Making Connectıons

It’s more important than ever for even the most established and traditional of private clubs to have active Web sites—both for marketing purposes and to improve communication and service.

by Erin Brereton (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
October 2007
 

Summing It Up • For many clubs and resorts, a Web site is one of the most important ways to communicate: to members, between members, and to prospects. • To help members and guests navigate your Web site, educate them on its features and benefits. • A members-only Web site is important, but don’t keep everything under lock and key; the site is a great marketing opportunity.

The Club at Renaissance in Fort Myers, Fla., didn’t need a Web site to market itself; its developer promoted the club through a corporate site. The club didn’t need a Web site to move tee time reservations online; that’s still primarily handled over the phone. What The Club at Renaissance did need was a way to improve member interaction.

When redesigning its site just over a year ago, the club added a member directory, with the ability to e-mail other members from the site, a message board, and online program registration.

“Our members love it,” reports Ida Sierra, Membership Director for The Club at Renaissance. “It is a one-stop, do-it-all tool. They e-mail, check events, share thoughts and make [dining] reservations in the same place. Now the Web site is our main means of communication in all directions: from the club to the members, from member to member, and from the club to prospects.”

As more clubs discover that their Web sites can be invaluable communication and marketing systems, they are rethinking their sites’ purpose—and potential.

But whether redesigning an old site or creating a new one, several things should be considered to best meet member needs.

Ida Sierra, Membership Director, The Club at Renaissance

Selling the Site to Members
The Club at Renaissance, sensitive to older members who might be unfamiliar with the Internet, sent letters announcing the new version of its Web site, and then held a special meeting at which the new features were explained. It also sponsored private member training sessions.

 “Have the directory, newsletters and calendar of events available at The Club’s administration office in hard copy, and take [members] on a ‘tour’ of the Web site, so they can build a level of confidence to use the tool,” Sierra suggests.

The extra work is worth it. “Understand that you will encounter some resistance that, if dealt with correctly, could be an opportunity to build on a relationship with a member,” Sierra says. “Once members understand the benefits of a Web site and the effect it has on the club’s operations and on member services, they not only get on board with it, but also promote it to other members.”

Members-Only vs. Marketing
Many clubs face a decision: Leave their Web sites open to the public, or make them only open to members?
Some clubs use their sites to recruit prospective guests. “A club Web site is up there with one of the top three most important marketing and informational tools for a resort,” says Tracy Sarver, Webmaster at the Hilton Tucson El Conquistador Golf & Tennis Resort, which has had a Web site for 11 years.

Users can see some club info, but to enter the Web site for the Tucson-area Hilton El Conquistador private club, a sister facility of the resort, they must enter a membership number.

“At first, our site was members-only,” says Michelle Keilin, Membership Director for the El Conquistador Golf, Tennis and Fitness Club. “But over time, we realized we were missing the boat on a marketing opportunity. People would get to the homepage and want to know more. We changed that over the first couple of years, making the homepage more of a generic membership page with contact information.”

The Club at Renaissance has stopped printing its newsletter and now uses “e-blasts” as its sole form of distribution.

Messages for the Moment
The popularity of the Club at Renaissance site has allowed the club to stop printing its newsletter, saving paper—and costs.
“We send it every first of the month in the form of an e-blast,” Sierra says. “Now, we only publish a bi-annual calendar of events and have hard copies of the newsletter available at the club, which we print from the Web site.” 

The easy-to-navigate Hilton El Conquistador resort’s Web site contains quick homepage links to key areas with wedding services and meeting room rental information. Guests also can request spa appointments for, say, a coffee-infused body wrap and massage.

Clubs are learning that online reservations make life more convenient for members—and for staff.

“Many private clubs now want to control who is allowed to play golf when,” says the CEO of a club Web site provider. “The golf pro shop has a view of the check-in screen and can see when a tee time is made.

“Clubs can also send a mass e-mail or text,” he adds. “This can help if they need, for example, to notify members who are scheduled to golf that there is a two-hour frost delay.”

Getting the Word Out
The El Conquistador club uses its site frequently to list what food is served daily and add special announcements, such as the recent news that the club would sponsor a wine event. 

The club also posts event recaps and photos, to increase the sense of community.

Similarly, the Web site for the resort side of the El Conquistador property features a calendar with hotel events and a sprinkling of area activities, designed to offer guests an added informational service.

“The local events are chosen through a variety of resources,” says Sarver. “Although, I first try to populate the sites with our own resort events.”

Determining who will update news on the club’s site can help avoid repetition of content.

At the Hilton El Conquistador club, any manager can make changes or additions to the site. Keilin estimates that tennis and food and beverage are the departments that update the site most frequently.

The Club at Renaissance posts weekly updates.  “[The department heads and membership and I] submit revisions/additions as needed, but one person does the actual changes,” Sierra says. “I hold that responsibility.
“We want to have some kind of control as to how many hands are updating the system,” she notes. “Otherwise, it can create confusion and make erroneous information available.”