As a veteran hotel sales and marketing executive (more than half of my life) I have always pushed the value of hotel direct promotion. Long before fax machines, cell phones and the internet, I went door to door and city to city hawking my hotel products with dog and pony shows. I can’t even count the number of pastries, donuts, candy, pizzas and even some hot dogs I gave away in my quest to boost sales over the years. What I do know is that the cost on an annual basis never equaled or came close to the cost of lowering rates and selling through third parties. We hoteliers valued the old style “10 percenters” (real travel agents you could speak to). Add in their commission and the cost of sale was still lower than the cost of OTA promos and discounted rates.

This said, as co-founder of a direct-to-hotel package directory website that increases metasearch to each hotel’s proprietary booking engine via their proprietary brand and/or independent site, one would think that for my personal trips, I would steer clear of an OTA… right?

Cascade Pool at sunset, St. Regis Punta Mita Resort

I wanted to book a romantic getaway package north of Puerto Vallarta for my husband and I this month, and I was intrigued by the peaceful, quiet setting of Punta Mita where the St. Regis is located. A romantic dream destination and boutique luxury resort with unrivaled room amenities, service and cuisine was just what I was looking for. I had no idea from their website that the hotel would exceed our wildest expectations. I knew however that this trip that I was booking less than 5 weeks from departure was too expensive to book for my budget on their website directly…….so, I looked at Expedia. When I found the package I was looking for priced well below my budget, I booked immediately, extended our stay by one night and felt no guilt at all! Someone was going to book that trip anyway. Where’s the parity?

My husband and I had the most  peaceful, relaxing, pampered trip of a lifetime and believe me, we have stayed in some of the finest hotels in the world. The staff of the property could not wait to smile and greet you warmly, help you in anyway with recommendations and suggestions and even decline tips stating that some were “unnecessary…” One staff member asked me “instead of a tip, please write a review on Trip Advisor so that more people like you will know about us and come and visit.”

How can I not go to Trip Advisor and tell the story of the St. Regis Punta Mita Resort and my new family there? How can I not tell everyone I know about this wonderful place with magical, sincere people in a country with such a beautiful heart. Moreover, how can I convince hotels worldwide to allocate a fraction of their revenue towards pushing hotel direct sales through GetawayPackages.com and other hotel direct portals?

I thank Expedia for this booking experience. We hope to offer the same through GetawayPackages.com and we expect to return every year, once a year to refresh ourselves in true hospitality and service.

Happy Dia de la Amistad amigos! Hasta Pronto.

Click here to learn more about The St. Regis Punta Mita Resort, Nayarit Mexico. And if you must, go to an OTA… but do go!

P.S. No one at the hotel knew my business background and we did not handout a single business card. It would have been VERY embarrassing. And thanks so much Jorge, aka Jose, whose mother makes the best quesadillas in Puerto Vallarta!