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Differentiate Your Property
by Terry Ramaker
Founder & CEO
Ramaker & Associates, Inc.
Are you looking for ways to stand out above the crowded sea of hospitality? Are you trying to find that niche that will serve both you and your guests in a positive and memorable way? There are many approaches to differentiating your property from the competition – service, state-of-the-art technology, popular chefs, unique entertainment. There are also structural ways for a resort to spruce up its image and set itself apart. After talking with some of the best and brightest in the industry, we’ve highlighted ways of renovation and rejuvenation that can differentiate your property and keep your guests returning for more.
The Master Theme
Determine who you want to be – then carry that out in everything you do. From marketing materials and your website, to linens on the bed, from the trinkets in the gift shop to the food in the restaurant, the addition of a theme to a resort will breathe new life into a tired area. If properly carried throughout the property, it will boost people’s mood, as well as the overall perception of value. A theme can be chosen to reflect a region’s heritage or to provide guests with an escape to a tropical island. The themes are endless and varied, and, if properly integrated, will create memorable experiences and photo opportunities for guests. In the past, engineering codes have hindered designers’ abilities to push the envelope with design. Now, engineers are working closely with theming companies to creatively theme environments while safety remains the No. 1 priority.
The Grand Entrance
As engineers who work with developers and owners, we cannot stress enough the importance of an attractive ‘front door.’ You can capture your guests’ hearts and minds before they cross your property line with a stunning grand entrance. Do not lessen the potential of a property through poor design. Grand entrances intrigue and capture people. Grand entrances set the tone for the entire visit and raise a visitor’s expectations.
Design, landscaping, and signage are major components of an entrance. For many, the road and parking lot are fixtures that hopefully serve a meaningful purpose in the experience of the resort, rather than just a straight road to the lobby. But an investment in signage and landscaping could greatly improve the appeal for your resort and set the bar higher for the rest of the property, as well as your competition.
David Hoffman, a Landscape Architect with Atlanta-based Harrison Hoffman Design Group likes to draw visitors to a single view immediately upon entering a resort. “Look for one strong main vista, then incorporate landscape architectural elements to frame that view.” Also, if a resort doesn’t have a strong theme, he likes to use a water element, such as waterfalls, geysers or spray features. “Water has a natural appeal to all ages and it elicits something deep within you,” says Hoffman. He also reminds clients that an investment in this one main vista can develop into your theme and tie naturally into marketing materials for the entire resort.
Dry Play Areas
A perfect addition to a family resort is a dry play area. These aren’t your typical playgrounds. If you haven’t seen one of these lately, you’ll be surprised at how large they are and how much fun they can be! These interactive adventurelands can truly set apart a resort, while creating a fun and memorable experience for both children and adults.
Steve Brinkel is Director of North American Sales for KoalaPlay Group. He says that building a successful dry play attraction is a unique and complex challenge. “Property owners and operators must balance their competitive desire for the best-drawing attraction with bottom-line demands for sustained returns on their initial capital investment.” However, adding a dry play, indoors or outdoors, helps to make a lodging property a destination rather than just a place to stay. Theming further enhances the play experience, differentiates a resort from competition, and gives your establishment an opportunity for branding.
Waterparks
Apart from theming, nothing says more about your resort’s differentiation than an aquatic facility. Not only does this serve as a unique amenity, waterpark resorts are now returning financial numbers that even people without swimming suits would get excited about.
Bill Zanetis, a managing partner of Wisco Hotel Group, operator of several upscale Wisconsin hotels, says that a waterpark is an excellent way of filling in the ‘soft spots’. “What are typically slow periods at our other hotels, our waterpark hotel is running above 90% occupancy.” They notice this especially during the winter months, which wasn’t what they expected. However, operational costs are higher than they anticipated. “Anyone who doesn’t use experienced consultants and designers is going to have a rude awakening,” says Zanetis, “especially when it comes to operational and insurance costs.” Special care can be taken to choose water features that require less supervision and maintenance to lower costs.
You don’t have to have the largest waterpark in your area; it’s more important to scrutinize the aquatic design and layout of the building. Researching and choosing the rides, amenities and theming that appeal to your target demographics will serve you well. A feasibility study can provide the numbers needed to decide on the right size
waterpark for your resort.
Jeffrey Wirth of the Wirth Companies decided to add a waterpark to an existing hotel in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, Minnesota. “The location was critical. It was a full-service hotel in a limited service market. We needed a demand generator and a waterpark fit our needs.” The experience and knowledge of building this facility has encouraged him to develop more waterpark resorts and he believes the market is viable, if the location is appropriate. The most important thing he’s learned is to build a quality, experienced team early in the process.
Just Differentiate
The hospitality industry and our guests demand constant attention, but with added investment and awareness, our facilities can outshine the competition. We need to step back occasionally and get a fresh perspective at the message we are sending our guests through our theming and entrance. We then we need to conduct the research and perhaps add amenities that our guests demand, like dry play or wet play areas. Most importantly, we have to build a quality, experienced team early for the process. Differentiating your property now will be an investment in your future.