Sandals & Beaches host second Canadian home-based travel advisor conference

Unique Vacations Canada Inc, the worldwide representative of Sandals Resorts and Beaches Resorts, staged the second edition of their Canadian home-based travel advisor conference in Jamaica last month.

Held at Sandals South Coast from August 17 – 21, 2025, 20 home-based Canadian travel advisors – from British Columbia to Newfoundland and everywhere in between – came together for four nights of listening, learning and a deep dive into Sandals’ Caribbean-forward vision and innovative offerings and how that translates into their sales success selling Sandals and Beaches Resorts.

Hosted by Maureen Barnes-Smith, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Canada and Lorna Richards, National Training Manager, the group enjoyed keynote presentations, intimate Q+A sessions, a closer look at the brand’s “Made of Caribbean” campaign, resort tours of host property Sandals South Coast – including the refurbished Blue Mahoe Overwater Butler Villas – and Sandals Negril and Beaches Negril as well as the chance to explore beyond the resort with a tour of YS Falls, courtesy of the Jamaica Tourist Board and Island Routes. Annita Allen-Gordon, Financial Controller, Unique Vacations Canada was also in attendance during the conference.  Just in time for the start of the school year, the Canadian home-based advisors made a donation of much-needed (and much-appreciated) school supplies to the Sandals Foundation for distribution across local schools in Jamaica.

According to Maureen Barnes-Smith, the conference underscores the importance of the home-based travel advisor community to Sandals Resorts, especially in the Canadian market.

“We’ve witnessed the shift to the home-based/host agency model for several years now, even pre-pandemic. In fact, many of our top-producing advisors in Canada for Sandals and Beaches Resorts are home-based.  We had such an incredible group of passionate, eager-to-learn advisors at this year’s conference that I know this list will grow even longer in the near future,” she said.  

During the conference’s farewell dinner, with an appropriate red and white theme, advisors were surprised with an in-person address from Gary C. Sadler, Executive Vice President, Sales and Industry Relations, Unique Vacations Inc. (and fellow Canadian).  Sadler reminded advisors that Sandals Resorts is fully committed to the Canadian market, having established and maintained a strong presence for over 30 years with its Toronto-based office and team across the country.

Advisors left the conference feeling energized about their partnership and potential with Sandals and Beaches Resorts.  

“This was my first time personally experiencing the Sandals & Beaches brand and what an experience it was! The conference was invaluable. The sessions on ‘what’s new’ were incredibly exciting and reinforced my belief in the brand’s commitment to innovation. I am particularly enthusiastic about the car wrap program as a powerful way to promote my business by aligning with the strength of the Sandals brand, especially as a home-based advisor.  Networking with other advisors was also a highlight as it provided new ideas and a sense of community," said Claudia Biegus of TravelOnly, in a statement.  

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