Signature Travel Network has kicked off its annual Sales Conference with a welcome to new hotel partners and a general session by Signature President and CEO Alex Sharpe.

The event is taking place at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas December 7 – 10, bringing together over 2,270 travel industry professionals, including Signature frontline travel consultants, managers and agency owners, as well as travel supplier partners for three days of networking and learning.

During the general session on Friday, Sharpe shared Signature’s mission statement: To serve members by creating industry leading technology, marketing and training programs, while building strong preferred partnerships that deliver a differentiated travel experience.  “Everything about the conference is designed to serve members according to this mission, while the theme of this year’s event, Partner for Success, honors what is essential to Signature’s success:  strong, cooperative partnerships,” said Sharpe.

Event highlights include workshops, one-on-one matchmaking appointments, a trade show featuring over 475 supplier partner booths and pavilions, and a keynote address by Jason Dorsey, president and co-founder of The Center for Generational Kinetics. Referred to by AdWeek as a “research guru,” Dorsey is considered the leading Millennial and Gen Z researcher and expert in the world. He has been featured on hundreds of media outlets including 60 Minutes, The Today Show, and in the New York Times. Jason’s presentation combines frontline experience, ready-to-use actions that deliver results, and the latest data, including findings from Signature’s research-based study, The New Travel Reality by Generation, Signature said.

Hotel & Resort Program Expands to Over 1,000 Partners

Also at the event Signature announced the next expansion phase of its hotels & resorts program. In 2018, the program will have 1,033 hotels, resorts, lodges and spas in over 450 unique destinations worldwide. In total, 100 new hotels and resorts have joined the collection for 2018.

All participating hotels offer a suite of complimentary benefits including breakfast for two daily, Wi-Fi, and a special Signature benefit, such as a $100 hotel/resort credit, lunch or dinner for two once during each stay, or other valuable privileges. Signature partner properties also offer late check-out, early check-in, upgrades based on availability, as well as preferential rates. In addition, hundreds of participating hotel partners will offer extra benefits to Signature clients when booking suites and villas, such as an additional dining or resort credit, or airport transfers.

Signature’s 2018 Hotels & Resorts Directory was released on December 1. The 2018 hotel directory contained 25,000+ pages of proprietary online content available to front-line consultants and consumers through members’ websites. Signature also announced enhancements to its own proprietary booking engines for both travel consultants and consumers.

Notable additions to Signature’s preferred program include city hotel properties such as Hotel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel, Nobis Hotel Copenhagen, Shangri-La Colombo, Ritz-Carlton hotels in Santiago, Kyoto and Tokyo, Waldorf-Astoria Amsterdam, Bellagio Las Vegas, InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Alhambra Palace Granada, Le Mount Stephen Hotel in Montreal, Park Hyatt Bangkok, Hotel Californian Santa Barbara, NOPSI New Orleans, and the new Bisha Hotel Toronto. For travelers seeking countryside retreats, Signature added the K Club and Adare Manor in Ireland, Chateau la Chenevière in Normandy, Castello Banfi in Tuscany, Cameron House on Loch Lomond in Scotland, and The Lygon Arms in The English Cotswolds, among several celebrated resorts.

Addressing renewed client interest in activity and adventure, Signature added andBeyond Xaranna and Mombo camps in Botswana, Karen Blixen Camp in Kenya, Smith Fork Ranch in Colorado, and Badrutt’s Palace Hotel in St Moritz Switzerland. Signature also announced the addition of celebrated resorts such as Banyan Tree resorts in Lang Co Vietnam and the Seychelles, the Montage Los Cabos opening in May 2018, Canaves Oia Epitome in Santorini, Bora Bora Pearl Resort, Conrad Fort Lauderdale, Andaz Mayakoba, Nobu Ibiza Bay, Mahogany Bay Village in Belize, Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, Nanuku Auberge Resort in Fiji, Myconian Utopia resort in Mykonos, Casa Palmero in Pebble Beach, and the Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in the Maldives. For clients seeking wellness, Signature added Body Holiday in St Lucia, Oberoi Sukhvilas in India, and Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, among many destination spas and retreats.

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