Director of Golf Sales Europe
Mónica has a long and storied career in the hotel industry, during which she has been recognized for the commercialization of various prestigious golf courses across Europe and the Caribbean.
How did your Casa de Campo story begin?
My story has two parts. The first one was about 15 years ago. A good friend who came back from a Casa de Campo trip gifted me a ball marker with the Teeth of the Dog® logo. That was the first time I ever heard of this course. Ball markers are objects that are very easy to lose, but to this day it is still in my golf bag—when I think it’s lost, it always reappears. It’s very strange because they don’t last me at all, I lose them all. But the Teeth of the Dog® one is still there, almost as if it were destiny.
The second part is when I started working in Casa de Campo. A course manager in the Punta Cana area was interested in working with me to manage some courses at Punta Cana in Europe. At a fair in Spain, he introduced me to the President of Casa de Campo at that time, and that greeting ended up as a job interview and he hired me. So, with an offer at the table, and my ball marker, I thought I was destined to work for Casa de Campo.
So it is a very special job for me. In fact, to this day is one of the companies from which I have learned the most, especially in the human part. It is a great team of which I am very proud to be part.
WOW moment
Do you have any story about your favorite course or hole at Casa de Campo?
The first time I played Dye Fore Chavón on my first visit to Casa de Campo. It was a WOW experience! It was a day in May, I went out to play and there was no one on the field. The weather was fairly regular, with clouds, and I found a course that enchanted me from minute 1. Playing the green on top of some cliffs, with the eagles so close, and that landscape with such a beastly nature that really impacted me. Dye Fore Chavón is a field of wide and long fairways, I love that walkthrough. I have not played a similar field with the empty falls. It is spectacular!
Another WOW experience for me was the first time playing Teeth of the Dog® . We started at hole 10, and when we played from 14 to 15 where you think the course continues its journey through the interior, suddenly you find yourself directly with a postcard so beautiful that it overwhelms you. The change of landscape is so impressive, the sea so blue against the holes you’re playing… the fact that you’re playing the green above the Caribbean Sea, the impeccable maintenance of the course and the dreamy landscape makes you fall in love with the course. Once you start playing, you will want to play more and more.
The jewel of the crown
As a golf sales leader in Europe, tell us how that market values Casa de Campo and its courses?
The offer that Casa de Campo has is enormously wide, I can tell you that there is no similar resort in the world, much less in Europe, and that makes it a very exclusive product in all its areas to sell here. Each place in Casa de Campo—the Tennis Club, the Shooting Center, the polo fields, the Marina, Minitas Beach—are all unique products, but as a Golf Sales representative, golf courses certainly deserve a separate chapter. All 3 are of unsurpassed quality, something difficult to find in any golf resort. Sometimes there is a good one and other regular ones, but in Casa de Campo all 3 of them are excellent and with a level of maintenance that is the dream of many golf courses. The fairways are carpeted, the greens are perfect and impeccable, and the service is so good that it makes you feel like you’re at your club.
Of course, Teeth of the Dog® is the jewel in the crown, being among the best courses in the world, but both Dye Fore and The Links are well worth playing. Also for golf groups, having 3 courses in the same resort without having to wait for a transfer makes it worth it for the group leader and the rest of the group.
Besides golf, what other unmissable experiences do you recommend your clients when they visit Casa de Campo?
I always tell my clients that what really hooks you to Casa de Campo is that you feel as comfortable as being at home, and even better. There is no doubt that golf is a very important part, but Casa de Campo has much more to offer. Casa de Campo, more than a resort, is a destination in itself. It is associated with experiences that have to do with nature, gastronomy, sports, exclusivity, and luxury. And by luxury, I do not mean superficial things, but details, the human part and caring of our guests knowing their tastes and preferences, and giving them the best service. Excellent cuisine, impeccable service, privacy, à la carte vacations in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility that you can only find in such an exclusive destination. All your dreams can come true in Casa de Campo.
One of the moments that I like the most in Casa de Campo and that nobody can miss is the sunset on the beach, having a cocktail after a swim in the sea, and enjoying the sun, simply priceless. Also, enjoying a dinner on the terrace of La Casita, dining above the sea with that special view of the Marina.
Beyond the golf experience
Gastronomy is certainly another very strong aspect at Casa de Campo, right?
Yes, gastronomy is very important to the resort. Casa de Campo has 8 restaurants in total, 7 of them à la carte. It is gourmet gastronomy, with dishes based on different types of traditional Dominican, Spanish, Asian, Italian, and international cuisines. Without forgetting the Beach Club with their seafood specialties that are undoubtedly a benchmark on the island. The gastronomy in Casa de Campo is one of the best that I have tasted in any hotel. All the restaurants are very high quality, there is not one less than the other, as its three golf courses are.
Tell us about the rise of women’s golf worldwide. Are there any plans with Teeth of the Dog® so that women golfers enjoy this Caribbean paradise?
Women play an important role in Golf Tourism. They are decision-makers par excellence when it comes to choosing and planning family trips, and there are more and more women golfers traveling in groups and doing getaways, as their male counterparts do. When women travel to play golf, they seek a combination of tourism and golf. Women are already contributing 50% of the family income and holding leadership and senior positions.
Women’s golf is on an average of 25% in Europe. Currently, one in every 3 players is a woman—in fact, it is the fastest-growing market in the golf segment. It is a very interesting niche with higher-than-average spending when traveling. They are looking for a complimentary offer of culture, gastronomy, spa, wellness, and shopping.
Women golfers must be cared for, know how to treat them, make them feel welcome upon arrival at the hotel or the course, make them feel comfortable, offer them getaways, and hold events that allow them to relate and interconnect. Making them feel special, as is the way we like to do. It is a golden niche to promote in any hotel with golf. But above all, give them attention and win them over.
