Above : One of Byrne ’ s beautiful beach garden weddings ; below : a beach in Turks and Caicos
In addition to her hands-on , custom workflow , Byrne emphasizes her love for luxury resorts and her delight in spoiling her clients no matter their budget . The Tropical Travelers team is especially attuned to destinations where travelers can bask in the sun and feel the sand under their toes . “ My tagline is ‘ anywhere with a palm tree ,’” she says .
When Byrne started her business , she was at the age where her friends were getting married , so she knew what potential customers would look for when planning honeymoons or destination weddings . Now , she ’ s working with those same clients to plan couples group trips and family vacations .
Given the interest in and increasing demand for destination weddings , The Tropical Travelers opened a branch called One Love Destination Weddings . One of Byrne ’ s long-time advisors heads up this division and helps couples through every step of the wedding planning journey . Planning any wedding — whether at a banquet hall in the States or a coconut grove in Punta Cana — can be a challenging endeavor . The One Love team offers a list of destination ideas , inspiration photos , nuts-and-bolts advice and expert guidance to demystify the process .
For fellow travel advisors who want to wield Cupid ’ s arrow and book more destination weddings or romance travel , Byrne has several pieces of practical advice :
• Travel often . It ’ s important to see hotels in-person and keep an eye on what clients might like or dislike . She travels eight to 10 times each year and scrutinizes every detail at a hotel , such as service attentiveness , food quality , cleanliness and safety . To showcase The Tropical Travelers ’ love for adventure , Byrne maintains a photo album of her team ’ s own tropical travels on the company ’ s website .
• Know what ’ s next . Byrne keeps a close eye on what ’ s trending . It ’ s crucial to be at the forefront of the industry and to see what ’ s new in person , Byrne says . “ I like to be on the cutting edge . I want to see it ,” she says . “ Get in there and see what ’ s going on first .”
• Understand the client ’ s budget . Luxury doesn ’ t always mean staying at the Ritz or the Four Seasons . Instead , it ’ s about finding a way to wow the client within their given price point .
• Ask the right questions . When Byrne meets a client , she starts with a wish list of questions to discover a person ’ s style and taste : What do you like and dislike ? Where else have you traveled ? Beach or pool ?
Luxury hotel or condo ? Once she completes the list , she knows exactly where to recommend .
• Provide options . Byrne has traveled so widely that she can offer tailored recommendations for each person . She narrows the list down to three options , which gives the client a choice of resorts based on what ’ s best for them .
• Feel a passion for the market . Most importantly , Byrne says , advisors working in honeymoons and weddings must genuinely desire to help clients make the most of their romantic travel experience .
For more information visit thetropicaltravelers . com
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