With eight hotels currently in operation and 17 more properties representing 10,753 rooms slated to open by the middle of 2010, it is clear why AMResorts had to enhance and relaunch its Master Agent program for travel agents in January. Keeping travel professionals current on the hotel company's developments has been a key component to AMResorts' success. We spoke with Kevin Wojciechowski, vice president of sales and marketing, who offers a look at what's to come as far as new properties and renovations. He also provides an update on how the Master Agent program has progressed since its relaunch.

What can you tell us about what's new at AMResorts?
First, all rooms throughout all of our brands will be non-smoking, but guests can still smoke in the resorts' public areas and we will continue to offer our cigar bars as well. In addition, our relationship with Pevonia Botanica spa care is expanding so that guests will now find the products at our spas at Dreams Tulum Resort & Spa, Dreams Cancun Resort & Spa, Secrets Capri Riviera Cancun, Secrets Maroma Beach Riviera Cancun and Secrets Silversands Riviera Cancun. Included green fees also will be expanded to all three Secrets resorts. We're launching a new concept at Secrets Capri; some of our Secrets and Dreams properties have Preferred Clubs, which are a concierge hotel within the resort, but Secrets Capri will be a Preferred Club hotel where a private concierge will be assigned to every 22 rooms. All of the rooms will be completely refurbished by the end of July and we're also redoing the theater and expanding the nightclub. The resort will also have six restaurants, which is one for every 48 rooms. Furthermore, we're planning to expand the resort's chef's tables into cooking classes and will offer a private chef's table where guests can dine with the executive chef or general manager in the kitchen or wine cellar of the Portofino restaurant. So guests can enjoy the meal that they just helped to create along with a wine or tequila tasting. We're now adding a new Pevonia spa and spa garden to Secrets Capri, which will open this August. We'll close the old spa in order to expand the fitness center and entertainment offerings. At Dreams Los Cabos Suites Golf Resort & Spa, we renovated all of the rooms in 2007 and the restaurants were also remodeled. In August we'll open a new convention center and host live shows there in the evenings. We're adding a Mediterranean fusion restaurant called Ratatouille at Secrets Silversands and Dreams Tulum will have a new Preferred Club and lounge, which will open by the end of the year.

Are there any plans to expand AMResorts' brands to more destinations?
We're currently looking at Costa Rica as a possibility. We're also interested in Panama and Hawaii, which -- if we found an opportunity there -- would be our first U.S. property.

You recently opened your first branded hotels to Huatulco, Mexico. What can you tell us about those properties?
We love Huatulco and believe it's an exceptional destination that's both quaint and charming and typical of Mexico. We're thrilled to expand Huatulco's room inventory with two hotels, which we think shows that we have complete faith in the destination. We strongly believe in Mexico and its growth potential for tourism. Our hotels don't need to be in the country's primary destinations, which Americans are already familiar with. Mexico is a big place and Huatulco has experiences that are unique onto themselves. Huatulco just needs airlift to bring travelers there and, together with the area's tourist board, we've talked to the airlines and are doing our best to bring more flights to the destination. We've had conversations with Alaska Air Vacations, American Airlines Vacations and Continental Vacations, all of which are happy to see a branded hotel company going to Huatulco because the airlines have been afraid to add more Huatulco flights since there hasn't been enough hotel rooms there. We need to build rooms to create more demand and we believe that the Secrets and Dreams brands have enough recognition in U.S. to help build that destination.