Playa Shines in Toronto
In an increasingly competitive industry, Playa Hotels & Resorts’ Rose Cosentino believes service from the heart is what makes the company stand out from other all-inclusive resorts. That’s why she kicked-off a VIP celebration in Toronto last night (Sept. 4) promoting all the new development underway in the Dominican Republic by sharing a video usually reserved for new hires when they join the company.
“It’s a very special video and it’s all about service,” Cosentino, the Vice President, Sales – Canada for Playa Hotels & Resorts told PressToday. “I can show you what the room looks like, and your dinner, and the beach, but it’s hard to show service and how you’ll feel [at our resorts]. I think we’ve nailed it, and I’m proud of that because that’s one of the hardest things to make guests feel not just special but like they’re being looked after, that they’re being cared for.”
Set to the tune of Don’t Stop Believing, the video showcases warm interactions with staff across its properties.
“This portrays who we are as a company,” she said.
In Toronto for the first stop on their first official cross-Canada roadshow with stops in Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver, Cosentino likened the upcoming Nov. 1 opening of Hyatt Ziva and Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana to birthing twins.
“Here we are literally building from the ground up creating this resort complex and we’ve never done that before so for us it is exciting because it’s something new, all the things we could have, should have, done in other places you’ve got limitations, here there are no restrictions,” she said. “It’s the best of the best of the resorts we could have come up with.”
Among the stand out features across the adults-only and family-friendly resorts, she points to an industrial style rugged fitness facility, a massive spa with an underground cenote, extra-large rooms, a waterpark with slides and a lazy river, and an Indian restaurant complete with a train.
Playa is also fresh off a $44 million-dollar expansion and transformation at its Sanctuary Cap Cana property and has newly renovated the Hilton La Romana. The adult-only section is already open and the family-friendly section will open in December.
“We put a lot of investment into our resorts to give a product that is above the norm,” she said. “We’re essentially creating two hotels, a family and an adults-only side. All the rooms are being redone down to the floor. It’s getting more than just a face-lift. When we take something on we don’t just change a flag.”
Although the Dominican Republic has had some negative publicity recently, she said Canadians are very resilient.
“We did see a slow down in bookings but in the last three weeks we’ve actually seen them come back so that confidence is getting regained,” she said.
If clients still have reservations, Amanda Morris, BDM for Ontario, pointed out that the soon-to-open Hyatt properties and Sanctuary Cap Cana are located in a gated community.
For travel agents, Playa Hotels & Resorts is also offering double the points across all five resorts in the DR. Not only can the trade cash this in for cash or free nights at Playa resorts, but guests will receive a complimentary in-room amenity like chocolate dipped strawberries or a cheese platter with a card from the agent.
Registering bookings is also how agents can get invited to the annual Spotlight Awards, happening on Jan. 9, 2020 in Cap Cana.
Pictured at the event are Freddie Marsh, BDM Western Canada; Amanda Morris, BDM Ontario, Cosentino, and Christian Roussin, BDM for Quebec & Atlantic Canada.
