EXCLUSIVE INCLUSIVE: The 500-acre Wyndham El
Conquistador Resort & Golden Door Spa in Puerto Rico is
offering its first-ever all-inclusive vacation package exclusively
through travel agents until Sept. 30. The new All-Inclusive
Vacation Plan includes roundtrip air fare; four nights'
accommodations; all meals and beverages, including one gourmet
dinner; airport transfers; tax, tariff and service charges; and
gratuities. Sample rates include: $1,179 from Hartford, Conn., or
Philadelphia; $1,189 from Miami; $1,195 from New York; $1,265 from
Boston; $1,325 from Chicago ; $1,339 from Dallas; and $1,455 from
Los Angeles. Additional nights cost $180 per person, per night,
double. Land-only plans also are available. GoGo Worldwide
Vacations is the Wyndham El Conquistador's preferred wholesaler;
agents earn GoGo's commission rates on the all-inclusive stays.
Visit www.gogowwv.com to book via GoGo.
SANDALS AND BEACHES RESORTS upgraded its Web
sites, at www.sandals.com and www.beaches.com, which now boast multimedia
features, including panoramic resort tours, animated slideshows,
streaming video and image libraries. Retailer-specific pages have
been enhanced with real-time room inventory access and co-branded
Web-site creation tools. Although consumers have been able to use
the sites to book online since December, information and brochure
requests are forwarded to local Certified Sandals Specialists. They
can link their agency sites to the Sandals and Beaches sites, too.
In another new wrinkle, the sites have new software to track and
access travel agent commissions and sales data.
AT EASE!: In other news, Sandals announced that
U.S. military personnel who submit a valid application for
Operation Relax vacations but do not receive a free stay will be
awarded a $250 discount on any Sandals or Beaches vacation of six
nights or longer. The company said it will begin notifying winners
in August; Operation Relax kicked off May 9 with $1 million in
complimentary vacations for active U.S. troops and their
families.
MOUNTAIN OF TROUBLE: A series of eruptions
rocked Montserrat's Soufriere Hills volcano earlier this week and
recovery efforts are under way, according to director of tourism
Ernestine Cassell. Rains Tuesday night washed away some ash, while
road crews were busy clearing roads and the government of the
British territory began assessing total damage, Cassell reported.
The dome of the volcano collapsed July 13, hurling rock and ash
down on the island, and dust as high as 40,000 feet, disrupting air
traffic; a series of at least three explosions then followed over
the next two days, accompanied by heavy rains, according to the
Monserrat Volcano Observatory. Most debris fell well away from the
"safe zone" to which many residents retreated after a devastating
1995 eruption; another eruption in 1997 destroyed many southern
areas of the island, including the capital of Plymouth.
NAME GAME: Brand-new property Paradise Beach
Resort on St. Kitts -- although not even entirely open yet -- has
already undergone a moniker modification, changing its name
officially to The Angelus. The change aims to "distinguish us from
any other resort among the Caribbean islands for people who have
not yet visited us," according to Scott Ward, senior vice president
of sales and marketing. A first phase of rooms has begun opening to
guests, and 72 suites should be ready by the end of July; when
completed, The Angelus will feature 144 rooms, a restaurant and a
beachfront pool on 15 acres. For more information, call (869)
466-6224 or visit its Web site at www.angelusstkitts.com.
AIR BYTES
• US Airways announced Dividend Miles members can earn and redeem
frequent-flyer miles on flights operated by Caribbean Star Airlines
and Caribbean Sun Airlines. For more information, visit www.usairways.com/dividendmiles or call (800)
622-1015.
LODGEPODGE
• The new Four Seasons Resort Great Exuma at Emerald Bay in the
Bahamas is set to open in early November. Although introductory
rates have not been announced, a Family Splash package to the new
resort -- starting at $1,680 for three nights -- is now available
for stays Jan. 4 to Dec. 18, 2004. The package includes limousine
transfers, a catamaran snorkel cruise, a framed family photo, a
gourmet picnic lunch, breakfast daily and a kids' scavenger hunt.
The resort also will boast a golf club with fairways of six
straight holes along the ocean; the 6,880-yard, par 72, 18-hole
course was designed by famed professional golfer Greg Norman. Visit
www.fourseasons.com on line.
• The Royal West Indies Resort on Grace Bay Beach in
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, doubled its inventory of "studio
suites," bringing the total number of guest accommodations to 100
such units. The resort's signature suites offer balconies,
washer/dryers and mini-kitchens with refrigerators and microwaves,
among other amenities. For reservations or information, call (800)
332-4203 or (649) 946-5004, or visit www.royalwestindies.com.
• All four all-inclusive Coral by Hilton resorts in the Dominican
Republic are offering guests a fifth night free with any four-night
booking made by July 31 -- that's a $300 value. Coral by Hilton,
Hilton Caribbean's new all-inclusive brand, features the following
resorts in the D.R.: Hamaca Coral by Hilton, Canoa Coral by Hilton,
Costa Caribe Coral by Hilton and Marien Coral by Hilton. For more
information, call (800) HILTONS or visit www.coralbyhilton.com.
• Jolly Beach Resort on Antigua is offering retailers special
all-inclusive, nightly fam rates of $70 per agent until Oct. 31;
companions can go along for $75 per night until Aug. 31, and $70
per night, Sept. 1 to Oct. 31. In addition, agents get a third
night free when paying for two, or two nights free when paying for
three. Site inspections must be scheduled when reserving at (866)
905-6559; the resort also will hold educational seminars.
Additional details can be found at www.jollybeachresort.com. American Airlines is
offering fares from $149 per Iatan agent and $249 per companion,
available through Caribbean Resorts TMS at (800) 652-2962 or (954)
919-0191.