By Mark Rogers
The Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa in Jamaica recently celebrated it first anniversary. The 250 rooms and suites all-inclusive property has already become a hit with agents. Caribbean Connection reached out to Michele Olivier, regional vice president of sales & marketing for Jewel Resorts, by Aimbridge Hospitality, to hear what agents can expect from the property in 2012.
CC: What kind of changes can we expect to see at The Jewel Dunn's River in 2012?
Olivier: Exciting things happening! Before we get into the season, all remaining rooms will have flat screens installed and new bedding packages. The guest rooms have the same custom mahogany furniture you may be familiar with from the $15 Million renovation done a few years ago. As Jewel, the rooms have all been painted white to brighten and lighten them – we have added elegant window treatments and area rugs, a new bed and linen package a-la “W” white with jewel tones, and new interior corridor carpet to enhance the entry experience. We are adding a gaming area with slot machines – a first for this resort. In keeping with our adults-only theme and in response to what our customers are asking for, we’ll be converting 15 of our king-bedded rooms into double bedded rooms; making us an even better luxury alternative for wedding and F&F groups.
CC: Is there a contact person at the resort that agents can reach out to for information about travel agent rates and fam opportunities?
Olivier: In the summer, we make agent rates bookable direct on our site; the current code is TAS11 and the rate is $99 p/p when available. Winter rate requests can be made directly to reservations@jeweldunnsriverresort.com. We also work with Interline Vacations (Perx) who packages our product. Fam requests can be made to sales@jeweldunnsriverresort.com and of course the JTB has lots of opportunities as well.
CC: Which rooms have the best views? If you can supply room numbers, that would be helpful.
Olivier: We have seven room categories based on size, view and services. Building 2 is the Sapphire building. Odd numbers are the Mountain View rooms and even numbers are the Ocean View rooms. Building 3 is the Diamond building where we have our Diamond Ocean View Concierge rooms and our butler suites. Even numbers face the pool and resort. The Emerald Lanais (buildings 4 and 5) are set in a garden; the intimacy of these 2-story buildings is perfect for friends traveling together, or the wedding party.
CC: What makes The Jewel Dunn's River Beach Resort & Spa stand out from the other all-inclusive resorts in Jamaica?
Olivier: Our resort is an adults-only. While much of our resort is couples-centric, singles alone or in groups love the resort. We stand out in what makes and all-inclusive even better – entertainment and dining. Our Gem entertainment staff, led by Ricardo, our CEO of Fun, have something going every hour of the day. Our food product is by far the best on the island; after 10 years of selling Jamaica I can say this without hesitation. Guests love our Gem of The Day signature drinks and our bartenders are frequently in glowing reviews by guests. We are also privileged to have Chef Ravi Anne on our team. In addition to his amazing culinary talent, Ravi is the leader of the culinary team of Jamaica that goes out to international competitions every year. He is passionate about teaching and developing culinary talent.
CC: Do you have a message to travel agents who are considering booking their clients into The Jewel Dunn's River?
Olivier: As a former travel agent myself, I know what’s important to agents – being able to book the best rate – commissionable; having the tools to sell – we have fact sheets and flyers for current specials and we just printed a new 12-page brochure that can be ordered here Request New Brochures Here; having someone to reach out to – Robyn Mitlitsky (rmitlitsky@jewelresorts.com) handles the northern part of the US and Bonnie Nicotra (bnicotra@jewelresorts.com) handles the southern half; and of course, the most important for agents, knowing we will take good care of their clients – that we do and do well!
www.jeweldunnsriverresort.com |
