Your Stories: How a Sandals wedding booking proved memorable for Travel Counsellor Kelly Smith

Repeat bookings from loyal clients are driving the Travel Counsellors agent’s sales, but one Sandals wedding booking stands out above the rest, she tells Juliet Dennis

Q. How long have you been a travel counsellor?
A. Five years. I worked for operator Bridge Travel for many years but was made redundant after the business went under. We used to take calls from travel agents with customers sitting in front of them. This is where my passion for travel started. When Travel Counsellors advertised a ‘return to travel’ opportunity to get experienced professionals back into the industry, I discussed it with my husband and he said, ‘Go for it!’ I’ve never looked back. My only regret is I didn’t do it sooner. Before then I’d never been an agent.

Creating my own database was also difficult but I put a message on Facebook and enquiries soon started to flood in. Everyone wants a deal! 

Q. Was it hard switching to become a homeworker?
A. I had a week’s training but because I hadn’t been on the high street I had to do a further week’s training on product knowledge. At Bridge, we didn’t sell cruises or the Caribbean. Gaining the product knowledge was the hardest part for me. Creating my own database was also difficult but I put a message on Facebook and enquiries soon started to flood in. Everyone wants a deal! Now I have over 1,500 contacts, and it’s kept on building. I found it pretty easy working from home. I’m self-motivated and it works around the children.

Were it not for Covid, 2020 would have been my best year. I cancelled £350,000 worth of bookings. It was very upsetting

Q. How was Covid for you?
A. The hardest bit was having everyone around me at home. Work was emotionally draining; we were ripping bookings apart. Were it not for Covid, 2020 would have been my best year. I cancelled £350,000 worth of bookings. It was very upsetting. I had Lapland and Florida bookings and with every phone call the tears flowed. Then it was a case of doing all the rebookings.

The wedding of my clients Hannah and Lewis was booked three times over due to Covid. They eventually got married at in Jamaica in November 2021

Q. Booking a wedding at a Sandals resort is one of your most memorable rebookings – why?
A. The wedding of my clients Hannah and Lewis was booked three times over due to Covid. They eventually got married at Sandals South Coast in Jamaica in November 2021. In 2018, I’d booked for them to surprise Hannah’s dad at his wedding at Sandals Royal Bahamian in Nassau to her stepmum Kirsty, my cousin. From the moment they stepped foot in the Caribbean they wanted to get married there too.

We booked it in January 2019, it cost £40,955 and they were due to marry in November 2020. We then rebooked it for April 2021 and rebooked it again for November 2021 – third time lucky! We had seven rooms booked for her family. Guests had different room categories and we had to change them all each time. The last change was about four weeks before the wedding when Virgin Atlantic cancelled its Heathrow-Jamaica flight. I was trying to keep everyone calm. Sandals were really good. It was a case of keeping the bride in the loop because I didn’t want to worry her.

I got a social media following from the wedding. I put lots of reels on Instagram with music or captions and reflected on what I had been through as an agent

Q. You were at the wedding too – how did this help your business?
A. I got a social media following from the wedding. I put lots of reels on Instagram with music or captions and reflected on what I had been through as an agent. I got messages coming in from the ‘likes’ and got a lot of referrals from Hannah’s family, especially as a result of all the schedule changes. I know I will get more repeat business.

Joe and Kirsty are regular customers and are going to Sandals Royal Barbados for their wedding anniversary in November. Hannah and Lewis are also going to Sandals Royal Barbados for their first anniversary in November and have another trip booked to Las Vegas for Hannah’s brother’s 21st birthday.

I always thank my referrals with gifts or flowers. People are quite surprised but it means everything to me because my business is built on referrals

Q. How’s business now?
A. I’ve trebled my business this year. I think it’s down to the pandemic: repeat clients and referrals by customers that were affected and have come to me to book their next trip. I had about 55 customers in resort the other week. It’s an achievement after all we’ve been through during Covid. I see my clients’ pictures on social media and share them. I always thank my referrals with gifts or flowers. People are quite surprised but it means everything to me because my business is built on referrals.

Did the wedding go ahead as planned?

They had an overwater chapel booked and a beach reception but it was really hot so they decided to change to a garden reception. Sandals were incredible in resort. We were invited to the wedding and we decided we’d go if we could. We left our flights to the last-minute once I had rebooked all the guests. We flew out with the remaining guests from Gatwick.

I met the sales and events coordinator in resort and nothing was a problem. I organised a few of the guests’ gifts while I was there to go in the bride’s room, which everyone was very grateful for. There were many times when Hannah thought she would have to get married in the UK instead, but we chatted regularly; it was a case of reassuring her. I didn’t want to lose the booking.