“It was Regency La Toc in St Lucia in 1999, I wasn’t even a travel agent then,” Pauline Ramsay, a Holiday Elite homeworker, casts her mind back to her first experience of Sandals.
“I loved it from the minute I went – I was blown away. Twenty-five years ago it was completely different, all brightly-coloured bed linen and dark wood, but the experience was the same.”
Ramsay became an agent with Thomas Cook not long after her first Sandals holiday, remaining with the company for 16 years and leaving before it went bust to set up on her own as a homeworker. Now she is a Sandals top seller and, in January, became a member of the Chairman’s Royal Club, an honour bestowed on agents who sell more than 100 Sandals and Beaches room nights per calendar year. Ramsey has been to every Sandals resort, bar one which she is due to visit in July – Sandals Royal Curacao, which opened in June 2022.
“When I first knew the brand it was exciting that everything was included but it was the people that really made it special – Caribbean people are so friendly. You can get an all-inclusive in Greece or Turkey but they don’t have the Caribbean vibe,” she insists.
Ringing the changes
Sandals has been hard at work recently with a brand evolution dubbed Sandals 2.0 that sees it launching new resorts and revamping existing ones. Ramsey is impressed by the changes: “The brand has really evolved. I was thinking they needed to lose the terracotta tiles and update the decor. Now the resorts are light and airy, the rooms are much better and, most importantly, the staff are the same – you can’t walk past even a gardener without them saying ‘hello’.”
Ramsay says the new resorts are a huge draw for her clients. “If they are looking at Sandals online they want the newer ones. With St Vincent for example, you only need to look at the pictures. The rooms are outstanding – the butler rooms are beautiful and there are lots of them.”
She adds that many of the Sandals 2.0 additions give an extra edge when selling the brand. “Some resorts offer guests the chance to try off-site dining so you can eat out at local restaurants with a voucher or, with some butler suites, you have access to a Mini Cooper to go exploring.
“At Dunns River they know guests from the UK wake up early – around 5am – so there is a guy on a bike who comes along the beach with coffee.”
Joining the club
Becoming part of the Chairman’s Royal Club has been a coup for Ramsey. “It has 100% motivated me to do it again. You can get staff rates a year in advance, credit for Island Routes [adventure tours] or scuba diving and an invitation to the Star Awards,” she highlights.
As an expert seller there are few obstacles that get in Ramsay’s way. “The main thing is if someone wants a late deal and it is sold out. I’m often asked if clients should book the hotel now and I always say yes – we can add flights later.”
She is also hopeful that she will have more opportunities to sell Sandals’ sister brand, Beaches. “I recently went to Beaches Ochi with my seven-month-old granddaughter so I know how good it is for children. The main problem is getting the flight allocation during school holidays. I do sell to a lot of families that want waterparks however and the resorts in Europe are getting priced so high that I’m hoping that will soon help me switch sell.”
Of course the question that remains – as someone who has experienced nearly all of Sandals’ resorts: Which is her favourite?
“It has to be St Vincent. It is one of the slightly bigger ones on a beautiful, mountainous island with wonderful people. There are experiences that you don’t get at other resorts such as guided kayaking to the bat caves, sunset paddle boarding, a butler cruise and, if the flight times work, you can even get a boat transfer from the airport to the resort.”
