The Complete Operations Guide for Modern Beach Clubs and Resorts
Streamline your modern beach club operations. Learn how to source paper straws wholesale, find a reliable beach towel supplier, and upgrade payment gateways.
Managing a contemporary beach club and seaside resort is a demanding task that's constantly juggling an atmosphere of relaxed sun drenched luxury with military precision in logistics. From the behind-the-scenes magic of smooth cabana operation, perfect sunset DJ performances, and flawlessly mixed frozen cocktails, there's a lot more going on than meets the eye.
With the competition in the hospitality industry so great these days, guests want to see more than a sunbed and an umbrella. They expect seamless service, sustainable practices, high-end finishes and seamless technology. In order to remain profitable and provide a world-class customer experience, operations managers and owners must ensure that they maximise each interaction of their business.
From bulk purchase to selecting the luxury vendors, from point-of-sale technology to daily operations, this comprehensive operations guide covers all the key strategies to run a very successful and modern beach club.
Raising the Guest Experience: Comfort and Linens
Comfort is the cornerstone of any beach club business. The linen you put on your sun loungers or cabana beds is the initial 'haptic' touch of your brand to your guest. When the linens are very thin, loose or take longer than usual to dry, the feeling of luxury is taken away.
One of the top operating costs is the cost of high quality textiles, and it is important to work with a specialized beach towel manufacturer that can deliver textiles that will withstand the strict demands of a commercial beach front location. When choosing a vendor and ordering bulk quantities, keep in mind the following factors:
Towels for luxury resorts should be around 500 to 600 GSM (Grams per Square Meter). This weight is soft, luxurious and still dries reasonably quickly when in the sun.
Durability and Colorfastness: Beach club towels are extremely durable and resistant to colour. They are subjected to intense UV radiation, salt water, chlorine, and high-strength commercial laundry. Make sure that your supplier is using vat dyed yarn which will not fade or bleach.
Branding and Aesthetics: You can custom embroider your club logo or jacquard weave your logo for added brand authority. High contrast cabana stripes are also never out of style and are always a stunning social media good look.
Loss and theft (shrinkage) of towels is an inevitable occurrence in the resort business. When going to your supplier, set up a strong replenishment plan. A "par level" should always be kept between 3 and 4 times the maximum number of guests a day (one in use, one in the laundry, one in storage and a spare in case it is lost).
With this mindset, you're not just buying linens for the cost of replacing them, but for their value to your venue, and to make your laundry process more efficient, in the long run.
Sustainable Food and Beverage Operations
For the most part, the beach club's main revenue comes from the food and beverage (F&B) program. But when it comes to running an F&B program on the sand, there are a lot of challenges, especially in terms of glassware safety and sustainability.
Today's consumers are very “green” and local governments are now restricting the use of single-use plastics on their beaches to safeguard marine life. Going green with services is not just a choice, but an operational necessity.
For operators to keep profits at a profitable level without compromising the guest experience, it is essential that they find ways to make sustainable alternatives while sourcing them. One way that is the most effective to control F&B costs and meet eco-regulation compliance is to buy paper straws wholesale. If purchasing in bulk, remember the following operation tips:
Multi-Ply Durability: A common complaint of the guests is paper straws that break in the middle of a beverage. Purchase high-quality 3 or 4 ply papers, that are specifically designed to endure acidic fruit juices and/or thick frozen cocktails for at least 2 hours.
Bulk Economics: Paper is not "expired". Lock in pallet prices during the off-season to help you keep your cost per unit down. Putting these products in a dry climate-controlled stockroom will also ensure you do not end up paying high rush-shipping charges on busy summer weekends.
Custom Printing: Many wholesale manufacturers offer custom printing. Use branded biodegradable paper or color straws to match your beach club's signature colors to create a nice touch of branding.
Sustainable Straws aren't enough; there needs to be a focus on safety too when it comes to drinkware. Beaches are a hazardous place for glass. Use good quality drinkware made of polycarbonate or tritan, which are not harmful and are as heavy and as clear as glass, but won't shatter on pool decks or sandy shores.
In this session, participants will learn how to upgrade technology and embrace frictionless commerce.
The typical modern beach club patron is looking for a hassle-free experience where they can have a glass of champagne and a plate of oysters and not have to reach for their wallet for cash or a physical credit card. At a beach, it's impractical and unsafe for the visitor to carry a wallet.
Operations managers need a flexible, fast payment processor that can work seamlessly with the point-of-sale (POS) systems they use and property management systems (PMS). You are not just increasing your revenue but you are increasing it directly by improving your transactions every day because your guests can make purchases easily and quickly.
Deliver mobile or QR code ordering.Provide mobile and QR Code ordering.
Print personalized, waterproof QR codes on each sunbed, cabana and umbrella table. Each guest will receive a QR code, which can be scanned by their smartphone and then displays their digital menu, allowing them to order and pay directly from their phones, whether via Apple Pay, Google Pay or the digital gateways integrated into the system. This takes pressure off your wait staff, enabling them to concentrate on hospitality and delivery as opposed to taking orders and running credit cards back to a central card terminal.
RFID Technology and Cashless Environments
There are many high-volume beach clubs that are all cashless. When guests arrive they are given a wrist band that is waterproof and also has an RFID chip in it. You can safely connect their credit card to the band with your local payment gateways systems. Visitors will only have to tap their wrist to pay for their beverages, meals, items purchased and locker rentals all day. This significantly cuts down on waiting periods in busy beach bars, prevents staff cash theft and maintains smooth queues.
Pre-Authorizations and Tab Management.Pre-Authorizations and Tab Management
One of the most common operational challenges for beach clubs is walk-outs at the end of the day or cards which are not paid. Your gateway needs to be able to do secure pre-authorizations. If a guest creates a tab in a VIP Cabana, the system should automatically approve and reserve the minimum amount they are required to spend, thus preventing them from having to cover chargebacks or insufficient funds.
The role of staffing strategies and zone management
Regardless of the best technology and linens, a beach club only has as much success as its employees. Beachfront service is a physically demanding position. Wait staff have to maneuver through a sea of sand, hot temperatures and heavy trays while keeping it cool, attentive and welcoming.
For the best workflow each day, follow a "Zone Defense":
Divide your beach and pool spaces into different grids (Grid Mapping). Designate individual servers, bussers and security staff to one grid during their shift. This means that staff do not have to make long and tiring walks around the premises and that guests never get the feeling that they do not see a familiar face around the corner.
Runners vs. Servers: Make a distinction between your front of house roles. Do NOT use "Captains" or "Servers" for any other purpose except to interact with guests, upsell and take their orders within their zone. Use "Runners" to transport the heavy F&B trays from the kitchen/bar to the sand.
The transition from the lounge and day to the high-energy party at the end of the day is the most important operational transition.The transition between the lounge and day and the high-energy party at the end of the day is the most crucial transition in the day's operation. Have overlapping shifts 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. This means that when the day staff get tired, other staff will be on duty to cope with the increase in alcohol sales and the dynamic structure of the venue.
Procurement and Inventory Management
Having strict control over stock and supplies is essential to good beach club operations. When a Saturday afternoon during a holiday weekend, a long day at work, goes without premium tequila, fresh limes or clean towels, it has a direct effect on the bottom line, and it's a bad thing for the venue's reputation.
Set up a unified approach to procurement at the outset of the pre-season:
Vendor Consolidation: If you require a specialist supplier for custom items, look to have your basic F&B and janitorial items from as few broadline distributors as possible. This means more buying power, reduced delivery charges and a more streamlined accounts payable process.
Live Inventory Tracking: Connect your back-of-house inventory application with your POS. The system should automatically pull the exact amount of liquor, mixers and garnishes from the digital inventory every time the cocktail is rung up and notify management when it's time to reorder the product when the stock level falls to a critical point.
This is called Secure Storage, as good real estate is difficult to find behind the house. Make sure your vendors have the ability to drop ship from their off-site warehouses to your venue by arranging for smaller drops to come from their premises every other week.
The last level of beach club operations is the "eat your fingernails" component of maintaining the luxury illusion. The space needs to be spotless while open and when closed.
Sand Grooming: Purchase commercial sand-cleaning equipment. The beach has to be machine raked in the early morning before sunrise to clear away debris, bottle caps and seaweed, ensuring a perfect, unblemished surface for the first beachcombers.
Music is the lifeblood of a beach club, part of the audio landscape.The music is the lifeblood of a beach club, a part of the audio landscape. Don't use one high-pitched sound system. Set up a multi-zone, decentralized audio system with directional speakers throughout landscaping and cabanas. This means that the managers can manage the volume separately in the restaurant where it is generally low because of talking (conversation), as opposed to the pool deck, which is often higher in energy.
End-Of-Day Breakdown: Develop a uniform, rigorously controlled list of items for breakdown. Salt water and ocean air are very corrosive. Wash all metal fixtures, bar equipment and zippers on cushions with fresh water each night to ensure rust is not a problem and your capital investment lasts longer.
Running a hip modern beach club demands a relentless attention to detail. Operators that establish strong supply chains, invest in sustainable, high-quality materials and utilize modern transaction technology can create a highly profitable and seamlessly efficient beachfront destination that will help keep guests coming back year after year.
