These goodies are sure to help your bottom line.
Pleasant Holidays & Journese
Earlier this month, Pleasant Holidays and Journese launched new travel agent websites—pleasantagent.com and journese.com. Both pleasantagent.com and journese.com now have search engines powered by Google Maps, enhanced search features, and hotel virtual tours, as well as printable online sales brochures and a commission display based on airfare, lodging travel and other travel components. The websites also connect electronically to a number of hotels that offer real-time rates, inventory, last room availability and instant reservation confirmations.
Booking status is tracked in the My Booking area, where agents also receive color-coded alert notifications. Updates to the search function allow agents to shop by destination and special interests, which include all-inclusive resorts, family vacations, and destination weddings.
Agents who book online now through Sept. 20 receive 100,000 bonus TRIP points redeemable for personal travel. Agents are also automatically entered to win roundtrip airfare, hotel accommodations, car rentals, and other prizes through a weekly drawing; each online booking counts as an entry into the weekly drawing. For more information, visit pleasantagent.com or journese.com.
Travel Leaders
In anticipation of a surge in the wedding and honeymoon industry, due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage, Travel Leaders and HoneymoonWishes.com have joined forces to reach newlyweds and those soon-to-be married who are considering destination weddings and honeymoons. Now, clients can search for agents using the agent profiler on travelleaders.com by a new LGBT Honeymoon travel interest.
The partnership’s new marketing programs also include a specialized, honeymoon travel registry where clients can go online to register for gifts. After registering, clients’ friends and family log onto the website to “purchase” items for the couple to enjoy on their honeymoon, including a hotel suite upgrade, a snorkeling adventure, and money towards airfare. The couple receives “purchased” items from Travel Leaders in the form of a check for the amount donated; agents, meanwhile, receive money from the service fee in addition to earning commission for booking the trip.
In addition to the registry and new search function, Travel Leaders is launching a glossy, honeymoon and destination wedding planning magazine called Destination Bliss this November. For more information, call (800) 335-8747 or visit travelleaders.com.
Bahia Principe Hotels & Resorts
Travel professionals are invited to stay at the new Luxury Bahia Principe Samana Resort in Samana, Dominican Republic, scheduled to open Nov. 1, 2015. The adults-only, Victorian-style resort houses 149 guestrooms, many of which feature views of Samana Bay and the Caribbean Sea, and has access to the public beach Cayo Levantado. Guests looking to indulge a little can utilize the property’s butler service or enjoy a meal at one of its three restaurants—La Plantacion buffet restaurant, Pescador, or Orquidea. For an offsite adventure, have clients try whale spotting, horseback riding through the rainforest, or viewing a 170-ft. waterfall at Salto del Limon. Agents who book between Nov. 1 and Dec. 20 receive the all-inclusive agent rate of $65 pp per night. For more information, visit bahia-principe.com.
Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino
Travel agents who book a vacation to the Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino in Oranjestad, Aruba now through Dec. 22, 2015 receive a $25 American Express gift card when they join the Hilton Aruba travel agent incentive program.
In order to be eligible for the incentive, travel agents must hold a valid ARC/IATA or CLIA number and live in the U.S. or Canada, book a minimum of five nights at the Hilton Aruba now through Dec. 22, 2015 and complete clients’ travel by Dec. 22. Agents wishing to enter the program must e-mail a form with their booking information to [email protected] by Dec. 22, 2015.
The beachfront Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino offers guests 15,000 sq. ft. of indoor entertainment, with slot machines, a 24-hour fitness center and restaurant, Sunset Grille, as well as 24,000 sq. ft. of green space. Located in Aruba’s shopping, dining, and entertainment district near the Tierra del Sol Resort’s golf course, the Hilton Aruba features a lounge, beauty salon and the Larimar Spa. All of the resort’s 355 guestrooms, including the Executive Level rooms and resort suites, have a private balcony or terrace. Additional amenities include two outdoor pools, bicycle rental, and a childcare center. Rates start at $199. For more information, visit arubacaribbean.hilton.com or cdn.emarketingsg.com/emktg/hilton/hiltonaruba081115/hiltonarubaform.pdf.
