Windstar Debuts Star Promise Program For Travel Agents

Windstar’s Star Pride.

Windstar Cruises, at CLIA’s Cruise360 conference in Vancouver, unveiled Star Promise, a new initiative aimed at making it easier for travel agents to sell the line’s six luxury yachts. Windstar created Star Promise after getting feedback from 15,000 travel agent partners.

“Our new Star Promise program is about recognizing and thanking our travel agent ‘stars,’ educating agents new to Windstar, and delivering the programs and service both need to be successful,” said Joe Duckett, Windstar’s vice president of sales and marketing. Star Promise focuses on four cornerstones of travel agent success and features new corresponding programs and services. These include:

Unique guest experience
With six ships in the fleet, Windstar offers a choice of sailing yachts and all-suite yachts visiting off-the-beaten path ports of call. The line says this experience adds up to more repeat clients and referrals for travel agents.

New sales tools
As part of Star Promise, Windstar is introducing a Star Groups program where it’s easier to get tour conductor credits in addition to new bonus commissions. Within the Star Groups program, there are two levels of benefits: Star Group and Star Advantage, depending on promotional dates and savings fares.

Star Groups benefits include 5% discounts from savings fares, tour conductor policy of 1:9 people, new guest amenity of $100 per person shipboard credit, free cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres for 18 or more guests, and 259 cruise departure dates from which to choose.

Star Advantage Groups benefits include 10% discounts from savings fares, $100 per person travel agent bonus commission, tour conductor policy of 1:9 people, new guest amenity of $100 per person shipboard credit, free cocktail party with hors d’oeuvres for 18 or more guests, and 164 cruise departure dates.

There are more than 250 Star Group dates available in 2016 and 2017, with nearly two-thirds offering top-tier Star Advantage benefits, including Windstar’s top itineraries, such as Around Iceland, Dreams of Tahiti, and Jewels of the Windward Islands.

Top training programs
Star Fam and Star Specialist are designed to help agents learn more about Windstar yacht vacations’ new educational programs. The Star Fam program provides agents with free cruises to experience the product firsthand on select dates through 2016. The Star Specialist program helps agents discover useful tips about Windstar with a program designed to help deepen confidence when selling the brand. Agents who register and complete the online travel agent training program by June 23, 2016, are eligible for a $100 bonus commission on a future Windstar booking.

Agent service commitment
The Star Service Commitment concentrates on helping and supporting agents by responding to their requests by the next business day and working toward a speedy resolution. The commitment is from both reservations and sales professionals at Windstar.

Separately, Andy Todd, president and CEO Windstar’s parent Xanterra Parks & Resorts, and is also acting president and CEO of Windstar, said Windstar is continuing an active search for a new president. That post became vacant when Hans Birkholz left the company in April.