August 23, 2006
Selling Sandals & Beaches resort and spa vacations
Sandals hotel group includes Sandals/Beaches all-inclusive resorts and Royal Plantation, a “sophisticted hideaway like no other in the world.”
It seems that Sandals takes care of the travel agents who sell these high end all-inclusive vacations. For some it has become big business with “extreme agents” awarded Honda Element motorcars painted over in Sandals/Beaches colors and one “platinum class agent” (platinum class agents do over 250 bookings a year) with a suite named after her.
The compensation:
The Sandals/Beaches travel agent earns more than any other - an average of US$650 in commission per package sold. The average agent makes US$30,000 per year. And that amount is substantially increased for those who have made it their business to sell Sandals exclusively.
250 vacations time $650/booking is good but won't make any new millionaires.
Comments saved from the old server:
"It seems that Sandals takes care of the travel agents who sell these high end all-inclusive vacations." No kidding? It's called paying commissions. All tour companies, cruiselines, insurance companies, even car dealers pay commission. That being said, A good Travel Agent is worth their weight in gold. Notice I said a good Travel Agent. Here is your first tip off: A good Travel Agent will ask you lots of questions about your likes and dislikes before suggesting any travel product. If the agent starts right off trying to sell you a product with a minimum of knowledge about you, then cover your wallet with one hand and back slowly out of the room.
Sandals/Beaches is a good product but they are not for everyone. The experience is different even among the different Sandals/Beaches properties.
I worked as a front line agent for six years and made it into the top ten in a well recognized and respected national Travel Agency. I didn't get there by selling one product exclusively. The clients who were the most loyal to me were usually the ones who had been burned before, either by an incompetent agent or by a web operator. I made my success by building relatonships, not going for the easy buck. By the way, several of my clients fit with Sandals/Beaches perfectly and I did not hesitate to recommend them. Invariably, my clients came back very satisfied.
Posted by: Mike at August 22, 2006 12:05 PM
Thanks for sharing your experience Mike. I understand that travel agencies make their profit through commissions. My point is that Sandals seems to pay higher commissions than many other resorts.
Even with the higher commissions, it seems like a difficult way to become rich.
Posted by: James Trotta at August 23, 2006 04:41 AM
please send me info on becoming a sandals travel agent ...............thank you very much
Irene
Posted by: irene at August 23, 2006 07:58 AM
It's hard to judge using an average number of $650.00. You have to look at what percentage of the booking they pay. The percentage paid will vary widely from operator to operator, and then even more depending on volume, contracts etc. I have seen commission percentages from 10% up to 30% depending on the operator.
From a tour company perspective, it boils down to how fast you want to expand your business. Pay more, faster expansion. But the bottom line is if you offer a lousy product, you will fail in the long run.
Being a Travel Agent is no way to get rich. You get into it because you like people. As a second thought, you have to figure out a way to make money. But no, you won't get rich on commission. The travel industry as a whole operates on very thin margins so very few people become wealthy.
Posted by: Mike at August 23, 2006 11:31 AM
I agree a good travel agent works hard and earns their commission.
But better than finding a good travel agent is becoming one yourself. With the ever expanding and improving internet, anyone can learn how to get the lowest price, find that dream vacation, reserve and pay for their trips. One clue is to pay attention to the travel websites and what they offer, then use the three top approaches: compare, compare, compare. In other words do a little research and analysis and you can save money and get what you want via the internet.
Posted by: ray anderson at August 23, 2006 08:12 PM
Very true, with enough time to burn you can learn many things. You can research for hours and come up with a very good vacation. Nothing wrong with that, some folks like the do it yourself approach.
The value of a good Travel Agent becomes apparent when things really go wrong. It is exceedingly difficult to fix problems by yourself on the ground in the middle of a crisis such as hurricanes, airline strikes, 9/11, tsunami's etc. Several of my most loyal clients, were not my clients when they began their travel. They contacted me when they needed help. They came back to me because I was able to get them home during events such as those I mentioned above. It never hurts to have someone who has personal contacts with people of horsepower among the Hotel/Car Rental/Airlines/Cruise Lines industry.
Don't get me wrong, I applaud your willingness to jump in and go your own way. (I am my own agent also!) just be realistic about your position in the David vs. Goliath relationship with travel providors. The reputable providors are usually very good about handling problems, but even they can be difficult at times and having an infrastructure behind you is valuable.
Posted by: Mike at August 24, 2006 12:29 PM
