Acqualina Launches App To Help Agents Book Family Groups

In a move designed to help travel agents close more multi-generational group bookings, Acqualina Resort & Spa in Sunny Isles Beach, FL has invested $25,000 in an app advisors can use themselves or share with clients. Deborah Yager Fleming, CEO for the property, said the app purposely does not have a booking feature as it is designed to be a tool for agents, not direct bookings.

She said the project was conceived as multigenerational family bookings continue to increase, but with groups ranging in size from 10 to over 40, logistics can be complicated and website information can be hard to use in consultation with clients.

Key features include in-depth descriptions of all room types, including details on rooms that can be combined. The property’s layout also enables groups to takeover entire floors, and to that end, the app includes full floor plans. “People want to see where everyone is going to sleep, and if you are going to have an extra bed in a room, where it is going to go,” she said during a press briefing at ILTM Americas being held in Riviera Maya, Mexico.

There is also information on dining options not on the website, such as the ability to arrange beachside dinners for up to 20 or Il Mulino’s private room which is “not promoted.” Information on onsite activities from the resort’s own soccer field and basketball courts to its ability to create family Olympics programs are also detailed. For activities off property, over 100 team members contributed suggestions and customers provided their recommendations. Each activity notes how far it is from the property, hours of operation, fees and how much time it takes. “Some people want to do something as a group, but they don’t want to commit all day or even half a day. The app tells you if you can do it in one hour or two hours,” she said. Outside restaurants have been selected based on being “family friendly” and able to accommodate large groups during prime hours. “A lot of restaurants will take you, but it has to be at 5:30pm,” she noted. There is also a click to chat feature.

“We wanted to embrace the travel advisors,” Yager Fleming said. The app was launched last week.