[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he place to be. That’s the tagline of The HarborClub, the brand new property due to open in Saint Lucia this autumn. Classing itself as a four-star property with five-star customer service, the hotel will offer 115 rooms and suites and cater to a wide range of guests with a wealth of facilities, services and food to satisfy every taste. Situated in Rodney Bay next to the Marina, the property’s guests will wake up to views of the enormous free-form swimming pool and yachts dancing on the Caribbean Sea beyond. It provides guests with everything they could possibly want, living up to its tagline.
Camilla Sukumaran, General Manager, explains, “We’ve built The HarborClub as ‘The place to be’ in Saint Lucia. Our aim is that the property becomes a central part of the local community. The HarborClub brand is quality in product, quality in service and quality in infrastructure, without compromise. Our plan for the brand is to reflect this in all we do, consistently.”
In the digital age it isn’t enough to deliver amazing guest service on-site. Even an iconic hotel needs to deliver a seamless digital service and build a strong online presence to attract guests. So The HarborClub has partnered with Avvio as their booking engine and digital services provider to enable them to do this.
Camilla says, “We plan to reflect The HarborClub brand across all digital channels consistently and honestly, and with direct, continuous, communication without embellishment. As a paperless company we will be using digital toolkits as much as possible. Once we have some data, some history of trading, we look forward to using Avvio’s various services to build on our revenue and guest booking experience.”
This consistency becomes even more essential when considering the sheer variety of guests The HarborClub is sure to attract. With a range of restaurants, facilities and services, all named ‘Clubs’ of their own, The HarborClub can expect every guest type, from foodies to divers to party goers to guests who want to spend all day every day at The PoolClub.
The rooftop bar makes the perfect place for a selfie, just above The GourmetClub, where guests can enjoy an exquisite dinner; the bar offers views across the northern coastline. There, they can see the historic Pigeon Point, home to ruins, fortresses and canons from the 1700s, and the majestic outline of Martinique. For guests who aren’t comfortable with heights, The LoungeClub awaits. This is another bar in the resort, with plenty of open-space and seating areas to chill out with a signature cocktail. The HarborClub team have thought of everything, determined to deliver that promised five-star service to every guest.
Camilla continues, “Our brand is quality without compromise. Whilst this will be consistent in our various products, as we seek to maintain and evolve our appeal to our markets, it is most important in the service we give. Quality training and empowerment within our team will ensure we look after each and every guest very well.”
The HarborClub enhances this guest service by working closely with Coco Palm, another idyllic resort on the island, which is run by the Chastanet family. Guests are encouraged to enjoy the services at both properties and can easily charge their room accounts from either one. This is not only great for guests, who can enjoy a three course dinner at The GourmetClub and charge it to their room account at Coco Palm; but it’s also more economical and efficient for the hotels.
Camilla explains, “The HarborClub and Coco Palm share resources. This is beneficial for both properties as we share some costs and skills. We will also ensure that we pass any extra business on to Coco Palm, should we require extra room inventory – for example, when we have a large conference booking we will recommend Coco Palm as the preferred alternative hotel.”
Both properties have partnered with Avvio as their booking engine and digital services provider to drive their direct bookings and grow their business online. Camilla explains her reasons for choosing Avvio: “From the initial enquiry, Avvio has responded quickly and professionally to our many questions and queries. A sense of commitment was obvious as we continued through the evaluation process – this, combined with a proven track record made it easy for us to complete this process. We look forward to a long and productive relationship.”
Rich Tuckwell, VP of Sales and Marketing at Avvio says, “I am absolutely thrilled at the partnership. Both these properties prioritise delivering an exceptional guest experience and that’s what Avvio is all about: delivering that same seamless and pleasurable guest experience across all digital channels. By partnering with Avvio, The HarborClub can start to build a fantastic relationship with their wide variety of guests from the minute they click onto the website.”
