Palace Resorts’ premium hotel brand, Le Blanc Spa Resorts, has hired and launched a dedicated sales and marketing team separate from the sales and marketing team for Palace Resorts.
Helmed by the newly appointed director of sales, Victor Vargas, the team is dedicated solely to the luxury travel market. Historically the sales and marketing efforts were done for the entire portfolio, no matter the brand name or which niche of client they were geared toward.
“Until the opening of Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos, we only had one Le Blanc Spa Resort-branded property in Cancun,” said Kathy Halpern, vice president of global marketing for Palace Resorts. “Once we opened Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos, it was the perfect time for us to evaluate next steps.”
With two properties under the Le Blanc name, it could be considered its own brand. A separate sales and marketing team can offer focused attention to the higher level of amenities and services that Le Blanc has become associated with.
“We had to ensure that [Le Blanc Spa Resort Cancun] along with its sister resort, Le Blanc Spa Resort Los Cabos, properly stood out to reflect the level of luxury that is offered by this adults-only, all-inclusive property,” Halpern said.
In order to market and promote Le Blanc differently from the other Palace Resorts properties, the team at Palace Resorts decided to hire an additional sales force that targets agencies that cater to luxury clients. The new team is responsible for selling the Le Blanc Spa Resort brand throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico. Furthermore, Le Blanc’s new marketing team will also be able to create new relationships with luxury travel agencies that are not currently seeing the brand, and will communicate differentiators with travel agents who they are already working with.
Earlier this year Le Blanc Spa Resorts launched an agent loyalty program, separate from its Palace Resorts program, called Blanc Nights. Agents who sell one room of three nights or more at any Le Blanc Spa Resort will obtain one complimentary night at any Le Blanc Spa Resort. Agents have up to one year after guests check out to redeem their nights.
“The idea is to show appreciation to our partners, and for them to experience our service firsthand in order to feel even more confident when selling us. Any agent that sells us through any of our partners or direct is entitled to the program,” Halpern said.
Le Blanc Spa Resorts has partnered with boutique tour operators, like Island Destinations, Voyage by Pascale and Ultimate Jet Vacations, whose clientele prefer luxury brands.
The brand has also unveiled Blanc Benefits, which are selling propositions, including a curated collection of amenities and services for guests. Guests can choose experiences based on their specific tastes and preferences, like treatments at the spa, preferred tee times at golf courses, experiences like sunset sails, archaeological tours, snorkeling adventures, beachside chef’s dinners, and more.
Now that Le Blanc is being positioned as a full-fledged brand, complete with its own separate sales force, does this mean that we can look forward to other Le Blanc destinations?
“For now it’s just Cancun and Cabo. But stay tuned,” Halpern said.
Source: Read Full Article