Dream Hotels and Resorts has ventured into a unique space by offering an all-inclusive product—similar to a Club Med-style experience. Brent Dickson shares how he sees this model evolving within the industry.
“The initiative was driven by necessity, particularly on the South Coast, where we needed to revitalise demand. We saw an opportunity and decided to reposition the property as an all-inclusive, Mauritius-style experience.
This approach does come with its complexities. The property includes timeshare owners, points club members, and a hotel component, so blending these into a cohesive, all-inclusive offering has been challenging. One of the strategies we’ve implemented is using food and drinks as a loss leader. The idea is to get guests to commit to staying for seven days and enjoying three meals a day at the hotel.
We’ve priced the all-inclusive package as an affordable add-on to the timeshare week. Interestingly, we’ve noticed that hotel guests often realise it’s cheaper to buy a timeshare week, pay the levy, and add the all-inclusive special rather than renting outright.
Traditionally, timeshare has been self-catering, where guests handled everything themselves. Transitioning to an all-inclusive model is a significant shift in meeting the evolving needs of today’s consumers while keeping the product dynamic and appealing. While it’s still early days, we’re finding our feet.”