Perception v. Reality
It is amazing how conditioned we have become. We see a few seconds of a politician’s sound bite and we think we understand everything there is to know about that topic. We see headlines in the papers and we think we know what is happening. Turtle Bay Resort, managed by Benchmark Hospitality International, is pushing the envelope and daring to think contrary, with astonishing results.
While most of Hawaii’s hotels are currently suffering extreme pain, Turtle Bay Resort has seen an increase in occupancy of 5% compared to last year. Some of the reasons for that increase have been the success of the Turtle Bay Escape Club, the Military Escape Club, combined with the success of the Pacific Rim Conference Center at Turtle Bay Resort.
Benchmark Hospitality International’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Eric Terry, recently published a White Paper on “The Role of a Dedicated Conference Center in the Post Global Economic Crisis Climate“. While acknowledging the need to control corporate excess, Eric proposes the ultimate reality, “Five Key Reasons to Take Serious Meetings to a Conference Center”. They are: 1. Distraction-free facilities, 2. Service, 3. State-of-the-art meetings technology, 4. Food & beverage designed to provide excellent, healthful and protein-rich cuisine, and 5. The Complete Meeting Package, which includes all of the above.
Recently XanGo, a leading global nutrition company and the first company to market a premium mangosteen beverage and dietary supplement, XanGo® Juice, to consumers worldwide, spent time at the Pacific Rim Conference Center, an ideal location since they currently operate in more than 20 international markets. Participants were able to freely meet, participating in discussions on how to make their business better and were able to make contacts and develop relationships that will assist them each in the future.
An upcoming Pacific Rim Conference Center participant will be Mitsubishi Motors of Canada. This event is will allow the top sales producers from dealerships all over Canada to gather together and learn from each other.
As Benchmark’s Chairman of the Board recently put it in a cover story interview in Corporate & Incentive Travel Magazine, we are “Keeping the Business in Meetings, and Meetings in Business“.
June 17th, 2009 at 4:12 pm
I recently spent a day at the resort,and noticed how much it has gone downhill. The tennis courts are terrible,the grounds are not very colorful nor tropical for being in Hawai`i,although the staff was very courteous and friendly,seems like more can be put back into the place as far as aesthetics rather than just taking people’s money.
June 19th, 2009 at 11:51 am
The “Perception v. Reality” title is quite real. You noted the tennis courts. They do currently look in disrepair. That is because they are currently under renovation/construction. We are spending the money to install new fencing, lighting and other work that will bring the tennis courts into top playable condition. The repair work on the tennis courts is expected to be completed by the end of August.
As to the plants, our facilities team made the decision to work with “native to the location” planting. Sure people associate tropics with colorful flowers, but none of those are native to Kahuku. When you look around Kahuku you see green but no color. Our team felt it was more important to be true to the native flora and fit into the natural landscape than to create an artificial paradise that is not native to the area.
We are also in the process of beautifying the entryway and we have received approval to spend one million dollars in additional improvements on the property this year during a time when most hotels and resorts in Hawaii have cut back and are just making do with whatever they have.