He loves Canadian travel agents!
Josep Brichs
Barcelό's Rick McCauley with
Lorraine Brisbois of Sunwing
Mabel Ocampo & Hector Artigas of Barcelό
The agents that attended Barceló Hotels & Resorts' recent do at Pearson’s Sheraton Hotel were a serious bunch. They showed up ready to learn and engage with their supplier reps. Perhaps it was because the exclusive invitees were all members of the company’s B Club and as such experts in the properties, eligible for special benefits, prizes, cash, free stays - and recipients of first dibs on FAMs. Plus opportunities such as this one to schmooze with Josep Brichs, the company’s Managing Director of Worldwide Distribution, in town from Majorca, where BarcelÏŒ is headquartered, are rare.
And what a company it is! I imagine there were even some B Club members who weren’t aware that Barceló has 145 hotels and resorts in 17 countries and employs 25,000 people. “Canada is our #1 market worldwide for Latin America, where we have 29 properties,” Brichs told me. “So it’s very important that we make sure our top producers are up to date.”
Taking the helm for much of the evening was Rick McCauley, Senior Director of Sales & Marketing a.k.a. Mr. BarcelÏŒ in Canada.”We’re here to share with you our personal experiences and insights into our resorts,” he told the group.
For starters, what sets BarcelÏŒ apart from the competition? “When we say beachfront, we mean beachfront,” McCauley pointed out, showing very telling aerial shots of some of their competitors’ properties, featuring a long piece of real estate stretching back from a narrow swath of beach. “Our beachfront properties are built along the beach – with no room more than 150 m from the sand.” The company also has smaller properties in Ixtapa and Puerto Vallarta, ideal for clients who aren’t keen on mega-resorts.
And McCauley’s personal faves? “BarcelÏŒ Bávaro Palace in Punta Cana – the rooms are great. Clients love the entertainment area with restaurants, shops, casino and 1,200 seat theatre, as well as the Pirates Island Water Park plus the Teen Disco.” He’s also partial to their #1 best-seller, the BarcelÏŒ Maya Beach Resort. “It’s also a great choice for weddings – we even have a dedicated website and clients appreciate that they can deal directly with their wedding coordinator.
Interesting to note is the growing popularity of FunSun for Barcelό: Odd durations are selling like hot cakes.
Also worth knowing? That little accent at the end tells you how to pronounce it. So now you know, it’s Bar-cel-OH!
