It’s not every day that travel agents disrupt an industry presentation to wax lyrical about the property being discussed, but that’s exactly what happened at the Velas Resorts event at West Vancouver’s Beach House Restaurant this week.
Murmurs of “best margarita of my life” and “the most amazing service I’ve ever experienced” filled the air as Gerardo Vela, general manager at Velas Resorts’ latest property, Mar del Cabo, showcased the highlights of Mar del Cabo’s sister resort, Grand Velas Los Cabos.
Lynne White, regional sales manager for Western Canada at Velas Resorts
with Sonya Orr of TTI Travel.
It was almost as if the travel agents present couldn’t help but interrupt to enthuse about the product, which was a refreshing response from a group of 18 agents working in an industry often bombarded with so-called “luxury” options.
Vela highlighted the attributes of all of the properties in the Velas group -- Velas Vallarta, Casa Velas, Grand Velas Riviera Maya, Grand Velas Riviera Nayarit and Grand Velas Los Cabos -- but he was in Vancouver first and foremost to showcase the company’s only European Plan property, the 48-suite, boutique-style Mar Del Cabo.
Gerardo Vela, general manager at Mar del Cabo, with Lynne White, regional sales manager
for Western Canada at Velas Resorts.
“Mar del Cabo is our newest property and it’s our smallest property too,” Vela explained. “It’s located only a stone’s throw away from the Grand Velas Los Cabos. When we were finishing the Grand Velas Los Cabos we noticed this empty hotel and the initial thought was to tear it down to build something new, but when we walked into the hotel, we just fell in love with it.
“Now walking into Mar del Cabo is like walking into a Mediterranean village,” he smiled. “It evokes the sensation of a Greek Island but it fuses that with the essence of a seaside getaway in Mexico. This hotel is a classic reborn.”
Krista Page of Travel Best Bets with Dale Graham of Expedia CruiseShipCenters.
But, apart from the European Plan set-up, what are the major differences between Mar del Cabo and Grand Velas Los Cabo?
According to Vela, the biggest difference is that Mar del Cabo is a destination-driven hotel.
“The big difference is that the clientele at Grand Velas rarely leave the hotel,” he added. “The clientele at Mar del Cabo are much more destination-driven.
Yukato Carruthers of Expedia CruiseShipCenters with Yasmin Hussein of
North Shore Venture Travel and Vera & Ben Chan of Cruise Holidays.
“When booking, the guests at Grand Velas Los Cabos book the hotel before they book their flights, while with Mar del Cabo it’s the other way around -- they book their flights first. Mar del Cabo guests choose their destination and then they make a hotel choice.”
Vickie Sam Paget Western Correspondent
Hailing from the UK, Vickie Sam Paget is a travel and tourism storyteller located in Vancouver, BC. When she’s not on the road, creating engaging travel content or gazing at the North Shore Mountains, you can usually find her curled up with a good book or sipping a pint of the good stuff in her local Irish bar.
