Coconut Bay, ACV put the spotlight on Saint Lucia
Natalia Greene, VP of sales and marketing for Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa and Serenity at Coconut Bay, says the sister properties in Saint Lucia are unique because they’re not part of a chain.
“We are on 85 acres with one mile of beach. We’ve got outdoor themed dinners twice a week. We’ve got a turtle watching program,” she says. “The one thing I’d like for all of you to know is we not part of a chain. We are independently owned and operated, our owner is Jamaican. What that means for your clients is they get an authentically Caribbean experience. There’s nothing corporate about our hotel and I think that sets us apart.”
Joined by Canadian representative Suzanne Fleming and Dianne Pedroso, area sales manager for Air Canada Vacations, Greene was in Toronto this week to showcase the adjacent properties, located minutes from Hewanorra International Airport, to an intimate group of travel advisors and to give away a grand prize of an on-site stay over a lunch and learn session at The Miller Tavern.
Notably, she says the resorts are constantly undergoing enhancements.
“We close every September for renovations,” Greene says. “We are constantly reinvesting in our product and improving it for your clients, our guests.”
At the premium Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, which is home to the family-friendly Splash wing and an adults-only Harmony wing, the kids’ club was recently upgraded with a fresh new facelift, and Peter John’s Lounge, known for its large collection of Caribbean rums, is also sporting a new look.
For clients looking for some pampering while listening to the sound of crashing waves, six new oceanfront spa cabanas were added to the beachfront area. While guests staying at Serenity at Coconut Bay, which consists of only 36 suites, can opt for in-room treatments instead, she says their outdoor treatment service comes with complementary sparkling wine.
Serenity leap year incentive
As a special leap year initiative to drive more agent bookings to the luxury Serenity resort, Greene announced a new double bonus incentive for bookings made between Feb. 29 and March 29, 2024.
For bookings that are seven nights or longer, agents will receive US$300 instead of US$150 for bookings made for the Grande Plunge Pool Butler Suite room category. Bookings can be registered at serenityrewards.com. Serenity offers a commission rate of 15 per cent.
“This is brand spanking new,” she says. “That is so I can see more bookings coming in for Serenity from Canada so you’ve got a great opportunity.”
Taking flight
Meanwhile, Pedroso highlighted that Air Canada offers daily service to Saint Lucia from Toronto from Nov. to April, and then offers non-stop flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Friday and Sundays. Connecting flights from 60 Canadian airports are also available.
Pedroso suggests agents look at the Sun Travel Agent Toolkit brochure to get familiar with the hotels offered, including Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa, and the add-ons and features that offer clients great value for their money.
Since it’s so easy to reach the resorts upon arrival, Greene says this is a unique advantage to selling the property.
“Their vacation starts within five minutes once they leave the airport,” she says. “What’s most important that you want to take note of is that they don’t lose their arrival day and they don’t lose their departure day because when you’re sending clients to the north of the island, the arrival day and the departure day is lost — they have to leave super early to get back down to Hewanorra and they don’t get to where they’re going until the evening… so from a selling standpoint that’s something for you to keep in mind.”
Fun for the whole family
Another perk is the onsite kids’ club, which she says is so much more than just babysitting. Not only do they accept babies three and under, they have customized programming for various ages.
“All of the staff that work in the kids’ club are childcare worker certified, they’re also first aid certified, but our kids’ club is not babysitting,” she says. “We have the SCOUTS club — which stands for Seeing, Crafting, Observing, Understanding, Tasting, Saint Lucia — they will go on nature walks, learn a bit of St. Lucian Creole. They will learn about the turtles that nest on our beach. We want them to take home a little bit of Saint Lucia.”
And while the 1,500 foot lazy river at Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa is located in the family-friendly Splash section, Greene says it truly caters to kids and kids at heart.
“Most of the time I see more adults floating around the lazy river with their sippy-cups,” she laughs. “A lot of the time it’s filled with more adult than kids!”
