Marketing in Motion "We Put Heads in Beds ... !"
A History of Success
In 1995, Lori Gédon was approached by the management of Dragon Bay Beach Resort & Villas to establish a North American sales and marketing presence for this charming beachfront property in Port Antonio, Jamaica. The hotel's executives were impressed with Lori's knowledge of the destination, and her rapport with the key players in the wholesale, retail and Internet sectors of the business. At their urging, Lori started Marketing in Motion and took on Dragon Bay as her first client.When Lori came on board, Dragon Bay's business was derived entirely from the European summer market. Less than 1% of the hotel's guests originated from North America, leaving a plethora of empty rooms during Jamaica's high season. Within 18 months, Lori increased U.S. and Canadian business to more than 27% of the hotel's room nights, and improved the ADR in the process. By working closely with local service providers, she designed special programs for families, weddings (Lori, herself, was married at the property) and divers ... and put Port Antonio on the map.
She did this by guaranteeing one flight daily on Air Jamaica Express and promoting the destination in addition to the property. Port Antonio in the 1990s was not high on Jamaica's visitors' list. Wholesalers, tour operators and travel agents who were loyal to Lori supported the hotel and, for the first time, sold the destination. She partnered with Jamaica's public relations professionals to keep the region in front of consumers. Air Jamaica became a valued partner and remains an important ally to this day.
Marketing in Motion's efforts attracted not only vacationers, but the media as well. The Discovery Channel and several radio stations in the U.S. and overseas ran broadcasts from the area. Movie and commercials producers checked it out. This exposure helped Dragon Bay and the other hotels in Port Antonio, some of which had not fully recovered from the devastation of Hurricane Gilbert.
With her passion for this lush Jamaican paradise fully evident, Lori held meetings and planned social events with local hotel management and tourism colleagues to create a spirit of community - welcoming everyone to take full advantage of the promotional opportunities initiated by Marketing in Motion. She organized familiarization programs for the wholesale and retail sector of the travel industry, and hosted travel writers. Lori ensured that they saw not only the area's hotel product but that they also experienced the Parish of Portland's (on the eastern end of the island) wealth of attractions, including rafting on the Rio Grande, Miss Betty's Riverside Cantina, Reich Falls, Boston Beach's Jerk Center, the Blue Lagoon, and plantation tours.
The Jamaica Tourist Board came to rely on her expertise, frequently inviting Lori to speak about Port Antonio at travel industry functions. Dragon Bay had its best occupancy levels, ever, during Lori's tenure with the property. The resort's name quickly became synonymous with Jamaica's - and the Caribbean's - most sought after accommodations.
And that's how it all began...
Following Dragon Bay's sale to Jamaican hotel mogul, Gordon "Butch" Stewart, Marketing in Motion has become a premier
choice of high-end Bahamian, Caribbean and Mexican hotels, resorts, mixed-use developments, villas and private islands to manage sales, marketing and reservations. Lori oversees a bevy of more than a dozen of the top sales representatives in the U.S. and Canada, consistently providing superb visibility and excellent market saturation for Marketing in Motion's clients. The company's staff has helped properties to breeze through even the greatest crises, whether environmental or corporate. Some of these challenges - and their successful outcomes - are mentioned in the kind words and testimonials of our valued clients.Among Marketing in Motion's notable accomplishments are increasing one Caribbean hotel's business from a major tour operator by 300% in six months and playing a leading role in managing the hostil
e transition of a popular all-inclusive property from fading branded hotel to luxury independent spa resort. Lori and her team have a reputation for restoring compromised reputations by working with properties to rebuild tarnished relationships with their business providers.Marketing in Motion has a history of turning around even the most difficult of situations and ensuring that information is disseminated to prequalified buyers. Lori, her staff, and sales team pride themselves in delivering what is promised - and more - starting with a focused promotional agenda designed to accommodate clients' needs in a cost effective manner.
We hope to have the pleasure of demonstrating how proper positioning and directing sales efforts to the appropriate market will result in the success of your hotel, resort, mixed-use development, villa or private island ... while keeping an eye on your RoI.
We invite you to contact us for a complimentary consultation:
Marketing in Motion
Professional Sales, Marketing & Social Media Management
For Luxury Hotels, Resorts, Villas and Private Islands
New York (518) 303-1310
LuxuryHotelMarketing@yahoo.com
Skype: cariblady
