Twenty-two hotels. Six days. 70,000 steps along Turkey’s sun-soaked coastline. That was the pace Niamh Considine kept on her FAM trip with Holiday Best, spanning everything from budget properties and family stays through to high-end luxury resorts.
The standouts included Berry Blue Resort, Belek Beach Resort and NG Phaselis Bay, with an evening at Land of Legends theme park and plenty of Turkish delight woven between hotel inspections.
FAM trips give our community something training decks and brochures cannot… the chance to walk into a hotel lobby, feel the atmosphere, taste the welcome drinks and picture exactly which client would love which property. Niamh’s six days gave her that across a wide slice of the Turkish resort market.
What struck us most was the detail Niamh came away with… the specifics that clients truly notice when they are choosing a hotel. Football tournaments at Papillon Ayscha. Coffee-cup gifts from NG Phaselis Bay. Chocolate-covered strawberries and welcome drinks at almost every property. Bright-blue salted-caramel ice cream at every Crystal resort.
We caught up with Niamh after her return to find out exactly what made this trip so special…
🌍 DESTINATION DEEP DIVE
What were your first impressions of Turkey? I was surprised at how much greenery there was in the countryside, given how hot and humid the climate was at that time of year.
Can you give us a quick overview of the hotels you visited? Any standout favourites? In total we visited 22 hotels. We visited a mix of different types of hotels, from budget or family options to high-end luxury.
Three of my favourites were Berry Blue Resort, Belek Beach Resort and NG Phaselis Bay.
Were there any small touches at the hotels that stood out? NG Phaselis Bay gifted all of the agents with the cutest coffee cups, which was a nice touch.
In almost every hotel we were welcomed with drinks and chocolate-covered strawberries, who doesn’t like those!
Which hotel would you recommend most for families? And which for couples? I would recommend Papillon Ayscha for families, as they have great facilities for kids whilst also planning football tournaments, which is a nice touch we didn’t hear of other hotels offering.
I would recommend Belek Beach Resort in the Elite building for couples.
How do you think seeing these properties in person will change how you talk about them with clients? I’ve noticed that I can speak a lot more freely about some of the hotels, mainly just by remembering little details from each hotel.
As an example, all of the Crystal hotel resorts we visited offered a bright blue ice cream which was salted caramel flavour!
📈 AGENT TAKEAWAYS
What was the biggest lesson you learned from this trip as an agent? Even though there is a niche I’m trying to work towards, stay open-minded to hotel options that may not fit my niche, as the knowledge may be beneficial in the future.
How did this trip help build your confidence with selling Turkey? Already since being back and talking to just friends and family about Turkey as a destination, I felt confident telling them about the areas I visited and which hotels could potentially suit them best.
Experiencing the hotels firsthand gives you such a great insight into what they can offer to different types of clients.
What advice would you give to agents who’ve never been on a FAM trip before? Be completely open-minded to all of the hotels that you visit on a FAM trip. Even though sometimes a hotel might not always be your first choice to stay at personally, that doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a good fit for someone else.
Make sure you pack comfy and sensible shoes! 70,000 steps over 6 days is intense on your legs and feet!
Anything you wish you’d packed but didn’t? I was actually very good with my packing! If anything, other agents had forgotten portable fans and were wanting to borrow mine!
Any tips for getting the most out of a FAM? Ensure that you get the contact details of the person who shows you around the property, so that you have a direct contact to go to if you ever need to.
🎉 FUN + BEHIND THE SCENES
Best local dish you ate on the trip? Turkish Delight.
Most Instagrammable spot you found? NG Phaselis Bay or Land of Legends.
Funniest moment or unexpected surprise from the trip?
Having the opportunity to go on one of the rollercoasters in Land of Legends just before the park closed, chance to relive my youth! Couldn’t remember the last time I was in a theme park or went on a rollercoaster.
If you could go back to one moment on the trip, which would it be? NG Phaselis Bay site inspection.
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Huge thanks to Holiday Best for hosting Niamh on this FAM trip and giving her six days of firsthand insight into Turkey’s coastline. If you’d like to join JLT and access opportunities like this, get in touch to learn more about becoming part of our community.
More from Niamh’s trip
