Palladium Hotel Group praised the trade for the role it has played in its post-pandemic recovery, which has seen it surpass 2019 revenue levels both in the Caribbean and Europe.

The Spanish hospitality firm was named Best Hotel Chain at the Travel Weekly’s Globe Travel Awards 2022, and chief sales and marketing officer Sergio Zertuche believes this was in part due to the close relationship it has with the trade.

“Travel agents are so important for us, they play a vital role in our strategy,” he said.

Zertuche said the group has a presence in the UK market to ensure agent partners “understand our brand and products”, which sees it deliver training sessions for agents and visit high street agencies on a regular basis.

“Agents are the ones who are able to explain, in detail, the essence and soul of our brand,” he added.

“In other distribution channels such as online it can be hard to properly explain our product, but agents can do that as the consumer puts trust in them; agents act as the ambassadors of our brand.”

The Grand Palladium Sicilia Resort & Spa welcomed hundreds of travel agents when it hosted the Co-operative Travel Consortium conference in October, and Zertuche said the group also puts on numerous fam trips, which “shows our commitment to the trade”.

Palladium launched two new hotels in 2022 – TRS Ibiza Hotel and Hard Rock Hotel Marbella – both of which have made a strong start, according to Zertuche. The latter hosted the Hays Travel Independence Group conference in March.

“We are so happy with the great reviews and reputation these two products have achieved so far and we are looking forward to consolidating their early performance in 2023,” he added.

Grand Palladium Jamaica Resort & Spa is currently undergoing a $25 million renovation ahead of opening in December 2022, which Zertuche hopes will attract more UK visitors to the island.

“We can’t wait to unveil the new product, it’s going to be very exciting for the trade,” he said.