The Dominican Republic is home to endless romantic spots, from Santo Domingo to Punta Cana and everywhere in between. The Caribbean nation's coastline is lined with beautiful white sand beaches, and marvelous sunsets fill the sky each evening, making it a perfect pick for romantic vacations.
The Destination Wedding and Honeymoon Specialists Association (DWHSA) chose this island to have its recent conference at, and the event was hosted at Playa Hotels & Resorts ’ Hilton La Romana from April 26 to April 30, 2021. There were 65 travel agents specializing in destination weddings and honeymoons and three suppliers in attendance.
“I was so excited to attend the 2021 DWHSA conference at Playa Resort’s Hilton La Romana property in April after a year of being on an ‘island’ focused almost entirely on supporting our clients and working in our business to ensure its survival and ability to thrive post-Pandemic,” said Sam Mosolino, co-owner of Wishes Travel. “It was a way for me to network and determine if the tweaks and changes we implemented in the last year were worth it.”
The event brought travel advisors and suppliers from around the United States together in paradise to collaborate and focus on growing their businesses. The conference consisted of roundtable discussions, breakout sessions, presentations from suppliers and a trade show.
The staff at Hilton La Romana had event spaces set up for travel advisors to see firsthand. Ivaline Joseph of Ivy League Travel was thankful for these amazing setups since they offered her a glimpse of the wedding décor around the property.
“It was great to see and experience the many options available for destination weddings and romance travel. I would definitely stay here again and recommend Hilton to my clients,” Joseph shared.
In addition to staying at Hilton La Romana, the group of travel advisors also had a day of site inspections to see other resorts in the area, including Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana, Hyatt Zilara Cap Cana and Sanctuary Cap Cana.
Mosolino admitted he was hesitant to attend the event at first, as he didn’t quite know exactly what to expect. However, his “concerns were nullified” once he witnessed the health and safety protocols Playa has in place, such as mandatory face masks in the conference room, several hand sanitizer stations, outdoor gathering options available and onsite COVID-19 testing .
“My priority as an agent is to plan, protect and support my clients and their trips, and I truly came away knowing that Playa resorts had the same commitment to protect and support us agents this past week!” Mosolino said.
On the final night of the event, Hilton La Romana had a farewell dinner for the group which took place on the beach. The agents were able to see an incredible wedding set up in person and take photos to share with their clients back home.
After more than a year of being apart, the energy produced from collaborating in person was no doubt felt by the travel advisors and suppliers.
“We’re very pleased to be one of the first travel agent associations to return to live in-person conferences,” said Lisa Sheldon, DWHSA’s president and co-founder. “Our members were eager to network with their colleagues. The time together learning and sharing information felt like pre-Covid times. It was emotional at times as the agents talked about the last 14 months though many were optimistic about the future as travel inquiries and bookings are coming in at a frenzy lately. And, we thank Playa Resorts for making this conference possible!”