CANCUN, Mexico -- ALG Vacations wants to be known for its luxury portfolio.
To better tap into the luxury market, the vacation wholesaler last year launched its Luxe product, but it's not as if ALG Vacations didn't offer luxury travel packages before the Luxe branding. However, ALG Vacations was not associated with luxury travel, said global head of trade brands Jacki Marks, so the wholesaler did something about it.
Marks said about half of Luxe's content is comprised of products it offered before the launch.
"We had all the product, we had all the service, we had all the technology," she said. "But we never really formalized our commitment to the luxury space."
This led the company to assemble a luxury advisory board to pick the brains of travel advisors who specialize in luxury. Advisor feedback shaped ALG Vacations' decision to offer a luxury collection.
More than a year later, Luxe has been a "huge success," said group president Ray Snisky at ALG Vacations' annual Ascend Conference.
Marks said a key to strengthening the Luxe collection was the relaunch of Blue Sky Tours, which the company announced in September. The tour operator, known for Hawaii packages, has expanded its focus on the Asia-Pacific region, which Marks said has huge luxury potential.
"We first needed to be able to be a fully functioning package tour operator in the Indo-Pacific," she said. "So we first identified getting all the DMCs and the excursions and the hotels, and now we're expanding much more of that luxury product."