Watch: Creating exceptional experiences that keep guests coming back As the resort gears up to host the 2031 Ryder Cup, that experience-led hospitality becomes even more important. Director of Golf Flavio Papa explains… Making every guest feel like a VIP “At Camiral, our goal is to personalise and elevate the experience of every guest who walks through our doors,” he said. “At the 2026 European Tour Destinations Conference, Richard Payne from Levy, talked about treating every guest as a VIP, and that resonates deeply with what we’re trying to build at Camiral. “However, what VIP really means is evolving. It’s no longer just about a room upgrade or a welcome amenity. Those can be important, but there’s now a stronger emphasis on curating an experience that feels designed entirely around that individual – one that anticipates their needs, reflects their preferences and makes them feel genuinely valued at every touchpoint. “We’re focusing on extending the guest journey beyond the resort by building a stronger pre-arrival experience. Our goal is to personalise each visit long before a guest sets foot on the property, moving from a reactive service model to a proactive, tailored approach. “To achieve this, we’ve implemented an automated outreach system that contacts guests before they arrive. Unlike a standard booking confirmation, this communication is more personalised and helps identify individual needs and preferences in advance. “This allows us not only to improve the overall guest experience, helping us anticipate requests and deliver a seamless experience from the first interaction, but also to drive ancillary revenue by promoting curated services like golf tee times, dining reservations, or wellness. “This automated system enables us to personalise at scale by helping us to understand and deliver on each guest’s unique definition of a ‘perfect stay’. “Every guest arrives with different motivations. Our job is to capture those insights early so we can exceed expectations the moment they arrive.” Putting people at the centre “To consistently deliver an ‘exceptional’ experience, we focus heavily on developing our staff. They are the ones who create the personal moments that matter,” Papa continued. “To ensure continuous growth, we complement our internal HR training programmes with bi-annual on-site training from the 59Club. These sessions provide fresh insights and reinforce global service standards through tailored dynamics that evolve with an employee’s tenure, from onboarding to advanced leadership. “In response to modern learning preferences, we are also launching a library of short-format Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) videos. By showcasing real-world best practices, these videos will help standardise our operations while making the onboarding process more engaging and innovative. “This multi-layered approach ensures development is a continuous cultural pillar rather than a one-time event. “And, to Richard’s point, it is the small, human interactions that define a guest’s memory. By training our team to recognise and own these emotional touchpoints, we ensure our guests have stories worth sharing – and a reason to return.” Creating a lasting legacy “Creating that kind of experience at scale, however, requires more than

What separates a good experience from a great one on a golf course, at a tournament or on a golf trip? “It comes down to those touchpoints that move experiences towards emotion,” says Richard Payne, Director of Commercial Strategy and Golf at Levy. “It’s anticipating what your customer or guest wants before they even know they want it.” In our latest video, Richard breaks down the small, high-impact tweaks that clubs and resorts can make to deliver exceptional experiences – and drive loyalty and revenue. He explains the importance of: Making every guest feel like a VIP Identifying the ‘emotional’ touchpoints Using technology to optimise the opportunities From first click to first tee “An ‘exceptional experience’ at any sporting event really comes down to those touchpoints, those moments that move experience through to emotion,” said Payne. “When a customer thinks of going for a sports experience, their journey starts from the moment you first engage with that person. That’s why the digital journey and the communication you use leading up are so important. “It’s about understanding who that person is, and ensuring a seamless experience all before they set foot on the property. “And then when they arrive, you want them to know exactly the type of place they’ve come to. Having your brand prominent on arrival, like the feeling you get walking into Wimbledon or the BMW PGA Championship. That’s something that really resonates with people. “Then, it’s about optimising all those small touchpoints that make a difference. Things like providing a guest with X on arrival, or having a little cool station with pick ‘n’ mix sweets. “When you’re talking about an experience, you’re potentially engaging with someone for 9 or 10 hours, and you’ve got to keep them engaged at every moment throughout that day.” “Golf resorts are the lifeblood of a golfer’s journey and the enjoyment of the sport. It’s that feeling, the emotion of belonging at the resort, of knowing the resort values you as an individual. They know that you’re in a group and they value that your group wants to have a great time.” How technology makes it effortless “Again, it comes back to those touchpoints,” Payne continued. Making sure you know exactly what your guest wants at every stage of their journey. That’s where AI becomes an incredibly useful tool, providing you with guest data to personalise their experience. “You know exactly when they’ll arrive because they’ve downloaded your app, so you can have a member of staff waiting to greet them with a drink. On the course, you know what hole they’re on and have a beer or a bacon sandwich waiting. “It’s about understanding what they want before they’ve asked for it. It’s frictionless, it’s effortless. And this is where technology can really make a difference, and golf resorts should be taking advantage of these opportunities.” Ready to adapt your 2026 strategy? If you’re wondering how your club or resort can consistently offer exceptional experiences, get in touch with our

Younger customers, experiential living and value over cost were among the real estate insights on the agenda at the Fine & Country Annual Conference, where European Tour Destinations exhibited to property professionals from around the world. The event, held at The Belfry, celebrated excellence, shared insights and marked a milestone 25th anniversary for the global network of luxury real estate agents. European Tour Destinations real estate consultant Sandra Ruttle was present to promote the wide range of residences at network venues, along with representatives from INFINITUM Resort in Spain and Palmares Ocean Living & Golf in Portugal – two of the newest member venues in the network. “The Fine & Country conference was an excellent opportunity for two of our network venues to share the incredible real estate on offer at their resorts,” said Ruttle.  “It was also a temperature check on the market in general, and there were some important takeaways both from the presenters and from fellow professionals.” One of those centred on the continued need to deliver ahead of customer expectations. Another highlighted the fact that luxury resort homebuyers are looking for a safe, secure and emotional connection with their new home, while a third outlined how experience living still remains big business. “The shift towards experience-led lifestyles and the preference for real estate that tells a story supported by quality, craftsmanship and service shows no signs of slowing, whilst women remain the main drivers in the buyer decision,” Ruttle continued. “Another point was that customers are younger than they have typically been previously, particularly those from outside Europe. A new generation of affluent purchasers is entering the market earlier and shaping demand for modern, lifestyle-driven properties.  “AI is also making buyers more educated – and sometimes more complex. They arrive with higher expectations and more specific demands thanks to deeper research using AI tools.” Ruttle also noted that India, Mexico, Nigeria and Vietnam are strong emerging markets for real estate, and that buyers are placing value over price. “People are seeking quality, longevity and meaningful experiences and often those values mean more to them than how expensive a property is,” said Ruttle.

Watch: How golf clubs and resorts can embrace AI To understand how Ben’s insights are translating into day-to-day reality, we caught up with Heribert Rubiano, Sales Manager at Arabella, for an on-the-ground perspective. AI as an ‘invisible operator’ “The idea of AI as an ‘invisible operator’ resonates strongly with how we’re adopting it at Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca,” said Rubiano. “For us, it’s becoming part of our operational infrastructure – something that sits in the background and helps everything run more effectively. If it’s done well, it enhances the guest experience without them even noticing it’s there. “We’ve already implemented AI across several areas of the business. One of the most impactful has been for multilingual communications, which is particularly important given the international profile of our golfers and visitors. It allows us to respond more quickly and clearly, while still maintaining a personal tone. “We’re also using it across our day-to-day operations with things like reports, information analysis and internal documentation. These are essential tasks, but they can be time-consuming. So, by automating such processes, AI helps our teams work more efficiently and focus their time on being more customer-facing and having that important human connection with guests. . Using AI to enhance, not replace “This is a really important message for our team. You hear people frequently refer to AI as something that will take their job, but that’s not the case for us. By taking care of the more repetitive and predictable tasks, AI frees up our teams to focus on the guest. “That means more time spent delivering a personalised experience, having meaningful interactions and ultimately raising the standard of service. In a hospitality environment, that’s where the real value lies. “As Ben Martin highlights, AI can’t replace the human connection with a guest. It’s the small, personal touches, like being welcomed at the front door or a starter sharing local insight about the course, that really define an experience. “At the end of a trip, those are the moments guests remember, and the reason they come back.” Impact of AI on searchability “In marketing, AI is also supporting how we approach content creation and optimisation, particularly from an SEO perspective. It’s helping us draft social media content or optimise imagery, allowing the team to work more efficiently without sacrificing quality. “But the bigger shift is how AI is starting to influence how people discover destinations – a key theme at this year’s European Tour Destinations Conference. “As more users rely on AI-driven platforms and tools to plan their travel and golf experiences, it’s no longer just about ranking well on traditional search engines. Increasingly, it’s about how your resort is understood and recommended by AI. When someone asks where to travel or where to play, you want to feature in the answer and be among the listed recommendations. “For us, this means placing greater emphasis on clear, structured and high-quality digital content, ensuring Arabella Golf Resort Mallorca is well positioned within these emerging discovery channels.