Perspective magazine article

Azure Malta Golden Sands

Azure Malta Launches New Member Experiences at Five Star Golden Sands Resort Azure has rapidly become one of Europe’s leading vacation ownership specialists, reaching £100 million in sales by 2010. This achievement was accomplished wholly, through sales of exclusive memberships at a single resort – the five star, beachfront Radisson Blu Resort & Spa at Golden Sands in Malta.

bedroom apartments that form Azure’s core membership product – The Island Residence Club, affiliated with Interval International.

2011 saw the unveiling of Azure’s highend Penthouse Suites. Affiliated with RCI’s outstanding Registry Collection and awarded Best Fractional Resort in Europe & The Middle

bedrooms and marble and granite bathrooms come as standard. Italian stylish kitchens lead out to furnished terraces including a Jacuzzi where one can indulge in panoramic views out across the shimmering Mediterranean waters.

Personal service is as important as the aesthetically pleasing suites and the Azure

With telemarketing bookings up 20% on this time last year and sales up 25% on the same period, Azure are seeing the benefits from the hard work and investment throughout last two years and look positively to the second half of the year.

Malta Golden Sands Heavenly Collection

This luxury mixed use resort is located in the scenic North West of Malta, overlooking stunning coastlines and rambling countryside.

The resort opened in 2005 and features 329 rooms, incorporating one, two and four 52 Perspective Magazine Europe July-September 2012

East, in early 2012, these lavishly refurbished residences form the illustrious Heavenly Collection and showcase livable luxury at its finest. Fabrics from leading design houses throughout Europe adorn spacious living areas fitted with the latest technology in touch lighting. Huge skylights enhance sumptuous

experience begins at the airport, where members are met by limousine and arrive at the resort in style. Once here they enjoy the services of a personal concierge. A personal chef is available for evenings of romantic in room dining, when leaving the view from the suite, proves all too impossible.

how of the business, gained over many years and continue to seek out the highest levels of performance, in both sales and life coaching, so that we constantly evolve yet remain at the forefront of our industry. Our Management team benefit from coaching too, looking to dynamic companies and individuals, including the outstanding life coach Tony Robbins. Supporting them in graduating from the largest training company in the vacation industry, The Levitin Group, means that they are officially recognised Levitin Trainers, which is rare and rarer still outside of the U.S. These skills when added to our own company standards of training developed by our CEO, Mark Cushway, amalgamate to form an extremely formidable set of ingredients for success. We are a young vibrant, creative team who inspire our people to in turn inspire our consumers. By recognising our ever changing audience we strive to remain an approachable company who understands its consumers, applying modern day sales methods.”

Compliance and Industry Accreditation Azure Malta Heavenly Galaxy Living Area

The Penthouses are personalised via completed client profiles, so members will open their fridge to their favourite tipple or enjoy the latest paperback from their favoured author, thoughtfully placed in the room.

Sales and Marketing

Azure’s marketing programme employs forty telesales agents working in the onsite, multi lingual call centre, ever expanding to handle the increasing volume of leads generated through in-house Marketing and innovative multi channelled campaigns.

A thirty-five strong team of exceptional individuals - the company’s Membership Consultants, contribute to the resorts’ large sales deck, creating a vibrant and exciting

Training

An in-house multi sensory training programme is in place to provide the skills required for this competitive industry. Constantly updated and passionately delivered, this Sales and Marketing company offer a training programme that provides new recruits with the tools to become a successful sales professional alongside life coaching, building on each individuals skills, allowing them to become the best they can possibly be.

Rigorous compliance testing is mandatory for all Membership Consultants, including a final examination and licensing procedure. The training provided ensures that all members will receive the highest level of quality assurance.

Only those that achieve the 100% pass rate,

An accredited resort, in 2011, with The Timeshare Association (TATOC) and also members of The Resort Development Organisation (RDO), Azure follow the stringent compliancy regulations set by industry governing bodies.

Social Media

Acutely aware of today’s internet savvy consumer, Azure realise that a vast percentage of their visitors know as much about the sales process as the company offering the product, so transparency and simplicity are two major areas that the company focus on. Fully embracing social media, engaging Facebook and Twitter interaction with the Azure community on a daily basis, opens up instant communication for visitors.

The final phase of Azure’s website redevelopment is nearing completion.

“We are a young vibrant, creative team who inspire our people to in turn inspire our consumers. By recognising our ever changing audience we strive to remain an approachable company who understands its consumers, applying modern day sales methods.” atmosphere. Azure is a company keen to recruit individuals from different industries within the sales spectrum.

Generating a stream of fresh ideas to an ever-evolving industry is an important factor in Azure’s business ethos. This can in turn present challenges as new employees learn what a complex albeit exciting industry it is in which today’s vacation ownership companies operate.

having gained their license will have access to Azures’ clients.

Licenses are renewable every 6 months upon passing a new exam, in order to keep up to date with any changes in current legislation.

Azure’s Project Director Perry Newton says “We take our in-depth knowledge and know

The brand new CRM (Customer Relationship Management System) will form the backbone of future business.

Three years in the making, this bespoke system is the brainchild of Azure’s Perry Newton & Mark Galea and in their opinion will be unique to the industry linking all aspects of the Sales business/Hotel/Social Media/Marketing and Customer contact, forming a flexible rod of communication and Perspective Magazine Europe July-September 2012 53

information for Azure and its member base.

Azure Client Experience Enrichment Programme

Whilst it can be tempting for many companies to tighten their belts and cut back on costs, Azure are investing in its staff and member benefits. Working closely alongside hotel management, Azure have listened to feedback from its members, recently launching the Client Experience Enrichment Programme Adding to the resorts’ first class facilities that already includes the impressive Myoka Spa and Ayurvedic centre, four swimming pools and nine bars and restaurants, guests can now enjoy a full programme of activities during their stay, including: • Yoga in the tranquil Olive Gardens • Zumba • Aerobics • Aqua Aerobics.

• Guided bike tours • Watercolour paintings lessons

Childs Play

Azure Malta Golden Sands

space with relaxing sofas, PlayStation booths, pool tables, air hockey and the sounds of MTV, creating a funky vibe experience for the resort’s teens.

Malta International Airport

Children’s facilities form an integral part of the family friendly resort and the second phase of the Enrichment Programme saw the inauguration of a unique Playmobil themed Play Centre, available to children aged 4 years upwards, creating a wonderful opportunity to play through imagination.

The meet and greet service at Azure’s airport shop initiated phase two. Located in the arrivals hall, members and promotional visitors enjoy a personal point of contact as soon as they step off the plane. The hotel porters are then advised and open the taxi door greeting the guests by name, welcoming them home, to the resort.

The only resort on the island offering a Playmobil themed Play centre, children are supervised by qualified staff and enjoy the latest range of toys from the Playmobil factory, located in Malta, allowing parents peace of mind to relax and enjoy the leisure facilities of the resort. The only difficulty is getting them to leave once the parents arrive!

Perry explains “We believe the experience begins when our resort is a mere thought in a potential members mind. Each moment of contact with us preceding arrival is an important and valued one. From the first telemarketer they speak to, through to meeting us, the moment they land. We want them to feel confident in us and our product and enjoy the best

There are also plans for a 10-year product to be launched shortly. Subsequently, recent research currently shows that even in this difficult economic climate, there is a younger affluent sector of the market that have high expectations and demands when travelling and have the budget to own vacation ownership. Azure believes that through its marketing drives, a shorter-term product may prove successful.

With telemarketing bookings up 20% on this time last year and sales up 25% on the same period, Azure are seeing the benefits from the hard work and investment throughout last two years and look positively to the second half of the year.

So in an ever changing world where techy gizmo’s bombard us with even more useless information and the internet gets ever more confusing and customer

Personal service is as important as the aesthetically pleasing suites and the Azure experience begins at the airport, where members are met by limousine and arrive at the resort in style.

Also brand new, the Interactive Experiences see budding Jamie Olivers get the chance to create and eat their very own pizzas, under the tuition of the pizza restaurant chefs.

The adults are flocking to the twice-weekly Cocktail Making Experiences held in Essence Bar under the guidance of the resorts’ top mixologists, who share their skills, taking time out from behind the scenes, to invite guests to learn a new experience during their stay.

possible holiday experience, whilst we focus on maintaining our core values of retaining quality and service every step of the way”

Plans for an exciting addition for the younger teens are also underway. Featuring a chill out

• High-end Heavenly Collection

54 Perspective Magazine Europe July-September 2012

Azure remain aware of the current desires of today’s discerning travellers and provide numerous options at the Malta resort, alone, to suit the needs of existing and potential members, offering: • Island Residence Club • Elegant Experience Trial Membership

service consists of a selection of touch tone robotic ‘goodbyes’ coupled with growing products offering yet more features, confusing the consumer with even more scribbles on a pad, we have maintained a different stance – One where simplicity is king and service comes from real people and those people are Azure’s people.

For more information visit: www.azure.com.mt www.facebook.com/azure