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14th Annual Conference |
WILLIAMSBURG, Va., July 20, 2000 � Independent resort owners and operators
from around the United States traveled to Vermont to gather information
from some of the world�s best. Addressing the members of the Resort Hotel
Association (RHA) at their 14th Annual Conference, June 23-26 at Basin
Harbor Club, Vermont, were Peter Yesawich, Rich Warnick, and Stephen Baldwin.
Richard Warnick, president of Warnick & Company in Phoenix, offered representatives of the many prominent independent resorts attending RHA�s annual meeting a rich taste of The Resort Report: A Benchmark Study of Resort Hotels in North America, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Warnick�s research provides a method by which resort operators can obtain meaningful comparative data to measure their performance and �will prove invaluable to the future of independent resorts� according to Rusty Gant, RHA Chairman and owner of Rancho de los Caballeros in Wickenburg, Arizona. The resort database contains the most extensive information ever compiled on resort hotels, a collection of over 2,400 entry fields per resort including financial, operating, and locational characteristics. Warnick & Company can query the data in unlimited ways, subject to confidentiality protocols. Stephen Baldwin has developed the retail operation at The Greenbrier into an extraordinarily profitable part of the esteemed resort�s operation. Mr. Baldwin revealed the three legs of the stool upon which he rests his considerable reputation: A) Respect for both customers and employees, B) Convenience of purchasing, and C) Emotions of the shopper. Smack your forehead, �Why didn�t I think of that� moments popped up throughout his well-attended presentation. Shopping is the #1 leisure activity in the United States. �Why? Because it takes no talent. Anyone can do it, and they feel powerful when they make a purchase.� His retail shops never conduct a sale at the resort, instead using an off-site Greenbrier outlet. Taking a page from Nordstrom�s stores, shops at The Greenbrier will take any return, any time. �The ill-will so outweighs the cost that it�s not worth fighting,� he pointed out, emphasizing Respect for customers. By the end of the presentation, attendees were signing up for Luxe 2002, a retail show at The Greenbrier from 3-5 March 2002. Chris O�Donnell, president of CJO Group, a hospitality sales and marketing consulting firm based in Denver, explained to the independent destination resorts how Technology can enhance their Marketing Plan. She introduced numerous websites that hotels can use to leverage their sales efforts. Particularly interesting was her comparison of what�s hot and what�s not. For instance, Chat Rooms are hot, Focus Groups are not; e-mailed proposals are hot, Overnight delivery is not. ClarityNet, a new breed of training product designed to take advantage of the efficiencies of the Internet, was presented by representatives from Thomas Rutherfoord, Inc. and Coastal Technologies. Not only does the program track training of employees, attendees saw how easily it can be customized to the resort. Rich Warnick made a repeat performance, leading a panel discussing the decision process an owner might make to sell their resort. Lee Stephens shared with attendees the difficulty of selling The Tides Inn in Virginia this spring, the resort founded by his grandparents in 1947. Linda Landres of Hotel del Coronado, near San Diego, recalled the awkward first year after the sale of the famous �Del.� Mr. Warnick emphasized the importance of accurate financial data to preventing independent resorts from having no choice but to sell, the last resort. The Resort Hotel Association, founded in 1987 and headquartered in Williamsburg, Virginia, is a non-profit, member managed insurance organization that provides Insurance products to its sixty association members. In addition, RHA also offers network and educational opportunities for its members on a wide range of industry related topics. The association�s 2002 Annual Conference will be held June 22-25, 2002 at Grand Hotel, Mackinac Island, Michigan and is open to members, prospective members, insurance company representatives and brokers, and service representatives. |
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Jean Van Tol, President Resort Hotel Association 161-A John Jefferson Square Williamsburg, Virginia 23185-5460 (757) 220-7187 [email protected] www.resorthotelinsurance.com |