TravelBrands president Frank Demarinis
Jill Dickie of TravelSavers with Joe Demarinis, Liliana Mancini of Aruba tourism and Elizabeth Grundon of TravelSavers
CAA’s Patricia Marques with Mary Ogaki of Royal Caribbean
David Boigné of Exotic Tours with Enzo Dimarinis
With a turnout anticipated at 700 agents – and a trade show with over 80 suppliers – there’s no doubt that the Travel Brands 2017 Appreciation Event held in the Toronto suburb of Woodbridge was one of the largest gatherings in the industry this spring.
The first of five such evenings (the others being held in Vancouver, Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal), the night saw a mix of mingling, munching and media as the company shared its enhancements for the retail trade.
As Frank Demarinis, president and CEO of TravelBrands explained, “I had a vision that we could work with agents faster and better. So we are thrilled to announce enhancements which we’ve spent a great deal of time developing – some that our retailers will absolutely love.”
These include the release of the MyBookings page, allowing agents to, at a glance, see the status of every booking they have with the TravelBrands group, which comprises Sunquest, Holiday House, Intair, Encore Cruises, Boomerang Tours, Carte Postale Tours and Exotic Tours.
“It’s one-stop-shopping for all your bookings, past and present – a phenomenal feature,” Kristen Erz, DBM Toronto to Ottawa told Open Jaw.
The company will also be the first wholesaler to offer Live Chat for any queries for reservations or administration. “With enhancements such as multi-destinations with dynamic packaging, we’re putting the travel agent in a great position to compete against the OTAs,” she added.
The trade show floor was hugely popular with exhibitors as diverse as Barcelo, Hertz, Miami, Carnival, Air Canada, Hawaii, Sandals, WestJet, Jamaica, AeroMexico, Aruba and Qatar.
The company is so big and diverse it can be a challenge to keep up with all the product and enhancements. Yet it remains a family affair.
As Frank said in his presentation (referencing his two partners and brothers Enzo and Joe): “Thank you all of you who have continued to believe in the three of us.” And he made a special shout out to his employees, thanking them and telling them they are an amazing team.
