The winter season at Sandals and Beaches resorts is shaping up to be on par with last year, which Chairman Butch Stewart described as "a whopper for us."
"Despite the lack of snow up North -- usually a key motivator for us -- people are booking, and our winter is looking quite good," Stewart said.
He attributed the brisk booking pace to a number of initiatives, property upgrades and agent support programs launched in 2011 that are reaping rewards this year.
"One of our best decisions was to bring agents down to Antigua and St. Lucia last year for the first comprehensive Mega Fam in the region, with the result that those properties are full for the first half of 2012," he said.
The program offered 13 two-night fam trips last fall that drew more than 3,000 agents across the U.S. and Canada to several of its Caribbean resorts for site inspections and specialist training sessions.
Stewart also credited investment as a key factor in success this winter.
"The new beach club and redesign at Sandals Grande Riviera in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, is a hit, and we are nearly set to open the new Balmoral Tower at Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau," Stewart said.
The 144-room Balmoral Tower, formerly called the Manor House, is the centerpiece of the resort on Cable Beach.
What began as a cleanup operation following Hurricane Irene last August became a multimillion-dollar renovation that included adding balconies to 42 oceanview rooms, installing new furnishings and amenities in all the rooms and expanding the lounge area with beachfront fire pits.
"Reaction by agents to the extensive renovations has fueled bookings and spiked interest in our Bahamas product across the board, including at Sandals Emerald Bay in Exuma," Stewart said.
Sandals extended the booking window to Feb. 16 for its airfare credit promotion, offering a $350 credit for a six-night or longer booking at any Sandals or Beaches property.
Travel dates are Aug. 10 through Jan. 31 for Sandals, and Aug. 20 through Jan. 30 for Beaches.
Also, guests who book a six-night stay at Sandals Grande Riviera by Feb. 16 receive a $285 fare credit per room for travel through Aug. 9.
Other updates:
• Construction of Sandals City on Oxford Road in Kingston, Jamaica, a business hotel targeted at the corporate market, is slated to begin in June 2013. The hotel is a departure from Sandals' all-inclusive resort concept and will feature conference and banquet rooms, a spa, gym and racquetball and tennis courts.
• Construction for the 26 over-the-water suites planned for Sandals Grande St. Lucian is under way, with opening slated for February 2013. The suites will be three to four times the size of the average Caribbean hotel suite and will include private sitting rooms, outdoor Jacuzzis and hammocks. Glass in the floors will enable guests to see the fish in the water below.
• New outdoor lounge areas with firepits will debut in March at Sandals Whitehouse on Jamaica's south coast.
• Upgrades at Beaches Negril Resort & Spa in Jamaica include an enhanced Red Lane Spa and fitness center and new soft goods in the 225 guestrooms.
• All rooms at Beaches Turks & Caicos now feature an Xbox 360 game console.
For Caribbean and Mexico news, follow Gay Nagle Myers on Twitter @gnmtravelweekly.