The honeymoon, considered the vacation of a lifetime, delivers year-round travelers with more money to spend and longer stays at a hotel/destination.
This is the easiest of “travel sales”.
1. 98 percent of all newlyweds will go for a honeymoon.
2. The average length of a honeymoon trip is eight days while leisure travel averages three to four days.
3. Honeymooners pay more—approximately three times what the average U.S. leisure traveler spends.
4. The marriage/honeymoon market is a year-round business with the engaged couple spending more time and money to make honeymoon the trip of a lifetime.
5. The couple will usually pay a premium to get exactly what they want.
6. An engaged woman is the most unique and desirable—“perfect”—travel customer.
7. Since marriages happen throughout the year, there are no seasonal limitations.
How do you, the agent, make sure this is the “trip of a lifetime”?
1. Be familiar with the hotel/destination you recommend.
2. Do inform the hotel—preferably your direct contact—that your clients are spending their honeymoon at the property.
3. Please do not leave this message with the reservation system. No one will take ownership if something goes wrong.
4. It is not difficult to let the hotel know when the guests are arriving and give them the flight details—to make sure the room is ready.
5. Never have your honeymoon guests sitting in the lobby for hours, waiting for the room to be cleaned or vacated, after a long and tedious flight.
6. If it is an all-inclusive and dinner reservation is necessary on checking in (yes, I have experienced it all), get the menu or restaurant choices to your guests well in advance. The hotel front desk, after a long, tiring flight, is not the best place for decision-making.
7. Do ask the hotel for some sort of a welcome gift in the room and go the extra mile to make sure there are nice touches awaiting the guests.
Recommended Service Provider
There are many hotels in fabulous destinations which have mastered the art of hospitality. Aruba’s Bucuti Beach Resort (www.bucutiweddings.com) featuring Tara Beach Suites & Spa is one of them.
Aruba is one of my all-time favorite destinations. It is clean, friendly and safe (yes, very safe). I have always traveled there with my daughters, and I’ve never had a problem. You can eat off any of the food-carts, which pride themselves on delivering a safe and tasty meal.
Bucuti & Tara Beach Resorts is managed by the gracious and welcoming Ewald Biemans. The fact it is also Green Globe certified will satisfy the honeymooners or couples planning a destination wedding looking to incorporate “green” in the event.
Agents should contact Wedding Coordinator Nashette Wouters (011-297-583-1100, ext. 145, [email protected]) with queries.
Of course you can also use the real-time booking engine (www.aruba.com) which gives you instantly confirmed reservation online.
For additional information, e-mail me at [email protected] or visit my websites: www.MarryCaribbean.com, www.GlobalWeddingResource.com and www.CaribbeanWeddingAssociation.com.