Mark Becker

General manager,

Hyatt Regency Sarasota

From a revenue perspective, we have a couple of things rolling. All summer, kids eat free off our children’s menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner with two adult entrées, and that’s gone out to our e-mail data base and available on hyatt.com. For guests who stayed with us in January, February and March of 2010, they can stay for $129 a night and that includes breakfast. For those guests who want to come by boat, we have a float package of 50 percent off slip fees, which is $2.50 a foot, a $129 room fee with breakfast included and 10 percent off at CB Outfitters in the hotel. Our corporate office has rolled out a companywide summer family package that includes breakfast and a welcome gift upon arrival, which is a discount throughout the property.

We’re also going after the state association business based in Tallahassee because summer is the time of year when they meet. Our sales and marketing budget has increased over 2009, and we are traveling significantly more than we have in the past, and that’s not just in Florida, but also to Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. There seems to be more of an appetite for corporate meetings. We’re not to the levels of 2006 and 2007, but it’s better than 2009.

 

Laurel Kaiser

Owner,  Island Style Sports

We are offering windsurfing and standup paddle board camps through Sarasota County Parks and Recreation at Ken Thompson Park five days a week from 9 a.m. to noon for kids 8-14. We also are also doing camps for experienced sailors, who want to do something fun during their off season. We’re offering free paddle board demonstrations on Saturday morning at Bird Key Park from 9-12 and family packages on the weekends for windsurfing, which has become more popular in the last couple of years. Parents and children can both do this together. We’ll also be doing the kayak mangrove tunnel tours in the morning and late afternoon as well as moonlight paddles. We leave from Bird Key Park through the pass to South Lido. Depending on the time of year, you can leave early enough to see the sunset and the moonrise almost simultaneously. 

 

David Teitelbaum

Owner, Anna Maria

Island Resorts

We have a new Web site campaign with different specials that are specific for the seasons. Our spring/summer deal is from April 15 to July 31 with a fourth night free on weekdays. For Florida residents, there is a 10 percent discount for any of the three island resorts for at least two nights. Our biggest markets are Tampa, Orlando, Lakeland and Bradenton because we are their local beach. Most of the business during the summer is local and European. We also appeal to weddings because Anna Maria is the wedding capital of Florida. We market all year-round through the convention and visitors bureaus, Chambers of Commerce, Internet social marketing and e-brochures.