Something really exciting is happening at Beaches Turks and Caicos! And we want to make sure that the whole world knows about it. I’m talking, of course, about our eagerly anticipated Grand Opening Celebration for the amazing Italian Village, which is just around the corner, on May 14th to May 17th. We’re planning a whole slew of incredible events for media and celebrities—and we wanted to get the word out.  That’s why I was in Turks this week. To begin with, I had a great time hosting almost 200 travel agents, flown in on a chartered plane from Chicago, as part of our first Mega-FAMiliarization trip of the year, one of several to come. It was great to introduce them to all of the impressive features that make the Italian Village and Beaches Turks and Caicos stand out as the #1 Luxury Included Resort with anything and everything for everyone in the Caribbean. There are many more FAMS planned for 2009, which will give all of you the chance to come and take a look at what all of the buzz is about!

I also had a blast showing off the resort to members of the media, who were here as part of a Worldwide Press Junket. My dad and I had dinner with them and I even tried my hand (or voice) at giving some radio interviews!  The energy and enthusiasm about what we’ve created here at Beaches Turks and Caicos with the brand new, state-of-the-art Italian Village and Pirates Island Waterpark is really off the charts and is only going to grow and grow, until we officially unveil this unbelievable addition to an already phenomenal property. The Italian Village represents a whole new level in family vacationing and I can’t wait until the whole world (and especially you) can see it up close and personal!

We made sure that our valued mega-fam-trip attendees had a really good time—from morning until late at night! Here I am with Andre Wade, Director of Industry Relations, Dwight Johnson, Director of Marketing, plus the girls from Beach Bum Vacations. I think the smiles say it all.

And here’s the Unique Vacations marketing, promotions and publicity gang down from Miami to support our PR push for the upcoming opening. It sure seems like everyone’s having a pretty good time at Club Liquid!

                                                                                                                                                            I look very focused, as I chat about the resort with two members of the team from CJMX EZ Rock 103.5 Fm, a radio station in Sudbury, Canada.

                                                                                         I’m trying on my headsets for size and getting the hang of this broadcasting thing, as I get ready to go on the air with WISX-FM My 106.1 FM in Philadelphia—spreading the news can be so much fun!

Listeners in North Bay, Canada were able to get a lot of info about the spectacular happenings and amenities at the Italian Village, when they tuned in to my interview with local station, CHUR-FM EZ Rock 100.5.

Wow, what a backdrop! Here I am filling in the Philadelphia audience of radio station, WISX-FM My 106.1 FM, as the sun shines and the pool sparkles behind me at the Italian Village. Sometimes words really can’t tell the tale and you’ve just got to see it with your own eyes!
 

I’ve always said that one of the reasons why Sandals and Beaches vacations are so incredible is the quality of our service. Our Caribbean staff is so warm and friendly and they really go the extra mile, always trying to take special care of all our guests.
That’s why we like to take the opportunity each year, with our Prestige Awards, to give a round of applause to the staff that does such a tremendous job at each of the resorts.
At one of this year’s Prestige Awards Ceremony, we honored those folks that make a difference at Sandals Montego Bay. You could really get a sense of our staff members’ true island hospitality from the smiling faces of all our award winners—like Manager of the Year, Beverly Robinson; General Manager’s Award recipient, Damion Falconer; and Team Member of the Year, Sharlene Morris.

Congratulations to all the 2009 Prestige Award winners from all of our resorts!

And there’s even more excitement soon to come, because this year, for the first time, we’re debuting an Ultimate Team Member of the Year Award, which we’ll announce at a ceremony this May. So check back here for details and to find out which of our resort Team Members of the Year has been chosen as Sandals and Beaches best of the best!

Here I am presenting the Sandals Montego Bay Manager of the Year Award to Grounds Manager Beverly Robinson, who is in charge of making sure that the gardens at the resort stay so green, lush and filled with brilliant flowers.

Big smiles all around from Sandals Montego Bay General Manager, Phillip Cardnell; Manager of the Year, Beverly Robinson; and me!

Check out three very happy faces, as I present Damion Falconer with the Sandals Montego Bay’s GM Award, while General Manager, Phillip Cardnell looks on with pride.

2009 Team Member of the Year, Sandals Montego Bay’s Linen Room Controller, Sharlene Morris, is really loving the look of her award, as GM, Phillip Cardnell, Executive Housekeeper, Juliet Manderson, and I share in the joy of her big moment!

Here’s a bonus pic of Sandals Royal Caribbean's 2009 Manager of the Year winner, Evening Duty Manager, Oakely Cunningham, as he accepts his award from General Manager, Iain McCormack, on March 27th. Another great moment!
 

A few days ago I recorded a message for the Sandals News Network (SNN). It’s going to be up live on the web later this week, but I wanted to give you a sneak preview—so, just remember you got the scoop here first!

I'll let you in on how, in this rough economy, our partnerships with Sesame Street, Beringer, Scratch DJ and others are really priceless. Together we are holding hands and helping each other and the Caribbean to get through some tough times until we reach better days ahead.

You'll hear the latest happenings at the resorts—Beaches Turks and Caicos’ Italian Village is officially in full swing and the Grand Opening celebration is just around the corner! And we’re gearing up to debut a brand new british-inspired pub at Sandals Regency St. Lucia at La Toc. Because at Sandals and Beaches, we never stop trying to make our product better and the excitement just continues to build and build….

And, most importantly, I’ll tell you about something that is very near and dear to my heart—YOU! I wanted to let everyone know just how fantastic the travel agents are and how much we cherish our partnership. It’s an ongoing 28-year love affair and the magic never gets old. Thank you for continuously working so hard!
 

Don’t forget to stay tuned to SNN for the most up-to-date news about absolutely everything Sandals and Beaches.

Lights, camera, action! Check me out getting ready for my big SNN broadcast.