Ocean by H10 honours local agents for generating business

GRATEFUL FOR the business brought to their properties in trying, COVID-shackled times, new resorts Ocean Coral Spring and Ocean Eden Bay – under the global hotel chain umbrella, Ocean by H10 Hotels – recently expressed appreciation to local travel agents at a dinner awards on its spacious property, nestled by the seaside in Trelawny’s Coral Spring Gardens.

Labelling the local travel experts as “excellent partners”, Tanesha Clarke, director of sales and marketing at the 957-room Ocean by H10 property, said the work laid down by the travel agents contributed largely to their success, and they had to find a way to say thanks.

“Their work has been phenomenal. Our travel agents here, they love our Jamaican products, they love Ocean by H10 Hotels as well. They put their full support behind supporting our product, and also sharing with us feedback and being in constant dialogue with us,” Clarke shared at the function, where they honoured the top 20 local agents for their business in 2021.

WE ARE SO GRATEFUL

“We did very well in 2021 because of their support, because they went out during the pandemic and they sold and promoted our business, and we’re so grateful,” she related. “This evening is just an expression of our thanks. We went all out to make them feel so grateful and feel thanked. We’re glad that they’re enjoying the evening with us.”

The top three local agents – KML Enterprise, Leisure for Pleasure Holidays and Tours Limited, and Cheap Vacation Travel and Events, respectively – were presented with special awards. Cheap Vacation Travel and Events got a plaque and a three-night stay for two at any local Ocean by H10 property; Leisure for Pleasure Holidays and Tours Limited got a plaque, a four-night stay for two in the Dominican Republic at any Ocean by H10 hotel, plus a US$500 flight credit; while KML received a plaque, two four-night stays for two at any Ocean by H10 hotel in Mexico or the Dominican Republic, along with a US$1,000 flight credit.

“It’s amazing receiving this award, being number one for Ocean. We’ve put in a lot of hard work over the years and it’s a great feeling. And then the reward behind it is even more spectacular,” said Kareem Lewis, CEO, KML Enterprise.

Judith James-Watts, managing director, Leisure for Pleasure, said she felt good about the honour, while recognising Lewis for his achievement, saying “he has been my competitor in many other hotels ... he’s a good guy.”

Regarding Ocean’s expression of gratitude, James-Watts said: “It’s good. I really must commend Ocean Coral Spring. They’re one of the few hotels that have awarded us as travel agents.

“We appreciate the awards, as well as the incentives. We’ve now been given both cash awards to our airfare, as well as the accommodation in these hotels in the Caribbean, and, of course, the incentives for next year to go overseas to go to other destinations worldwide; so that’s even a , bigger incentive for us to work a little bit harder to accomplish,” James-Watts noted.

Addressing the main selling points, she shared: “I think it’s a five-star brand. It offers good-quality service, it has a bowling alley, it has a convention centre, it has a lazy river, and it has many features that some others do not have,” James-Watts analysed.

Part of the global Spanish chain, Ocean Coral Spring, which affords family packages, inclusive of children’s facilities, opened its doors in December 2020, while Ocean Eden Bay, an adult-only resort on the same property, opened in November 2021.

The opening coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, and so Clarke said it was tough after “... having done such a major investment and then have the pandemic come upon us and then being closed, without any opportunity to make any business. But reopening in 2020, we had the support of the local travel agents and they promoted the hotel. We are grateful for the business we had throughout that year”.

INNOVATIVE

Lewis said they had to be innovative.

“We started to concentrate on a lot of marketing on social media. We also tapped into the social media pages of The Gleaner as well, and we just pushed to the local community, because at that time borders were closed and locals started to have a sense that, ‘hey, we can enjoy ourselves at the hotels because entertainment was closed’,” Lewis observed. “So we used that to our advantage and went on from there.”

Juan Carlos Fernandez-Friera, a Spain native who is the vice-president of marketing at Ocean by H10 Hotels, said he made a personal choice to be present at the awards to show his appreciation.

“I just came here for this event for the local travel agents. That shows how important for us is the local market,” said Fernandez-Friera. “The local travel agents, they represent a very important market for us. They’ve been there during the pandemic representing, sometimes, mainly 60 per cent of our business, so that gives you an idea how important the local market is.”

Other travel agencies in the top 20 that brought business to Ocean Coral Springs and Eden Bay resorts were Unlimited Connections, Oceanic Travel Fantasies, Expressions Travel, PNS Events and Vacations, Total Travel Services, Luxury Connections, Vacay Bookings Limited, Tour Pin Travel Agency, Trafalgar Travel, Go-Jamaica Travel, Iconic Travel and Events, Dream Destinations, Chin Yee’s Travel, Sandy Vacation and Tours, Seventh Heaven Jamaica Travel, Gustazo’s Travel, and G2 Travel.