Sports academies can profit from hotels

Hotel guests could provide a significant source of revenue for sports academies after the downturn, Claude Harmon, director of instruction at the Butch Harmon School of Golf, has said.

Opened at Dubai’s Sports City in February, the school will target tourists who specifically come to Dubai to play golf, or simply express an interest in the game.

The school has already approached a number of hotel chains in Dubai, Harmon said, but they have not been confident in selling the golf packages.

"We’re talking to the Jumeirah group, we’re talking to Westin and to the Marriott group," he explained.

"They said they probably couldn’t sell the package right now; the numbers and people travelling just aren’t there."

The school will offer special deals to hotels, likely involving a series of golf instruction days, which hotels can then sell on to their guests as part of their accommodation package.

Unless hotels express a real demand for the product, however, sports academies run the risk of diluting their brand and the quality of service they offer.

"What we don’t want to do is have a bunch of products out there that no one would use," said Harmon.

"It’s important for us to concentrate on things that we know people are going to want and will bring revenue in the doors."