Back to School: How to Sell Club Level

How you start your quote will determine how many upgraded rooms you sell.

When you are qualifying the client, show them the options for both standard category rooms and upgraded categories. While price is a major factor, it is not the only one. The clients who book upgraded rooms, like club level, care about their experience, and they want to know what options they have.

Let’s walk through a couple of my own bookings that I qualified clients into higher category rooms:

Upgrading to a Butler-Level Room at Sandals

A client reached out about going to a Sandals Resort to celebrate their 50^th anniversary.

We go back and forth over email. Qualifying started with which island they’d like to visit. We narrowed it down to Barbados. 

When selling an all-inclusive resort, start with the level of service they’d like during their trip.

For a Sandals Resort, they had the option of

1. Luxury Room: All resort amenities are included but nothing extra, no room service, no pool or beach service. They are standing in line at the bar for their beverages.
2. Club Room: All resort amenities are included and room service during the day and early evening, no pool or beach service.
3. Butler Room: All resort amenities are included, in addition to 24-hour room service, beach and pool bar and food service. Often these rooms have the best views.

For my client, he rationalized that they’ve been married for 50 years and that they are going all in. With the butler service picked out, I move on to views and other room features to narrow them down to exactly what they want.

Theme Park View Club Level at Disney’s Polynesian Resort

I had a client who stayed at Port Orleans French Quarter on her last trip to Walt Disney World, and she called me for a price for a trip post-COVID. She asks originally for that resort and then says, “What about staying on the monorail?”

I gave her the price for a Water View room at the Polynesian in addition to the moderate price of Port Orleans French Quarter.

Then, I told her about the club level room that was also available. I explained what it includes and how with kids it’s nice to have the convenience of the lounge with food and drinks all throughout the day. I gave her that price.

I typed up her quote, and she replied to me, “You know what we haven’t been anywhere in a couple years, let’s go for the club level—that will be so nice.”

On their previous trip, they stayed at a moderate resort. I was not expecting to be closing a theme park view club level room at the Polynesian when I called her back. You don’t know what the client wants until they see the options they have.

Takeaways:

1. Do not ever assume someone wants the lowest category room unless they tell you at the beginning of your qualifying process. Give them the available options so they can decide for themselves.
2. Tell them about the experience they’ll have with an upgraded room. Will they have to wait in line at the pool bar in Barbados, or will their butler take care of them?
3. You need to know the experience. To sell it you need to experience the service for yourself. There is something about the authenticity of when you are re-telling your memories versus the generic marketing lingo. Even if it is just one night, make that investment to increase your bookings in the club or higher categories.