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Somerset Resort Management Quarterly Update
April 2024
People
I consider the staff the most important asset of The Somerset Resort Management Company and as such the focus
has been on ensuring they know they are appreciated and they have what is needed to do their job well.
Following the Christmas gathering which expense was shared between Resort Management and myself, we have
done the following:
- In January we looked at all the reviews for the last quarter of 2023 where staff names were mentioned and
- shew our appreciation with IGA gift cards. We will continue to do this on a quarterly basis.
- Monthly gatherings to show appreciation to the staff celebrating their birthdays in the month
- Supervisory/Managerial staff were involved in the Training Sessions held by TCHTA in February
- Several of our staff were nominated in various categories of the TCHTA Star Awards and sever of us attended
- the function which was also held in February.
- March 2nd was international Employee Appreciation Day and we hosted a catered lunch for the staff, with live
- music and some gift items to show our appreciation.
- On good Friday (March 29) the staff were treated to a catered lunch as is the custom here at The Somerset
Overall, staff morale is up and they seem to be more engaged
Product
In an effort to enhance guests’ relations and their overall experience, we have implemented the following;
- In addition to The Somerset beach bag, we have added packets of Trailmix and Gummy Bears to the welcome amenity. They are portioned in packets with The Somerset’s logo and they have been well received by repeat guests as well as newcomers. We continue to highlight guests’ special occasions (anniversaries, birthdays, etc) with fruit platter or cake and a bottle of prosecco.
- The introduction of a guest chat feature, where a welcome message is sent to the guest via text and follow-ups done throughout their stay. This allows the guests to make requests for concierge services, etc from wherever they are via text.
- Live chat feature also installed on the website which allows potential guests to start a conversation and get some answers if they are browsing and do not necessarily want to stop and make a call. Guests on property can also reach out through this medium if they do not have a roaming mobile phone.
- Reintroduce the Times Digest – a condensed version of the New York Times, and this also gives us access to other news from Britain, Italy Canada, etc. This seems to be welcomed by repeat guests and newcomers alike.
- In March we introduced a once-daily serving of sorbet and that seems to be a welcome added amenity which guests now look forward to.
We continue to look for ways to enhance the guests’ stay and to engage them in such a way that they walk away having had an experience that they want to share with others via word-of-mouth or an online review.
Marketing
Since the start of 2024, we’ve seen some fantastic coverage of The Somerset on Grace Bay thanks to two influencer partnerships and press trips.
Social media influencers Julia Randall (@staysandgetaways, 245,000 followers) and Christina Tan (@sassychris1, 509,000 followers) each stayed with us in February in exchange for coverage on their social media accounts. They both came to us recommended by our PR company, and we saw some impressive results from their stays and coverage.
On Instagram, our website visits have increased by 591% over the last 90 days and engagement is up 35% while we’ve gained an impressive 433 additional followers. Our Facebook reach increased 45% over the last 90 days, engagement went up 30%, and we gained 111 new followers. You can review a recap of each of their visits attached.
Meanwhile, journalist Carol Ann Davidson stayed with us the first week of March. Carol Ann writes for syndicated newspapers, so her story appeared in four separate newspaper publications in Georgia, New York and Minnesota, as well as an English daily newspaper in Hong Kong:
- https://www.twincities.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/?clearUserState=true
- https://www.bostonherald.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://www.courant.com/2024/03/31/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://www.yoursun.com/charlotte/features/when-peace-and-quiet-call-your-name-find-ithem-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/article_acbb958e-1483-5873-8658-8d28eefa68f4.html
- https://www.theoaklandpress.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://www.macombdaily.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://www.voicenews.com/2024/03/29/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/
- https://thebrunswicknews.com/news/national_news/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/article_d6fde1bb-e0bc-54c5-9516-f9d7a232719d.html
- https://www.gmtoday.com/travel/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort/article_f66adfa4-eab7-11ee-8c20-2b80df2a22dd.html
- https://www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news/section/8/261582/Islands-of-peace-and-tranquility
- https://www.theepochtimes.com/bright/peace-and-quiet-called-my-name-i-found-it-at-a-turks-and-caicos-resort-5615059
The total spend to host the above mentioned influencers/writer was roughly $3,300 inclusive of airline tickets, meals and spa treatments.
We're very pleased with the coverage The Somerset has received for the first quarter of the year and anticipate much more to come as we plan a press trip for the month of May with multiple journalists. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you have any questions.
