Hey, it's
Freddie Marsh!
BDM Western Canada, Playa Hotels & Resorts
How have you been coping during the last nine months and how have you been keeping busy?
This year has been such a stressful time for all of us in the travel industry. It’s been devastating to see so many friends and colleagues losing their livelihoods. It’s been so hard on all of us.
Shortly after I was furloughed in June, I started having severe anxiety attacks, which I had never experienced before. It was very frightening, because I didn’t know what was happening to me. I was waking up in the middle of the night with extreme panic and I couldn’t control it. I talked to my doctor and he explained that I was suffering from “acute stress disorder.” No kidding! Our whole world had been turned upside down.
He prescribed some non-habit-forming sleeping pills, and that really helped me big time, because being able to sleep through the night made a huge difference.
I also started doing yoga every day. I did a couple of 30-day yoga challenges with my sister who lives in Saskatoon. It was a fun thing we could do together. The yoga was great at helping me relax. I even started doing bed-time yoga in the evenings and that was great for relaxing my mind before bedtime.
After a couple of weeks of not working, I quickly realized that I’m one I’m of those people that is happiest when I’m busy. I needed a creative project to work on. That’s where my YouTube channel “Freddie Got Furloughed” came in. I started videoing daily outings to parks and trails around Vancouver and then posting them on YouTube. I got a lot of enjoyment out of it because It gave me something to do and it got me outside every day. I really enjoyed the entire process, including the editing. But I won’t be posting as many hiking videos now, because as of Nov. 2, I have been un-furloughed. I am thrilled to be back working with Travel Agents in Western Canada and I am thankful to Playa Resorts for bringing me back.
“Travel is such a massive part of my life, and it has been ever since I got bit by the travel bug in the summer of 1990 while backpacking in Europe. I’d always loved travel, but that backpacking trip was when I decided that I wanted to make travel my career. Here I am 30 years later, and I can look back and say I’ve had some amazing adventures and I’ve met some incredible people. I’m so glad I chose this industry.”
Freddie Marsh
Playa Hotels & Resorts
What has been something positive that’s come out of this whole situation for you?
Being furloughed forced me to slow down and smell the roses, sometimes literally. We bought an annual pass to Van Dusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver. We live in such a gorgeous city. We’ve been visiting the gardens about once a month and it’s been fun watching the gardens change from season to season. I think spring is my favourite.
The five months off allowed me to spend some quality time with my partner, Dave. We both normally travel a lot for business, so we had never spent this much time together. I’m happy to report, we’re still happily married. We had some fun adventures together, and I know we’ll always look back at that time as special.
Having fun with the Canadian team (pre-pandemic)!
What do you miss most about travelling?
I miss having a trip to look forward to. The anticipation of a vacation is part of the fun.
I’m also really starting to miss my friends. My two best friends for over 30 years, Brent and Mark, who live in Edmonton. Before the pandemic, whenever I would be in Edmonton for business, I’d extend over a weekend to hang-out with them. We’d also usually do a couple of trips a year from meeting up in Seattle or Palm Springs for a long weekend, to longer trips to Puerto Vallarta and London. I’m missing seeing them and the laughs. Facetiming just isn’t the same.
If you could pick just one, which Playa property do you want to visit next and why?
That’s an easy one for me. I have a major soft spot for the Hyatt Ziva Puerto Vallarta. There is just something about that resort that is so special. It has the most amazing location, just a few minutes south of town on a wonderfully secluded beach. I would say this is one of the best beaches in Puerto Vallarta, and we have it all to ourselves. All the suites face out to the ocean and there’s nothing like falling asleep to the sound of the waves. I love it.
While furloughed, Marsh launched a YouTube channel called “Freddie Got Furloughed” documenting daily outings to parks and trails around Vancouver
Is there anything a guest shouldn’t leave Hyatt Ziva Cap Cana without tasting or experiencing?
I’m a big kid at heart, so I’d say the waterpark is an absolute must. The waterslides are so much fun, especially “kamikaze”, which is basically straight down!! It’s also a blast to grab a tube and float around the lazy river.
And you must go to The One-Eyed Cat Martini bar for a lemon-drop and tell them Freddie sent you. Honestly, the best lemon-drop I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve tasted a lot of them.
Marsh started doing yoga during the pandemic to help relax during a stressful time
Is there anything else you want to share with travel agents?
I’d like to remind Travel Agents that we have a great Travel Agent site (www.agentcashplus.com). This is where our consumer promotions can be found, including our “Goodbye 2020 Sale” and our innovative “Work from Paradise” promotion. This site is where we also have information on our current Travel Agent promotions, like our “Book 3 Stay 3” incentive.
The website is a great resource for Travel Agents. We have new online courses in our Learning Center, and we’re encouraging Travel Agents to take the courses now while business is slow. We also have some pre-recorded webinars that I’m hearing great feedback on. Our Travel Agent site also has a Media Library with beautiful photos and videos that you can freely use for your social media.
We are also encouraging Travel Agents to become a Playa Wedding Specialist, and this is all on the site. This is also where we have information about our Playa Safe Stay program, including a great video that can be shared. I am proud of our Travel Agent site because it is a great example of how important Travel Agents are to the success of our business.
Marsh misses seeing his best friends Brent and Mark, who live in Edmonton, in person
There’s been a lot of talk about the industry coming out better on the other side of COVID-19. What are your hopes?
There is a massive pent-up demand for travel, and almost everyone I know is just itching to get on a plane. We’re already starting to see some signs of recovery thanks to the rapid testing. I believe we’ve got much brighter days ahead and I’m hopeful that as an industry can recover in a responsible way. I am hoping that all our friends who are struggling, will be back selling travel again soon.
How has travel impacted your life?
Travel is such a massive part of my life, and it has been ever since I got bit by the travel bug in the summer of 1990 while backpacking in Europe. I’d always loved travel, but that backpacking trip was when I decided that I wanted to make travel my career. Here I am 30 years later, and I can look back and say I’ve had some amazing adventures and I’ve met some incredible people. I’m so glad I chose this industry.
