Sunquest V.P., Steve Butchart
Sunquest's Lynn Dergousoff, Commercial Director & Steve Butchart, V.P. with Thomas Cook's Dean Moore, COO & Dawn Rzepka, Senior Director Sales
V.com's Christine James & Anju Bliss
Joe DeMarinis, Redtag.ca; Anju Bliss, V.com & Lindsay Pearlman, Ensemble
CWT's Claudia Viani & Karen Salviato
Cianfarani Travel's Marco Cianfarani & Robert Cianfarani, with CWT's
Sandro Giannitti (centre)
Handa Travel Group's Alex Handa
& Mary Santonato
Brent Bowes, Plaza Premium Lounge with Wayne Noseworthy, Director Product Development, Thomas Cook
It’s no secret that Sunquest has taken some missteps in the past. Even Sunquest V.P., Steve Butchart, admitted to their “fall from grace” in previous years. “If you look at the winter just passed, clearly you will know that it has not been the most stellar year for Sunquest,” he said. “There were some errors made in both our planning and execution.”
But, what distinguishes Sunquest is acknowledging these shortcomings and then striving to overcome them. At a reception held at one of YTO’s hippest venues, The Drake Hotel, Sunquest presented their winter plan to their top retail partners – a plan that they hope will make them one of the industry’s leading suppliers once again.
The event was more like a reunion disguised as a winter product launch since the room was abuzz with guests hugging, kissing and catching up. Although everyone enjoyed socializing over an open bar with plenty of mouthwatering hors d’oeuvres being passed around, they were also very eager to learn about Sunquest’s new strategies.
Butchart told guests that Sunquest has a strong retail offer for the upcoming winter, which includes an improved flight program and quality hotel partnerships (95% of the hotel products have a 4 or 5 star rating). “We are happy with what we have seen so far for the winter,” he said. “There’s a long way to go, clearly there’s a long way to go. But the early signs are very encouraging.”
While guests mingled, Open Jaw asked some of them to share their thoughts on how Sunquest may be received over the high season.
“With the other players coming into the market very aggressively, Sunquest has slipped and that’s no secret,” said Christine James, V.P., Vacation.com. “But I think they’ve employed some new strategies to address that this winter. They are coming up with some aggressive pricing to the consumer, and obviously that’s the plan to turn things around and improve their performance.”
Lindsay Pearlman, Co-President, Ensemble, believes that Sunquest is a good, strong organization. “They’re going through a lot of changes, and change is hard in this industry, especially,” he said. “I don’t think there is a concern they’re going to disappear overnight, that’s not the case. So people can book them within our industry with confidence. What will be a tell-tale is what happens this winter season and how they position themselves into 2013.”
Karen Salviato, Program Manager Leisure Suppliers, Carlson Wagonlit, strongly feels that face-to-face interaction with frontline agents could be the key to Sunquest’s success. “They need to re-instill that they are strong and that there are no concerns. 15 years ago, Sunquest was the go-to, that’s where we did all our training – physically in their office,” she said. “I think that they’re missing that conduit with the agent. There have been some cut-backs, and I can appreciate why. But for them to make a difference, they need to re-invest in that area – to get out there, be the face, talk to the frontline and reassure them.”
Where Sunquest lacked in the past with its performance, planning and execution, it’s evident that they are trying very hard to make up for it. One thing is for sure, it’s going to be an interesting winter and everyone’s eyes will be on Sunquest.
