D-Marin Marinas Group, which owns marinas in Croatia, Greece and Turkey, has announced the appointment of Kemal Saatçioğlu as CEO. Replacing Matthew Bate, Saatçioğlu joins the group following a career in marinas that started at Setur Kusadasi Marina, continuing more recently at Camper and Nicholsons’ Cesme Marina as general manager. Saatçioğlu speaks exclusively to SuperyachtNews.com about his future role at the company and his view of the luxury marina market.
With berthing in Europe becoming more of an issue as yachts are growing in both number and size, marinas are having to invest to ensure they offer their clients the best service possible. “D-Marin is currently operating 10 marinas in three different countries, so we are a widely spread group of marinas,” says Saatçioğlu. “Our main goal is to operate all of our marinas to certain standards and create high-end marinas. The Adriatic, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean have great potential; the unique natural beauty and geographical advantages of the area must be supported with high standard services in boating infrastructure.”
“Service quality and variety is also becoming more and more important - a marina is no longer just a shelter. A marina is a living ground, where yachtsmen can obtain any kind of item or service they are looking for. Time is also becoming increasingly an important factor. So, the marina service variety and quality must save the highly valuable time of these yachtsmen.”
On a final note, SuperyachtNews.com asked Saatçioğlu if he felt that his clients’ expectations and demands are changing, to which he replied that he did not. “But I think they are more specific and more certain about the service they would like to get,” he added. “They are more aware what they are looking for and they are well informed about the rest of the market.”
Issue 153 of The Superyacht Report features a collection of interviews with marina CEOs and asks them to evaluate their position within the market and offer their opinions on how they are seeing clients’ expectations change. To read a selection of these interviews, please click here.
With berthing in Europe becoming more of an issue as yachts are growing in both number and size, marinas are having to invest to ensure they offer their clients the best service possible. “D-Marin is currently operating 10 marinas in three different countries, so we are a widely spread group of marinas,” says Saatçioğlu. “Our main goal is to operate all of our marinas to certain standards and create high-end marinas. The Adriatic, Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean have great potential; the unique natural beauty and geographical advantages of the area must be supported with high standard services in boating infrastructure.”
Kemal Saatçioğlu, newly appointed CEO of D-Marin Marinas Group.
When asked about how the luxury marina industry needs to change in the future in order to continue delivering quality service to clients, Saatçioğlu responded that expanding service areas is key. “Marina chains operating internationally, like D-Marin, are more beneficial to any boat owner,” he says. “Visiting a marina, knowing their systems and their quality of service is a great comfort for an owner or a captain. We are identifying our yachtsmen not as our customers, but as the ‘members’ of our large family."We are identifying our yachtsmen not as our customers, but as the ‘members’ of our large family."
“Service quality and variety is also becoming more and more important - a marina is no longer just a shelter. A marina is a living ground, where yachtsmen can obtain any kind of item or service they are looking for. Time is also becoming increasingly an important factor. So, the marina service variety and quality must save the highly valuable time of these yachtsmen.”
On a final note, SuperyachtNews.com asked Saatçioğlu if he felt that his clients’ expectations and demands are changing, to which he replied that he did not. “But I think they are more specific and more certain about the service they would like to get,” he added. “They are more aware what they are looking for and they are well informed about the rest of the market.”
Issue 153 of The Superyacht Report features a collection of interviews with marina CEOs and asks them to evaluate their position within the market and offer their opinions on how they are seeing clients’ expectations change. To read a selection of these interviews, please click here.
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