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HVCBO Owner Newsletter

Posted by Kathy Foley

5/16/2020

MAY 2020
CEO Message
Aloha Hawaii Vacation Condo by Outrigger Owner,As we navigate through this unprecedented time together, I want to personally thank you for your continued confidence in Outrigger and provide some updates on our overarching business strategy, as well as share insights on how we continue to care for and market your investment property.

While travel restrictions and stay-at-home regulations now limit occupancy, we are not limited in giving back or looking forward for future success.

GIVING BACK – We recently launched Outrigger CARES as a global platform to provide support for our internal team, as well as offer resources and aid to the communities in which the brand operates. This ranges from housing healthcare heroes in Hawaii to donating personal protective equipment to a hospital in Phuket.

LOOKING FORWARD – We’re using this time to calibrate even higher cleanliness standards that are aligned with the new needs of COVID-19. Incorporating best practices for sanitization and hygiene, Outrigger’s Clean Commitment will be rolled out company-wide to offer additional peace of mind for our owners, guests and hosts.

Additionally, we are pleased to welcome two new members of Outrigger’s condo team:
Bob Berges, Director of Association & Resort Operations and Becky Wehner, Business Development Manager.
Bob has been a trusted leader with the Outrigger `ohana for the past decade, steering our timeshare division. With this strong foundation, we have added overseeing the day-to-day operations of Outrigger’s condo portfolio to his existing role.An award-winning executive, Becky joins the Outrigger team with more than 30 years of experience in real estate, marketing and property management. In this newly created position, she will be a champion for unit growth, further enhancing Outrigger’s competitive advantage and global scale.

We know that this is a challenging time for many; but Outrigger’s message is one of hope.
When the world is ready to travel again, we will be here to welcome you to our island home.

Jeff Wagoner
President & CEO, Outrigger Hospitality Group
Statistics on Airlift
As you can see by the following graph, airlift to Hawaii plummeted in the last month. With the stay-at-home mandate by Hawaii Governor Ige and 14-day quarantine for all incoming travelers extended until May 31, 2020 – we anticipate some phased recovery once the restrictions are removed.
Marketing
While we are in the planning stages for our post COVID-19 recovery marketing campaigns, our focus has been to engage actively with our hosts through the recently launched #OutriggerCARES campaign while providing guests with updates on the COVID-19 impact to future bookings through outrigger.com and our global call center.This includes updates on the state quarantine, property closures and providing more flexibility to our cancellation policies for future bookings. We are also in continuous contact with key online travel agencies and wholesale customers, sharing critical information, as well as empathetic content about hosts helping hosts and their communities around the world.The culmination of this was last week’s global release of our “When the World is Ready to Travel” video, supported by email, social media and public relations. We will continue to engage guests through these important, but less expensive marketing channels and soon invite them to start dreaming of their next beach vacation, “Where’s your paradise?”  A sneak peek of the campaign is shown above.

Later this summer, in collaboration with key industry stakeholders as well as our vital airline partners, we plan to more aggressively market all of our island destinations to those key demographics showing strong travel intent and likely in a series of phases as travel sentiment improves across the globe.
Global Reach
Under the Outrigger umbrella – our global reach provides an expansive distribution network to promote your vacation condo. Our targeted email database is now up to 1.5 million people who have all opted-in to receive news and specials. Social media continues to be a unique way to inspire travel and adventure. Outrigger’s Facebook account has reached more than half-a-million subscribers and Instagram, with its focus on visual content, is growing quickly – with nearly 200,000 followers.
MOBILE: As smartphone users increasingly plan and book travel online, we ensure that our communications are optimized for both traditional desktop and mobile platform.

WEBSITE: While the majority of our web traffic is from the US – we get a healthy amount of travelers from Japan and Australia as well.  For the month of January alone,  the Outrigger.com website received 506K visits; 2,800 bookings and 12,500 room nights – with an average daily rate of $400+.

ADR: For Hawaii Vacation Condos by Outrigger, the 2019 average daily (ADR) rate grew in all segments (consumer, online travel agency and wholesale) and occupancy averaged more than 80% for the year. Our 2020 strategy is to grow the consumer direct market while maintaining the other channels.

 
SEO: We also employ a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) team. The goal is to ensure that our website ranks as high as possible in search engines (i.e. Google) as potential guests are researching keywords (ex: “Hawaii Vacation,” “Kauai Condo,” or “Best Maui Accommodation”). The higher we rank, the more likely a user will click onto our website.Organic traffic to the Outrigger website grew by 14% last year alone because of these efforts – ensuring more visibility and bookings for Outrigger condominiums.
Awards
Hats off to Honua Kai Resort and Spa for being recognized as a AAA 4-Diamond awardee! This is one of more than 100 accolades that Outrigger Hospitality Group amassed in 2019 from distinguished organizations and publications.Hoʻomaikaʻi (congratulations) to Kiahuna Plantation Resort Kaua‘i by Outrigger, Royal Sea Cliff Kona by Outrigger, Honua Kai Resort & Spa and Duke’s Beach House restaurant at Honua Kai for being named winners in Hawaii Magazine’s 2020 Best of the Best Awards!
Silver Linings
Kōnea in the Hawaiian language translates to “restore to health.” We are seeing a restoration of health now in many ways:

  • The ocean is crystal clear; seaweed is growing back on the coral reefs and sea animals are moving freely along the shore.
  • Roads are being improved, residents are showing resilience and rental car companies are readying their fleet.
  • Condominium segments are upgrading their properties and landscapes are thriving – happy and green with fragrant blossoms – awaiting to welcome back guests and owners.

Hawaii Vacation Condo Owner Exclusive Rate Program
An added benefit of being an owner with Outrigger is a discount of up to 20% off at Outrigger properties across the globe. Click HERE to access the program and book for future dates using the code “OEGOWNER.”
COVID-19 Updates
  • For the latest news and updates about COVID-19 travel mandates from the State of Hawaii – please visit the Hawaii Tourism Authority website and click on the top alert header.
  • Click HERE for information specific to Outrigger Hospitality Group.

Your feedback is important to us; please send any comments to communications@outrigger.com.