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An exclusive resort in the Caribbean declared itself in need
of an infusion. Though it enjoyed a loyal following, the competition
was gaining ground and occupancies had dropped to an all-time
low of 30 percent.
After a careful review of the situation, we
recommended to the owners that it was time to consider a property
spa. While this was big news from the owners’ perspective, it was not
very interesting to the media or to consumers who had been
inundated with spa resort offers over the past few years. So
we set about to develop something that would stand apart from
the rest.
We worked with the design team to create a spa experience that
would be fully complementary to the history and culture of the
geographic area. All materials used and all treatments offered
were richly imbued with the history of the area. Its location
atop a 400-foot precipice was utilized to its best advantage,
creating dramatic photography that assaulted the senses in aesthetically
memorable ways. Armed with early photography and a potpourri
of treatment products in their raw form, we descended on editors-in-chief
of top travel and lifestyle magazines in New York.
We convinced one editor-in-chief to change his vacation plans
and stay at the property, and — with a competitive magazine
vying for the story — we persuaded him to do a six-page
cover story on the new spa. At the same time, a visit from the
publisher of a leading newspaper in America resulted in future
coverage of the property in that paper’s travel section.
Occupancies soared — and continue to
this day.
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