Elegant Hotels, the Caribbean hotel group, is launching a campaign to increase sales through UK travel agents and tour operators.
The new programme is designed to give the trade valuable product knowledge while instilling confidence in selling Elegant’s six properties in Barbados and Antigua.
The sales initiative will be rolled out to the trade during the first quarter of this year and will include material such as a comprehensive manual, as well as training sessions and an incentive programme for tour operators.
As part of the new initiative, the hotel group has appointed Clare Hickie as product training executive.
She will be responsible for training and product presentations to Elegant’s tour operator partners, and will develop and manage all travel agent relationships.
Her appointment comes at a time when Elegant’s recently appointed sales and marketing director, Ann Adenius, is streamlining the group’s London-based office in an effort to refocus and redirect its sales targets.
“Some 80% of our business already comes from the UK but we know there is potential to work even more closely and efficiently with our tour operator partners in particular,” said Adenius.
“There have been a lot of changes at Elegant over the past year and we want to make sure that the trade is up-to-date with the investment we have made in our hotels.
“In particular, our little hotel in Antigua, Tradewinds, needs to be given an extra sales boost,” she added.
Adenius is currently planning to appoint an account manager who will be responsible for liaising with tour operators.
“I am interviewing at the moment and once someone is appointed, we will have our full complement of eight people in our London office,” she said.
Elegant Hotels’ portfolio currently consists of four luxury properties on the west coast of Barbados and the new all-inclusive Turtle Beach Resort on the island’s south coast, as well as Tradewinds in Antigua.
The group announced its intention last year to treble its size in the Caribbean region over the next few years, citing Grenada, St Lucia and Tobago as possible areas for new development.
According to Adenius, a strategic plan is being formulated and until that is complete, no more details of the expansion are available.
“We need to concentrate on getting our product right first,” she said.
“We recently spent $4m on Tamarind Cove in Barbados and significantly upgraded the food and beverage element at all of our properties.
“Money will continue to be spent on more refurbishments over the next year,” she added.
Elegant Hotels, the Caribbean hotel group, is launching a campaign to increase sales through UK travel agents and tour operators.
The new programme is designed to give the trade valuable product knowledge while instilling confidence in selling Elegant’s six properties in Barbados and Antigua.
The sales initiative will be rolled out to the trade during the first quarter of this year and will include material such as a comprehensive manual, as well as training sessions and an incentive programme for tour operators.
As part of the new initiative, the hotel group has appointed Clare Hickie as product training executive.
She will be responsible for training and product presentations to Elegant’s tour operator partners, and will develop and manage all travel agent relationships.
Her appointment comes at a time when Elegant’s recently appointed sales and marketing director, Ann Adenius, is streamlining the group’s London-based office in an effort to refocus and redirect its sales targets.
“Some 80% of our business already comes from the UK but we know there is potential to work even more closely and efficiently with our tour operator partners in particular,” said Adenius.
“There have been a lot of changes at Elegant over the past year and we want to make sure that the trade is up-to-date with the investment we have made in our hotels.
“In particular, our little hotel in Antigua, Tradewinds, needs to be given an extra sales boost,” she added.
Adenius is currently planning to appoint an account manager who will be responsible for liaising with tour operators.
“I am interviewing at the moment and once someone is appointed, we will have our full complement of eight people in our London office,” she said.
Elegant Hotels’ portfolio currently consists of four luxury properties on the west coast of Barbados and the new all-inclusive Turtle Beach Resort on the island’s south coast, as well as Tradewinds in Antigua.
The group announced its intention last year to treble its size in the Caribbean region over the next few years, citing Grenada, St Lucia and Tobago as possible areas for new development.
According to Adenius, a strategic plan is being formulated and until that is complete, no more details of the expansion are available.
“We need to concentrate on getting our product right first,” she said.
“We recently spent $4m on Tamarind Cove in Barbados and significantly upgraded the food and beverage element at all of our properties.
“Money will continue to be spent on more refurbishments over the next year,” she added.
elegant hotels group
Turtle Beach Resort: Elegant’s newest all-inclusive hotel has 167 rooms on Barbados’ south coast which appeals to both families and couples. Highlights include a comprehensive kids’ club, a superb beach and three swimming pools.
Tamarind Cove: room-only hotel with 166 rooms on Barbados’ west coast. Ideal for couples. Features four swimming pools and several honeymoon suites.
Colony Club: see hotel check.
Crystal Cove: all-inclusive resort on the island’s west coast with 88 rooms. Facilities include a kids’ club, a swim-up cave bar and three swimming lagoons.
Coconut Creek: all-inclusive resort with spectacular views from its setting above the beach on the island’s west coast. This is the smallest of Elegant’s Bajan properties with just 53 rooms. Facilities include the famous Cricketers Bar which features Test Match memorabilia.
Tradewinds: an intimate 49-room hotel on Antigua’s Dickinson Bay, featuring complimentary shuttle service to the beach club and its own freshwater swimming pool.
Contact information: UK sales office: 31 George Street, London, W1R 9FA. Tel: 020-7910 8250.
Fax: 020-7910 8202.
Web site: www.eleganthotels.com
Location: on Barbados’ exclusive west coast right on the beach. Approximately 45mins’ drive to the island’s airport, 30mins from capital Bridgetown and just a five minute taxi ride from the nearest shops at Holetown.
Accommodation: 98 air-conditioned rooms and one-bedroom suites set either in the gardens, overlooking the superb beach or looking out on the hotel’s four freshwater lagoons.
Decor: all the rooms and suites are decorated in attractive pastel colours using typical Caribbean prints. Many have romantic four-poster beds and all of them have their own en-suite bathroom, bar and private patio or balcony. In-room televisions are being added later this year.
Bars/restaurants: two restaurants, the main Laguna table d’hote restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the Orchid Room, a reservation-only fine dining spot. Three bars, including the popular swim-up or walk-up Sunset Bar, the Planters cocktail lounge and Regency cocktail lounge, used mostly for incentive groups and business meetings.
Activities: although not an all-inclusive, most sports and activities are complimentary, including two floodlit tennis courts, an air-conditioned fitness room, waterskiing, sailing and windsurfing. Scuba diving is extra.
Other features: excellent and varied entertainment, from steel bands and folkloric floorshows to talented local singers. Shops include the Gatsby boutique, logo shop and Brazilian gem designs. There’s also a hair, beauty and massage salon.
Service: pretty good overall, particularly the Sunset bar staff who create a fun atmosphere.
Overall: Colony’s big plus is its fantastic location – one of the best on the island. The laid-back atmosphere makes it particularly popular with wedding couples and honeymooners. Some of the rooms are in need of refurbishment, particularly the bathrooms, but this is planned this year.
Typical operator package: Tradewinds grades the Colony Club as a four-and-a-half star with prices leading in at £979 for seven nights’ room-only in a garden/pool view room. See Factfile for contact information.