// MARKET TRENDS
Bahia Mar Yachting Center, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is an AMI Clean and Resilient Marina.
Expanding role of technology
As expectations rise, great hospitality doesn’ t carry marinas alone. Operators increasingly rely on technology to improve the customer experience.
“ Boaters expect the same seamless experience they get from airlines and hotels – online reservations with real-time availability, digital contracts and eSignatures, invoice viewing and payment options, service request tracking with status updates, vessel document management, real-time notifications and mobile-first design that works on the water,” said Karen Barnes, CEO of DockMaster Software.
She said modern marina management platforms that include customer portals deliver these services, benefiting operators like Sunnyside Marina and boaters. Hawks Cay Marina relies on Dockwa, as another example, to manage about 90 % of its slip reservations.
“ It just expedites the process,” said Chris Groom, marina director and dock master at Hawks Cay Marina in the Florida Keys.“ It’ s more real-time for guests and we have the ability to chat with them. We have phone and email, but it makes the process a lot easier.”
“ Gone are the days when calling the office was acceptable,” Barnes added.“ Customers expect SMS updates, self-service portals with 24 / 7 account access and proactive communication before they have to ask.”
She said marina management software increases productivity, reduces errors, improves scheduling and captures more revenue while providing datadriven insights.“ The combined result is higher satisfaction, better retention
and stronger word-of-mouth all while reducing operational costs and justifying premium pricing. Staff spend less time on administrative tasks and more time on revenue-generating activities.”
Barnes explained that cloud-based marina management systems are transforming operations by automating work order creation, enabling drag-and-drop scheduling through visual marina maps and giving yard staff mobile tools to update jobs in real time. Integrated inventory management can set automatic reorders, link parts to work orders for accurate pricing and connect with fuel systems for streamlined tracking.
But these benefits also bring concerns around cybersecurity.“ When evaluating marina management software, questions about vendor security practices, encryption standards, PCI compliance certification and secure cloud infrastructure are increasingly critical,” Barnes said.
Marinas hesitate to adopt new systems for a few reasons: cost concerns, ROI uncertainty, disruption fears and resistance from employees. And there is more hesitation from owners who may excel at hospitality but find technology overwhelming.
But Barnes explained that ROI can quickly add up when marinas use features like online slip reservations, integrated payments, customer self-service portals, automated billing, mobile work order management, inventory alerts and template-based communication.
24 november / december 2025 www. boatingindustry. com