Fresh Face for Port Douglas icon
By Cassandra Pulver
Published Wednesday 19 August 2015
Club Tropical, one of Port Douglas’ iconic accommodation houses sited at the junction of Macrossan and Wharf Streets is being given a facelift with an estimated 14k worth of new signage which is to be installed in stages by new owners Daniel & Daina Keech of Reef Club and Jenny Fulton.
“It has been a long time coming, we have been negotiating for a long time. We’ve always loved the building and wanted to get in here but it takes a while to get everything organised for branding and signage that’s why people are just noticing now,” said Daina.
They have several other properties in their portfolio including Reef Club, two in Brisbane, one in Port Macquarie with settlement announced last Tuesday for another two Port Douglas properties to be added to the list. Daniel, Daina and Jenny have earned a good reputation for taking tired properties back to their former glory. They operate a transparent business, cleaning everything up with agreements and proven systems so all stakeholders know what they can expect.
“We may not be the best or the worst but we are honest”, said Daina. “We operate each business as a stand-alone business at the resort level and that is huge for us, it means more jobs and far better guest services. You’ve really got to be there to take care of it and that is what’s at the heart of it. Everything we do revolves around the guest experience if that’s not right the unit owners don’t get their money and neither do we. We focus on accommodation and everything else flows on from there.”
Moving on from the fresh new signage, they will be focusing on their marketing strategy and online social media and a new website to be launched next week.
“We have also done a lot of work in reclassifying all our rooms to complement the incredible location and subsequently have a new improved room rate structure. We have a lot of repeat guests here and we found that with the uplift of the property and new service levels, they are happy to book at the new rates."
“I think that it is important for Port Douglas to lift its presentation. Everything from the Sheraton flows through, as soon as they improve then everyone else follows”.
“We have flatlined for such a long time so it is really good to improve to see that we can get some movement now and it will be the guests that benefit. We think if we can get a little bit of breathing space in there so we can really be as giving as we want to be and generous with our time and amenities,” advised Daina.
“We would like to do a launch party with industry stakeholders, wedding operators and restaurants so people can come and really see just how unique the property is. We are delighted to have discovered that people care as much as we do about the place.” said an excited Daina.
As such an iconic landmark, even with the wonderful new branding and the new signage fitted by On the Spot Signs, Club Tropical Resort will retain the historical tales and nostalgia it has accumulated over the years.
