The RCS Hospitality Group Blog for Private Club Consulting

How Clubs Can Cash in on the Experience Economy

Earlier this year, as a part of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting; the organization issued an article that boldly stated “ The shift to an experience economy has the power not only to change how we spend our time and money, but also to promote inclusion and democratize happiness.” As the club industry works to combat member attrition and gain a share of the fiercely loyal Millennial population, here are a few ways clubs can cash in on the four pillars of the Experience

How Creating Memorable Moments Can Prepare Your Club for the Next Generation

It’s no secret that the traditional private club model is changing and while change may feel a bit scary (Look how far this club in Europe is going),the only constant in this world is change and without it, there is no moving forward. Global club trends and consumer expectations present a very exciting time for the club industry! A few months ago, we discussed the hotly-discussed topic of bringing Millennials to clubs and offered some suggestions to combat the top perceived r

Pardon the Disruption

“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein “Disruptive innovation” has been a buzz phrase in several industries: hotels (AirBnB), transportation (Uber), food service (Blue Apron), retail (Amazon Prime), Technology (Waze), Entertainment (Netflix), office space (WeWork) and even airlines (Wheels Up)…to name a few. In the golf industry, there are also disruptors like TopGolf. Yet, when we think about our club members we

Should You Send Your (Sacred) Cows to Pasture?

An earlier version of this article was originally published in BoardRoom Magazine in 2014. Author Marc Goben, in his book Brandjam, makes a case for emotional branding suggesting that brands today must shift from communications and commodities to emotion and inspiration. If we want to touch people on an emotional level we must find ways to reach people individually to fulfill their emotional needs. Happy club members will continue to patronize where they feel welcome, comfort

Provisions: Cultivating Opportunities with a Wine by the Glass Program

A Service “Blueprint” Helps Build a Great Member Experience

Here’s a familiar sight at every golf club: Long-time members arrive, eager for a relaxing day on the course. Their tee time comes up, and after stopping in the golf shop for their cart reservation, they go out to the first tee to begin their round. They’re cheerfully greeted (by name!) by the staff, led to their cart, which is clean and charged and ready to go, and a great day of golfing begins. It’s precisely this seamless scenario that led them to join this club in the fir

Provisions: How to Handle Special Orders

A well-known bit of fact in Club food and beverage service is that special order requests occur every day, multiple times a day. Special requests often create friction and stress between service staff and back of house, and can bring unintentional discomfort to members and guests who may feel that their request is seen as an inconvenience. Since special requests occur with such frequency, preparing for the inevitable would be a good course in managing them. Chefs never want t

The Importance of Strategic Architectural Design in Club Operations: Part 1

STRATEGY MUST INVOLVE OPERATIONS. I wish I could poll chefs, servers, bartenders, and managers working in facilities that weren’t designed with daily operations in mind. Or controllers and finance committee members who fret about the labor cost of their club every time there is an outdoor event or large influx of members in for dinner. Or a strategic planning or house committee who is trying to understand why the members continue to talk about dissatisfaction with speed of se

June 14th is National Bourbon Day!

Did you know? Yes, June 14th has been declared "National Bourbon Day" and today, just for fun, I'd like to talk a little bit about one of the libation's most famous cocktail interpretations: the Old Fashioned. Perhaps most commonly associated these days with Don Draper, the suave and slightly unbalanced ad man we all loved to hate on the hit period drama Mad Men, this drink dates way further back than the 1960’s--to a whole other set of 60’s, in fact: 1862. Jerry Thomas' Bar

Why Millennials Matter: Golf Trends for the Next Generation

This article originally appeared on Golf Business Monitor in January 2017. A follow-up piece is planned for September to find out how tings are going. Most golf clubs operating in the 21st century know that there are changes afoot in the industry; complex changes that are requiring us to rethink how we attract and retain new members. One of the biggest changes is the tremendous growth of the millennial market, those born between 1983 and 2000 although there are no formal gene

6 Keys to Communicating with a Multi-Generational Membership

Editor's Note: Today's blog post is brought to you by RCS Strategic Alliance Partner and founder of the Howland Marketing Group, Ashley Howland. DON'T MISS her free RCSU webinar happening next week, "Communicating with a Multi-Generational Membership". REGISTER HERE. We'll see you there! “The children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for elders and love to chatter in place of exercise.” - Socrates, 5th Century BC Yes, you re

Cultivating Your Service Culture

This article originally appeared in BoardRoom Magazine in 2014. Customer service means different things to everyone. Wikipedia defines customer service as “The provision of service to customers before, during and after a purchase.” Businessdictionary.com defines it as “All interactions between a customer and a product provider at the time of sale, and thereafter.” But what does this mean in the club business? My general rule of thumb is to first realize that very often our cu

The Real Competitive Advantage: Delivering Experiences

In a competitive marketplace, private clubs that do not have a unique value proposition find themselves trying to compete on price, resulting in cost cutting measures. This practice affects product and service quality and the club’s brand perception, unless the club’s business model is designed to be price differentiated. Yes, value is important, but it doesn’t make up for the experiences at a club. It is the combination of goods, services, products, amenities, and the experi

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Whitney Reid Pennell is the founder and president of the award-winning RCS Hospitality Group. She is a published author and widely praised seminar leader, with over 20 years of club operations management and consulting experience.

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Leadership Lounge

RCS Hospitality Group : preparing you for the next generation

How Clubs Can Cash in on the Experience Economy

How Creating Memorable Moments Can Prepare Your Club for the Next Generation

Pardon the Disruption

Should You Send Your (Sacred) Cows to Pasture?

Provisions: Cultivating Opportunities with a Wine by the Glass Program

A Service “Blueprint” Helps Build a Great Member Experience

Provisions: How to Handle Special Orders

The Importance of Strategic Architectural Design in Club Operations: Part 1

June 14th is National Bourbon Day!

Why Millennials Matter: Golf Trends for the Next Generation

6 Keys to Communicating with a Multi-Generational Membership

Cultivating Your Service Culture

The Real Competitive Advantage: Delivering Experiences

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

Hospitality Training Online

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor

Whitney Reid Pennell

Founder & President

​

​

​

Hospitality Training Online

​

AFFORDABLE.

CONVENIENT.

INTERACTIVE.

CONSISTENT.

​

​

"In this age of virtual worlds, RCSU is ahead of the game."

Michael Fay, CCM, CCE

FREE MONTHLY WEBINARS

​

​

quick

informative

valuable

no strings attached

no product pushing

​

​

“The RCSU webinars are exceptional sources for actionable and helpful information! I refer to them as “power hours” because they are jam-packed with great content and full of energy and passion for the industry."

Jackie Carpenter, CCM

Private Club Advisor