The Key to Repeat Business

Familiarity, experiences, and social media engagement may entice your guests to book a second time.

Timeshare owners are an essential part of vacation ownership, but guests are just as vital. To gain new guests and ensure retention, it’s important to implement practices that will keep them coming back and possibly become owners themselves. FantaSea Resorts has found that guests return to the same destinations for reasons including familiarity, emotional attachments created through experiences, and special treatment. “[Guests] like seeing our same staff members on return visits,” Phyllis Sacchetti, general manager, FantaSea Resorts La Sammana says. “Because many of our guests return frequently, they become members of our family, much like our owners, and we look forward to seeing them again.”

Fostering guest relationships doesn’t stop when they leave the property. Through social media and email marketing, resorts can stay top of mind. “We encourage our exchange guests to follow us on social media to stay in the loop on all the changes happening at our resort and the surrounding area,” Melissa Cossio, general manager FantaSea Resorts Atlantic Palace says. A property management system that creates surveys, newsletters, and promotions may also be helpful, Mark Connolly, director of FantaSea Resorts customer care says. Overall, it’s best to look at guest demographics and create a marketing strategy tailored to them. “A significant portion of our guests are non-owners exchanging in,” Connolly says. “Therefore we tend to see the same faces year after year.” With careful cultivation, those relationships can be lasting.

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