Business View Caribbean
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And that guest-service exclusivity is something that
we market that completely distinguishes us from the
other resorts.”
“Last but not least,” he concludes, “as in all real es-
tate, location is extremely important. And we are the
closest, full-service resort to the Village of Placencia,
so people can walk there, down the beach. The other
resorts that are in our category of quality and service
are outside of the Village and further up the road, so
their guests have to get some kind of transport. But
within our property, people can just walk or take a bi-
cycle or even a kayak down along the shoreline and
go have lunch or breakfast. So, they have the ability to
utilize all of the culture, the gift shops, the night life,
and the restaurants that are available in the Village.”
France says that Chabil Mar books its guests direct-
ly, as well as through agents and wholesalers. It also
works with one of the OTAs (Online Travel Agencies),
Booking.com. “When I first wanted to make people
aware of who we were, we utilized people like Expe-
dia, Orbitz, Travelocity, and Jetsetter,” he says. “But I
always hoped, someday, that I wouldn’t have to use
them, except in unique situations. And the reason
for that is because of the volume of commission that
they charge – they were charging 25 percent, while
a wholesaler would charge 20 percent and an agent
would charge 10 or 15 percent. But maybe three years
ago, we finally got to the point where we were getting
so many bookings through direct, and through agents
and wholesalers, that I discontinued the contract with
Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity, because we wanted to
focus our attention and what monies we had available
in our budget for marketing towards the agents and
wholesalers who gave us great value. They understand
