The new Desire Pearl resort

[aztech]

gwb: we booked through wicked-getaways . com it's part of sunset travel, and they say they cater to the lifestyler and nudist groups.

i don't know if i'm supposed to link to other sites, apologies if it's against the rules.

we checked lifestyle websites all over for info on what travel agents to use, every single one i called did NOT package hotel with the airfare... except for wicked. i found them by using a search engine, i don't remember the keyword i used though. they were the first result.

i'm sorry but why should i use you as a "travel agent" if you aren't going to bundle my vacation? it's not like they were offering any discount on desire pearl. i could book directly and save the step of using a middle man, it was the same price as the desire website.

we didn't know of the usual travel agencies since we are newbies. we found this forum after booking. so what are some good travel agencies to use for future reference? thoughts?

[Racers]

aztech We have been looking for Pearl and have not had any luck finding it at a travel agent where we can book flight and room together. Just wondering where you found it.

We just booked Air + Desire Pearl (1st week of July) thru Dream Pleasures Tour. We dealt with Angie and were very pleased with service offered.

[mfay]

aztech- we haven't used a travel agent to book our air for several years now because we generally use "miles" though one airline or another to cover at least part of the fare and we have to do that direct with the airline. Besides, travel agents make virtually nothing on booking flights these days and it really isn't worth their time. But many will still do it if they are booking the hotel too.
Putting the issue of air aside though, we believe there are some very good reasons to book with certain travel agents instead of direct with the resort. Being new to the forum you have not seen this whole discussion before so we'll give you a couple of the key points from our point of view.
Desire resorts are rate controlled. That means that any agent who books Desire must sell it at the rate Desire sets (exactly the same rate you see on the website including any specials.) If they discount off the rate they lose the right to make future bookings. Occasionally you see someone selling a Desire week on sky auction cheap-and Expedia or another of the monsters in the business have had special Desire/air bundle prices once in a while till they were stopped. But for the most part you will pay exactly the same rate for Desire no matter where you book it. If you book direct with the resort you just allow them to keep the whole wad- if you book with an agent you pay the same but the agent gets a commission. Often these agents who are big with Desire also throw in free airport transfers with your booking (about $80 value) that you don't get when you book direct. More than just the free transfers though, what you get when you go through one of these select travel agents is an advocate in case of any issue that may come up concerning your stay. Rare as any issues may be, they can happen. If they do, these agents know all the people behind the scenes and they'll handle the issues without it costing you a dime.
We also think that, if you are or will be Desire regulars like us, you need to look at the long view. This handful of travel agents who do big business with Desire- from dozens to hundreds of bookings per year each- have a tremendous amount of influence with the people who own and run Desire. Obviously they want to keep their clients happy and continuing to book trips, so they use that influence to let Desire know what their customers want- what they are unhappy with-what needs to be changed.
Desire has to listen to them and put far more weight on their opinions than you would on those of any individuals- and that is good for all of us. We need that to help keep Desire honest, keep the rates down, and the services improving. Further- if you are a fan of groups at Desire and what they add to the experience as we are- these travel agents are critical to allowing groups to exist and be successful because they put out the cash in deposits that are required to reserve the rooms the groups need.
We have already listed the agent we use, and someone else listed another of the major players. We aren't going to list the others here- we aren't in the business of promoting one over another except to recommend our own choice. But again- visit the forum groups/events calendar here:
http://desireresorts.19.forumer.com/viewtopic.php?t=322
Click on several of the individual events listed and you'll quickly come up with links to a group of less than 10 agents who are among the biggest with Desire.

[aztech]

Great info. Thank you.

If we were to book as a group like the "hot tamales & Ynots" that are on the calendar for example, would we enjoy a discounted rate? How do you go about joining one of these groups? Are there member fees, or anything needed to join one of these groups?

[mfay]

The rule about no discounts applies to the groups too. The group you mentioned is sold out, but for example, had you booked it early the incentives would have included free transfers and some favorable payment terms.
I can't speak about all the groups when it comes to any requirements to join, but most- including the Ynots & Hot Tamales- have no requirements for joining other than that you must be booked at the resort for a substantial part of the group's trip. And of course it may be required or strongly recommended that you book with the travel agent sponsoring the group. When you book with the agent, he or she will forward your info on to the group leaders to get you set up on the group site for the trip.

[wildandwackypacpl]

We actually our mid-July trip through Pearl's new Web site (which is a little bare-bones, admittedly, but better than the old Desire RM site). It was fine (there was a minor glitch, and one of their folks called to fix it up for us -- so it looks like the excellent guest services we saw at Desire RM will be carried over to Pearl.

We're excited to try out the new location.

[mfay]

If anyone hadn't noticed yet, the special early booking rates for Pearl in April, May, June, and July are now gone and it is back to the regular posted rates for any new bookings for those months.

[Rusty]

I just had spoken with reservation staff for Desire and they have started to do Staff site inspections of Perl on Friday and more in the next week. The staff member I spoke with was very excited as his visit was tomorrow (Public holiday for some staff today). So I'm guessing Staff on the phones will have more info to pass on about Perl if you’re talking to them in the coming weeks.