Celestyal has launched a new travel advisor engagement survey and incentive, now live across its social media channels. Open to all advisors, the survey is designed to collect trade feedback on brand awareness, booking tools, incentives and advisor support.
It runs until Aug. 15 and advisors who complete the survey by this date will be entered into a prize drawing to win one of ten $100 Amazon vouchers. Winners will be notified via email, beginning the week of Sept. 1, 2025.
John Diorio, Managing Director and VP of Business Development for North America at Celestyal, tells Recommend, “We are deeply invested in the success of our North American travel advisor community,” noting that it’s important that Celestyal “understand their needs and preferred ways of working.”
Celestyal’s New ‘Sail & Stay’ Program
Celestyal has enhanced its cruise-and-land offering for travel advisors, rebranding it as Celestyal Sail & Stay, exclusively for the North American market. The upgraded tool allows advisors to book cruise and land packages for their clients either at the time of booking or later. Through Celestyal’s trade booking platform, advisors can also arrange pre- and post-cruise hotel stays at 18 handpicked Athens properties, complete with private transfers.
“Celestyal Sail & Stay,” Diorio says, “is just one example of how we’re evolving our tools, policies and programs to meet [advisors’] needs. We aim to be good business partners, and that means sharing our regional knowledge, and offering flexibility, commissionable add-ons and the support they need to sell confidently and boost their sales.”
All hotels offered are predominantly four-star and above, with some three-star options available, with private car or minivan transfers to and from the airport, hotel and port included.
The cruise brand, says Diorio, has its ear to the ground, closely listening to what travel advisors are saying: “North American advisors told us loud and clear: they want more choice, more convenience and more control. The feedback we received directly influenced key upgrades: more trusted hotel partners, expanded geographic coverage across Athens, simplified booking and payment through our trade system and the inclusion of private airport and port transfers.
“Importantly,” he continues, “everything in the Sail & Stay package is commissionable, which was a direct response to advisor input on how we can better support their business growth.”
Celestyal’s ethos of a trade first and best in partnering approach, is paramount in North America—it’s going to be a huge focus for my team.
— John Diorio, Managing Director and VP of Business Development for North America at Celestyal
Celestyal is also equipping travel advisors with resource guides for the six Athens neighborhoods where its partner hotels are located, giving them the expert local knowledge they need to match clients with the right accommodations. From Omonoia Square in the city center, near major attractions, to Metaxourgio, convenient for Metro access, and Glyfada Riviera, ideal for guests who want to swim while staying close to the ports, each guide is packed with valuable local insights.
“We know that the majority of our guests are culturally curious, valuing immersive, authentic experiences and that starts on land,” says Diorio. “Our new destination guides give advisors insider knowledge of six key Athen’s neighborhoods where our hotel partners are located, helping them match clients with the right location and travel style. Whether it’s being close to the port in Piraeus, staying in central Athens for easy access to historic landmarks or enjoying the coast of the Athens Riviera, advisors can make confident, informed recommendations—even if they haven’t been to Athens themselves. We want to arm our trade partners with the tools to know Greece like we do, it is after all our homeland—our regional expertise is something we are proud of and want to share with our advisor community.
The service has been expanded to all sailings departing from Athens from July 28, 2025 onward, which include the 3- and 4-night Iconic Greek Islands, the 7-night Idyllic Greece, and the 7-night Heavenly Greece, Italy & Croatia itineraries. Plans are in place to eventually expand the offering to Celestyal’s Arabian Gulf itineraries. Â
For more of the 411, visit celestyalcompass.com/us.
