years ago. So if you knew us before the merger, knew use during the merger, or you don't know us at all but you've just heard about us, we're a whole different company. And we have been working so hard to climb mountains to be the best version of ourselves so that we can be the best partner to you and that has been something that from the heart of everyone in our company we believe we have achieved. We're not perfect, we're never going to claim to be perfect, but through the communication through all the innovation and through all the investments we've made, we're ready to really embrace all advisors. Our doors are open and as part of Hyatt the opportunities are going to be endless. So, you need to get on the ALG team because I think we can do great things for your business."

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