August 29, 2011
6th Annual Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival
Each year during the first weekend in September Americans across the country enjoy a 3-day weekend of family, friends and fun as we all celebrate Labor Day. In preparation for this year’s Labor Day we’re going to take a look at some of the exciting festivals, parades and events taking place at some of Festiva Hospitality Group’s vacation destinations, starting with Myrtle Beach.
Myrtle Beach’s Sun Fun Celebration will conclude another summer of entertainment with the 6th Annual Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival on Sept. 2-4 at Market Common. The 3-day family-friendly event will include free live entertainment, free boat rides, cooking demonstrations, barbecue competitions and much more.
The festivities start Friday at 5:30 p.m. and will run until 9 p.m. with live music from soul groups The Tams and Tru Soul. From 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. “Anything Goes,” the first of three cooking competitions, will excite festival goers as top-notch chefs serve samples of their best dish at $1 each with all of the proceeds going to charity.
On Saturday from noon until 5 p.m. a $10 wristband will provide attendees with the opportunity to
sample barbecue from more than 60 teams all competing for cash and prizes at the official S.C. Barbecue Championship. While top grill masters compete, Richard Blais, winner of BRAVO TV’s “Top Chef: All-Stars,” will host a meet n’ greet from 1-4 p.m. to answer questions and share cooking tips. In addition to the great variety of barbecue there will be a great selection of live music on Saturday which will conclude with a performance by American Idol star Josh Gracin from 8-9:15 p.m. Be sure to hang around after the show as a fireworks display will conclude the day’s activities with a bang.
In years past the Saturday fireworks display signified the end of the festival, however due to popular demand this year’s festival will also be held on Sunday. Starting at noon and running until 5 p.m., Sunday will include more live music and one more cooking competition, Wing-A-Palooza. After the winner of Wing-A-Palooza is crowned for having the best chicken wing, festival goers can enter the wing eat-off competition in an attempt to take home cash and other prizes. While the adults engulf large quantities of chicken wings children from the age of 5-15 can compete in the popular Watermelon Eating Contest which is free to enter.
With plenty of fun for the entire family the 6th Annual Beach, Boogie & BBQ Festival is a great way to spend this Labor Day weekend in Myrtle Beach. For more information and a full listing of the live entertainment visit www.grandstrandevents.com.
February 28, 2011
Festiva Resorts complaints resolved by new web presence
The latest Festiva Adventure Club complaints resolution effort (www.festivacomplaints.com) has helped to open new lines of communication between the company and its guests. The site is set up to handle issues at a corporate level, as well as individual Festiva resorts complaints.
Festiva Hospitality Group and Festiva Adventure Club recently launched a new web presence, Festiva Complaints Resolution Center, aimed at resolving online Festiva Resorts complaints and providing information to owners and guests trying to resolve their various Festiva complaints. Festiva has experienced an immediate positive reaction from its resort guests who have used the new service
“Since the launch of the Festiva Resorts Complaints Resolution site we have seen an overall decrease of complaints submitted to third-party websites as our customers are finding that when they contact us directly, their issues are resolved much faster and more effectively than when they submit their complaints to a third-party site that offers no resolution,” says Sara Little, Festiva’s Director of Corporate Communications.
One of the most significant accomplishments of the new site is the facilitated direction of complaints to the proper departments within the company for quicker resolution and away from false “Festiva scam” websites which were set up in the past to masquerade as the company’s complaints department.
Little explains, “We realized several years ago that in order to keep up with the fast-paced and ever-changing world of the internet, and specifically social media, we need to actively participate in the online conversations that are already taking place within our industry. We have since taken several steps to utilize various forms of technology to improve customer service and communication with our owners and guests, and festivacomplaints.com is the latest tool we are using to reach out to our web-savvy customers.”
Festiva Hospitality Group and Festiva Adventure Club’s family of resorts include a wide range of properties across the U.S. and Caribbean, including a fleet of luxury yachts. Festiva resorts include such premium properties as the Church Street Inn, the Atrium Resort, and Ellington at Wachesaw Plantation East.
Visit Festiva Complaints Resolution Center at http://www.festivacomplaints.com.
January 20, 2010
Consumer advisory for Festiva owners and members
If you have been contacted by someone regarding the resale of your unit on the website listingdepartment.com, please be advised that this is NOT a Festiva affiliated company, nor can we verify their legitimacy.
We have had reports from several owners and members who have been contacted by e-mail or regular mail and we are currently investigating this company.
If you have received an e-mail from this or any other suspicious company please forward it to ownerservices@festiva.travel.
Please note that Festiva does not offer a resale program at this time. Further, if anyone from Festiva does contact you, their e-mail address will end with @festiva.travel. An e-mail from any other domain regarding your ownership or membership could be an illegitimate business and should be forwarded to us for further investigation.
For information on legitimate resale agencies and practices, please click here to read the Resale Guidelines from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).
January 18, 2010
Festiva Hospitality Group creates Haiti Relief Fund
Thousands are feared dead and millions have been affected in Haiti by the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake and its aftershocks. People all over the world are doing what they can to help, but it will be a long, difficult road to recovery for the country and people of Haiti. They need all of the assistance they can get in the form of funds, supplies, water and food.
The earthquake has not only affected millions on the ground in Haiti, but has had an impact on the Festiva family as well. We have several employees and service providers at our Caribbean resorts and sailing destinations whose friends’ and families’ whereabouts are as yet unknown.
Immediate help is needed
Festiva Hospitality Group’s Charitable Fund has pledged an initial $1000 to the American Red Cross for Haiti relief. Festiva employees are able to make donations through payroll deductions. Guests can add to that by contributing a few dollars upon checking out of any of our resorts. No matter how small or large, every single donation will help whether it’s for immediate or long term needs as we cannot yet comprehend the extent of the damage.
You can also donate through the following organizations:
- American Red Cross has raised over $5 million through $10 donations. Text “Haiti” to 90999 to donate through your cell phone bill. Most wireless carriers are waiving messaging fees.
- Doctors Without Borders has treated over 1,000 victims, and an inflatable hospital with operating facilities should arrive soon.
- CARE is continuing to send emergency team members into Haiti, CARE is also distributing food.
- UNICEF has released $3.4 million in emergency funds and is focusing on the safety and care of children in Haiti.
- Oxfam will be flying in 10 tons of equipment including water, sanitation, health and shelter equipment and tools to help clear rubble in the search for trapped people.
Be wary of hoaxes
Unfortunately, there is misinformation circulating about certain organizations’ efforts and some are trying to make a profit from this terrible disaster through scams or hoaxes. Before you donate to any organization, particularly on the Internet, be sure that they are legitimate.
A Reuters article published today has tips to avoid getting scammed and useful information to determine whether a charity is legitimate. For example, be aware of e-mails sent to you from an unknown person or organization, donate to organizations rather than individuals and check out charity-watchdog group the American Institute of Philanthropy for a list of reputable organizations with specific relief operations now underway.
Rumors circulating about UPS shipping packages under 50lbs for free are not true. The UPS website explains that they have halted all shipments from individuals and local organizations to Haiti so that they can help organizations like Red Cross, UNICEF and CARE ship supplies there.
Rumors about JetBlue and American Airlines flying nurses and doctors to Haiti for free are also false. According to CNN, this hoax originated from an unknown source on Twitter. In fact, American Airlines has been sending relief flights full of supplies, food and water to Haiti. JetBlue is working with agencies such as the American Red Cross to transport relief workers to the Dominican Republic who have already been vetted by the Haitian Consulate, who then helps them get to troubled areas. At one point Thursday, the FAA halted all U.S. flights to Haiti because of lack of fuel and overcrowding on the runway.
Looking ahead
At Festiva Hospitality Group, we will continue to keep the people of Haiti and their loved ones in our thoughts. This far-reaching tragedy is deeply saddening and we will do all that we can to assist, and hope that you will too. A huge amount of help is needed right now, but there will be many long term needs as the country and its people go through a tough recovery process. If you aren’t able to help financially right now, think about saving a little every week and donating to an organization for Haiti relief in the coming months when resources may be running low.
August 14, 2009
Hello world!
Welcome to the Festiva Resorts Myrtle Beach Blog! We will use this Blog to keep visitors updated on events, local information, activities and attractions in the Myrtle Beach, S.C., area.
This is a brand new Blog, so please continue to visit us and look for some exciting updates soon!
In the meantime, visit our friends at the Festiva Resorts Blog.
You can also read about us or about Festiva Resorts on this site.
