They will never get the "upscale" market considering the pool location and competition from other REAL 5 star hotels. I would think this was obvious to management but they are probably looking at potential $ from the richer crowd to increase profits. Unfortunately for them, the standards for the "upscale" crowd are extremely high and competitive considering the saturated number of 5 star options already. They can never win this market and will fail if they alienate their core base market.
We decided to make our first trip as a direct result of the new marketing strategy. I guess that makes us part of the new demographic. We had an amazing time, appreciated the design and as promised, we met amazing people. Hopefully we helped break down the barrier between Key West partier and Vegas poser. Part of the charm of TTR for me was the wide variety of people and tastes. I hope they find a way to keep everyone coming back for more.
i think the fact that they had a black friday sale with rooms selling for $300 a night (with a free 3rd night) might be an indication that they will eventually have to figure out that the TTR crowd isn't looking for a 5 star boring ass vegas pool party but we want our raunchy sex positive topless spring break for adults vacation to stay that.
My opinion is this is getting way over blown. I find myself agreeing with some of what John is saying as he says it logically and explains his perspective. Not all as different strokes for different folks. But what I definitely am not agreeing with is the hyperbole from others hopping on and assuming the worse. Some without first hand experiences. Is it the same TTR? No. Is it like Vegas? Absolutely not. If you like the new TTR does that mean you are not fun and are uppity. Absolutely not. It still is a magical place. Some don’t like the change for valid reasons and some love the changes for also completely valid reasons. But like a lot of things on an Internet forum I read these things and think wow that is just too far...was this person at the same place we were at twice in the last 2.5 months? If you haven’t been yet then dont be turned off and afraid to judge for yourself and give it a try!
John, thanks for all the time that went into this TR. It was entertaining and a great read!! Lots of great info there, and many of your points are spot on. Again back to the point of it being more upscale...it's whatever you make it. Take your degenerate friends, stay together, and do whatever you want. That was the way it was in my experience. And I am not sure I fully understand the Vegas comparisons either. Yes, I understand things can be more "posh" there, but again take your degenerate group there, and do what you want as well. That's pretty much what 30+ of us did out there a month back, and it was amazing. People didn't seem to mind cause anywhere we went we attracted a crowd or people wanting to join or group at the pools, clubs, and our tables literally were the most crowded and fun at every casino we went into.
