Couples Aims at Seven Stars Upgrades

The expanded West Deck at the Seven Stars Resort on Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. With an eye toward expanding options for its target market, Seven Stars Resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, has made a host of recent upgrades aimed specifically at couples.

The signature design element at Seven Stars since its opening in 2008 has been the Deck, a beachfront, outdoor bar area.

It was an ample enough space when it opened but was enlarged in 2010 to accommodate 180 sunset-celebrating guests in 3,000 square feet of teak, palms, hammocks and lounge chairs on two levels.

Building on that success, the resort recently unveiled an expansion to its West Deck, a multipurpose venue that now comfortably seats 200 guests for special events, like wedding receptions and other social functions.

"It also has fire pit areas and lounges and is very popular for resort cookouts and gatherings," said Bryan Guillot, the head of sales and marketing initiatives at the 167-suite resort. "It's a place guests want to be."

Hoping to expand its appeal to couples, which Guillot calls the property's "divining" market, Seven Stars has a wedding manager and two dedicated staffers in charge of events, with nuptials one of the niche markets the resort is targeting. The resort never hosts more than one wedding per day at the resort.

"We're trying to carve out niche markets here, and weddings are one of those markets," Guillot said.

One way to do that, he said, is to capitalize on the experiences unwed couples have at Seven Stars.

"We offer a private island getaway for couples where we take them over by boat, give them a picnic basket and a cellphone and tell them to call us when they're ready to leave," he said.

Several of those island picnics have served as the occasion for marriage proposals, and Seven Stars would be more than happy to serve as the venue for the newly engaged couple's wedding.

"Proposals and weddings create return business, and we're tapping into that," he said.

To ensure that couples who do wed at Seven Stars have the picture-perfect day, the resort is building a semi permanent, 3,000-square-foot, air-conditioned, covered structure "as a backup plan in case of bad weather on wedding days," Guillot said.

While Seven Stars is focused on couples, kids are still welcome at the resort, and the property is kid-friendly with a complimentary children's program and playground.

Besides the West Deck expansion, guests arriving for the peak season will find additional enhancements and upgrades, such as revamped menus and concepts at the Deck and at Seven, Seven Stars' signature restaurant.

Seven Stars Resort in Providenciales, Turks and Caicos, opened in 2008.Recently appointed Executive Chef Kyle Kingrey insists on fresh seafood and steaks, which are now flown in daily from Miami.

The resort is adding an on-site gourmet grocery market so guests can pick up cheese, wine and snacks and store the items in the kitchen in their suite.

"They can also pick out a wine, and we will serve it with cheese at cocktail time," Guillot said.

WiFi is complimentary throughout the resort, including in the suites.

Breakfast is included in the rates, which start at $500 per person, per night, double, in winter.

As Seven Stars readies for the peak season, Guillot reported that advance bookings are strong.

"We are gaining market share and are ahead of pace compared to a year ago at this time," he said. "We're on track to a solid season and are carving a new path in terms attracting new business and welcoming repeat customers."

Travel agents and tour operators account for a solid 50% to 60% of total bookings at Seven Stars, and the resort welcomes agents at any time on a space-available basis, along with a 50% discount on rates.

Source: Travel Weekly