Eric Harari of Bel Air Resorts Group On How To Create A Travel Experience That Keeps People Coming Back For More
An Interview With Savio P. Clemente
We are the curators of experiences in our resort, and we are dedicated to offering superior service to our clients. We have a unique DNA and a dedication to innovate constantly by introducing new concepts or new services to our clients. We are currently adding a ranch and working on introducing a unique wellness village situated on four acres of land with great health and wellness programs. We will also bring a farm-to-table restaurant located in our prairie and we are adding a teppanyaki restaurant.
As part of my series about “How To Create A Travel Experience That Keeps People Coming Back For More”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Eric Harari.
Eric Harari earned his master in business law from the University of Paris, he then earned an MBA at NYU. He worked as a financial advisor for 6 years, in London and Miami, before entering the real estate world in 1999. Since then, he became a real estate developer and hospitality developer and operator in Miami, Quebec, Canada and Harbour Island, Bahamas.
Thank you so much for joining us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Working as an advisor for financial services was fascinating, but I did not feel in control — nobody is really in control of “the Market.” I believe that markets and economies of the world are way too intricate and complex. I wanted to be in control of my destiny and to control risks that could potentially impact me. Therefore, I believed that real estate and hospitality would be the right career for me instead.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career?
I got involved in the vacation rental industry in 1999. At this time, it was a new and nascent market, not very regulated. This presented risks at several levels and posed the two questions:
- Would clients want and desire to stay in vacation rentals?
- What would be the legal environment for those short-term rentals?
As a new immigrant in the US, I had to defend myself against three municipalities that attempted to stop me from doing short-term rentals — Miami Beach, North Miami Beach and North Miami.
I won against the three cities and got grandfathered in. I am one of the very rare examples to have won against municipalities,
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I am not sure I have a funniest mistake — every entrepreneur makes mistakes, I failed in some of my ventures because I wanted to be too innovative, too early, and regulations were not in place yet to welcome such ventures. I learned a lot when I failed by trying to understand why and analyzing from all perspectives. I kept my innovative approach but decided to focus on industries that could never be replaced by software or a new technology. I performed my due diligences, anticipating the worst and hoping for the best. I want to control my developments by being able to scale the developments, test markets and deploy on a larger scale. Thinking out of the box is my motto. I also believe in not being scared, creating, imagining new things, and trying new strategies, always keeping in mind that marketing should be at the core of the process.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story?
I am grateful to my father. He gave me the chance to get a great education and always emphasized that the most critical question was: “how do you sell that?” Once you have the answer the whole process becomes way easier.
Thank you for that. Let’s jump to the core of our discussion. Can you share with our readers about the innovations that you are bringing to the travel and hospitality industries?
I was a pioneer in the vacation rental industry in Miami, becoming one of the largest operators by 2005. I then created Bel Air Tremblant (Belairtremblant.com) in Quebec, Canada in the luxury glamping arena. We created a destination by offering a large variety of amenities and unique lodging units called domes and pods (a small modern architectural house of around 500 square feet designed to host romantic couples), all in a luxury hotel environment. We wanted to have no competition, so we created lodging units that did not exist. We designed and built a total of 25 different domes and pods in order to create different experiences.
Most recently, Bel Air Tremblant earned a 2023 TripAdvisor award of excellence with the distinction of being amongst the top 10% worldwide hotels. We also earned TripAdvisor awards of excellence for our activity center Action Tremblant, our gourmet Japanese restaurant Ekki Sushi and our Ono Spa.
Which “pain point” are you trying to address by introducing this innovation and how do you envision that this might disrupt the status quo?
We are the curators of experiences in our resort, and we are dedicated to offering superior service to our clients. We have a unique DNA and a dedication to innovate constantly by introducing new concepts or new services to our clients. We are currently adding a ranch and working on introducing a unique wellness village situated on four acres of land with great health and wellness programs. We will also bring a farm-to-table restaurant located in our prairie and we are adding a teppanyaki restaurant.
We understand that people want experiences, such as feeling like they are in Japan while eating Japanese gourmet cuisine, having tea in a Siberian yurt, or enjoying a glass of champagne on the dream bridge over the trees. The status quo is plain hotel experience. We are creating memorable, Instagrammable moments that our clients love to share and to explore.
As you know, COVID19 changed the world as we know it. Can you share a few examples of how travel and hospitality companies will be adjusting over the next five years to the new ways that consumers will prefer to travel?
We have been fully opened and running at full speed throughout Covid, as Bel Air Tremblant was the perfect getaway for people and continues to be a very preferred way to travel.
You are a “travel insider”. How would you describe your “perfect vacation experience”?
For me, the perfect travel experience is what I created in the two areas that I love -Harbour Island, Bahamas with the La Palmeraie Bahamas resort villas and at Bel Air Tremblant. I chose those places for me by building two private residences. My goal was to be connected to nature in two natural beautiful environments. Those areas have the same characteristics but in two drastically different environments: mountains and beach. The time just stops. The beach and the mountains are equally majestic, offering breathtaking views and the feeling of being connected to the elements.
The Bahamas villas are ultra-luxurious and private. They were conceived as resort villas with all amenities that one could dream of in a 5-star hotel, with spa, gym, private beach, home theater, and excellent service. We brought the luxury home rental to a higher level and have the best customer reviews and by far from the Bahamas.
Travel is not always about escaping, but about connecting. Have you made efforts to cultivate a more wellness driven experience? We’d love to hear about it.
In both the Bahamas and at Bel Air Tremblant we developed wellness retreats with a Miami Based company called C’est La Vie Wellness & Retreats in order to further enhance our wonderful experiences.
Ok super. Here is the main question of our interview. Based on your experience and success, what are the five most important things one should know in order to create a travel experience that keeps bringing people back for more? Please share a story or an example for each.
- Ultimate personalized service — treat one guest at a time as guests need to feel special and attended to.
- Offering the best possible service to ensure that they will come back.
- Share a story with your guests and make them participate in a wonderful experiential stay.
- Surprise your guests and have them discover new things throughout their stay.
- Have a wide variety of accommodation offerings.
- And a sixth one — to deliver perfection.
Can you share with our readers how you have used your success to bring goodness to the world?
In the days and times when the world can feel stressful and aggressive, I believe that bringing relief, a connection with nature and with one’s inner self is the way to re-energize, rejuvenate, and bring goodness to the world, one guest at a time.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Belairtremblant.com and @belairtremblant on Instagram.
This was very inspiring. Thank you so much for joining us!
About The Interviewer: Savio P. Clemente coaches cancer survivors to overcome the confusion and gain the clarity needed to get busy living in mind, body, and spirit. He inspires health and wellness seekers to find meaning in the “why” and cultivate resilience in their mindset. Savio is a Board Certified Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC, ACC), #1 best-selling author, syndicated columnist, podcaster, stage 3 cancer survivor, and founder of The Human Resolve LLC. He has interviewed notable celebrities and TV personalities and has been featured on Fox News, The Wrap, and has worked with Authority Magazine, Thrive Global, BuzzFeed, Food Network, WW and Bloomberg. Savio has been invited to cover numerous industry events throughout the U.S. and abroad. His mission is to provide clients, listeners, and viewers alike with tangible takeaways on how to lead a truly healthy, wealthy, and wise lifestyle. Savio pens a weekly newsletter in which he delves into secrets to living smarter by feeding your “three brains” — head
, heart
, and gut
— in the hope of connecting the dots to those sticky parts of our nature that matter to living our best life.
