Drawing Out the Stay-at-Home Crowd

by C&RB Staff (editor@clubandresortbusiness.com)
June 2008
 

As $4-a-gallon (at best) gas has set in for the summer, followed closely by the ripple effect it has set off for higher travel-related and food costs, many would-be vacationers have been forced to rethink, restructure or otherwise abandon their plans to get away.

But some resort properties that stand to be directly affected by this trend are taking steps to turn the problem into an opportunity.

"Today's economy and the rising costs of fuel and tickets are causing more people to stay closer to home," says Debi Bishop, Managing Director of Sawgrass Golf Resort & Spa in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. "With our amenities, golf facilities and premier Ponte Vedra Beach location, we feel that Sawgrass can be an ideal destination for Floridians, too."

The resort is now targeting those locals with a special price incentive package. Residents of Florida will get a special rate of $109 per night on rooms typically priced at $199 per night-a 45 percent discount.

Visitors can play golf on The Players Stadium Course and Pete Dye's Valley Course at TPC Sawgrass, as well as on three non-TPC Sawgrass courses. They can use the resort's Tour Academy location for golf instruction, enjoy the resort's myriad restaurants, and relax at the 25,000-sq.-ft. Spa at Sawgrass, where a long list of services and treatments are available.

Guests also have access to The Cabana Beach Club, a private beachfront destination that boasts newly renovated facilities, poolside service and a broad array of beach services and rentals.