01 Feb
Uncategorized

February Marketing and Blog Ideas

via ThriveHive

It’s the start of a new month and we’ve got some fresh marketing ideas for you to promote your business. There’s more to February than just hearts and candy! Here’s a list of 10 marketing and blog ideas for February.

1. Valentine’s Day Promotions

There are countless Valentine’s Day promotions that you can do this month:

  • Fitness centers: Host a special Valentine’s Day class for couples or a post-Valentine’s Day workout to burn off calories from candy and chocolate!
  • Massage Therapists and Spas: Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to run a special offer on massage services. Couples massages, a day at the spa, and a chocolate facial can all be used for Valentine’s Day promotions.
  • Restaurants: Valentine’s Day is on a Saturday this month and is the perfect time for a couples cooking class! Come up with a special menu of aphrodisiacs foods to ignite some romance in your budding chefs!
  • Flower shops: This is your time to shine! Think outside of the bouquet and offer customers something other than overpriced, out of season roses.
  • Gift and retail stores: Come up with a Valentine’s Day gift guide – it’s the perfect time to promote some new merchandise. Post gift guides on your blog or in an email blast to give customers ideas for what to buy their sweetheart.

 

2. Valentine’s Day Graphics

February 14 is Valentine’s Day – show your social media and email marketing some love with Valentine’s Day themed graphics. Hearts, candy, and love are good things to use to catch attention from customers! Use holiday graphics to spruce up your Facebook marketing and Twitter profiles but they’re even more useful when combined with Valentine’s Day promotions.

3. Heart Disease Awareness Month

It makes sense that the month of Valentine’s Day is also Heart Disease Awareness Month. If your business is focused on health and wellness, this is a great marketing opportunity for you. Fitness centers and gyms can partner with a local health center for heart disease awareness or screenings.

Host special classes focusing on cardiovascular activity or write informative blog posts about heart health and risk factors. Use this time to market your business by educating your customers to help them lead healthy lives. Any business can sponsor a Valentine’s Day race – there are usually fun runs or 5Ks going on around the holiday and sponsoring one will get your business name out in the community.

4. Black History Month

February is Black History Month and the perfect opportunity to highlight prominent leaders in your industry. Black lawyers, politicians, scientists, artists, educators, and athletes have shaped American society. Take some time to reflect on those who have shaped your business industry.

5. Children’s Dental Health Month

Children’s Dental Health may sound like a boring topic but it can be a great month for marketing your small business. Dentists can certainly have a field day with this one, but other businesses can use this opportunity to teach parents and students about the importance of dental health. Daycares, fitness centers, and churches can host special classes with families about the importance of going to the dentist. Perhaps one of the parents is a dentist and would like to come to answer questions for kids.

This not only helps your business interact with the community, but it helps local dentists market themselves all while educating parents and children about dentistry. This is a word of mouthreferral marketing technique that will give you something to smile about!

6. Ice Cream for Breakfast Day

In the middle of Children’s Dental Health Month is Ice Cream for Breakfast day! Everyone loves ice cream! Use this quirky holiday to market your business. Held on the first Saturday of February, this Ice Cream for Breakfast Day can be a fun marketing promotion for your bakery, ice cream shop, or restaurant! Although it is supposed to be on a Saturday, you can do this any day of the week. Invite customers to come in to eat ice cream for breakfast – it’s a fun way to interact with families and do something new to promote your business.

7. Grammy Awards

The Grammy Awards are held in February. This is a great opportunity for engaging with your customers on social media. You’ve seen the video of a police officer singing Taylor Swift – get your employees together for your favorite Grammy nominated song and share it on social media!

8. Super Bowl

The Super Bowl is one of the most watched programs on television. Use your geographic location, recipes, or business colors to engage customers for the Super Bowl.

9. President’s Day

President’s Day is famous for sales so use it to your advantage. Most schools are off for President’s Day which makes it a great day to hold a family-friendly activity at your fitness center.

10. Mardi Gras

Mardi Gras marks the beginning of Lent but down in New Orleans it’s party time! Host a Fat Tuesday party or sale at your business. Get customers in on the fun by giving a discount to anyone who comes in wearing a mask or beads!

27 Jan
Uncategorized

The Preppy 10 Commandments

1. Thou shalt embrace cocktail hour—anytime.

2. Thou shalt invoke your middle name(s)/initial(s) whenever possible.

3. Thou can never be in too many clubs or wear too many layers.

4. Thou shalt honor Ralph Lauren, Slim Aarons, the creator of the Southside cocktail, and C.Z. Guest.

5. Thou shalt not cheat on the golf course or the tennis court.

6. Thou shalt say “it’s a pleasure to see you” the first time you meet someone rather than “it’s a pleasure to meet you,” because you might have actually met that time at the Chicken Box and you just don’t remember.

7. Thou shalt not covet your neighbor’s country club, nor his tennis backhand, nor his boarding school alumni network, nor his Ivy League MBA, nor his limited-edition Barbour jacket, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.

8. Thou shalt not steal your opponent’s custom-made backgammon tournament board.

9. Thou shalt know the names of all of the bartenders and bouncers at Dorrian’s Red Hand in New York City.

10. Thou shalt have the latest issue of T&C on your coffee table at all times.

27 Jan
Uncategorized

On The Court: 23 Signs You’re A Serious Tennis Player

You only live once, but you get to serve twice.

1. You have an entire section of your closet dedicated to your tennis clothes.

2. Nothing will ruin your day quite like a double fault.

3. You’re a member of the USTA.

4. After playing tennis outside, your tan lines are super awkward. There’s nothing pretty about a tennis sock and polo shirt tan.

5. You subscribe to the Tennis Channel and actually enjoy watching it.

6. If you’re in a rut on the court you ask yourself “What would Serena do?”, and conquer on.

7. There are loose tennis balls in your car, all over your home, and in your backyard.

8. Breaking a string is like a mini epiphany that you’re playing a strong game.

9. You actually have a preference on court surface. Personally, I’m on team #hardcourt.

10. The US Open is your version of the Oscars.

11. You know you’re not supposed to slam your raquet, but damn it feels good when you do.

12. You have a name for your strong go-to shot, mine is the “Mikiller cross court forehand”.

13. There’s no better smell in the world than a fresh can of new tennis balls.

14. Your hands are covered in callouses, and you actually think it’s kind of sexy.

15. Being in “the zone” on the court is the ultimate high.

16. You’d rather spend your Friday night playing “Queen of the Court” than going out.

17. There is nothing more annoying than playing against a “pusher” or “marshmallow hitter” AKA that opponent that gets EVERYTHING back.

18. You know the term “bagels” doesn’t refer to a breakfast item, but beating someone 6-0, 6-0.

19. You’re a brand loyalist when it comes to what kind of racket you use, and you’ll never change.

20. You have a mini anxiety attack just hearing the words tiebreaker.

21. There is no greater pressure than the feeling during match point.

22. You are superstitious when it comes to how many times you bounce the ball before you serve.

23. You know all the stats of the top 10 female and male players on the professional circuit.

23 Dec
Uncategorized

10 Creative Marketing Ideas for January

Via ThriveHive

It’s a new year! Whether you’re making New Year’s resolutions or just need some motivation to amp up your marketing, January is a great time to get started with fresh marketing and blog ideas. Here are some ways to get the word out about your business.

1. Update Your Google Presence

If consumers near you perform a search for your products and services on Google, does your business show up? Your top priority for the new year is to make sure you have maximum visibility in local search. To do this, head to your Google My Business profile and make sure all of your contact information is accurate.

You’ll also want to make sure you populate the Reviews, Q&A, and Posts sections, as having a robust profile will also boost your rank in search results. Getting these sections completed are longer-term goals you can tackle throughout the month.

2. Create and Share New Year’s Resolutions

Start the New Year off right by making and posting your resolutions for 2020 – and ask your followers to post theirs! This is a great way to engage customers on social media. For example:

  • Fitness centers can have a weekly accountability post to create a support community
  • Restaurants and catering services can write blog or Facebook posts with healthy recipes
  • Daycares can blog about toy organization ideas for playrooms and toy areas

3. Write Holiday Roundup Posts

Just because the holidays are over doesn’t mean that they’re not ripe for being part of your marketing strategy! Customers and companies may have been busy or traveling over the holidays and not as active on social media.

  • Did your catering company work a holiday party? Post pictures or recipes!
  • Cleaning services can provide post-holiday cleaning or Christmas tree disposal tips.

You can also take advantage of #tbt (Throwback Thursday) on Twitter and Instagram and post pictures from just a couple of weeks ago to share with your followers. Show off the holiday party that you had or the New Year’s Eve festivities just last week.

4. Announce Upcoming Events

Market your business both online and offline by highlighting upcoming events for 2020. Some upcoming holidays include President’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick’s Day. If you have anything planned for these events, like upcoming Valentine’s Day deals at your spa or a special Valentine’s menu at your restaurant, let customers know!

5. Honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

January 19th is a national holiday to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday and commemorate his Nobel Peace Prize for his Civil Rights leadership. Many communities participate in a day of service to create a positive impact on the world.

Take part in a community day of service with your customers or employees. Create a buzz on social media and invite other small businesses to get involved. Banding together with others to better your local community is a great way to give back to your community while fostering a good business reputation.

6. Save Lives by Donating Blood

January is National Blood Donor Month. Donating blood, volunteering at a blood drive, or hosting one is a great way to get involved in charitable organizations in your community. Getting involved in community organization is an effective way to market your small business offline. So get out there and donate a pint or hand out cookies to those donating!

7. Compliment Day (January 24)

Take the time to say something nice on Compliment Day. What goes around comes around, especially in marketing! You may even want to show another small business some love on their social media or Yelp page. They may return the favor by writing some positive reviews for you as well.

8. Start a Customer Loyalty or Referral Program

Building customer loyalty is important to small business because loyal customers create return business and are more likely to refer other customers. Increase sales and attract more clients through referrals by starting a customer loyalty program.  How you do it is up to you but consider offering a free product or service discount for customers who come back a certain number of times. Offer current customers a discount on their next service if they refer a new customer. For more ideas on customer loyalty and retention programs, check out this blog post.

How do you set up a customer loyalty or referral program? Start by taking your list of hot leads and send the information to them via email. If you don’t have a list of hot leads, you can start with the list of people who you sent Holiday or New Year cards to or just send an email about the program out to your entire contact list.

Facebook is also a great way to advertise a loyal customer or referral program. Read about Facebook marketing here.

9. Snow Day Marketing

Much of the United States is covered in snow in January. Love it or hate it, you can’t stop it, so use it to your advantage! For example:

  • Daycares can by can provide safety tips for playing or dressing children in the snow.
  • Contractors, construction and snow removal companies can write about about winter hazards in the home – carbon monoxide detectors, salt versus sand for ice and snow, or how to winterize drafty windows.
  • Hair salons and spas can have a special deal when a big storm is predicted such as paying based on the inches fallen – $28 if it snows 28 inches is a great deal for both the customer and the quiet salon!

Keep your customers up to date on snow closings and delays on your social media pages!

10. Clean Out Your Inbox Week

Take advantage of Clean Out Your Inbox Week and go through old emails. Remember those emails you “starred” but likely never followed up on? If you’re like me, those are ideas that you sent to yourself while you were trying to fall asleep or names of people who you met and wanted to connect with at a later date.

Take the time to go through those emails – you could come across your next new customer or genius idea!

12 Dec
Uncategorized

Most Luxurious Golf Course Homes in Texas

Everything is bigger and better in Texas and real estate is no exception. With lush landscapes, breath-taking views and acres of land, the possiblities are endless for property owners in the the Lone Star State.

In acending order, here are the most pricey golf course homes on the market right now:

6 Fleury Way The Woodlands, TX 77382

$5,150,000| 6 Beds| 6.5 Baths| 9,585 Sq. Ft.

Listed by Mariela Knapp • Keller Williams Realty

Stunning, modern and sophisticated house in Carlton Woods. This house was remodeled by the exclusive firm. Situated on two lots totaling more that 3 acres, the house backs to the 16th hole of Jack Nicklaus Signature Course. Functional kitchen with two islands, two dishwashers, double oven, wine and beer coolers, ice maker. Four fire places, fully equipped and furnished media room, two bedrooms and study are located on the first floor. Beautiful venetian plaster walls and ceilings. Mosquito mist system Is installed throughout the whole property and generator covers all the house electric needs. The Woodlands highlights amenities: parks and trails, golf courses, community pools and community events to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, also count with 124 parks with playground equipment, picnic pavilions, soccer fields, disc golf courses and even dog parks. The Woodlands also features nearly 200 miles of hike-and-bike trails, jogging tracks as well.

VIEW LISTING

1010 PR 5569 Prosper, TX 75078

$5,299,000| — Beds| — Baths| — Sq. Ft.

Listed by Anastasia Riley • Ebby Halliday, REALTORS

This picturesque tree-lined acreage with gorgeous rolling terrain is nestled in the most affluent suburb in N TX & surrounded by upscale Prosper communities -Whispering Farms, Gentle Creek, Christie Farms & Whitley Place. Almost 500ft of road frontage right across Gentle Creek Golf Course Country Club – one of the most iconic and recognizable Prosper landmarks, gives the property fantastic visibility, easy access, superior demographic & multitude of use possibilities. The prime acreage at the front is proposed for a much needed assisted living facility, private school, daycare, event center, church, office park or retail. The secluded tree-lined acreage tucked in the back is perfect for a residential development.

VIEW LISTING

6015 Glen Cove St Houston, TX 77007

$5,390,000| 5 Beds| 5.5 Baths| 8,487 Sq. Ft.

Listed by Laura Bonck • Nan & Company Properties

Enviably situated in the desirable area of Memorial Park, 6015 Glen Cove sits on half an acre of lush landscape and unobstructed views of the Hogg Bird Sanctuary and the notable River Oaks Golf Course. This masterpiece of rustic luxury boasts stunning cathedral beamed ceiling and natural stone accent walls in the formal living area. The gourmet kitchen, renovated in 2018, is outfitted with a full Viking stainless steel appliance package, separate Sub-Zero cabinet-front 3’ refrigerator and freezer, beamed ceilings, plenty of counter space/storage and views to the great room. Meticulous and extravagant details are thoughtfully placed throughout the 8,487 sq. ft. home such as a parlor with dual aquariums, unique theater room, oversized game room, and a fully equipped guest quarter. 5 full ensuite bedrooms feature tray ceilings, walk-in closets, and luxurious details.

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2300 Portofino Ridge Dr Austin, TX 78735

 

$5,500,000| 7 Beds | 9 Baths| 9,579 Sq. Ft.

Listed by Sally Daneshjou • Daneshjou Properties, Inc.

Exquisite Classical Mediterranean masterpiece, with panoramic views of the Barton Creek Resort and Fazio Foothills Golf Course. Privately nestled into a large cul-de-sac lot. Beautiful design features throughout, including art niches, domes, barrel vault, sculptured stair railings for 2 slab marble stairs and Mariner Chandeliers. Other luxuriously designed interior and exterior detailing. Patterned marble tile, tile and wood floors throughout. Private Courtyard and fountains. Sq.ft. larger than TCAD.

VIEW LISTING

2104 Willow Bend Dr Plano, TX 75093

$5,699,000| 7 Beds| 14 Baths| 14,702 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Cindy & Hollie O’Gorman • Ebby Halliday, REALTOR
Exquisite 3 acre gated estate overlooking White Rock Creek AND Gleneagles Golf Course! Heavily treed backyard paradise with pool, spa, outdoor living, full sized tennis court, putting & chipping green with sand trap, walking trails, tree house and more! Whole house automation system! Gourmet kitchen has top notch finishes! Elegant master suite with fireplace, dual master baths, steam showers, coffee station and exercise room. An entertainers dream with media room, custom golf simulation room, large wet bars, and walls of windows throughout. Craft room, attached living quarters with private entrance, endless storage, 6 car garage- one with two car lifts. Extremely energy efficient home.

23 Grand Regency Cir The Woodlands, TX 77382

$5,950,942| 7 Beds| 11 Baths| 15,000 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Gary Tyner • Keller Williams Realty-FM
This chic Woodlands estate nestled in the gated community of Carlton Woods will accommodate a luxurious lifestyle for everyday living, entertaining with all the amenities you could ever dream of. The home is situated on almost two acres and overlooks your own private golf course. The first floor encompasses an open living space that flows into the breakfast area and kitchen that is extensively equipped to service household gatherings or entertainment of any size. The second story beginning on the left wing features the master suite leading into a lavish closet equipped with two islands, custom cabinetry and even a small kitchen. The right wing has a two bedroom apartment perfect for staff or a guest quarters.

27 Grand Regency Cir The Woodlands, TX 77382

$6,075,000| 6 Beds| 10 Baths| 14,811 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Diane Kink • Keller Williams Realty
Elegant style and detailing shows off over 15,000 square feet of luxury! Resting on the 8th hole of Carlton Wood’s Jack Nicklaus Golf Course, taking in views of Bear Branch Lake, this incredible estate is superbly designed offering unsurpassed craftsmanship. Inside highlights Crestron Home Automation; Enkeboll carved wood mouldings; beautiful lighting by Kalco and Fine Art Lamps; Cantera doors and garage doors; fully functional Elevator; 100KW Generator; Whole house vacuum system; commercial grade temperature controlled 600 bottle wine room and full entertaining bar; Walnut & Alder Hardwoods & Travertine flooring throughout; kitchen is designed and equipped to satisfy the needs of any professional or those who just love to cook! Master Suite affords 2000+ SF with private courtyard; 1st & 2nd floor utilities. Welcoming guest, children and secondary suites. Restful views and incredible grounds include pool, spa, 2500+SF of outdoor living/entertaining. Endless comforts & amenities!

11408 Musket Rim St Austin, TX 78738

$9,250,000| 7 Beds| 9 Baths| 11,957 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Gary Dolch • Compass RE Texas, LLC
Sprawling French Country Estate on 10+ Acres with Barton Creek Frontage in the Golf Course Community of Spanish Oaks. Lush, flat land with meticulous landscaping, & thoughtful hardscape commanding views of the hill country & creek, making it the ideal location for this one-of-a-kind estate. Incredibly designed home with office, media & game rooms, elevator & more. Morton barn w/4 stalls, tack room, corrals/riding pens, sport court & pool overlooking the views. 2 bed Guest House (kitchen, living & office).

8106 Chalk Knoll Dr Austin, TX 78735

$9,450,000| 7 Beds| 11 Baths| 13,686 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Julie Mack • Kuper Sotheby’s Itl Rlty
Built with a fabulous sense of style, & space, this estate is a pinnacle of Barton Creek living. The 3.9-acre property overlooks the Fazio Foothills golf course. The backyard was completely renovated in 2016 and includes a resort-style pool. boules court, dog run, room for a tennis court, fireplace & grill. The kitchen was completely transformed & features Miele appliances, multiple refrigerators, 2 DW, white custom cabinetry, & a full huge bar with booth seating. Check out the 3D tour for an inside look!

800 Wilpitz Rd Brookshire, TX 77423

 

$13,380,000| 2 Beds| 2 Baths| 2,753 Sq. Ft.
Listed by Dana Speer • CENTURY 21 Western Realty
Unparalleled 297 UNRESTRICTED Acres 1/2 mile off I-10. Only 22 miles west of the Energy Corridor. ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES. Private owner or DEVELOPERS. YOU CAN’T BEAT THIS LOCATION! Perfect for a Golf Course Community, Sports, Events, Income producing. Once in a lifetime Equestrian Masterpiece! 4 immaculate Polo fields, 63,000 SF Covered Arena, home to Texas A & M Polo Team. That’s just for starters! Every aspect of this property was impeccably brought to life. Fun activities abound. New lighted Tennis court, Cabana, Lakeside beach & Dock, Zip line tower, Motocross park, and Skate park. Equestrians will love the gorgeous Spanish style 14 stall stable, 40 stalls attached to the Covered Arena, & 32 stall stable each has tack & feed rooms. Relax or entertain in the Texas Hill Country limestone Club House surrounded by graceful pecan orchards. Gourmet state of the art kitchen, open concept dining-living space overlooks the sparkling pool. 2nd house for Ranch Manager.
04 Nov
Uncategorized

The 17 best resorts in the world, according to travelers

In the survey, 600,000 voters provided their thoughts on nearly 10,000 hotels, resorts, and global experiences. The resorts that ultimately made the final cut all share an air of luxury, but they span different price points and destinations.

Here are the top 17 resorts in the world. Safari-inspired travel seemed to be popular this year, with seven out of 17 resorts being African bush resorts. A couple of private islands in the Maldives made the cut, as did a handful of Irish castles. Only one US resort topped the list.

READ MORE

04 Nov
Uncategorized

Desert Mountain Club Members Enjoy ‘Happy Trails’

Desert Mountain Club introduced an Iteractive Trail Guide that caters to both serious and novice hikers alike

The Desert Mountain Club, a private golf and recreational community situated just north of Scottsdale, Ariz., boasts six Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses. But it’s something off the fairways that’s attracting not only the attention of Desert Mountain members these days, but also other club managers looking for new ways to engage their own memberships and fully utilize their properties.

The property has installed a new Interactive Trail Guide that caters to both serious and novice hikers alike. Positioned at the trailhead of the property’s 15-mile private trail system, which encompasses seven separate trail segments, the guide allows hikers to select a route by distance, degree of difficulty, or even based on where they’ll come across the best sunset views.

Once the hike is selected, a customized map is created and can be scanned onto the hiker’s mobile device. Twenty of the most common routes, and accompanying GPS data, are pre-loaded into the system, to assist in selecting each person’s ideal hike.

READ MORE

26 Oct
Uncategorized

We are pleased to welcome Meghan Holobetz to the Private Club Marketing team as our new Director of East Coast Operations

As Private Club Marketing continues to expand, with over $100M in new club developments, clubhouse renovations and membership rebranding projects. The opportunity to have Meghan join our team, with her experience at a Top 10 U.S. private members club, paired with her innovative ideas to drive new, young members and players into our club partners facilities adds an amazing asset to Private Club Marketing and the clubs and resorts we serve. meghan holobetz merion Meghan recently served as Assistant Club Manager at the iconic Merion Golf Club in Haverford, PA. Prior to Merion, she served as Membership/Marketing Director at the Schuylkill Country Club in Orwigsburg, PA. She has a comprehensive background in marketing, communications, hospitality, operations and event planning/execution.

Join us in welcoming Meghan to Private Club Marketing. Our new east coast office will allow us to better serve our club partnerships in their own time-zone. We would love the opportunity to chat with you about your membership goals as we head into 2020.

26 Oct
Lifestyle, Uncategorized

Q&A: Offering More To Your Members and Front of the House Employees

To most clubs and resorts, front of the house employees represent the face of your business –– they’re the ambassadors to your property and have the potential to transform the member experience. Because these employees play such an important role, the clubs they work for should be not only be paying attention to, but strongly investing in, their satisfaction, engagement, and performance.

Forbes Travel Guide is one of the leading companies that provides luxury and full-service hotels with tools and platforms to energize and enrich the lives of their team members through goal setting, professional coaching, and ongoing training which can help drive engagement, and therefore, higher sales. And recently, they expanded beyond hotels and into private clubs.

Private Club Marketing spoke with David Tyson CCM, Vice President, Private Clubs of Forbes Travel Guide, about the company’s belief that greater engagement of front of the house staff translates to greater member/guest experience and increased incremental revenue, as well as how Forbes Travel Guide makes that happen.

PCM: Can you provide a basic summary of what Forbes Travel Guide’s Private Club division does?

David Tyson: Forbes Travel Guide is the global expert on genuine Five-Star service. We’ve been providing training at the most prestigious hotels around the globe for more than 15 years, and it’s because of this reputation that private club owners and managers regularly approach us. They want to replicate the same exceptional service found in Five-Star hotels, so we created our Private Clubs division.

We offer a variety of services tailored to clubs:

Our approach starts with Forbes Travel Guide standards – more than 500 clearly defined guidelines that are a roadmap for member expectations at clubs and provide structure for staff and management.

Our expert in-person training helps staff understand the “why” behind the standards, and how to apply our guidelines in a variety of situations, while engaging and motivating front-line teams and managers alike. We can extend that learning through online training, which is scalable to large teams and helpful for onboarding new employees.

Further, clubs can engage in Custom Standards Development, where our experts collaborate with club leadership to identify the fundamentals of the club’s culture and codify service guidelines specific to that club.

And for clubs that want to benchmark and track their performance on Forbes Travel Guide or custom standards, we also provide Quality Assessments – a detailed service and facility audit to provide clear, independent perspective on what’s happening at the club.

PCM: Many private clubs already run similar employee training and management programs internally. What makes Forbes Travel Guide’s Private Clubs services different from these internal programs?

Tyson: We’ve been defining luxury hospitality for more than 60 years and currently provide support services in 74 countries. We also work with other service-oriented industries, such as luxury residential, cruise lines, private aviation, and event venues. As a result, we have unrivaled expertise and enjoy a unique position in having global visibility of luxury service delivery. This gives us a great perspective when working with private clubs, something that is difficult to match with in-house training programs. It also helps for management and staff to hear a fresh perspective.

PCM: Some people might see what these incremental revenue programs as basic upselling 101. How would you respond to this?

Tyson: Upselling does not make service, but service can make or break upselling. Ultimately, we want to create an environment where the member feels special, where there is trust and rapport built between the member and staff, and where the staff is approaching interactions with thoughtfulness and anticipation of the member’s needs. All of those skills are of a much higher order than basic upselling. When you have them in place, upselling happens of its own accord, and more effectively than it would if it were approached purely from a transactional point of view. Establishing that kind of service culture ultimately supports bigger-ticket concerns such as member recruitment and retention.

PCM: What are some of the other elements beyond pay that hospitality leaders should focus on that contribute to running a strong team?

Tyson: Positive company culture is single-handedly the most important element for running a strong team, and it needs to be driven by strong leadership. Hospitality leaders must prioritize culture, as it is their key differentiator and can drive strong business outcomes. Culture informs how staff behave and perform, which is paramount in the hospitality industry. Additionally, the best staff want to work at the best organizations, which in turn fuels stronger teams.  Our tailored training solutions help to enhance and elevate company culture since we work closely with team leaders to maintain and sometimes even co-create great company culture.  Excellent service is always at the core.

PCM: How does this directly translate to higher property revenue?

Tyson:  It’s proven that organizations with a positive company culture perform best. It’s simple to see why — a great company culture equates to happier teams which results in happy customers, thus better guest retention and brand reputation. The end result is a contributing factor to higher club revenue.

PCM: Forbes Travel Guide puts a lot of emphasis on real-time data and insights to show what’s working and what’s not working. Can you talk about how Forbes Travel Guide thinks about data and metrics?

Tyson: Forbes Travel Guide’s super power is combining data and training. The results of our Quality Assessment – where we assess a club on more than 500 service and facility standards – give our trainers insight into each club’s unique strengths and opportunities, allowing them to target their training approach.

For club leaders, our Quality Assessments provide actionable insights through a combination of scoring and detailed evaluator observations that explain the hits or misses on each standard. Our online reports include tools to filter, sort and search results – all the way down to the level of tracking individual standards over time – so that club leaders can identify trends and examine their performance from a variety of perspectives.

PCM: Forbes Travel Guide works with hospitality clients in more than 72 countries. Can you talk about managing programs that drive employee and guest satisfaction on a global scale?

Tyson: Every engagement is unique, depending on the level of staff skill, management goals, and local environment. That would seem like a challenge on a global scale, but it’s not because we do not mandate a cookie-cutter approach to service. Instead, we strive to make service consistent, efficient, thoughtful and anticipatory within the personality and circumstances of each organization. We focus on helping staff see their actions through the eyes of the people they serve, and we give staff the guidelines and skills they need to provide intuitive and genuine Five-Star service.  In the end, the essentials are the same everywhere:  Committed leadership, clearly defined operating procedures, and well-trained staff focused on common goals. It’s a proven combination that we’ve seen succeed time and time again in the world’s most exceptional hotels.

PCM: Can you provide an example of a brand in the club industry you’ve partnered with that achieved higher incremental revenue and employee and guest satisfaction? 

“Forbes Travel Guide is the ultimate training tool. The team is a dedicated, extremely knowledgeable group of hospitality professionals who have added tremendous value to my organization.” – RYAN M. DIONNE, GENERAL MANAGER-COONORTH JERSEY COUNTRY CLUB

“I believe every club that would like to be “relevant” in today’s service and hospitality culture should be partnering with Forbes Travel Guide services. I am so glad that they decided to venture into the club business. Their trainings have been carefully crafted to deliver only the very best experience in member services.” – MICHAEL RIOS,CCM, GENERAL MANAGER-DORADO BEACH RESORT AND CLUB

Forbes Travel Guide has recently partnered with Distinguished Clubs to create a strategic partnership working together to improve the service values that members expect to receive.  This partnership is important as the two brands will work collaboratively to elevate service standards within private clubs. The aim is to broaden and further lift private clubs and their management in meeting expectations and demands of current and future members in the private club industry.

This content was created in collaboration with Forbes Travel Guide’s Private Club Division and published by Private Club Marketing’s branded content studio.

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