Travel Professionals International’s (TPI), wins big at the 4^th annual Spotlights Awards for Playa Hotels & Resorts. The Playa Spotlight Awards invites the best and top-producing agents in the industry. With over 120 Canadian agents attending the awards, TPI was proud to see their very own Lois Barbour walk away with three significant awards for her and her team. Playa Hotels and Resorts awarded Lois Barbour with Most Improved Agent in Canada, Top Seller for Jamaica in Canada and Top Seller for Jewel Resorts in Canada.

“I am honoured to be recognized with these prestigious awards by Playa Resorts. We strive to offer the best vacation options to our clients, so when the brands that provide our guests with the vacation memories of a lifetime then recognize us in this way, we say thank you!” said Lois Barbour, TPI Advisor.

TPI CEO Zeina Gedeon said, “Congratulations to Lois and all of her team at Travel Time – TPI! What an amazing accomplishment to bring home three Spotlight Awards and be recognized for their incredible dedication to their clients. We are honoured to have Travel Time – TPI as part of the TPI family and are always proud to share our Advisor’s achievements!”

Find more information about Lois Barbour and her team Travel Time – TPI at www.traveltimetpi.com

Published by Openjaw on January 14, 2020

Travel Professionals International (TPI), is the only agency in Canada to have two of their advisors recognized in the Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club.

Lois Barbour of Travel Time TPI and Kim Hartlen of Kim Hartlen Travel were once again recognized for their contribution to Sandals & Beaches as Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club, an exclusive club that rewards the most loyal and top-producing travel agents in North America for the Sandals brands.

TPI CEO, Zeina Gedeon, said that TPI is “ecstatic” with having the only two advisors in Canada that are in the Sandals Chairman Royal Club.

“This is a great testament to the dedication and commitment TPI Advisors have to Sandals,” Gedeon said. “We see the rewards our Advisors get recognized for, and it is the support and tools they get with TPI that makes them the best of the best.”

Kim Hartlen, TPI Advisor, said, “I have been honoured to be a part of the Sandals Travel Agent awards for the past 18 years and a member of the Sandals Chairman’s Royal Club since the beginning in 2012! Thank you, Sandals and Beaches Resorts for this prestige invitation and recognition.”

Lois Barbour, TPI Advisor, said, “Thank you to our VIP clients first of all, but also with thanks to our BDM extraordinaire, Meredith Hand and also Maureen Barnes-Smith Sandals Director of Sales & Marketing, for her endless support of our agency on the rock! With you, and the amazing Sandals Resorts team who enable us to do what we do every day, we say thank you!”

Director of sales and marketing, Unique Vacations Canada Inc., Maureen Barnes-Smith spoke highly of TPI, saying, “Travel Professionals International continues to foster the environment for high growth for Sandals and Beaches, and we congratulate the organization as well as the individual agent winners. Well done.”

Published in Pax News on December 18th, 2019

TORONTO – Travel Professionals International (TPI) once again was named the Top Host Agency and Best of the Best in Canada for the 2nd year in a row at the 18th annual Sandals Travel Agency Recognition (STAR) Awards hosted at Beaches Turks & Caicos on Dec 8th.

It was a big night for TPI and their attending Advisors at the Sandals STAR Gala Awards. TPI’s top Sandals producing Advisors were recognized for their loyalty and dedication by Sandals Resorts. Kim Hartlen took home Best of the Best in Canada, Top Club Sandals Travel Agency and Top Beaches Travel Agency in Atlantic Canada and Lois Barbour of Travel Time received Top Sandals Travel Agency in Atlantic Canada.

“I have been honoured to be a part of the Sandals Travel Agent awards for the past 18 years! Thank you, Sandals and Beaches Resorts for this prestige invitation and recognition. I am thrilled to have stepped out on my own as an entrepreneur under my brand Kim Hartlen Travel with the amazing support of TPI. My clients are truly the Stars!! #filledwithgratitude” said Kim Hartlen, TPI Advisor.

Lois Barbour, TPI Advisor, said, “I am pleased to be recognized again by Sandals Resorts as a top Canadian agent. The recognition received in being named the Top Sandals Agency of the Year for Atlantic Canada is a huge honor for us, as well as being named one of only two Canadian Chairman’s Royal Club agents.” Barbour added, “Our team at Travel Time – TPI appreciates our loyal VIP clients, and the trust they place in us for their valuable vacation time. Our partners at Sandals Resorts deliver on the experience we recommend to our clients again and again and make the process easy with repeat bookings being the norm.”

The STAR Awards celebrates travel agents worldwide and Sandals Resorts as an innovator and trendsetter in luxury Caribbean resorts for the last 24 years.

TPI CEO Zeina Gedeon said, “We are extremely proud of our Advisors who took home some of the most prestigious Sandals Awards this week! It was an honour for me to accept the award as Top Host Agency in Canada, on behalf of my TPI family, this award is for all our advisors across Canada,” Gedeon continued, “to recognize all their hard work and all the passion they put into what they do, all of this would not have been possible without our Advisors’ commitment to Sandals Resorts.”

List of awards received at the STAR Gala Awards:

• Head office awards:
  • Best of the Best Agency Recognition
  • Top Host Agency in Canada
  • Top Sandals Travel Agency
  • Top Ten Travel Agencies Worldwide
• Lois Barbour – Travel Times
  • Top Sandals Travel Agency – Atlantic Canada
  • Chairman’s Royal Club
• Kim Hartlen – Kim Hartlen Travel
  • Best of the Best Agency Recognition Award
  • Top Beaches Travel Agency – Atlantic Canada
  • Top Club Sandals Travel Agency
  • Chairman’s Royal Club

Posted in Travel Press on December 17th, 2019

Read Complete Article by  Travelweek Group
Monday, December 16, 2019

Home-based agents shone brightly at Sandals Resorts’ 18th annual STAR Awards.

The top 10 travel agencies worldwide included host agency TPI.

Always top producers for Sandals and Beaches Resorts, home-based agents in Canada are scaling new heights with the company. And Sandals knows it. This past summer Sandals held its first-ever Canadian Home-Based Travel Consultant Conference, bringing home-based agents from across Canada from host agencies including TPI, TTAND, TravelOnly, The Destination Experts and Nexion Travel Group (Canada), to Sandals South Coast for five days of excursions, site inspections and a Business Marketing Forum targeted specifically to home-based agents.

At this year’s STAR Awards, held Dec. 7 – 11 at Beaches Turks & Caicos, Canadian home-based agents and host agencies dominated the leaderboard in the ‘Best of the Best’ category.

The ‘Best of the Best’ for Canada included TPI; Kim Hartlen Travel/TPI in Nova Scotia; amongst the rest.

TPI CEO Zeina Gedeon says TPI is excited about its strong double-digit growth with Sandals every year, and praised the company for all that they do for TPI advisors on a daily basis.

“We are extremely proud of our Advisors who took home some of the most prestigious Sandals Awards this week!” said Gedeon. “It was an honour for me to accept the award as Top Host Agency in Canada, on behalf of my TPI family, this award is for all our advisors across Canada, to recognize all their hard work and all the passion they put into what they do and all this would not have been possible without our Advisors’ commitment to Sandals Resorts.”

Gedeon added that TPI is “over the moon” with having the only two advisors in Canada that are in the Sandals Chairman Royal Club: Travel Time TPI’s Lois Barbour and Kim Hartlen with Kim Hartlen Travel/TPI . “This is a great testament to our advisors and to Sandals for their commitment to TPI. We strive to give our advisors all the support and tool to make them the best of the best.”

While the STAR event is all about celebrating travel agents, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the legacy, and forward momentum, of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts.

Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, Unique Vacations Canada Inc., affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, says that while resort vacation trends have come and gone, “what has never changed for us is the vision that started this company, of finding the best beaches and real estate on which to create world class luxury resorts.”

The story of Sandals “has been an unbelievable journey, from the humblest beginnings of 99 bedrooms in 1981 to now being the Caribbean’s only all-inclusive superbrand and World’s Leading All-Inclusive Resorts for 24 years,” she added.

TURKS & CAICOS — Sandals Resorts is celebrating the best of the best with its top travel agents, travel agencies and suppliers at the 18th annual STAR Awards at Beaches Turks & Caicos.

The top 10 travel agencies worldwide included host agency TPI.

And the ‘Best of the Best’ for Canada included TPI; Kim Hartlen Travel/TPI in Nova Scotia; amongst others.

While the STAR event is all about celebrating travel agents, it’s also an opportunity to reflect on the legacy, and forward momentum, of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts.

“’World’s Best’ is not a tagline, it’s a signifier of what to expect, and more importantly it’s a promise on what Sandals and Beaches Resorts will deliver – exceeding your and your clients’ expectations and earning our stars every day,” said Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, Unique Vacations Canada Inc., affiliate of the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts.

“Over the past 38 years we have seen the evolution of travel and the transformation of the Sandals brand as your customers’ needs and desires have changed. We have seen the introduction of Beaches and the increasing diversity of our product offerings as we have anticipated and reacted to industry trends.”

The company has stayed nimble as it evolves with the times, but “what has never changed for us is the vision that started this company, of finding the best beaches and real estate on which to create world-class luxury resorts,” said Barnes-Smith.

For Sandals Resorts’ “passion driver and perfection seeker”, Chairman and Founder Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart, every beach told a story, said Barnes-Smith, “one he wanted to share with customers while delivering more than they ever expected.”

That led to Sandals Resorts’ trajectory as an innovator, with industry firsts including everything from hair dryers and robes in the room, to à la carte restaurants, and more recently, to over the water bungalows and villas, over the water serenity wedding chapels and over the water bars.

The story of Sandals “has been an unbelievable journey, from the humblest beginnings of 99 bedrooms in 1981 to now being the Caribbean’s only all-inclusive superbrand and World’s Leading All-Inclusive Resorts for 24 years,” said Barnes-Smith.

She added: “We continue to be the single largest private employer in the Caribbean, supporting local industries in all the islands where we operate and providing sustainable linkages throughout all levels of industry in these islands.

“We continue to set the trends, and to be the benchmark that competitors follow, seizing opportunities where others see obstacles.”

PROVIDENCIALES — At its ‘Level Up’ conference at Beaches Turks & Caicos, Travel Professionals International (TPI) announced it has once again achieved Circle of Excellence status for 2020 with Air Canada.

The conference, which took place last week, included a series of sessions around the theme ‘Level Up’, which CEO Zeina Gedeon says was aimed at helping agents succeed. The Level Up conference week was full of main stage industry insights and learning sessions to help TPI Advisors level up their business while helping them build relationships with supplier partners, she added.

The event wrapped up with a gala cocktail party, dinner and awards ceremony. Advisor awards included Top Sales & Commission, Rookie of the Year, Top Category Awards and the Advisor Spirit Award.

Virtuoso was present at the conference and presented Morris Chia, Founder of TPI, with an award for 25 successful years in business.

“We are thrilled with the huge turnout we have at this year’s conference at Beaches Turks & Caicos. We are so proud of all of our Advisors for their focused efforts and their dedication to Level Up their business. TPI continues to grow and evolve by implementing the feedback from our valued Advisors,” said Chia.

TPI also made sure to not forget its supplier partners and through voting determined this year’s supplier partner winners. Partner awards included Top BDM, Top Specialty/Niche Partner, Top Cruise Partners and Best Training Program.

Adam Stewart, Deputy Chairman of Sandals Resorts, along with Gary Sadler, Senior VP of Global Sales, Unique Vacations Inc. and Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, Unique Vacations Canada Inc., were on hand to make presentations on the closing day of the conference. Julie Coles, entrepreneur and co-founder of Mabel’s Labels was a keynote speaker.

“I would like to congratulate Morris Chia on a really strong and firm belief in the Canadian travel Industry and the work he has done in making this organization the leading and the number one independent home – based organization in Canada,” said Sadler.

TPI also announced its 2020 conference onboard the Allure of the Seas, hosted by Royal Caribbean, along with dates for upcoming major events such as TPI’s 2020 Velocity Trip to St. Lucia and STEP Fam Trip to Turkey with G adventures.

Published by Travel Week on 22.11.19

Travel Professionals International (TPI) held its annual conference down in sunny Turks and Caicos this past week.

This year’s conference, aptly titled “Level Up,” attracted 35 supplier partners, and approximately 300 travel advisors from across Canada. Held at Beaches Turks and Caicos, the conference provided an excellent opportunity for suppliers and TPI’s travel advisors to network face-to-face and partake in one-on-one business sessions to learn more about the products and resources available to them.

Speaking at the beginning of the conference, Morris Chia, executive chairman of TPI, welcomed the group saying, “We are delighted to welcome this amazing group of valued advisors and trusted supplier partners; you are all here because you bring value to TPI. We wouldn’t be here without you.”

Several agents, including Carl Henderson and Kelly Klassen, who both agreed that the conference provided an excellent opportunity to network with their travel industry peers, were eager to share their experiences from this year’s conference with PAX.

The TPI Annual Conference is something I rarely miss,” said Carl Henderson. Photo courtesy of Carl Henderson.

“The TPI Annual Conference is something I rarely miss – having only missed three of them in the 25-year history of the company,” Henderson said. “This year, I have particularly enjoyed the Level Up Theme that has had a huge focus on how to move up our businesses. It has my mind churning with various ideas on what my next steps should be, how to continue to grow and thankfully, the opportunity to bounce these ideas off trusted colleagues while I am here.”

TPI’s Kelly Klassen. Photo courtesy of Kelly Klassen.

“TPI’s annual conference awards me the opportunity to meet with my top travel partners from around the world to learn about the most exciting travel experiences for my clients,” Klassen added. “I make connections that help me efficiently build my business and to rethink the way I’ve been doing things in the past — what areas can I Level Up in? It doesn’t hurt that our venue was at the gorgeous Beaches Turks and Caicos….what an incredible destination!”

PAX caught up with several of the suppliers in attendance to see what they had to say about this year’s conference.

Air Canada Vacations (ACV)

Erminia Nigro, general manager, sales, and Krista Cardona, area sales manager, ACV, take a time out. Photo: Krista Cardona

Representing ACV down south, Krista Cardona, area sales manager, and Erminia Nigro, general manager, sales, took some time to chat with PAX about the overall experience.

“Normally we are communicating with these advisors virtually, but for me, it’s essential to also have the in-person connection,” said Cardona. “Being here there have been countless opportunities to network, have conversations, and find out what we can do to best support each advisor and their individual businesses. Everyone here has been engaged and eager to meet with us, whether during one on one’s, roundtable meetings or at the dinner table. We’ve really valued this opportunity to establish new relationships and continue building the existing ones.”

Erminia Nigro, general manager, sales, and Krista Cardona, area sales manager, ACV, representing the company at TPI’s conference in Turks and Caicos.

AmaWaterways

Sandra Gardiner, director of national accounts, AmaWaterways, also enjoyed the opportunity to connect with advisors.

“It was so great to have so many occasions this week to interact with this amazing bunch of advisors,” said Gardiner. “They came prepared to talk business strategies and we came up with some wonderful ideas to further grow their individual businesses. Caroline Hay did an amazing job as MC and the days were filled with fun panels, motivational presentations and a fantastic keynote speaker. I was overwhelmed by the engagement of these advisors and how keen they are to learn and grow their respective revenues and databases.”

Sandra Gardiner, director of national accounts, AmaWaterways. Photo courtesy of Sandra Gardiner.

Celebrity Cruises

For Maxine Gundermann, market sales manager, Eastern Ontario, Celebrity Cruises, TPI’s “Level Up” conference was crucial in allowing her to connect with some of TPI’s advisors face-to-face, especially the ones she might otherwise not get the opportunity to meet.

“My favourite part has been connecting with the consultants over dinners and cocktail parties, where we get to know each other better on a personal level, laugh, share great food, and talk about our mutual love for travel,” Gundermann said.

Maxine Gundermann, market sales manager, Eastern Ontario, Celebrity Cruises. Photo courtesy of Maxine Gundermann.

The conference also gave Gundermann the opportunity to sit as a panelist and give advice to consultants on best marketing practices.

“Celebrity Cruises has a seamless offering across all destinations around the world called Sail Your Way, and so my presentation was outlining the key points and strategies around this offering, and also highlighting the latest updates about Celebrity Edge Class, and new destinations,” Gundermann explained. “From Celebrity Cruises’ standpoint, it has been a great way to connect with the TPI travel consultants face to face, who reside all across Canada. The programming offered to the consultants has been a wide variety of topics how to increase their business. We encourage the consultants to engage in social media, identifying and targeting key demographics that match the product offering, taking a look at the return on investment and measuring the impact of their efforts.”

Sunwing

Dave Wright, Sunwing’s director of sales for Ontario and Atlantic Canada, said he was “delighted” to connect with new agents and longstanding partners.

Dave Wright, Sunwing’s director of sales for Ontario and Atlantic Canada. Photo courtesy of Sunwing.

“The theme of this year’s conference is ‘Level Up’ and our current Vacation Better campaign gives travel agents so many opportunities to do just that if they book with Sunwing, from earning extra commission by pre-booking Sunwing Experiences excursions to maximizing their earnings with our regular STAR points promotions and much more,” Wright told PAX. 

Beaches Turks and Caicos. Photo: Kelly Klassen

WestJet

WestJet (which flies to Providenciales direct from Toronto, as well as out of Western Canada) and WestJet Vacations, which currently has a mix of all-inclusive and condo-style accommodations in its portfolio in destination, including host hotel Beaches Turks and Caicos, also took part in this year’s conference.

“TPI’s “Level Up” conference, held in Turks, was both a celebration for an extremely successful 25 years and an educational opportunity, which made it a great balance,” said Jane Clementino, director, agency sales, WestJet. “Preferred suppliers could mix and mingle with all their advisors to obtain excellent feedback and discuss future opportunities. WestJet and WestJet Vacations were proud to be a platinum sponsor and congratulate the TPI management team on their YOY sales growth and high Advisor engagement.”

Jane Clementino, director, agency sales, and Sevi Anagnostis, manager, commercial partners, WestJet. Photo courtesy of Jane Clementino

The TPI “Level Up” conference officially began on Nov. 13, and wrapped up last night with a black-tie Gala evening, followed by an awards ceremony and dinner.

Published by PAXNews on 18.11.19

TPI’s 2019 conference came to a glamorous close yesterday at the travel advisor network’s Black & White Gala Soiree and awards show honouring top advisors and suppliers.

TPI’s Black and White Gala with awards honouring the agency’s top advisors and suppliers. L-R: Caroline Booth, Videographer, Open Jaw; Zeina Gedeon, CEO, TPI; Colton Chia, Director of Partnerships, TPI; Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales, Unique Vacations; Morris Chia, founder, TPI; and Anna Kroupina, Reporter, Open Jaw.

Hosted at Beaches Turks and Caicos, this year’s conference featured a long list of quality speakers and many opportunities for agents to learn and network, all centred around the theme of “Level Up.”

TPI agents and their guests at the Black and White Gala.

Sandals Deputy Chairman Adam Stewart and Gary Sadler, Senior Vice President of Sales at Unique Vacations, made a special appearance yesterday, speaking to agents about what they believe sets the Beaches brand apart, the importance of Canadian advisors to the Sandals umbrella, and their valuable partnership with TPI.

Zeina Gedeon (centre) with TPI agents at the Black and White Gala.

“I would like to congratulate Morris Chia on a really strong and firm belief in the Canadian travel industry and the work that he has done to make [TPI] the leading, the number one independent contract home-based organization in Canada,” said Sadler.

Sandals Deputy Chairman Adam Stewart and Gary Sadler, SVP of Sales with Unique Vacations, extended a warm welcome to TPI and its advisors at Beaches Turks and Caicos. L-R: Gary Sadler; Morris Chia; Zeina Gedeon; Adam Stewart; and Maureen Barnes-Smith.

Published by OpenJaw on 18.11.19

Open Jaw’s Caroline Booth (third from left) and Anna Kroupina (left) with the TPI exec team: (L-R) Morris Chia, founder; Zeina Gedeon, CEO; and Caroline Hay, National Director of Sales.

CONFERENCE KICKOFF — Open Jaw is the only Canadian trade media in Turks and Caicos to attend and cover Travel Professionals International’s (TPI) “Level Up” Conference, hosted at the island’s Beaches resort.

Some 200 travel advisors from all across Canada and 30 supplier partners – including WestJet Vacations, Allianz, Sunwing and Air Canada Vacations, to name a few — are attending the conference that aims to help its network of agents “Level Up” their business, Sneha Varghese, Marketing Director, told Open Jaw.

But not only that – it’s also a celebration of TPI marking 25 successful years in business in 2019, she says.

At last night’s opening dinner – hosted outdoors on Beaches’ Treasure Beach with live music and a fire breather performance — Caroline Hay, Director of Sales with TPI, praised TPI founder Morris Chia for showing an “entrepreneurial spirit” and “making waves” in the industry.

Over the next few days, TPI advisors will partake in supplier presentations, breakout sessions, a roundtable discussion and many more workshops.

Stay tuned!

Posted by OpenJaw 14.11.19