Avila Beach Hotel

Placement organization

Name of organization: Avila Beach Hotel
Town/city: Willemstad
Country: Nederlandse Antillen
Website: https://www.avilabeachhotel.com/curacao

Student

Name of student: Esther Verduijn

Specialist area: TM
Placement period: 2017-2018

Information about placement organization

Type of organization: Hotel
Organization’s activities: The Avila Beach Hotel is a centrally located luxury beachfront resort in Willemstad on Curaçao. It is the oldest operational hotel on the island. Avila Beach Hotel has a variety of restaurants and bars and they organize both culinary and cultural events.
Target group of the organization: The hotel is centrally located, right on the beach and draws generally Dutch, German and American tourists who have enough money for a holiday in luxury.
Company culture: The daily policy consists of the General Manager Mr. R. Vogels, son of the owner.
Number of employees: 150
Dress code: formal
Did the organization meet the agreements you made beforehand? Yes

Information about your placement

In which department(s) are you working?

Sales & Marketing

Brief description of your daily activities: Spot check of websites of tour operators
Assist with advertorials/editorials magazines
Follow advertising trends of competitors
Assist with promotion of the Avila product (all outlets & events)
Assist with display of advertisement of internal events
Maintain internal promotion circulation schedule
Assist with preparation of materials for sales calls
Prepare and maintain stock of sales kits & materials
Prepare and make analysis weekly GHT Guest Happiness Tracker
Weekly room rate comparison analysis of competitors
Maintain CRM (customer relation management) Mailings
Constant update of email lists
Constant update of best bookers list Directory of birthdays
Assist with preparation of site inspections
Weekly Tour Operator productivity update
Filing documents (digital and paper)
telephone handling/taking notes/messages
Prepare Alibi’s package for distribution
Make weekly meeting room signs for Conference & Banqueting events
Update Media overview
Handle reservations and upkeep of reservations list for events
Brief description of your company assignment: Develop and implement plan to act in advance, intercept and avoid possible guests complaints that might lead to negative reviews on Tripadvisor. Create reputation solutions to influence positive traveler feedback in order to increase Avila Beach Hotel’s ranking combined with an action plan to obtain accurate customer information and expand the database to have a greater reach with our communication and marketing & sales expressions.
Comment briefly on your supervision by the organization: I had good communication with my supervisor and the other colleagues were always willing to help.

Requirements for students on placement

What kind of personal skills are required for this placement? Flexible, independent, social
Additional company requirements for this placement? Outlook, MS Office, Powerpoint Indesign
English: Intermediate
Spanish:
French:
German: Basic
Italian:
Other languages: Dutch mother tongue

The trip

Mode of transport to reach your destination: Airplane

Accommodation

How did you arrange your accommodation? Internet
How did you go to work every day? By car

Visa / work permit / vaccinations

Do you need a visa? No
Do you need a work permit? Yes, Verklaring van Rechtswege
How did you arrange the necessary documents:
How much time did it take to arrange the necessary documents?
Did you need certain vaccinations? No
How long in advance?

Language course

Did you take a language course before you started your placement? No
Would you recommend to have a language course prior to this placement? No

The costs in euros

Travelling expenses (e.g. return ticket): € 700
Accommodation (monthly): € 400
Local transport (monthly): € 400
General costs of living (monthly): € 600
Costs of visa: €
Costs of work permit: € 300
What did the company pay for/to you? Monthly 850 Guilders (400 Euro) and lunch meal every day.

Culture

How did you prepare for the country’s culture?
I have been here before, so I knew the culture.
Did the culture of the country influence your performance during the placement in any way? No

Future students on placement

Future students are free to contact me for further information: Yes
My e-mail address: estherverduijn@hotmail.com

Other information

Recommendations on what to do and what not to do: Rent a car.
Leisure possibilities in the city/surroundings of where the placement took place: – Visit the beautiful beaches
– Swimming with dolphins
– Go to Klein Curacao

Media

Youtube link Youtube placement video link