LHC Bonus points winners

Monday, 22 April 2013

Each month we select winners from members who complete the Resort Feedback Survey after spending time at one of the Laguna Holiday Club Resorts and reward them with 500 bonus points.

Winners over the past 12 months are:

Our sincere congratulations to the winners. Laguna Holiday Club invites all members to provide your valuable feedback after your stay at one of our resorts.

Please click here to submit your feedback and be automatically entered into the monthly 500 bonus points draw

Newsletter May-Jun 2012

Thursday, 10 May 2012

Welcome to this May-June, 2012 newsletter.

As members know we are constantly striving to improve on our services.

In this edition we update you on two great new website applications that will make it easier to book in advance and to calculate your points.

We also profile one of our staff, Amr Hosny, who has won accolades from members and colleagues alike for his service.

And, finally, we update you on one of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes and preview another Summer Family Festival at Laguna Phuket.

Kind regards,
Gerard [Jerry] van Paassen
Assistant Vice President
Laguna Holiday Club.

New Member Friendly Computer Applications

LHC’s small but energetic IT team, led by Web Development Manager, Ian Surmon, is rolling out two new applications for members’ benefit and a Facebook page is now up and running as well.

Comprehensive Seasonality Chart.

This offers a new colour coded calendar for the various seasons so members can see immediately when their season comes up between now and 2015. This updated calendar replaces the old ‘list version’ of dates previously provided to members, and is a much more telegraphic view of the seasonality of the Club inventory.

Points Calculator

This very useful tool enables members to work out how many points they will be required to redeem, based on seasonality & room type, in order to make a booking. Members will be able to select dates and then be shown the points that it will cost them, based on the seasonality period covering the booking. Importantly, the app also estimates how many points a member will have left. Previously members had to send their booking information to member services who then manually calculated the number of points, and then sent the calculation back by email.

Please visit the Laguna Holiday Club Members Section to view and try the new applications.

Facebook Page

LHC’s new Facebook page will be offering incentives to members to “like” the page. Members will get 25 bonus points for each “like”. A monthly draw will then be made and one lucky “liker” will receive 500 bonus points. The Facebook page will be devoted to updating members on events in and around Laguna Phuket. Eventually the IT team hopes to enable members to place their holiday pictures at LHC on the page.

To “like” the LHC Facebook page please visit
http://www.facebook.com/LagunaHolidayClub

Profile: Amr Hosny. Dedicated to Member Service.

For more than 10 years, LHC member services team has helped members maximise their membership benefits, from making reservations to concierge assistance. The team comprises staff from several different nations. In today’s competitive servicing industry, only the best service quality can boost customer satisfaction, loyalty and retention to win more customers.

Laguna Holiday Club has around 6,000 members and is still growing. All of them at some stage or other probably require some personalized attention from our staff. In this member newsletter we profile Amr Hosny, who has won many accolades for his service.

Amr is an Egyptian who joined the member services team in Bangkok in 2010. Within a short two year period, Amr has received numerous compliments and appreciative notes from members under his care.

Says Sylvia Ma, Director, Member Services: “He’s such a gentlemen, extremely helpful and service minded, not only to members. He has also been very helpful towards his own colleagues. He is always the first to volunteer and is the first one to show up for any kind of assistance we need, without being asked. He cares for everyone that calls for him and he always wears a smile on his face--except for the days that his house got flooded during the Bangkok flooding crisis last year.

Here Amr gives an insight into his approach to the job, and below are some comments from members about his service.

Q. What is your philosophy when it comes to customer service.

My philosophy in customer service is how to exceed member expectations, without exception; understanding how to respond to each email urgently and make it a priority; to reply to members through a positive and prompt response and try to best accommodate members’ special requests if possible.

Q. What is the best thing about the job?

The working environment and our team work which encourages the associates to increase their performance. For example, I got employee of the month last February which is an excellent tool to measure our performance and for others to show appreciation of our work.

Q. What else would you like to bring to the job in the future?

I suggest that all my colleagues who have direct contact with members should have refreshment service training every two months. For example, to increase the service minded level and to have a customer program that rewards staff who receives 5 star service ratings from the guest comment cards. We are launching an online staff comment card soon for members to give scores and comments towards our assistance.

Q. What is your reaction when you get nice feedback from the members

I feel so happy. I increase my service mindedness.

Q. What are you duties?

As International Member service officer at LHC my job duties include responding to incoming calls and emails; assisting clients to make reservations at home resorts or through exchanges; handling inquires by assisting promptly, accurately and courteously; ensure clients are provided with clear information at all times; educating members about their membership benefits, booking rules and regulations, additional membership features to maximize their membership usage, encourage advance travel plans and week deposit; provide general information relevant to membership; assist in collecting club dues and accelerating points upon booking reservation; identify services inefficiencies and report to the Team Leader/Seniors.

Some Comments from Satisfied Customers

“Thank you so much for your kind patience and excellent service. I am really impressed”
Zhu Yili

“I am extremely pleased with your efficient service!”
Mdm Mariam

“We would have taken the opportunity of popping in to meet you personally. You have been of great assistance with our bookings etc.; it would have been a pleasure to have met you personally.”
Graham and Kit Sessions

“You are a very hard-working person with great customer service. Can you please give me the email address and name of your boss or manager as I wish to write to them to commend you?”
Dr LOW WYE MUN

CSR Programmes Update.

LHC supports two Corporate Social Responsibility programmes, the Baan Feung Fah home for disabled babies in Bangkok and the Survival Swim programme for Thai children on Phuket. The CSR manager for Banyan Tree, the parent company of Laguna Phuket, David Campion reports on the swim programme below. We will have a report on the orphanage progress in the next newsletter.

Survival Swim

We have now taught over 500 kids with the survival swim program and extended its reach beyond the immediate schools surrounding Laguna. The program is proving a success with over 90% completion rate for kids taking part. Those who don’t pass all the four modules will be invited back to retake the sessions.

Over the remainder of this year it is hoped that an additional 2000 children can be taught, but we will also be running into 2013 as well.

Laguna 2013 Fundraising

Laguna will also be developing the ‘Fully Booked’ Program this year, raising money to improve rural education via a mobile learning centre.

For More information please Click here

15 May-31 October, 2012: Laguna Phuket Summer Family Festival

Yes it’s back again! LHC members should keep in mind that the Laguna Phuket Summer Family Festival explodes into action again this year with another five-month carnival of spectacular fun, extra benefits and added value for all Laguna hotel guests.

Designed to satisfy both parents and kids, the Laguna Phuket Summer Family Festival offers a daily Kidz Fun Zone programme and is followed by casual evenings of family entertainment featuring a BBQ Beer Tent (operates daily from Sat 23 June – Sat 25 August) which will televise major international sports events including the London 2012 Olympics, Wimbledon tennis and Formula One races.

In addition, live music, Quiz nights and other entertainment are offered, including a bouncy castle for the little ones, evening Kidz Lounge with age-appropriate movies to keep the young ones occupied while parents relax with Happy Hour bar prices and barbecue fare in the Festival Beer Tent centrally located within Laguna Phuket. The Laguna Phuket Summer Family Festival offers incredible value with great additional benefits for all Laguna hotel guests:

• Kids Dine FREE at Laguna Phuket hotels
• FREE Kids Golf when playing with a full paying adult Daily Kidz Fun Zone Activities (25 Jun – 25 Aug 2012)
• FREE Laguna Tours for kids on selected excursions(Splash Jungle Water Park, XTreme Adventure and more...)
• FREE Extra Bed for Children aged 12 and under
• FREE evening Kidz Lounges at Laguna Phuket hotels open 6-9pm.

For more information about the Summer Family Festival click here

Newsletter Oct-Nov 2012

Monday, 5 November 2012

Welcome to this October-November newsletter.

We have a number of updates on our website development, which is ongoing as we introduce new services to make life easier for our members.

We also report on our work to obtain the highly valued EarthCheck environmental accreditation. A huge task, but one that we are working hard to achieve.

We take the opportunity to introduce our Two Joys, the nicknames for two new managers to LHC and Laguna Holiday Club Resort, who you will see around the resort, particularly Khun Jarassri Yodyana our Front Office Manager. Also, for our members visiting Hua Hin we are pleased to announce a special offer for discounts at the nearby Haven Resort & Spa, only 5 minutes journey from the Boat House Hua Hin.

Finally, we give you a sneak preview of the planned new Laguna Phuket “city” comprising condominiums, a retail complex and water park.

Kind regards,
Gerard [Jerry] van Paassen
Assistant Vice President
Laguna Holiday Club.

Members’ Website “Bites.”

Facebook

Our Facebook page is getting many hits. Already two Facebook fans have been awarded 500 extra points each from the lucky draw. Each “like” on our Facebook page goes into the draw. To like us on Facebook, visit us at www.facebook.com/lagunaholidayclub

Multi-Media Section

We now have a multi-media section where members can watch videos of activities at LHC and Laguna Phuket in general, such as Laguna Phuket’s recent 25th Anniversary celebrations. And there’s more! If you want to see what Laguna Phuket looks like, or learn more about the background and history of the company through interviews with Ho Kwon Ping, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree, and other senior executives then you can visit the website (www.lagunaholidayclub.com) to get a general overview of a day in the life of Laguna Phuket.

Members’ Payment Summary and History

We are continuing to upgrade our website. We plan to introduce a payment summary and history around November this year. This new feature will show members a payment summary including outstanding amounts and any club dues owing as well a transaction history.

Members’ Satisfaction Survey – Call Center

Laguna Holiday Club Member Services Call Center are committed to making your call a pleasant one, and that begins with offering you service that is fast, friendly, and responsive. Recently, we implemented an online survey for members to give scores & feedback for the member services staff who provide assistance to members via phone call or emails. Further to this, please let us know how we’re doing by taking a few moments to complete this online “Membership Satisfaction Survey”. Just click on the right tab under Members Information in the member’s login area.

We welcome any suggestions you may have on how we can improve the service we give you, as well as rewarding our member services staff with the best performance.

As usual, if any member wishes to leave a comment for our Guests Services Officers at various sites, it can be done by filling out the online Guests Satisfaction Survey which is sent to every member’s email address after your stay at our LHC properties.

Boat House - HUA HIN

Laguna Holiday Club is pleased to present another tantalizing offer to our members spending their holiday at LHC@Boat House, Hua Hin. Members will receive special discounts from the Haven Resort which is only 5 minutes away from Boat House Residence. Discounts include food & beverages; Spa; as well as complimentary round trip transfer from Boat House to Haven Resort Hua Hin.

For more information, please contact our guest services officer on site or refer to the promotion details publicized in the rooms.

EarthCheck Project

Laguna Holiday Club is joining with the other Laguna Phuket business units in a global first for EarthCheck, the environmental management and certification organization on sustainable travel and tourism. Laguna Phuket will be the first company to work towards EarthCheck certification through the “precinct” system which entails Laguna Phuket obtaining accreditation on environmental sustainability, with each resort within Laguna Phuket complying with international environmental sustainability standards to achieve a common goal of accreditation.

LHC’s team has been busily collecting environmental data relating to Laguna Holiday Club Phuket Resort, according to Ian Surmon, LHC’s EarthCheck co-ordinator. They have been monitoring every form of energy use, including recycled water and water runoff, as well as energy consumption to name just a few areas that require monitoring. The certification is a six step process which entails setting policy on sustainable environmentalism, followed by benchmarking that policy against other accredited resorts world wide, complying to strict environmental rules, approaching environmental issues efficiently and effectively, improving performance of the resort on sustainability, and finally creating awareness through communication to associates, partners and clients of LHC on environmental sustainability.

Within Laguna Phuket the corporate social responsibility [CSR] unit will oversee accreditation.

Obtaining EarthCheck accreditation is a strict process—a test of our resolve and commitment to sustainability.

Banyan Tree Signs Up To EarthCheck

In August this year Banyan Tree Group, owner of Laguna Phuket, announced a memorandum of understanding with EC3 Global, an international environmental management and certification company that owns and manages the EarthCheck programme. This means that GPS Development Services [GPS] which provides development and technical expertise within Banyan Tree Group, will partner with EC3 Global to deliver end-to-end sustainable tourism development services and expertise to external parties.

ABOUT EARTHCHECK: EarthCheck, managed and owned by EC3 Global, is an internationally recognised environmental management and certification program with members in over 70 countries. The program improves operational performance of member organisations and reduces costs. Recent studies show that 6 million people a week are impacted by EarthCheck's branded solutions. The company takes a scientific and systematic approach to risk mitigation and legislative requirements and is regarded as one of the world's best-practice environmental sustainability leaders.

Introducing the Two Joys.

Oh the Joy of having two “Joys”. Khun Woraphat Srimasongserm [Joy] and Khun Jarassri Yodyana [Joy] that is.

Woraphat Srimasongserm, Reservation Manager.

Woraphat is the new reservation manager and Jarassri is front office manager at Laguna Holiday Club Resort. Both are relatively new to their jobs and both have “Joy” as a nickname.

Woraphat Srimasongserm, Reservation Manager, LHCR and Jarassari Yodyana, LHC Front Officer Manager.

Woraphat, 31, came to the job from a reservation management position at the Dusit Thani Phuket with previous sales jobs at the Radisson, Panwa; Twin Palms in Surin and the Novotel, Phuket. From Bangkok originally she did a liberal arts degree at Thammasat University and moved into the hospitality industry on Phuket nine years ago.

Jarassri Yodyana, Front Office Manager.

Jarassri came to LHCR from an assistant front office manager’s job at the Marriott in Mai Khao Beach. She previously worked in guest relation officer roles at Le Meridien and at LHCR and also at Albatross Travel, Canal Village as a sales and ticketing employee. From Udon Thani, Jarassri graduated from Khonkean University in Khonkean province with a management science degree.

Jarassri enjoyed the inter-action with guests part of the front office job. Often, she says, staff are faced with problems they have to solve on behalf of the guest. She administers 19 staff dealing with a wide variety of matters that go with the territory.

Baan Fueng Fah CSR Project.

The extension of LHC efforts to support Baan Fueng Fah (BFF) orphanage was held on 27th July, 2012. This year, LHC sent along the member services representatives for the donation project. BFF, as it is known, is a home for disabled babies, situated at Pakkred, Nonthaburi, just north of Bangkok. BFF cares for a large number of mentally and physically disabled Thai children up to the age of seven years. This includes deaf and blind children, as well as those with milder and severe disabilities. Some even have multiple disabilities.

Happy kids at Baan Feung Fah. Nong Oil, the LHC poster boy is on the far left.

Twelve children, including Nong Oil, our LHC poster boy from two years ago, came out to greet the LHC representatives along with BFF school principle Khun Chiwaporn Kumjohor and her staff.

Nong Oil, the LHC poster boy two years ago.

Said Sylvia Ma, Member Services Director: “They came to welcome the LHC party and to receive the supplies accompanied by their babysitters. The kids were so inspired by our visit, they ran straight into our embrace when they saw us, especially Nong Oil, he was extremely happy seeing us."

Nong Oil was brought to Baan Feung Fah when he was three years old with intellectual and learning disabilities. He was posted in our Fun Times newsletter when introducing our CSR programe two years ago.

“He seems a little skinnier than before, but he has grown so much and looks healthy. He’s a smart kid and he knows how to say "Sa - Wa - Dee - Krub" said Sylvia.

Laguna Phuket New Development

Laguna Phuket is to undergo a massive expansion with a new residential community consisting of condominiums, shops and a water park. It is an interesting concept in that the new “city” will be tailored for a resort type of retail shopping, rather than an urban type big box department store. The new community will have 250 condos priced at Baht 3.5 million upwards along with space for as many as 1,000 shops and restaurants, plus the water park. It does not yet have an official name.

An artist’s impression of the new retail complex.

According to Banyan Tree founder Ho Kwon Ping [Laguna Phuket is part of Banyan Tree Group] the complex will be a permanent residential community, as opposed to a resort, which has transient guests. Said Mr Ho: “We are now getting advice as to what kind of community mall we could do; what size would be sustainable for both the tourist hotels in north Phuket and even in Khao Lak, as well as for the real community that’s living in north Phuket. Mr Ho told The Phuket News at Laguna Phuket’s 25th anniversary in August he believes the project would be an instant hit. “If you look at all the other guys who are currently [building], or may in the future do projects [with small-size units] I honestly believe we have the best sites.”

“We are doing it at the lagoon [between what is now the Laguna Beach Resort, soon to be the Outrigger, and the Dusit Laguna Resort]. We have a piece of land next to the Dusit that we did not sell, at the very beachfront, which we are going to develop as a beach club for all the people who are in the back, as it were. “Even when you’re in the back [away from the sea], once we have the water park up and the lagoon with all its activities, it’s almost like being beachfront. Who else can do that in Phuket?”

Regards,
Laguna Holiday Club

Newsletter Jan-Mar 2013

Wednesday, 6 March 2013

Welcome to our first newsletter for 2013. We have much to tell you.

Firstly, I am delighted to make note of a milestone in Laguna Holiday Club’s progress as this year we celebrate our 15th anniversary! In recognition of this significant achievement, we are running some programmes to celebrate & reward our members. For example, a lucky draw for our current members who have been with us since the beginning. We also trace the history of the Club over those 15 years.

In other areas, we explain further developments of our financial systems that are designed to “help you help yourselves” by making access to information regarding your membership easier. Finally, we tell you about our new staff and award winners. We are very proud of them.

Kind regards,
Gerard [Jerry] van Paassen
Senior Assistant Vice President
Laguna Holiday Club.

LHC’s 15th Anniversary Lucky Draw

To celebrate Laguna Holiday Club’s birthday, all current members of 15 years standing were included in a lucky draw with 15 members each winning 1,500 Bonus Points. These points can be used within the Laguna Holiday Club system or combined with entitlement points and used for an external exchange.

The lucky winners are:

Congratulations and thank you for your continued support of Laguna Holiday Club.

Easier Access to Financial and Points Information

As of 1 February 2013 a new financial tool went live on our website enabling members to find a complete summary of their payment history. Members will be able to get a complete history of payment records to date and also a history of membership club dues. Also, in the accounts receivable section, members will be able to view how many months they have left to pay and the amounts recorded with interest calculation included. All this means a member can pre-plan their financial year and pay in installments if they wish.

Ian Surmon, Web Development Manager, says the objective of the new initiative is to create a useful tool to enable members to manage their personal finances. LHC is aiming for a “paper-less” system of financial management with members. For example, invoices and receipts are now sent by email. A planned future application is to have invoicing and receipts available online as well.

In the meantime the continuing changes mean members can see in a few seconds what their account balance and positions are.

Note: The payment history can be found on our website under a new link on the left side menu of the Members Area page called “Financial Summary”.

New Club Referral Programme

We have launched our new club referral programme which will enable members to earn rewards of up to THB 7,500. The “Member Referral Programme” invites LHC members to refer family members and friends by filling out a simple form. LHC will offer a package of a free three days/two nights stay at LHC accommodation in Phuket. They will be given a VIP tour and presentation to learn about the benefits of becoming a club member.

For members, the programme offers referral incentives such as:

1. Entry to the monthly LHC lucky draw for every five qualified referrals. The prize is a free week’s exchange to any RCI resort. The competition is limited to five referrals.
2. LHC cash vouchers. For every qualified referral that comes on tour within a year, members get cash vouchers as follows: first qualified referral THB 500, second THB 1,000, third THB 1,500, fourth THB 2,000 and fifth THB 2,500. In total you can accumulate up to THB 7,500 for all five qualified families who come on tour within a year.
3. LHC bonus points. Earn the same amount of points as every joining referral you give us.

Khun Sisy Wins RCI Award

Khun Sisy with her supervisor Khun Itthipat Chirasathit.

One of our staff, Khun Sirisri [Sisy] Bilyamae has won the 2012 Outstanding Customer Service Award—Resort Category from RCI Asia Pacific. Congratulations to Sisy! We are very proud of your efforts. Every year, LHC’s member exchange provider gives out several awards to the top performing sales and servicing staff nominated by their clubs. At LHC we call the winners “RCI champions.” Winners come from all over Asia, not just Thailand.

Sisy is the Guest Services Manager at Laguna Holiday Club Resort. She was nominated for the award because she is very service minded, attentive and professional in her handling of any situation. Sisy worked at Burasari Resort in Patong before joining LHCR in 2006 as Guest Service Agent. She was promoted to Guest Service Manager in 2009.

Sisy commented on her award: “I was surprised after I learned I had won the award. I did not expect it. It is such a great award and it encourages me in my career path. I am happy to assist guests for whatever they require.

Sisy’s supervisor, Itthipat Chirasathit, said Sisy had shown a high enthusiasm to assist hotel customers at any time, even though sometimes it was outside her working hours. “We often receive positive comments from our customers. She is a good asset for the company. Congratulations to her on this occasion. We wish her well and success for the future,” he said.

Exceptional Customer Award to Khun Boom

	Khun Boom (right) with her supervisor Khun Neramit.

Khun Boom joined LHC Member Service team in 2008 as our international member services officer. She was promoted to Senior officer in 2010 to supervise the outbound campaigns such as Platinum member’s reminders, member birthday reminders and seasonal point discount promotions, as well as proactive calls to “sleeping” members. She is recognized as very hard working and enjoys helping others and comes up with good ideas on how to improve account servicing for members. Boom commented on her award: “I am so thankful to receive this award and I didn’t know that I can achieve such an exceptional recognition. I enjoy working with LHC Member Service and am very pleased to know that all the efforts I put into servicing our members was not overlooked by the company.

Kantinan (Pui) Wanna New Front Office Manager

Khun Pui (right) with Khun Ann Guest Service Agent (left)

Kantinan [Pui] Wanna is the newly appointed Front Office Manager at Laguna Holiday Club, fresh from working at Sala Samui Resort and Spa in Koh Samui.

Pui has had a long career in the hospitality business, starting out after leaving Lamkambang University in Bangkok with a degree in political science. But the world of government service, something quite traditional for people in places like Hat Yai, her home town in Southern Thailand, was not for her.

She started out as a waitress then took up a front office position as Guest Service Officer at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Hua Hin for three years. She finished at the Hyatt as a supervisor before moving to the Four Seasons Hotel in Koh Samui as resort assistant manager, front office.

When her husband, Terrawat moved to Phuket, Pui took up a job as assistant front office manager at the West Sands Phuket, Mai Khao for 10 months. When the resort struck trouble, Pui moved back to Koh Samui as front office manager at the Sala Samui Resort and Spa before coming to Phuket again when her husband was appointed as chief engineer at the Paresa Resort Phuket in Kamala.

Pui said she is a naturally friendly person who enjoys communicating with, and helping, customers. She reflects, “I am positive. Anything bad is a good experience in my life.” It is her first time working at a vacation club, but Pui likes to work in the service industry and enjoys talking to people.

News for Golf lovers

Laguna Phuket Golf Club will commence a full golf course upgrade from 1st July 2013. It aims to improve the overall golf experience at Laguna Phuket Golf Club, to align its facility with the expectations of a world class 5* golf facility. As a result of this project, the golf course will be reduced to a 9 hole facility from 1st July 2013 onwards, and estimate that it will take a maximum of 18 months to complete, meaning the full 18 hole facility will be operational by 1st Jan 2015.

LHC Over 15 Years.

LHC was established in 1997 and originally named Allamanda Vacation Club. In 1998 the first members joined the Club and a second sales office opened in Bangkok in 2000. Active membership reached 1,000 in 2003. Between 2003-2008, the Club added more property to the inventory because of rapid growth which enabled members to spend their vacation in a wide selection of accommodation. For example, LHC@Private Pool Villa Phuket was added in year 2004 and Angsana Resort & Spa Bintan in 2005. Our flagship Laguna Holiday Club Phuket Resort opened in 2006 when Allamanda Vacation Club was also rebranded as Laguna Holiday Club. During 2007 and 2008, LHC added more inventory in Thailand’s top destinations such as LHC@Boat House Hin Hin; LHC@Twin Peak Residence Chiang Mai and LHC@View Talay Residence 6, Pattaya.

Between 2008-2010, LHC launched a new points system for members to enable them to save or accelerate more points from the future to upgrade their room categories or extend the duration of their visits each time. Also, an Elite card scheme was launched for our members who own more than 7,500 entitlement points which provides more privileges than regular membership. From 2011 till present, our IT team is still continuing to find ways to improve and add new features for our one-stop resource centre in our website as well as Facebook page to increase service orientation. Currently, our members can place a booking request online, check room availability, calculate points usage & review their points balance themselves. The 24/7 accessibility to member’s account information is available for all our 7,000 members to log in and see.

Regards,
Laguna Holiday Club

Newsletter May-June 2013

Tuesday, 14 May 2013

In this newsletter we are sending you an early mid-year reminder message regarding your current points balance. We will also introduce you our new scheme on the points discount promotion, news of new facilities and an enhancement of our Elite programme.

Also, updates on our two Corporate Social Responsibility [CSR] programmes at the Baan Feung Fah orphanage in Bangkok and the Laguna Survival Swim Programme, which members kindly donate to.

And, if you wish to do something different during your visit to us in June, why not join the hundreds of people who take part in the shorter races associated with the Laguna Phuket Marathon. You can walk, jog or run short courses such as the 5 km Community run or 2 km kids’ run.

Kind regards,
Gerard Van Paassen (Jerry)
Senior Assistance Vice President
Club Membership

Mid Year Points Balance Reminder Message.

Before you saw how fast year 2013 flew by, this is a gentle reminder of your current points balance to help you maximize the usage for more bookings before they expire. Here are some other helpful suggestions:

• To view your points balance, transaction history or to print out a points statement, please log into your account in the member’s area on our website and click “Point Statement”.
• To deposit your points for holiday exchange or to further extend their usage, simply submit your deposit request by clicking the “Exchange Request” tab on the left menu panel on your member’s account homepage.
• To make a booking request utilizing your soon to expire points this year, simply fill in the online booking request form in your member’s account homepage.

New! Special point discount offers

Laguna Holiday Club is aiming to launch a new point discount scheme in the Members’ Area on our website. This new feature will keep members informed if LHC is having any potential point discount promotions for a certain traveling period when a member is making an online booking. Instead of using the traditional way of sending members our E-newsletter introducing the promotion discount, we will update a promotion banner in the Members Area from time-to-time. This very useful tool will enable the members to immediately recognize the available points discounts that LHC offers at particular resort(s), in particular room type(s). Log in to take advantage of the points discount today and keep yourself apprised of the special points discount we offer. Note: Points discount is valid only for online booking request.

Facilities Update

If you have just come back from your holiday at Laguna Holiday Club Resort Phuket, you will realize that most recently, the resort has upgraded its Internet facilities with WIFI access in every room. Members can now enjoy this new facility free of charge. Also, the Island Villas at Angsana Phuket Resort have been upgraded with new LCD televisions. In addition to Phuket, the LHC@ Boat House, Hua Hin has now also been upgraded with new cable TV networks as well as free WIFI Internet access in every LHC unit. The View Talay Residence 6 Pattaya has recently converted its indoor café restaurant to a modern pool bar restaurant that creates greater visual impact, however the fitness room is no longer available. LHC continues to strive to improve the benefits of membership and the level of services based on member feedback. We hope these enhancements will bring our members many more enjoyable holiday returns at the LHC home resorts family.

Enhancement of Elite membership

During May, LHC has introduced a new affiliate exchange partnership with 3RD HOME for Elite members on a yearly basis. This network allows our Elite members to exchange their high value week(s) for luxury homes in over 1300 properties and 67 countries worldwide. To upgrade your membership and join our Elite Group for benefit enhancement, contact our club consultant today at clubhost@lagunaholidayclub.com

Member Holiday Photo contest winners

Congratulations to our photo contest winners that have been chosen from the most “liking” winning shot that member shares at our Facebook page. To enter the photo competition, simply put a caption about your favorite vacation spot, and post photos, that show you, your family and friends enjoying your time away at one of our LHC home resorts, or via exchange to win our monthly best photo award of 500 Bonus Points!

Tips: Post your holiday photos at our face book page Add caption to the photos for telling us a short story Input subject as “For member holiday photo contest”

The winning photo for March

Laguna Phuket Summer Family Festival

Kids will once again become centre stage at Laguna Phuket from May to October, when the resort’s six-month Summer Family Festival swings into action with a treasure trove of fun and games for kids and cost saving benefits for parents.

Benefits extend right across Laguna Phuket’s five star facilities from 15 May to 31 October, when kids can stay and dine for free at all hotels and even enjoy free golf at Laguna Phuket Golf Club when playing with a full-paying adult. Laguna Tours also offers free tours for kids on selected excursions

For more information, a schedule of events and details on promotions, please visit http://www.lagunaphuket.com/events/family-festival.

Thai Kid Swim Programme a Huge Success [LHC major supporter]

The Laguna Phuket Survival Swim programme, which LHC supports as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility programme, has been a huge success, with 849 Thai students grades 7-9 completing the half day sessions since it started in January, 2011. There was a 97% pass rate from the students, coming from nine public schools throughout Phuket and Phang Nga provinces.

	The Laguna Survival Swim Programme helps Thai kids like these undergoing the programme to swim.

LHC helped kick off the programme with a Baht150,000 donation drawn from its CSR funding programme. From April 2013 to March 2014 the programme aims to cover 1000 more students, possibly extending the age limit down to grades 4-6 as well.

Each session consists of four modules per session: water awareness; CPR [theory and practical on training dummies] basic floatation and swimming [practical in water] and using floats and life saving devices [practical in water]. Students also learn how to recognize dangers signs on the beach [rip tides, warning flats etc] and basic water skills such as breathing under water.

The initial funding from LHC money was to support the training of Thai swimming trainers so they could conduct swim sessions on the beaches of Bang Tao Beach. The Laguna Survival Swim Program is a Laguna Phuket initiative, of which LHC is a member

Drowning is the leading cause of death for Thai children under the age of 15 years old. Mortality per 100 000 population is between 9.3 and 11.5 (2004–2008) and every 15 minutes a child drowns in Asia. In Thailand alone, 2650 children will drown this year, that’s 10 children every day!

More Help for our Orphanage

A typical example of what we are supplying to Baan Feung Fah.

We will be revisiting the Baan Feung Fah orphanage under our CSR programme in July-August to deliver more goods to the children in need there. In the past we have delivered a wide range of helpful goods, such as baby nappies, milk powder, fans and much, much more. Members who would like to make their own donation can contact the Member Services Department for the arrangement.

During our visit we will also be checking up on the progress of Nong Oil, the little three year old boy at Baan Feung Fah and how he is growing up and thriving. On the last visit by the LHC team in July Nong was very happy to see our team. He is will be six years old this year.

You Can Take Part in Marathon Day.

LHC members are reminded the next Laguna Phuket International Marathon will take place in 9 June 2013. The event will again feature a Marathon, Half Marathon, 10.5K Run, 91.5FM Phuket 5K Community Walk and a 2K Kids Run. This could be a fun family event for members to take part in as there are family oriented races for all levels. The race course has water stations every 2K providing water, sponges, electrolytes and fruits. Mobile toilets are placed at regular intervals and the course is marked at every kilometre.

The course is basically an out and back course with a loop for the last 10K. Marathon and Half Marathon runners follow the course out of Laguna and then head north through local villages and rubber plantations. The course is very scenic and runners can appreciate the lush vegetation Phuket has to offer. From its humble beginnings with less than 2,000 participants the event has grown to a size of more than 4,000 participants, with an average of 1,500 international participants from 50 countries.

For Race Registration, Accommodation Packages and Entry Status, visit the Phuket International Marathon Website.

"Tom, this is Kate from the office. Boy you're a hard person to reach when you're on vacation! "

Regards,
Laguna Holiday Club