“Summer is just about to bring extra business, but the resort world is undeniably volatile and it is essential to be alert at all times,” says Yannis Petrakis, director of sales and marketing for Luxury Collection’s three Albufeira properties, in Portugal’s Algarve.
“The complex evolved because the developer, Jassim Al-Bahar, was so enamored of this site, 72 acres of pine tree-studded land at the top of 80-foot red and white cliffs above sandy beaches. He immediately foresaw a new lifestyle community here,” Petrakis explained.
Now, 25 years later, Pine Cliffs has become that community, with many living here year-round in a temperate climate where the sun shines more than 300 days a year. The whole complex includes over 750 letting units spread across seven hotels, all Marriott-managed.
“Three of the properties are Luxury Collection. All are unique. I have the advantage of offering a 217-room Pine Cliffs Hotel, and two condo properties, both put into the letting pool, the 154-key all-suite Pine Cliffs Residence and, only a year old, the ultra-chic 148-key Pine Cliffs Ocean Suites, where all units have an additional room that can be sold separately, without living room or kitchenette.”
His assets include a meticulously maintained product with a wide range of “eatertainment,” fitness and other extra-curricular activities – and Faro International Airport, which opened its new French-run terminal in July 2017, is only 20 miles away.
“International visitors to Portugal rose to 12.7 million in 2017, from 11.4 million in 2016. Faro saw 7.6 million international arrivals, up 18.5% on the year. In September 2017, towards the close of the last peak season, Pine Cliffs’ three Luxury Collection properties saw 90% occupancy, with 40% of visitors from the U.K., followed by Germany and the domestic Portuguese market. But the U.S. has rushed up from eighth to fourth, and I am really excited about growth potential here.”
Year-round, school vacations boost leisure and family business, but Petrakis sees tremendous opportunities in marketing the complex as a world-class MICE destination. “At the moment, admittedly, we do not have a permanent convention center, but Deutsche Telekom recently built its own temporary facility on our soccer field and I saw at my previous place, Costa Navarino in Greece’s Peloponnese, how car companies actually prefer to do their own bespoke spaces for product launches,” he revealed.
Petrakis and his team work on groups at least six months ahead, although they can sell to the domestic market as close as one month out. While lead time for families is about six months, the German and U.K. markets traditionally support tour operators, via travel agents, which means setting prices a year ahead, which is a challenge.
The entire Pine Cliffs Resort has been steadily expanding its presence in social media, where Petrakis and his team mostly use Facebook and Instagram. Facebook fans have risen from 14,436 in June 2016 to 45,787 today.
“I am really motivated by the growth in our direct bookings, up 10% since I came to Pine Cliffs in June 2016. Also, since the Marriott-Starwood merger, loyalty program bookings have upped 100%, mostly from the various Marriott programs – the nearest Marriott-branded property is in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, 160 miles away,” he explained.