1

activate

Activate your holiday

season

d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5

2

a note from us...

A s we’re entering the Holiday season, we’d like to ensure that

everyone has a plan to end the year strong and begin the new

year on a high note. Let’s think back to this year’s Resort

Experience Workshop and start focusing on the Grid. As you’re

strategizing for the holidays and Christmas week, keep the Grid session

and brainstorm in mind. We encourage you to go back through your GSS

comments from the holidays last year. Are there areas that can be

improved or added

on to? What is

going to take your

Holiday season to

the next level? How

can you activate

your resort, spaces,

depart- ments and

programs? Also, as

you’re planning,

be sure to keep your

guest demographic in mind. Your staffing strategy will also be key this

time of year.

Activate Magazine is a suite of activations we hope will inspire you in

elevating the experiences you already have planned around your resort!

Remember: it’s not what you do, it’s the way you do it.

Happy Holidays!

Margo Tighe, Jana Neilsen & Ashley Bradshaw CO

NTEN

TS

3

CONT

ENTS

4

Prepare Yourself

Holiday Season Prep: The Four Questions

6 Holiday Favorites

The top stories, movies, songs & more!

8 Holiday Photo Opportunities

Create a memorable photo experience for guests

10 Kids & Krafts

& Krafts for All Ages [Krafts as Gifts]

12 Wrapped Crafty

Hold a themed wrapping part or station where guests can get crafty

14 Light Walk: Marriott’s Shadow Ridge

Ways to activate festive lighting at your resort

16 Special Delivery

Offering “order in advance” amenities

18 Holiday Party

With a tasty treat

20 Elf on the Shelf & Santa

“Elf on the Shelf” & Santa around the resort

22 Staging & Holidays on the Beach

Elevate activities with staging

24 holidayTHRIVE

Thriving through the holidays!

26 New Years Eve

4

1:Based on last year’s GSS

verbatim from Christmas

week, what are your areas

of opportunity within

Resort Experience?

2: Based on the trends from question

1, what are you doing differently

this year?

3: How is your holiday strategy

designed to cater to your guest

demographic and their specific

behaviors?

4: What is your staffing plan for the

Christmas week, and how does it

support your holiday strategy?

As you’re preparing your strategy for the holiday season, be sure to ask yourself the following questions:

P R E P A R E Y O U R S E L F

Check out the Winter Holidays Wiki page for any of your guest facing communication needs

5

6

Stories

1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas / The Kvetch Who Stole Hanukkah

2. The Polar Express

3. The Night Before Christmas

4. A Christmas Carol

5. Olive the Other Reindeer

6. Twelve Days of Christmas

7. The Jolly Postman

8. The Best Worst Christmas Pageant Ever

9. The Santa Trap

10. The Wild Christmas Reindeer

11. Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy

12. A Charlie Brown Christmas

Movies

1. Elf

2. A Christmas Story

3. Home Alone

4. The Grinch

5. National Lampoons Christmas

6. Miracle on 34th Street

7. A Charlie Brown Christmas

8. Jingle All the Way

9. Frosty the Snowman

10. A Christmas Carol

11. The Santa Claus

12. Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer

H o l i d a y F a v o r i t e s

Bring the story to life! read guests a holiday story, then

surprise them by bringing the story

to life! Recreate the story with

scenery, characters & activities.

Watch as the guests become the

characters in their own holiday story!

Set the scene & involve the audience

when showing a holiday film, how can you activate the

space and audience? Is it trivia [what’s coming next?], or a

craft [making something from a scene in the film], or a treat

[a food or beverage from the film]? What does the space

look, smell, feel like during the movie?

7

Scents

1. A Real Christmas Tree

2. Eggnog Sprinkled with Nutmeg

3. Mandarin Oranges

4. Hot Buttered Maple Syrup

5. Peppermint Candy Canes

6. Pumpkin Pie

7. Shortbread

8. Fresh Baked Gingerbread

9. Real Wood Fireplace

10. Cinnamon

Songs

1. White Christmas

2. Silent Night

3. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

4. Jingle Bells

5. Santa Claus is Coming to Town

6. The Little Drummer Boy

7. It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

8. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer

9. Frosty the Snowman

10. Winter Wonderland

Honorable Mentions

The Twelve Days of Christmas

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Joy to the World

Sleigh Ride

Jingle Bell Rock

H o l i d a y F a v o r i t e s

Bringing the

Senses to Life

how does your resort and

holiday activities appeal

to the senses? Does it

look, smell, taste & feel

like the Holidays? Where

and how can you add

scents or music? How

can you team up with

your Food & Beverage

team to give an enhanced

experience? [Incorporate

local talent for a Christ-

mas Concert or Caroling.

Maybe the kids do the

caroling! Put on a Holiday

themed Lip Sync Battle or

a Family Sing-a-Long.]

8

H O L I D A Y P H O T O

Find a space

on your resort

that is, or

can be, nicely

decorated for the

holidays in a high traffic

area [ie. lobby] to

create a photo

opportunity for guests.

A professional

photographer can come

in and take family

Holiday photos. Their

photo can be next

year’s Holiday Card!

Tip 1: Make your photo

time a social hour by

incorporating music

and food and/ or

beverage.

Tip 2: Make this a CMN

event by charging a fee

or collecting donations

for the photos.

9

opportunities Create a frame for your photo

10

kids & Krafts Allow kids to get creative and use their imagination. Crafts can be scientific and educational, fun and colorful, and even make great gifts. Of course, crafts aren’t just for kids! Get everyone involved and make it a social atmosphere with refreshments. [crafts & cocktails!]

Have guests make their own pillow to cuddle up with during the Holiday movie. Or do a festive science experiment making crystalized snowflakes [click here to learn how].

11

Arm Knitting Link [click here]

Kraft for

all Ages

Many crafts make great gifts! Host a “Kraft for All Ages” that guests can take home to loved ones.

12

13

Wrapped Crafty

Presents need wrapping! Hold a Wrapping Booth to offer a wrapping service to your Owners and Guests. Proceeds can go to CMN. Kids love to be helpers, so involve them! Allow kids, families and anyone who wants to help to sign up or jump in!

A Wrapping Party can be a social environment for guests to get their wrapping task done and meet new friends while their at it. Theme the wrapping and make it a craft. Tie in the other senses [sound, smell, taste] to create the whole package. Make wrapping an experience!

14

Light Walk B Y M A R R I O T T ’ S S H A D O W R I D G E

Photos courtesy of Shadow Ridge’s “Light Walk”.

15

S hadow Ridge is

celebrating the season

with something new

and exciting this

year! Brandy Burkett, Joshua

McMeans and the Activities team

are currently constructing a

Holiday Light Walk. The team has

already hung 5,488 lights on a

pathway stretching 300 feet; they

hope to hang a total of 10,000

lights before opening the walk on

December 14th. The idea was

inspired by the childhood

memory of the joy and

excitement created by seeing all

the holiday lights. The team

wanted to give that same joy to

Owners and Guests as they enjoy

their holidays at their home away

from home. The activities team

will enhance the experience by

providing hot chocolate for guests

to enjoy as they walk through the

festive lights!

Holiday lights are a festive way to

bring joy to Owners and Guests

and life to the resort. There are

many ways to use lights as

activations. You can feature an

evening parade that is lit with

lights and complete with Santa

and his reindeer and elves. Or an

evening outdoor Glow event

completely lit by Holiday lights.

Light shows are also a popular

method to incorporate lights in a

different way.

Do something out of the ordinary

to impress and surprise! Come up

with other new, creative ways to

brighten the Holidays with lights

and share them with us!

16

s p e c i a l DELIVERY Make your Owners and Guests feel at home with special holiday amenities that they can preorder to make their villa festive and homey. [Small decorated trees, stockings, holiday décor]

17

Fun Express has the

resources you need this

Holiday Season!

Call or email Kari Onken for your supplies today!

402.939.3046 konken@funexpress.com

NEW ITEMS: Christmas Character Hanging Fans, Christmas Colored Lanterns, Tartan Plaid Christmas Lanterns, Giant Inflatable Reindeer, Red Mini Candy Sticks, Green Mini Candy Sticks, Christmas Candy Cane Beach Balls, Snowman Porcupine Characters, Christmas Stocking Shaped Activity Pad, Winter Activity Set, Candy Cane Antler Reindeer Ornament, CYO Winter Mug, DYO Mini Calendars, 2016 Color your Own Calendar, Snowman Stocking Ornament, Winter Gingerbread Ornament, Winter Bird Ornament, Warm Winter Characters Ornament, Snowman Picture Magnet Craft Kit

18

Throw a holiday party

Throwing a holiday party is a great event to incorporate this holiday season. Use what we did and learned during the Workshops to host your event. Involve Food & Beverage, entertainment and activities. Set the ambiance to elevate your event, and use the Front Desk to help advertise and sell tickets.

19

ta ste

20

T he Elf on the Shelf: A

Christmas Tradition is

a 2005 children's

picture book, written

and self-published by American

author Carol Aebersold and

daughter Chanda Bell and

illustrated by Coë Steinwart.

The book tells a Christmas

themed story, written in

rhyme, that explains how Santa

Claus knows who is naughty

and who is nice and describes

elves visiting children between

Thanksgiving and Christmas

Eve, after which they return to

the North Pole until the next

holiday season. The Elf on the

Shelf comes in a keepsake box

that features a hardbound

picture book and a small soft

toy in the form of a pixie scout

elf.

The idea is simple: An Elf is

sent from the North Pole to

watch the kids and report back

to Santa. To help keep the

belief that the Elf is real, each

night he/she goes to see Santa

and is found the next morning

in a new spot. The movement

is what makes him seem real

to the kids, but this movement

has sparked the creativity of

Pinterest parents and things

have gotten out of hand.

Elf on the Shelf

21

Santa Claus is

Coming to Town

Santa was here [ ev idence ]

Eaten Cookies and Milk

Sprinkle Glitter

Half-eaten Carrots to be found [reindeer]

Santa’s License under the tree

Norad’s or Google’s Santa Tracker [displayed on a big screen]

A gift “From Santa”

Santa Letters [respond to kids’ letters]

Elf on a Shelf

There are many ways to bring Santa in as an activation at your resort to elevate guests’ experiences:

Family photos with Santa

Write & mail letters to Santa

Don’t forget Mrs. Claus!

Santa’s Sleigh

Santa’s Reindeer

Santa delivers gifts

Santa reads a story

The North Pole

Parade!

Santa’s Workshop

Be Santa’s helper

Activities with Santa [ie. Football with Santa; Snowmen with Santa]

22

STAGING

i n s p i r a t i o n

23

Spending the

Holidays a t t h e

Beach

24

holiday

Refueling can be festive, too! Cranberry and Cinnamon are great holiday flavors that can be used in a variety of recipes and have health benefits. Try a warm cinnamon cider or tea, or a skinny cranberry cocktail.

Cranberry fights off infections, is high in vitamin C, has high antioxidant content and may help lower the risk of heart related ailments and assists in sustaining cardiovascular health.

Cinnamon is loaded with powerful antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, can lower blood sugar levels and may cut the risk of heart disease.

Adding just a couple drops of essential oils to a humidifier is a great way to fill a room with a soothing holiday aroma. Humidifiers reduce the risk of infections, sooths dry skin and eases asthma. Any of the scents in the Holiday Favorites on page 7 are great choices. Visit ehow.com to learn more about adding oils to a humidifier.

Fitness can still be fun in the cold, holiday months! Marriott’s Mountain Valley Lodge held a Snow Shoe Hike during their clubTHRIVE launch in November that was a fun, refreshing workout!

Theme your regular, day-to-day fitness classes, such as aquaFIT and freshAIR Fitness, to the holiday season! Change the music, the scenery and/or the workout itself!

Exploring can also be done in new, creative ways during the winter months. Try an indoor herb garden where guests can pot their own herbs to bring home or simply learn something new.

25

26

27

28