It's April 2017. Here at Victoria Palms we have just completed our prime season. Here in South Texas our guests are called Winter Texans, an affectionate term used to imply they are fully adopted and part of the culture of Texas while they are here. No "snowbirds" here, our guests are real residents!
The typical season runs from Dec through Mar with a few coming earlier or staying later. By the first of Dec this play is buzzing like a beehive. Our activities are in full swing, the pool is full of newly arriving guests trying to thaw from the trip south. It's a fantastic time of year when all of our friends return and the resort life begins again. Dances, concerts, parties, themed meals, game shows and every amenity you can imagine. This is Disney Land for adults.
For the operations team, we go from casual to frantic overnight. From the front office checking in as many as 100 guests a day, to the activities department getting everyone aware and involved in the activities, to the postal team getting everyone set up with mailboxes and the maintenance team trying to keep up with the rapid onslaught of arriving RVs and the random bad circuit breaker or leaky water spigot. The entire team resembles an ant farm where everyone is helping to more the insurmountable object by sharing the load. It is incredible to watch and amazing to be a part of.
Of course there are always some bad days. Being at the top, everyone wants to make sure I personally hear their comments. I often have people question how I keep going with someone always wanting to complain. I explain its simply part of the job. In my years managing RV properties I have never met anyone who truly hated me or wanted to see me harmed or belittled. Regardless how angry they might be about me moving a ashtray to a new location, we typically part as friends with mutual respect. My job requires that I know what my guests are thinking so even the complainers are doing me a great service. It all comes out in the wash, and we work to address every issue where we can.
During the season there is little time for personal life. I am expected to make an appearance at virtually every event, so we pretty much roll seven days a week. Of course I am not complaining. How could I possibly believe anyone would buy the fact that I have too many fun things to do. It can certainly wear your down but then we miss it when it is over.
Now we head into the summer season where virtually everything we do is in preparation for next season. Budgets, major repairs, booking entertainment, and trying to clean and paint everything in site. It may not sound like much but it is a tough time of year.
I have now managed this resort for three seasons and we are seeing some very positive things happening. I won't go so far as to say they are direct results from my work here, but I will take credit for gaining the confidence of the residents. I have done this by always being truthful and engaged with the residents. They know I will not mislead them and will always do my best to help where I can. The day I assumed this position, I held a resort wide meeting where I made a couple of promises. I professed I would never promise anything I couldn't do, never avoid a situation I should be in control of, and never use the fact that the resort is corporate owned as an excuse for not doing something. I have held to that approach and believe it has been instrumental in our success here.
That's it for this installation. Next month I will talk a little about some of the intricacies of managing a large resort property.
