Atlantic Marine Management

CONTACT US
(410) 304-2296
(410) 739-4907
marinapartners@gmail.com

Change on the Waterfront

The marina business isn't what it used to be. Traditionally, marinas have been family owned and operated businesses with as many flavors of operating styles and policies as the owners themselves.

There was a time when a sleepy 50 slip marina with bait and fuel in a sunny spot could provide a family with a moderate income and comfortable waterfront lifestyle... that is before waterfront land prices skyrocketed out of hand; appraisal values and taxes escalated to exhorbitant rates and a quality insurance policy became unfordable or in some areas, unobtainable at any price.

In addition to the dramatic changes that have occured on the real estate side, every other aspect of the recreational marina economics has changed dramatically as well. Today's technology savvy customers are much more sophisticated and expect more than they ever have. Superior service and quality products

are beacons for modern society. The boats are bigger, faster and fancier than ever; and there is a wider spectrum of people who are able to participate in recreational boating.

Competition is fierce - and there's no room for complacency. 20 years ago you didn't have to worry that a visitor had one bad day at your facility... because they couldn't tell 50,000 people about it just by logging on. Today, with over 80% of all travellers starting their travel bookings online it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how quick even a great reputation can be destroyed.

In the past 5-10 years there has been a significant push by a few leading marina groups who understand this very well. They have been acquiring and trans-forming properties to provide the same quality experience and consistent level of service at each location. They are doing for the marina industry what the Hilton's did for hotels.

Whether you have 10 marinas or 1, it needs to run like a well oiled machine and marinas must strive to provide every customer a consistent quality experience.

Today's marina operators must now be hospitality professionals as well. They need to provide more than a friendly smile and a place to tie up for the season. There are dozens of opportunities for almost every marina to improve quality, service and revenue.