Hyatt’s Confidant Connect Live returned for its sixth year with a renewed sense of purpose, as Hyatt Inclusive Collection welcomed the top 100 producing travel advisors – including 25 Canadians – to Secrets Tides Punta Cana.

Taking place Dec. 5-8 at the luxury adults-only resort, which opened last year, this year’s conference centred on the theme ‘Clear Horizons,’ an idea inspired by a “watershed” moment following a hugely successful fifth edition in 2024. 

“After last year’s wrap-up, we all said, What now? How do we move forward?” says Mark Benson, Associate Vice President of Sales and Strategy for Hyatt Inclusive Collection. “But as we planned for this year’s conference, my mind kept coming back to the same feeling – there’s so much happening, so much ahead of us. It’s a ‘clear horizon’ – full of possibility and potential.”

Several resort openings in 2025 offered advisors and their clients a world of new possibilities to sell and seek elevated experiences. These include Secrets St. Lucia and Secrets Baby Beach Aruba in June, Secrets Playa Esmeralda in August and Dreams Playa Esmeralda, which followed shortly after in September. Up next is the highly anticipated opening of Hyatt Vivid Punta Cana in 2026, the first Vivid property in the Dominican Republic. 

Hyatt Inclusive Collection’s sales team takes the stage at Confidant Connect Live

All this new product coming online helped make Canada one of the standout markets for Hyatt Inclusive Collection this year, with overall initiatives up 85% and in-person travel advisor engagement rising more than 80%. Carolina Bellina, Senior Director of Canada Sales, says that Canada’s strong momentum is expected to continue in 2026 despite geopolitical pressures. She notes that shifting traveller preferences away from U.S. destinations, increased demand for more meaningful connections, along with expanded airlift to hubs like Cancun and Punta Cana, are all contributing to sustained growth. 

“With more than 1,400 hotels around the world, Hyatt is focused on understanding what travellers need and what they’re looking for in order to stay competitive,” says Bellina. “Travellers no longer want just sun and beach – they expect wellness, sensory experiences, local culture and opportunities to return home transformed. Our new brand-wide campaign, ‘Time Here is Worth More,’ perfectly captures this shift. People don’t want to leave a vacation the same way they arrived.”

Motivation & Connection

A core pillar of Confidant Connect Live has always been its ability to build loyalty, strengthen relationships and reinforce the partnership between Hyatt Inclusive Collection and the advisors who drive its success. Bellina says advisors consistently tell the company how important these gatherings are – not only for feeling appreciated, but for understanding the brand more deeply. “The feedback we receive from advisors is incredibly important because they tell us what trends they’re seeing, what we’re doing well and what we should adjust,” she said. “They also get to learn about the back-end work they don’t normally see, like branding and details they weren’t aware of. And the opportunity to spend time with our leadership – that’s huge.”

Benson says that Confidant Connect Live was built with a clear purpose from the start. “When we launched this in 2020 – on a wing and a prayer, given the year – we set out to make it the hot ticket, something advisors had to work for. Now, it has become that hot ticket,” he says. The team kept the event on the same weekend each year, kept the same qualification parameters and rebranded the experience under the Confidant umbrella. Moreover, a new leaderboard launching next year will help advisors track whether they’re on pace to qualify.

Carolina Bellina, Sr. Director of Canada Sales, Hyatt Inclusive Collection

Despite the prestige attached to earning a spot, Bellina says that the competitive element remains positive. “It’s not about saying you’re number one or number two. For us, everyone here is equal because they’re all the best of the best. They collaborate, they share ideas. Earning your place here is a friendly rivalry and absolutely a motivator.”

Both Benson and Bellina are pleased to see new faces being honoured each year, proof that the event consistently attracts new achievers and fresh perspectives. Of the 100 in attendance this year, Benson notes that about 70% of honourees had never attended a Confidant Connect Live before, while only two advisors have been to all six editions. 

And to those who didn’t make the cut this year but are hoping to attend in the future, Bellina offers this advice: “Advisors need to register their bookings in Confidant Collective because that’s how we track production. As soon as you make a booking, register it. Don’t wait, because you might miss the 30-day window and lose the opportunity.” 

Giving Advisors Confidence

Rachael Shilling

Shalene Dudley

For many advisors, the atmosphere of connection is just as meaningful as the recognition. Oakville, Ontario-based Shalene Dudley of Latitude Concierge Travels, a three-time Top 100 honouree and member of Hyatt Inclusive Collection Travel Advisory Board, says she attends not only to stay current, but to reconnect with the people behind the brand. “I come to hear the latest updates because there’s always something new to learn. And when you see managers get promoted and move to other properties, it gives you this sense of being able to sell that property too, because you already know the Director of Sales or the Wedding Manager. You really become connected, and this gives you the confidence to sell.”

That sense of connection resonates strongly with first-time honouree Rachael Shilling, Destination Wedding Expert at Liz Moore Destination Weddings in British Columbia. Though she has only been a travel advisor for two years, earning a place among the Top 100 marks the fulfilment of a goal she set early in her career. “I’m a full-time single mom with an autistic daughter, and two years ago, I was going to food banks. But I had a dream to be here, and I wasn’t going to stop until I achieved it. I had a colleague attend last year, and I was excited at the thought that it could be me this year – and here I am!” 

Both advisors say that the breadth of Hyatt Inclusive Collection makes it easy to match clients with the right fit, with more than 65 family-friendly resorts and over 50 adults-only options across 10 different brands. “There are so many brands and properties that you could specialize in just Hyatt and still find the perfect match every time,” Dudley adds. She also notes that staff remain a defining factor: “Even when something goes wrong, however minor, the way the team responds makes clients feel heard and cared for, and that brings them back.”

From l-r: John Long, Region VP Commercial, Dominican Republic, Hyatt Inclusive Collection; Denisse Ulerio, Director of Sales, Secrets Tides Punta Cana; Mark Benson, Associate VP of Sales and Strategy, Hyatt Inclusive Collection; Domenic Cacace, Corporate Director of Operations, Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Shilling sees that same consistency across the brands she sells, especially for weddings. “There’s something for every client,” she says. “If someone wants a hip, young, trendy resort, I can offer Hyatt Vivid. If they want something elevated for families, there’s Dreams. And for adults looking for exclusivity, we have Secrets.” She says this flexibility helps her confidently recommend properties, adding: “I’ve never had one bad wedding experience, and that speaks volumes. Even if I haven’t been to a property myself, I know my groups will have an incredible experience.”

When asked what she got most out of attending this year’s conference, Shilling says the community of support she found will be invaluable. “Getting to meet people who I never would have ever crossed paths with meant so much to me. It will give me that drive to see them next year and qualify. And I’ll leave here knowing that I have so many more World of Hyatt and Inclusive Collection people in my corner, wanting me to succeed.

Source: Travelweek