Although the luxury all-inclusive landscape is rapidly evolving, Sandals Resorts International remains committed to travel advisory services, one of the cornerstones of its long-term success.
![Gary Sadler Gary Sadler](https://ik.imgkit.net/3vlqs5axxjf/TW/ik-seo/uploadedImages/Art/2024/0311/T0311GarySadler_C/Gary-Sadler.jpg?n=7919&tr=w-500%2Cfo-auto)
Gary Sadler
“We work for the travel advisory business, which is central to our growth, development and future,” said Gary Sadler, senior vice president of sales and industry relations for Unique Vacations, the sales and marketing arm of Sandals. “I often joke, ‘I promise to protect Travel Advisors from all enemies, foreign and domestic.’ [but] “If you really believe in a travel advisor, you should take every aspect of their business very seriously.”
Key to Sandals Resorts' advisor-focused efforts is its close relationship with ASTA, as well as its commitment to paying higher-than-average fees, he said. And in all of Sandals Resorts' marketing materials, the company encourages customers to 'call a travel advisor.'”
“Our [strong bond] Working with travel advisors is certainly something we protect and will always keep at the forefront of what we do,” Sadler added.
Strong advisory relationships are particularly relevant in overcoming industry-wide challenges, he said. Sandals has not yet seen a slowdown in demand this year, but the company is closely watching a possible decline in 2024.
“In an election year, [in the U.S.]It creates anxiety. “Sadler said.
Advisors also helped protect Sandals from impacts related to the U.S. State Department's decision in late January to reissue Level 3 and Level 2 travel advisories for Jamaica and the Bahamas, respectively. In an interview with Travel Weekly in early February, Adam Stewart, president of Sandals Resorts International, said there was a surge in cancellations immediately after the advisory was reissued, but the situation quickly stabilized, thanks in part to travel advisors' efforts to keep bookings in place.
Stewart called advisors “our greatest advocates,” and Sadler echoed the sentiment.
“Whenever a global crisis occurs in any form, [or] The only group that has always been able to sustain our business is travel advisors,” Sadler said.
Coming soon from Sandals
Sandals will open its first store this month in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, its ninth destination in the Caribbean.
Opening March 27, the 301-room Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will become the adults-only Sandals brand's 18th resort. It opens shortly after Sandals Dunn's River debuted in Jamaica last May, marking a return to the Ocho Rios site that was once home to Sandals resorts.
Sadler has a rooftop with an outdoor lounge. He said renovation of accommodation, such as the first two-storey overwater villa at the St. Vincent and the Grenadines resort, was a top priority.
![Signature swim-up suite bedroom at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Signature swim-up suite bedroom at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.](https://ik.imgkit.net/3vlqs5axxjf/TW/ik-seo/uploadedImages/Art/2023/1002/T1002SandalsStVincent2_C_HR/The-bedroom-of-a-signature-swim-up-suite-at-the-Sa.jpg?n=7685&tr=w-600%2Ch-340%2Cfo-auto)
Signature swim-up suite bedroom at Sandals Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Photo courtesy of Sandals Resorts International.
Sandals has also updated some of its existing resorts with new accommodations, such as Beaches Negril, which last year added six 3,700-square-foot, three-story Firesky Reserve villas, each of which can accommodate up to 10 guests.
“We can no longer just offer guests a single room,” Sadler said. “Now we have to come up with a unique suite.”
Sandals are also keeping pace with changing culinary tastes. In 2022, Sandals introduced its Island Inclusive off-site dining concept at Sandals Royal Curacao, offering luxury guests a $250 voucher to dine at one of its partner restaurants. Guests staying in a Butler Suite will enjoy Island Inclusive benefits, as will higher-tier Sandals Select Reward members who stay seven nights or more.
The Island Inclusive platform was so popular that Sandals expanded into Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau late last year.
“Often, people rest on their laurels,” Sadler said. “We have never done anything like that, and that makes our demand as strong as it is today.”