Pride in a Virtuoso performance

It's hard to believe another summer is over. We are into autumn, bringing cooler weather and high occupancies.

All our weekends are fully booked from now until November and on average, temperatures stay around the mid to high 70s, bringing golfers, hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers out in their droves. This is by far the most beautiful time of the year in the South.

I was delighted when Barnsley Gardens was chosen as a Virtuoso preferred property for Georgia.

For those of you unfamiliar with Virtuoso, it is a sales and marketing organisation with aboout 400 travel agent members, all specialists in experiential travel around the globe. To be a member travel agent, the agency must show substantial annual turnover and be incredibly knowledgeable about its products.

Virtuoso also has a collection and portfolio of the world's finest properties aimed at affluent and sophisticated travellers. Each must provide a high level of luxury and service, complemented by fine cuisine, great location and added value through exclusive amenities for Virtuoso agent clients.

The Virtuoso mission is to make all front-line agents the best equipped, most effective and highest-producing sales force for their preferred properties. August saw me in Dallas for the Virtuoso annual Travel Mart, where all the agencies and preferred properties from around the world meet to discuss new initiatives for the year.

Although rewarding, it is hard work and very tiring. Having told the same story 350 times, I certainly understand my product!

We have been a preferred property for only around four months. We have seen a substantial amount of our business coming through Virtuoso and are very proud to have been chosen as a preferred property.

As the slowdown in the US economy is showing no signs of recovering soon, I am grateful that we are still very much in a growth cycle, developing our property, product and services.

I hope to be over in the UK to attend World Travel Market this year, participating through the Small Luxury Hotels of the World stand. I would be delighted to meet any readers attending.

EUAN McGLASHAN is general manager of the Barnsley Inn &Golf Resort, north of Atlanta, Georgia, USA Next diary from Euan McGlashan: 18 October