Having great products to sell is important for a travel advisor. Just as vital is having solid partners in the industry.
Playa Hotels and Resorts and WestJet Vacations have a strong, enduring relationship that serves both companies well.
“Playa is a long-standing and very important strategic partner with WestJet Vacations,” said Shannon Cunningham, Manager Leisure Sales, WestJet Vacations. “Where we see synergy is their depth of product and the span across their brands, such as the Hilton, the dual Hyatt Ziva, Hyatt Zilara, Jewel, Sanctuary, Seadust and now the Wyndham Alltra.”
Playa Hotels and Resorts operates the Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun and the adults-only Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, as well as many other Caribbean properties that are part of the WestJet Vacations portfolio.
“Playa is a perfect fit for WestJet Vacations,” Cunningham said. “Their overall selection is impressive.
“They have something for everyone. They cater to all segments from family friendly, to adults only, upscale luxury. They definitely cover off all our core destinations. We have more than 60 destinations. They have a large offering throughout Mexico, Dominican Republic and Jamaica, which are some of WestJet Vacations’ top core destinations.”
Cunningham said one big benefit about working with Playa Hotels and Resorts is that WestJet Vacations has access to their best rates and last room availability offerings.
Another great thing about Playa is that they don’t rest on their laurels.
“They keep evolving their products. They’re investing in properties and refreshing them and making sure their product offerings meet their brand standards. Most of their resorts we carry are four to five stars.”
On top of that, Cunningham said Playa complements those offerings with a “strong business development team” in Canada.
“They’re very accessible to agents as well. They’re definitely considered a preferred partner. We’ve been working with Playa Hotels and Resorts for many, many years.”
“WestJet Vacations are true partners with Playa Resorts and have been since the beginning,” said Amanda Morris, Director of Sales Canada, Playa Hotels and Resorts.
“WestJet Vacations has always been a strong supporter of ours,” Morris continued. “They have strong airlift to support our destinations, and that’s very important.
“This partnership includes aligned goals in guest experience and travel agency support. WestJet Vacations fully supports the entire Playa portfolio by offering all 24 of our resorts throughout Mexico, Jamaica, and the Dominican Republic.
“Above all else we enjoy working alongside them,” Morris said. “They have really creative ideas. We like to have a lot of fun, and they’re always on board and thinking outside the box.”
“We have a relationship that’s mutually beneficial. We continue to look forward to an incredible future together,” Morris said.
Morris noted that Playa also has an agent program called AgentCash, which can be accessed at www.AgentCashplus.com.
Advisors can become a Playa Preferred Agent and earn points redeemable for either free nights or cash. Preferred agents also have access to their online portal, which was built specifically to help advisors sell. Agents can learn about Playa Hotels and Resorts, access their booking engine, download digital assets and much more.
In addition to Hyatt Ziva Riviera Cancun and Hyatt Zilara Riviera Maya, Playa operates Hyatt Ziva and Zilara hotels in Jamaica, the Hilton La Romana, Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana, Jewel Grande in Montego Bay, Hilton Playa del Carmen, Sanctuary Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, and many other top properties Canadians, and Canadian travel advisors love. Don’t forget the two new Jewels properties now available in Punta Cana.
WestJet Vacations offers holidays to great destinations such as Mexico, Jamaica, The Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Cuba, U.S. and throughout the Caribbean.
“We have a very strong offerings, and we have flexible durations for our trips, such as five nights or nine nights,” Cunningham said. “We have lots of great connectivity, and we’re great for multiple gateways. If people are coming from all over and they want to pair up, we can package that easily.”
“With WestJet Vacations, we pride ourselves on taking care of our guests. They’re not customers, they’re guests, and guest care is one of our core attributes.”
“We also work very closely with travel advisors. We have a live chat capability for existing bookings, and you’re dealing with a real person, not a chat bot,” Cunningham said.
“We continue to invest, and we’ve hired two new business development managers.”
WestJet Vacations is offering travel advisors 20% off vacation packages for their own personal travel through Dec. 16, 2023. The program includes WestJet/Swoop flight and hotel packages with up to three companions on one file (in one hotel room) for Economy and Premium cabin packages.*
*Terms and conditions apply, click here for more details.
