OCHO RIOS — Sandals hosted top-selling agents from around the globe for the 17th annual STAR Awards at Sandals Ochi Beach Resort with all the glitz, glam and luxury-included to be expected at Sandals.

“We thank the travel agent community for your partnership and for continuing to inspire us to create the best resorts in the world for our mutual clients,” said Maureen Barnes-Smith, Director of Sales & Marketing, Canada, Unique Vacations Inc. “You are a cornerstone of our business and we thank you for all you do. We value the partnership and commit to delivering at the highest level all that it takes to be the worlds best.”

Big Canadian winners for the evening represented the spectrum of agencies including: Travel Professionals International (TPI), Carlson Wagonlit, RedTag.ca, Vision Travel, Flight Centre, TripCentral.ca and TravelOnly.

Lois Barbour of Travel Time TPI and recipient of the Best of the Best and Chairman’s Award 2017 said: “It’s a real honour to be a winner, but takes a lot of hard work to producing enough bookings. It certainly makes sense to put your effort into booking what makes you money, and Sandals rewards agents with a good percentage, which enables me to serve my clients with one of the best options in the marketplace.”

The STAR Awards recognized winners over a dozen different categories, including Best of the Best, Top Butler Elite Travel Agency, Chairman’s Award and more. Winners were picked from around the globe with strong representations from the U.S., Canada, the UK and Latin America.

“Redefining the Sandals luxury experience for our mutual customers, we continue to innovate and provide more commission opportunities like expanded offerings at Sandals Royal Barbados and Sandals Halcyon with the newest Crystal Lagoon walkout rooms,” said Barnes-Smith.

The brand continues to evolve with innovative new resort features such as over-the-water bars and chapels, brand new resorts like the new Sandals Royal Barbados, and exotic destinations like Tobago which will soon be home to both a Sandals and Beaches Resort, on their very own luxury-included peninsula.

“Gordon ‘Butch’ Stewart started this journey with nothing more than a genuine desire to outperform, and to provide customers an unforgettable experience,” added Barnes-Smith. “From humble beginnings, to one of the top 500 brands in the world and the Caribbean’s only all-inclusive super-brand.”

For more information, visit taportal.sandals.com