Palace Resorts is updating its rewards program for travel agents, Frank Corzo, VP U.S. field sales, told Travel Agent and attendees at the Palace Resorts Global Conference. The event has drawn over 550 travel agent and supplier attendees to The Grand at Moon Palace Cancun in Mexico from August 22 - 24.
The new “Pro 2.0” loyalty program includes a new rewards tier, as well as a number of other perks. The new, top-level Emerald Crown tier has been added for agents who book 250 room nights or more per year, in addition to the existing Silver, Gold and Platinum Crown tiers. Additionally, Palace is making its complimentary nights for travel agents benefit more flexible.
“We want you to use your complimentary nights,” Corzo says, noting that many agents had said that they often were not able to use all the nights they had accrued.
Now, nights accrued through the company’s Ready.Set.Stay program—now just called “Complimentary Nights”—will have a number of other uses. Through “Nights Your Way,” agents can give their nights to their clients when booking a group. For Platinum agents, it’s 50 percent of their accrued nights, up to a maximum of 10 percent of the room nights per group. For example, a 50-room group staying for three nights generates 150 room nights. Ten percent of that total is 15 room nights. If an agent has accumulated 80 complimentary nights, 40 would apply to “Nights Your Way.” As a result, the balance, after applying the nights to such a group, would be 40 - 15 = 25 nights.
Alternatively, agents can now use their complimentary nights to obtain room upgrades for their clients. An amount will be deducted from the agent’s earned nights based on the length of their client’s stay.
Palace is also adding a number of new benefits for agents who wish to still use their complimentary nights for themselves, however. The company has added a new airfare credit for travel agents staying at a Palace Resorts property: $150 for Gold Crown Agents, $300 for Platinum Crown Agents and $500 for Emerald Crown Agents. Once there, agents will also get a resort credit: $500 for Gold Crown Agents, $750 for Platinum Crown Agents and $1,500 for Emerald Crown Agents.
The revamped loyalty program also includes new commission earning opportunities. Agents can now earn commission on wedding extras, such as cakes and flowers. Gold Crown Agents receive 15 percent, while Platinum Crown Agents get 18 percent and Emerald Crown Agents receive 20 percent.
Palace has added a new annual credit for group weddings, as well, that agents can apply for their client to any occasional expense, such as a cake or flowers. Platinum Crown Agents receive an $800 credit, while Emerald Crown Agents receive a $1,200 credit.
For Palace’s Cash Is King program, which gives agents cash incentives on top of their commission earnings (including the new commission on wedding extras), the company is adding additional benefits for groups. Now, Platinum Crown Agents will be paid up to 35 rooms within a calendar year, which is a potential $4,250 bonus. Emerald Crown Agents will now be paid up to 50 rooms in a calendar year, a potential bonus of $6,250.
Finally, Palace has revamped its agent support website, with a revised promo page with real-time promotions, as well as a chat box for real-time help. The website also includes a number of marketing support materials, such as property images, brochures and fact sheets.
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