La Casa de la Playa TravFORUM Event Highlights
“I’m never leaving.”
This was a sentiment echoed by several travel advisors during the recent TravFORUM event held at La Casa de la Playa in Riviera Maya, Mexico.
A TravFORUM event is where we at TravelPulse hand-select top-tier travel advisors to review and experience a destination, hotel, resort, cruise ship, tour itinerary, etc. The advisors are required to post on social media about their journey, which then helps them better sell the product to their clients as well as grow their social media following.
It’s essentially taking a FAM trip to the next level.
“I love this concept just because we’re so focused on this one product,” said Ronda Helton of The Travel Connection Group. “I feel like because we’re staying here and immersing ourselves into the different activities, the dining, the staff – it gives us more of a rounded picture to be able to present to the property to help learn from what we see, what our clients expect and then that way we all win.”
La Casa de la Playa is a new boutique luxury all-inclusive resort that is part of Hoteles Xcaret. Guests who stay here have access to all the Xcaret parks, as well as all the offerings at the neighboring Hotel Xcaret Arte and Hotel Xcaret Mexico.
For Lester Romero, Sales Manager for Hoteles Xcaret, hosting this TravFORUM was extremely important in helping grow business for the new property.
“I think that’s the most important thing right now,” Romero said. “Right now, no one knows about La Casa de la Playa. This is one of the actions that we have to do to get the word out there. The most important thing is word to word right, it’s mouth to mouth communication right, so it’s important to have agents here to live the experiences and so they can give us their feedback about what we’re doing well, what we’re doing wrong, and what could be improved. I think right now that’s our main goal, our main objective you know over getting some profits or revenue right now, just get the word out there that there is a product with only 63 suites with amazing value and amazing experiences competing with the top high-end brands in the luxury market.”
Hoteles Xcaret opted to bring in two different groups, first hosting a selection of West Coast-based travel advisors for a few days followed by hosting a group of East Coast-based travel advisors.
Each travel advisor was able to experience a breathtaking luxury room that includes personal butlers, beautiful views seemingly everywhere they turned, world-class fine dining, a complimentary spa session and more.
Additionally, they were able to take part in some of the tailor-made experiences available to guests who book at La Casa de la Playa.
TravFORUM attendees before experiencing an underground river at Xcaret Park.
The West Coast group was able to enjoy an underground river excursion at Xcaret Park before the park opened to the public or any other guests at Hoteles Xcaret properties. It began with a blessing from a Mayan Shaman and was followed by a private tasting of Mexican pastries overlooking the sea.
The East Coast group received a behind-the-scenes backstage tour of Xcaret Park’s famous Espectacular show, which is a night show that takes you on a journey through the history of Mexico. The tour concluded with a grand entrance on the show stage and included a specially curated meal from celebrity chef Martha Ortiz, who runs the Tuch de Luna restaurant at La Casa de la Playa.
East coast advisors at the La Casa de la Playa TravFORUM
A roundtable discussion was held on the final day for each group to share their honest feedback with representatives from the resort.
The advisors also went live on Instagram and Facebook throughout their stay, sharing their thoughts on the property to their clients.
Overall, the advisors were blown away by the property and the complete experience.
“I much preferred this style over a typical FAM,” Heather Coursen of MEI Travel said. “There was a great combination of site inspections and meetings with time on your own to explore the resort how you wanted, so we got the full experience our clients would.”
“I felt listened to when the travel agents expressed our concerns,” said Mandee Migliaccio, CEO of Stepping Out Travel. “It wasn’t brushed off like I usually feel when I’m on a FAM. This TravFORUM was personalized. I truly felt I was experiencing the resort, not just working.”
Stay tuned for more content about La Casa de la Playa coming soon.
Travel suppliers interested in hosting a TravFORUM event can reach out to our sales team here: dltamsales@ntmllc.com