The less you worry, the better the holiday. That’s what you tell your clients, right? I wrote that in my regular column for the Toronto Star in 1995! In 1997 I wrote a ‘Value for Money’ column for the Toronto Sun headlined, “All-inclusive resorts are not all alike.” I can’t believe I’ve been talking about all-inclusives for that long. Can you tell I’m house cleaning my files?

Interesting that in both 95 and 97 our dollar was not in good shape, and the experts were calling for a frigid snowy winter.
Back then, I wrote that all-ins were not all alike, some had nothing but buffet meals. When was the last time you heard of ALL buffet? I wrote nothing about 24-hour room service, I’m not sure it existed in an all-inclusive back then. It was also unheard of to have a restaurant on the property open all night. And cute coffee and pastry shops didn’t exist.
That, remember, was before the Internet became popular and booking online a common practice. That was before travel reviews as well. Consumers know more now, which can be both good and bad. Bad - because they think they can book themselves and often do, good - because they know you know how to help them through the confusing choices.
I wrote about the World of Vacations, formerly called Canadian Holidays, Alba Tours long stays, Regent Holidays, Conquest tours, Sunflight Holidays, and Sunquest Vacations. And while re-reading the columns, spent hours thinking about the people who were with those companies, and where they are today.
A lot more has changed than the names of the wholesalers!
Back then, today’s offerings for families would have astonished us. Think climbing walls, water parks, surf simulators, fabulous game’s rooms that have Dad and Mom sneaking off to play and teen clubs that turn Grandma and Grandpa green with envy. Think of the dressed up characters interacting with the kids.
Golf seemed to be much bigger back then, while spas weren’t a fraction of what they are today. Destination Weddings were tiny and often free. Twenty-five years ago would you have dreamed of doing a wedding with more than 100 guests attending? The Bride’s dressing room in the Spa is a really new idea.
Oh and the pools! The huge pools of today didn’t exist back then. Nobody had thought of taking unpopular ground floor rooms with no view, dug a hole, called them a “swim out room” and charged extra.
There are more and more adult only resorts. Twenty-five years ago, there weren’t “Preferred Club” or “ Royal Service” sections in resorts. When they first started, I thought it was a dumb idea, shows just how wrong I can be. Back then the argument against all-inclusives was, “ I don’t drink, play golf, tennis nor am I bringing kids, so it won’t be value for money, I’ll stay at a regular hotel, and choose restaurants.”
Today people choose between Airbnb and All-inclusive Resorts. Have you noticed? Different kind of holiday completely, so how people can compare them is beyond me.
I rent airbnb’s all over the world when I’m on holidays, I’m also a airbnb host and our home becomes a home for people who hail from Jakarta and as close as Toronto.
It has been fun, but make no mistake, nothing feels as relaxing as a vacation in an all-inclusive resort. Our daughter often joins us from Australia. She still talks fondly of our stay at Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica. She also talks at length of our stay together in an airbnb in Venice. Your clients just have to know what they want.
The growth of multi-generation holidays reminds me of going to the cottage with someone else cooking and making beds. In an airbnb, your clients make the beds make their own drinks, and feed and entertain themselves.
Some things stay the same though.
Wholesalers are still introducing their offerings to agents in the fall. Air Transat did their agent’s training night, a couple of weeks ago and kindly let me hang around. Host Chad Burnett was his usual informative, funny self, helped by Charlotte Antill. Together they make a great team, and we all learned a lot.
Chad reminded us of the Royal Decameron… What a great job they do, and the huge repeat factor reflects this.
Jamaica’s Royal Decameron Cornwall Beach in their Fab Finds category is a new build. It is one of their 8 favourites in their brochure chosen for their sublime beaches, wide array of activities and comfortable accommodations.
Their book is huge this year… Remember there is one book and 1 brand now, it is well laid out and easy to follow. As I reflect back on changes in the past 27 years, I wonder what is coming next. I was told very firmly by many people that all-inclusives would be gone, once your clients got enough confidence to strike out on their own. That isn’t happening, and they just keep getting better.