This week: Ensemble helps with hotel groups; Friesen Travel Group celebrates success; MSC Cruises Canada recognizes “excellent” agents; Encore Cruises launches an air booking solution; and the Selling the USA 2027 incentive from Canuckiwi and partners.
Ensemble
Ensemble’s new Hotel Group Desk is a dedicated service designed to support members with complex, large-scale hotel group bookings of nine or more rooms by removing the most time-consuming administrative burdens advisors encounter.
Created in direct response to member demand for additional support when managing multi-room and multi-property hotel bookings, Ensemble acts as an intermediary on behalf of its members, handling sourcing, negotiations, and administrative coordination exclusively with preferred hotel partners.
Led by a newly appointed Hotel Specialist, the desk manages key operational details including availability requests, contracting, deposits, and attrition terms, allowing advisors to focus their time on revenue-generating activities and client relationships rather than back-end logistics.
Requests submitted through the Hotel Group Desk will be fulfilled within 48 hours for domestic bookings and 72 business hours for international bookings, with advisors receiving three to five qualified hotel options.
Friesen Travel Group
Friesen Travel Group, operators of 18 Expedia Cruises locations across Ontario, hosted its annual Consultant Rally and Awards Gala recently in Hamilton, Ont., More than 300 consultants, managers, and supplier partners gathered for a full day of training and celebration, marking a record-breaking year.
FTG president and founder Shawn Friesen stated, “The shortage of trusted advisors and the demand for meaningful travel have created an abundant opportunity to make an impact by creating lifetime memories. This event brings the best team in travel together to learn, connect, and celebrate. What happens here shapes our trajectory for the year ahead.”
More than 40 cruise, land, hotel, and technology partners participated through keynotes, roundtable discussions, and a tradeshow. The evening gala featured keynote presentations from Carmen Roig, Sr. VP Princess Cruises, and Matthew Eichhorst, President of Expedia Cruises, who noted that the room was larger than the entire Canadian network when he joined in 2002.
The awards celebration recognized excellence across the network including 38 consultants achieving Diamond status through the President’s Circle program with each surpassing $1 million in sales.
The top individual honour was awarded to Leanne Lavoie of Expedia Cruises Sudbury, who achieved an exceptional five Diamond in 2025. The top store recognition was presented to the Expedia Cruises Sudbury team for outstanding revenue performance, ranking 8th overall in North America.
MSC Cruises Canada
MSC Cruises Canada, the world’s third largest cruise line, recently recognized members of the Canadian travel advisor community at its annual Travel Partner Excellence Awards.
“These awards are our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the partners who consistently go above and beyond for MSC Cruises,” said Ian Patterson, Country Manager, MSC Cruises Canada. “Their expertise, enthusiasm and belief in our product help bring our European-inspired style of cruising to life for Canadian holidayers.”
This year’s award recipients are:
- Western Quebec Retail Partner of the Year: Expedia Cruises Laval Est
- Ontario Retail Partner of the Year: Ucruising
- Eastern Quebec & Atlantic Canada Retail Partner of the Year: Le Voyagiste de Québec
- Western & Central Canada Retail Partner of the Year: Expedia Cruises in Chestermere
- Consortia Partner of the Year: Expedia Cruises
- MSC Yacht Club E-Retail Partner of the Year: Expedia Cruises Laval, honouring a partner who has excelled in positioning MSC Cruises’ signature luxury concept, the MSC Yacht Club.
- MSC Cruises “NUOVO” Partner of the Year: Yue Cruise International, celebrating a new partner who embraced MSC Cruises’ vision and delivered strong collaboration and results in their first year.
- True Partner of the Year: Caroline Hay, Trevello Travel Group, recognizing a partner who reflects MSC Cruises’ values by prioritizing guest experience, fostering meaningful connections, and creating unforgettable journeys.
TravelBrands Encore Cruises
FlexAir by Encore is a new air-booking solution designed to help Canadian travel agents protect and close more cruise bookings with confidence. FlexAir allows advisors to hold qualifying flights with $0 due at time of booking, giving them more time to finalize their clients’ cruise plans without risking today’s airfare or losing momentum on the sale.
Key benefits include:
- $0 due at time of booking*
- Hold flights for up to 30 days prior to departure*
- Protect today’s pricing*
- Sell with confidence, not pressure
By separating the commitment timeline for air from the final cruise decision, FlexAir helps advisors maintain control of the booking while delivering a more client-friendly experience, says TravelBrands.
FlexAir is available on select major North American and international airlines including Air Canada, Air Transat, Porter, WestJet, United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, LOT Polish Airlines, SAS, and ITA Airways. Flights must be booked by calling the Encore Reservations team and must be made in conjunction with one of Encore’s cruise line partners.
INCENTIVE
‘Sell Your Way to the USA’
Air Canada, Travel Nevada, Lake Tahoe Travel, Utah Office of Tourism, Visit Salt Lake, Visit Seattle, Travel Oregon, and Brand USA have reprised for the 2026 “Sell Your Way to the USA” incentive, which gives agents an opportunity to join one of four self-guided (or self-driven) itineraries to the destinations.
There are 12 spots available – three for each FAM itinerary – giving agents a unique opportunity to experience top U.S. destinations firsthand.
How to earn a spot:
Agents earn points for bookings made during the selling period: Jan. 15 – March 31, 2026:
- 1 point for every round-trip Air Canada return airfare booked to the USA
- 1 additional point for every PNR that includes Seattle, Salt Lake City, Portland, or Las Vegas
- 1 additional point for land packages (hotels, tours, sightseeing) booked within participating partner destinations
- 1 additional point for completing a badge on the Brand USA Discovery Program featuring an included destination partner
The top 12 selling agents (three for each FAM itinerary) with the most points will win a spot on one of the four self-guided (or self-driven) FAM trips. The FAM package includes:
- Round-trip Economy Class airfare with Air Canada from a major Canadian hub.
- Land package (accommodation, rental car if required, activities, and select meals).
How to participate:
To confirm your participation, submit your name, agency, and contact details via the registration link, or email Peri McCardle at Canuckiwi (peri@canuckiwi.com) by March 15. Upon registration, full incentive details and a tracking sheet will be provided to track your sales and points.
Important Dates: Selling Period: Jan. 15 – March 31; Registration Deadline – March 15.
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