How Kalahari Resorts Drove 27% Increase in Their Frontline Employee Experience Platform Engagement in Just 3 Months

About Kalahari Resorts and Conventions

Kalahari Resorts operates four all-under-one-roof resort destinations across the United States, with a fifth property in development. Each property features water parks, restaurants, retail shops, spas, adventure parks, and convention centers - creating a comprehensive guest experience that requires effective coordination across 20+ departments.

Key statistics:

• 1,300 associates per property (fluctuating seasonally)
• 20+ departments at each resort
• 60-70 managers and 90 supervisors per property
• 350 international students employed annually
• Diverse workforce: 45% Gen Z, 34% Millennials, 15% Gen X, 6% Baby Boomers
• 10% retention rate of five years or more

The Challenge: fragmented communication with frontline workforce

Before implementing My Kalahari, the company struggled with fragmented communication that failed to reach frontline staff effectively. Traditional methods included:

• Email: Only managers had company email addresses. Personal emails collected from associates had a 50% bounce rate due to incorrect entries or inactive accounts.
• Flyers and Bulletins: Back-of-house hallways became cluttered with unregulated posters. Associates grew blind to the visual noise, old flyers weren't removed, and important information got lost among outdated content.
• Daily Newsletter: The 'Daily Promise' newsletter couldn't reach associates on their days off, and inconsistent posting by managers created gaps in communication.
• Text Messaging: Character limits restricted messages to bare essentials, with no ability to include images or detailed information.
• Manager Relay: Information passed through managers was inconsistent - sometimes complete, sometimes partial, sometimes not communicated at all. When managers did share information, it often generated questions they couldn't answer.

Additionally, all content required manual translation for the company's significant Spanish-speaking population, adding complexity and delays to every communication. Kara Ruchti Corporate Director of Culture and Retention

The Solution: My Kalahari employee experience platform by Speakap

Kalahari Resorts partnered with Speakap to create My Kalahari, a mobile-first employee experience platform designed to meet their workforce where they already were - on their phones. The platform offered:

• Simple, intuitive interface resembling familiar social media platforms
• Automatic translation capabilities for multilingual workforce
• Multiple content formats: updates, news posts, polls, and events
• Resource hub functionality for benefits, wellness programs, and operational information
• Desktop and mobile access for different work styles

Implementation Strategy

Initial Launch

The rollout began with careful consideration of workplace phone policies. Kalahari created clear terms of use that balanced employee convenience with operational needs:

• App use is optional and can be accessed off-the-clock without compensation
• On-the-clock use allowed only outside guest view and areas
• Guest service and job duties take priority over app use
• App can be used to access information that helps guests
• Only positive, productive interactions permitted; negative posts subject to discipline

The strategic pivot

A turning point came when Kara attended a Speakap webinar featuring Puttshack, where she learned about a company achieving 98% activation by making their app the single source of truth for all communication.

This insight sparked a strategic overhaul. Kalahari's leadership team agreed on a critical shift: communications needed to come from property leaders and general managers, not just HR.

The team then implemented a comprehensive renewal strategy:

1. Surveyed associates: Added questions to the semi-annual survey asking what content associates wanted to see. Results included simple requests like the associate dining room lunch menu - easy wins that demonstrated responsiveness.
2. Trained leaders hands-on: Culture and retention managers met individually with department managers, bringing content ideas and walking them through their first post in real-time. This personalized approach overcame intimidation and built confidence.
3. Shifted the mindset: In manager meetings, when someone said 'relay this to your teams,' culture managers would immediately suggest posting to the app instead. This subtle redirection reinforced the app as the primary communication channel.
4. Increased GM visibility: General managers began posting regularly, giving associates direct access to leadership voices they wanted to hear from.
5. Created FOMO: Posters and bulletins were reduced but strategically used to tease information, directing associates to 'see the app for details.' This created urgency and fear of missing out.
6. Added incentives: Introduced contests, quizzes with prizes for correct answers, and interactive content that rewarded engagement.

Results: 27% increase in app engagement in just three months

The strategic pivot produced immediate and measurable impact:

• 27% increase in app engagement across the organization in just 3 months - exceptional for the hospitality industry 
• 60% interaction rate with posted content (users actively commenting, reacting, or participating)
• Consistent upward trend in monthly active users throughout the year

But the improvements go beyond just metrics:

• Associates now reference 'My Kalahari' in daily conversations, saying 'this is on My Kalahari' or 'go to My Kalahari for this'
• Managers who initially resisted became enthusiastic advocates after their first successful post
• IT department requested moving the company intranet to My Kalahari's knowledge base feature, citing easier updates and better organization
• Properties without dedicated culture and retention managers showed measurably lower engagement, underscoring the value of local ownership

6 lessons learned along the way that you should definitely borrow

Reflecting on the journey, Kara identifies key insights for other organizations:

1. Build excitement before launch: "One mistake we made was not having a pre-launch campaign with our leaders and GMs. We assumed everyone would be as excited as we were, but people don't always embrace change, even when it makes sense. Get key people involved from the beginning to build genuine enthusiasm."
2. Don't over-analyze: "We try not to cause posting paralysis where people feel scared to post because they're worried about engagement metrics. We stay organic, try new things, and keep posting content people want to see. As long as numbers trend positively, we're happy."
3. Local ownership matters: Properties with dedicated culture and retention managers consistently show higher engagement. When someone takes ownership and actively coaches managers, the app thrives.
4. Listen to your people: The simple act of surveying associates about what they wanted to see unlocked easy wins like posting the daily menu. Ask, listen, and deliver.
5. Hand-hold new posters: Many managers felt intimidated despite the app's simplicity. Walking them through their first post in person broke down barriers. Once they posted successfully once, they kept posting.
6. Create FOMO: The most effective driver? Making clear that associates will miss important information, contests, and opportunities if they're not on the app. It's not about force - it's about value.

We're hearing more people talking about My Kalahari at the property level, and that to me is awesome. When people are saying 'this is on My Kalahari' or 'go to My Kalahari for this,' that's when we know we're doing something worth talking about. That's success. Kara Ruchti Corporate Director of Culture and Retention

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