Having emerged from the pandemic with an enhanced luxury offering – including a new Spa and Premier Club & Suites – Casa de Campo is going from strength-to-strength in Dominican Republic.

Founded nearly 50-years ago, it has grown out of its golfing roots to become a small city in its own right, spread over 7,000 acres on the southern coast of the Caribbean island.

When it comes to welcoming European guests, however, Jason Kycek, senior vice president, sales and marketing at the property, says Casa de Campo has had to work hard to overcome misplaced preconceptions of what is on offer in the destination.

“We took a decision to work within the UK market, to open that up and showcase what we have here at Casa de Campo, the investments we have made,” he explains.

“Casa de Campo is celebrating its half-century next year, but it amazes me how many people do not know about us and what we offer, and this has occurred for a variety of reasons.

“As a destination, in prior years, the tourist board has underperformed when it comes to positioning the country in the luxury market.

“It was sold as a cost-effective market, for volume providers of an all-inclusive product – and there is nothing wrong that, but it is now what we offer.

“Other Caribbean islands – Saint Lucia, Barbados and others – have always been able to focus on the luxury market, which again makes it harder for the Dominican Republic to enter this field.”

Though gradual, this process is starting to bear fruit, with a growing number of travellers open to considering a luxury break in Dominican Republic – not least because of the efforts of Casa de Campo itself.

“Thankfully this is beginning to change with the current administration, and this is something we fully support – we are beginning to diversify from a consumer standpoint, to tap into more markets.

“They have been a breath of fresh air, working to identify new markets.

“Casa de Campo is working with the other luxury properties on the island to get that message out – be that beach, golf or spa, there is plenty on offer to the high-end market.

“Casa de Campo attends a variety of trade shows, from World Travel Market to ITB Berlin and ITLM in Cannes, while we are also working with travel agents, tour operators and the trade publications to drive awareness in the UK and Europe.

“This is an ongoing process – and we now have a dedicated sales and marketing team in the UK to drive that forward.

“There were a lot of hurdles to overcome, at the start tour operators and travel agents did not sell Dominican Republic, so we had to work with them to overcome misplaced perceptions that this was a solely all-inclusive market.

“We have welcomed familiarisation trips, focused on golf, and that has really ignited the fire and got the word out, letting people see for themselves what is on offer here.

“That is something we do each year and has been a really positive process for us – we have seen business from the UK, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and Scandinavian markets.

“This is a special place – you have to come and see what we have!”

Casa de Campo has been doing its part in terms of facilities, welcoming the new spa and luxury accommodations.

“We have been working to improve the offering over the past few years, for example welcoming the first guests to the Premier Club just before Christmas last year,” says Kycek.

“There has been nothing but great feedback on these new villas – and they have been selling on their own, coming through different channels, which is unusual.

“When a hotel opens new facilities like this, it normally does not take off right away, it can take a year to get momentum – but with these we have not looked back.

“We were aiming for a Four Seasons standard, a global level, and I believe our designers have achieved that.

“While I cannot say they are unequivocally the best, as I have not seen all the rooms in the destination, they must be among the best on offer.”

He adds: “For this destination, the Dominican Republic, we do not have those brand, the Mandarin Oriental or the Ritz-Carlton and this again does not help the destination.

“I would welcome those guys, I want them to build here, to get that message out, it would be a huge plus, legitimising the destination.”

When it comes to turning the growing interest in luxury travel to Dominican Republic into bookings, Casa de Campo puts its faith in agents, tour operators and luxury travel consortiums.

“We recently decided to part ways with Leading Hotels of the World – though a mutual respect remains,” continues Kycek.

“We decided to focus on luxury consortia, Virtuoso for example.

“These guys are great at what they do, if you are a travel agency or tour operator you have to meet certain criteria in order to get in, while each property must do the same.

“This drives up standards and creates a mutual respect among parties.

“We believe the market will continue to move in this direction; people have realised the value travel specialists provide.

“It is not just about moving from point-A-to-point-B, our time is valuable, and travel is about creating those one-in-a-lifetime memories.

“A great travel specialist has expertise in this area, acting as a private concierge, to build these trips it would be hard to organise on your own.

“Casa de Campo has worked on some real out-of-the-box itineraries for guests in this area.”

So, what is there do at Casa de Campo that is not on offer elsewhere?

“We describe Casa de Campo as its own small little city, but one that happens to have a resort within it,” says Kycek.

“However, hotel guests are very much part of the community when they visit, alongside our property owners.

“I am not sure we ever set out to achieve what we have, but it has evolved over the decades into what we have today – it has been a natural, organic process.

“At heart, we are a golf development, that is where we started, but it has grown into this 7,000-acre gated community.

“We have amazing security, which is not important because we are in the Dominican Republic, but because of some of the people who live here, we are talking among the richest in the world and they need that reassurance.

“The facilities have driven the attractiveness of the real estate investment – everything is accessible in five-to-ten minutes in a golf cart, be that the spa, restaurants or other options.

“Our 2,000 villas are also not cookie-cutter, there is a lot of variety, which adds to the patina of the location.”

He adds: “This is an exciting time for Casa de Campo.

“If you’ve never been here, I would love for you to come see the property, but equally, if you haven’t been in the past five years, it’s really time to come back, a lot has changed.

“We have added the new spa, a true destination spa, alongside the Premier offering.

“Our owners have been very supportive of what we have been trying to achieve here.

“A lot of these plans were in place before the pandemic, we were ready to break ground on the Premier rooms in March 2020.

“We were forced to postpone, we lost two years, but we have emerged stronger.

“There is such an appetite for what is on offer here at Casa de Campo.”

Looking ahead, there is a focus on events and sports for the rest of the year, with a Food & Wine Festival just around the corner and Michael Bublé in town to wow guests in the 5,000-seat amphitheatre.

“Events are part of our DNA here at Casa de Campo; we opened the amphitheatre in the early 1980s, the first performer was Frank Sinatra – so we were off to a good start.

“In terms of golf, it is important let people know we can accommodate any trip you can imagine.

“We have three Pete Dye-designed courses, including Teeth of the Dog, which is consistently rated as among the best in the world.

“But, the Dye Fore is special in its own right, a water course as well, build on the bluffs overlooking the Río Chavón valley.

“These are two distinct water courses, this really is a golfer’s paradise.

“We are often referred to as the ‘Pebble Beach of the Caribbean,’ which is a nice compliment I am happy to take, but I would also say we are incredible value.

“Golfers are used to paying $500-600 a round, but we can offer courses of the top level at half of this.”

More Information

Casa de Campo Resort & Villas - honoured with a number of top titles at the World Travel Awards - offers unforgettable experiences, spread across 7,000 acres of adventure. 

There are a total of 63 holes of exceptional golf on three courses, including the top-rated course in the Caribbean, Teeth of the Dog. Also included are the Dye Fore and Links courses, each designed by the legendary architect, Pete Dye.

The resort also includes a world-class Golf Learning Centre highlighted by Trackman technology.

These amenities are complemented by spacious hotel rooms, suites and luxury villas.

Expertly prepared cuisine from around the world, a 370-slip Marina & Yacht Club, Polo & Equestrian Club, the La Terraza Tennis Centre, 245-acre Shooting Club and Altos de Chavon – an artisan village modelled after a sixteenth century Mediterranean city – are other on-property highlights.

Find out more on the official website.

Chris O’Toole