Timeshare Resorts - the Answer to Vacationers’ Need for Space

7/29/2015 Unknown
Timeshares offer the perfect answer to family or group vacations - space plus privacy. Owners and others in the timeshare industry already knew this, but the continued growth of our industry indicates everyone else is figuring it out too. ARDA's recent report, "State of the Vacation Industry: United States Study 2015", shows that the timeshare industry enjoyed consistent growth in 2014. Sales volume increased more than four percent to $7.9 billion and the timeshare occupancy rate of 78 percent surpassed that of the hotel industry’s occupancy rate of 64 percent!

Space to Spread Out

No one wants to vacation in a cramped space. When you are vacationing with family or friends, it's nice to have extra space and the ability to have some private time to yourself. Timeshare units are four and a half times the size of your average hotel room. VacationBetter.org reports timeshare units range from 700 square feet for a one-bedroom unit, to 1,160 square feet for two-bedrooms and up to 1,590 square feet for a three-bedroom. That’s a lot of space for family reunions and celebrations with friends!

Vacationers Love Kitchens

VacationBetter.org says 91 percent of vacationers are happier on vacation when their accommodations include a kitchen. Those of us who timeshare vacation know how nice it is to get up and make your morning coffee and breakfast without stepping out the door. Besides convenience, kitchens save us money too.  Using the kitchen to prepare breakfast, or sandwiches and snacks to take on outings, keeps your vacation costs down. Your beautiful resort is the perfect setting for celebrations, intimate cocktail parties, or barbequing the fish you caught earlier in the day. Use the extra money you’ve saved for dining out at a special restaurant!

Extra Living Space a Plus Too

ARDA's report shows that 61 percent of all timeshare units are two bedrooms, and in addition to kitchens, these units have living rooms too. That gives your family and friends much more room to spread out than the 350 square feet that the average size hotel room offers! 

More Interesting Report Facts

  • The most common type of resort—beach resorts. (No surprise there!)
  • Resorts with theme parks have the highest occupancy.
  • Florida has the most resorts—23% of the national total.
  • Nevada has the largest resort size—182 units on average.
  • Largest occupancy rate for a region—Hawaii at 85.3 %.

For more reasons to love your timeshare, check out www.arda.org/foundation and www.vacationbetter.org 
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Orange Lake Resorts Adds Silverleaf to its Expanding Family of Resorts

7/22/2015 Unknown
May brought the announcement that Orange Lake Resort's parent company, Orange Lake Holdings, had acquired Silverleaf Resorts, Inc. The acquisition of Silverleaf adds 13 vacation properties in six states across the eastern U.S. and 120,000 members to Orange Lake's family of resorts. It doubles the size of Orange Lake Holdings whose resorts span, Florida, Nevada, South Carolina, Tennessee, as well as Texas, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin. Silverleaf has been in operation for over 30 years.
  
Silverleaf Resorts along with Orange Lake's Holiday Inn Vacations® brand, will be operated independently. The two brands together represent 26 resorts, 7,200 villas and over 320,000 members. Club members in each brand will continue to receive all the benefits of their existing membership plans. 

Orange Lake CEO Don Harrill, called the acquisition of Silverleaf, "a historic development for both companies".  He added, "With our combined reach, we continue to stay on the forefront of providing diverse travel experiences for today’s changing market".

Thomas J. Morris, CEO of Silverleaf Resorts, expressed excitement in joining Orange Lake, "We are excited for the future and the tremendous opportunities this affords us".

Orange Lake’s acquisition of Silverleaf mirrors the industry trend, started in 2009, to consolidation of resorts and away from independent operations. The strength in numbers concept has worked well for many timeshare companies as a buffer to the ups and downs of the economy, and in providing owners a broader selection of vacation options.

Consolidation can offer a lifeline to smaller, private operators who are not large enough to go after public equity and are too small and complicated to interest institutional investors. Other companies that have been involved in recent consolidations are Marriott, Starwood, and Wyndham Resorts.

For more information on Orange Lake Resorts visit: www.orangelake.com or for more on Silverleaf Resorts go to: www.silverleafresorts.com




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Is Your Resort Both LEED and ADA Compliant?

7/15/2015 Unknown
Have you really thought about how these two Federal laws affect the development and maintenance of a timeshare resort? This year is the 25th anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Use it as a reminder to check in with your HOA or developer to make sure your resort is meeting the expectations of the ADA and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). 

The Importance of ADA

The 1990 ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life. It covers employment, schools, transportation, and all public and private places open to the general public. The part of the law that affects timeshare the most is Title III. It prohibits private places of public accommodation from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. Title III sets the minimum standards for accessibility for alterations and new construction of facilities. It requires all public facilities to be in compliance, and there is no grandfathering.

As an owner you should make sure your resort has made the necessary accommodations to keep your resort in compliance not only to prevent costly oversights, but also because it is good business. Resort management should welcome the opportunity to make it easy for everyone to enjoy all that the resort has to offer. 

Why LEED Certification?

Many resorts are now being developed as LEED® resorts. This internationally recognized green building certification system provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving energy and water saving efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, and improved indoor environment. Resorts receiving LEED certification have proved that they are stewards of resources and sensitive to their impacts. Marriott piloted the world’s first LEED Volume Program, a pre-certified green prototype for the hospitality industry.

Awards for Your Resort’s Efforts

Environmental efforts by resorts do not go unnoticed. Awards are given annually by timeshare related companies such as RCI which gives out Green Awards to recognize resorts for their environmental efforts. Community organizations, such as the Chamber of Commerce, often have their own set of environmental awards.  As an owner, you can take responsibility too.  Work with your management-  suggest environmental improvements. You probably have many creative ideas for making your resort the type of environmentally aware establishment that guests and new owners would like to be a part of.

Need More Help?

There are construction and development companies available to help you formulate the best plans for ADA conversions, or that focus on green principles and environmentally friendly projects to help your resort become LEED certified. Do check out the company you’re thinking of hiring. The ADA Technical Assistance Center (1-800-949-4322) can provide expert advice with technical assistance, materials, laws, and may have information on companies, but also check references from the businesses they have done work for previously.

Social Responsibility - Just Good Business

Social responsibility is about companies embracing their social responsibilities and not just focusing on maximizing profits. Social responsibility means doing business with a positive relationship to the society and the environment around the business. Don't you want a resort that takes that responsibility? 


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SVO Files Form 10 - Announces New Company Name

7/10/2015 Unknown
Starwood Hotels and Resorts will spin off Starwood Vacation Ownership (SVO) into a stand-alone public company. Starwood took the first steps in the spin-off process on June 16, by filing the initial Form 10 Registration Statement. Form 10 makes financial and other information about the company public for the first time, and is a pivotal step in the spin-off process expected to be completed in fourth quarter 2015. At completion of the spin-off transaction, the property will encompass nineteen vacation ownership resorts and three fractional residence properties with additional hotel asset inventory transferred from Starwood.

Vistana Signature Experiences

After much consideration, the name chosen for the new company is Vistana Signature Experiences.  Previous owners from 1980-1999 called the property Vistana Resort, and when Starwood acquired it in 1999 it became SVO. According to Matthew Avril, Chief Executive Officer-Elect of Vistana, "The new yet familiar name builds on our 35-year history and recognized reputation for excellence. While our name is familiar, our new look represents the exciting future opportunities that exist for our owners, associates, guests and investors, as we continue to deliver exceptional experiences that our travelers have come to expect."

How will the spin-off affect owners and potential owners? 

  • SVO will explore new development and growth opportunities to offer more options and flexibility to owners to enhance their vacation experiences.
  • Owners will benefit from additional anticipated inventory at the Westin Los Cabos, Westin Cancun, Westin Puerto Vallarta, Sheraton Kauai and Sheraton Steamboat.
  • SVO resorts will continue to operate as a Westin or Sheraton brand and provide the same level of quality and experiences expected.
  • Services and amenities will continue to be developed, operated and maintained according to highest standards of quality and customer service in the industry.
  • Owners will still receive the same Starwood Vacation Network benefits, and have privileged access to the Starwood Preferred Guest program.
  • Annual maintenance fees and the mortgage process will remain the same, as will websites and telephone numbers to contact SVO.
  • All existing confirmed reservations will remain unchanged.

More Changes for Starwood

Starwood is looking for a new CEO to replace Frits van Paasschen who resigned in February under pressure for failing to move quickly enough to increase the number of hotels in the Starwood system through franchise or management agreements, says Starwood Chairman Bruce Duncan. Since van Paasschen resigned, Adam Aron, a Starwood director since 2006 has been acting CEO and is reported to be interested in the position. 

According to the Wall Street Journal, Starwood has struggled to make its mark in the limited-service hotel sector where its rivals' midmarket brands such as Courtyard by Marriott and Hilton Garden Inn, have helped power earnings and drive growth.  Starwood's exploration of strategic alternatives to create value, have sparked speculation about a possible sale, and the potential for broader merger activity in the hotel industry.


For more information or to view a video on Vistana Vacation Experiences visit: starwoodvacationownership@starwoodvo.com

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Do You Know Your CLV?

6/24/2015 Unknown
Your CLV (Customer Lifetime Value) could be your most valuable tool in identifying the customers that represent the most value to your resort. Data and analytics help you determine your CLV metric.  According to Forbes Insights, your CLV can be used "to identify the customers that promise to return the highest future value, and position marketing activities to appeal to them.  It can also aid in balancing the costs of acquisition and retention against future spending."

Research supports it, and we see it happening in timeshare, that in the current market repeat and lifetime customers are driving sales. They are the customers that give your resort the good reviews and their recommendations aid in bringing in new customers. Lifetime customers are also more likely to continue to buy from you. Marketing Metrics says, "The probability of selling to an existing customer is 60-70%. Selling to a new prospect is 5-20%."

Data collection helps to identify how to attract and retain customers by aiding in gathering information at the individual level. Once you know what your customer wants and needs, you can use that information in providing the best possible customer experience. "Analyst firms forecast that by 2020, customer experience is expected to surpass product and pricing as the key business differentiator."

Creating Loyalty Through Memorable Customer Experiences

Though metrics and data-gathering systems are great for getting customer information, it's really about the personal experience and personal contact in gaining and keeping lifetime customers. The timeshare concept offers the perfect opportunity for this. Timeshare resorts are family oriented - repeat visits (often during special personal occasions - birthdays, anniversaries, holidays) provide opportunities for staff and owners to interact on a personal level. Resorts located in prime vacation spots with multiple activities and amenities provide unique, memorable experiences.

Gallup’s Four Levels of Customer Experience

In the book, First, Break All the Rules from the Gallup Organization, authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman determined four levels of customer experience through an extensive survey of businesses. The authors found that successful businesses build relationships with their customers founded on four types of customer expectations that need to be nurtured and developed over time. Companies that measure these levels gain a better understanding of what their customers really want.
  1. Accuracy – Give your customer what they want when they want it. 
  2. Availability – After the sale, your customer wants to know you are still there. In the timeshare industry, that means listening to customers.  Face-to-face contact, surveys, analytics, and social media are all ways to gather feedback on what your customers want and like, and don’t like.
  3. Partnership – Beyond service and delivery, customers want to feel like you understand their needs. How are you helping them? Are you proactively reaching out to see how you can help? Show your customer you care and they’ll think of the relationship as more of a collaboration and not just one-sided.
  4. Advice – Your customers want to learn from you. Do you have resources in place to educate them? Are you able to provide recommendations to improve their lives? If this last expectation is met, it can create the closest bond with your customers.
Customer Experience Key to Remaining Competitive

Competition is fierce in the vacation timeshare resort industry.  In order to remain competitive, resorts must focus on the customer experience and on creating and keeping customers for life. This focus should start the moment a potential customer walks in the door for the pre-sale and continue for a lifetime. 
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The Future is Now - Exciting New Technology for the Hospitality Industry

6/14/2015 Unknown
Imagine smart carpets with sensors in the pile that sense when you get out of bed for a nighttime trip to the bathroom and then activate subtle lighting to ease your sleepy way. Or how about bypassing the whole check-in process by using your Apple Watch or phone app and heading straight for your smart room that knows who you are when you wave your device under the lock. At this point, your smart room has already set the air conditioning and lighting levels to your specific requests. Maybe you’d rather avoid the reception desk by using facial recognition software instead of a cumbersome key card to get into your room. 

Not only are technologies of this type being tested, many are already in use. Tech-savvy millennials are the group driving the trend for unique new technologies in the hospitality industry, but everyone benefits as customers of all ages look for ways to save time, increase comfort, and experience new and exciting ways to vacation both for pleasure and business. 

Starwood Tests New Technologies

Starwood Hotels and Resorts is using concept rooms to test the technology it hopes to soon use at their Aloft, Element and Four points brands properties.  According to Brian McGuiness, a Starwood’s Global Brand Leader, "Like Detroit tests concept cars, Starwood is using three complete, technology-stuffed rooms created to allow in-house designers to experiment, innovate and test to destruction". Here’s a couple of innovations Starwood is working on:
  • Botir - Personal butler service – Botir is a self-piloting room service robo-butler that comes to your hotel room with a flip-top head stuffed with necessities you may have forgotten - toothbrush, toothpaste, slippers. 
  • Buzzibooth – In need of a little peace and quiet as you work? The Buzzibooth is a desk surrounded by a noise cancelling cocoon of sound-battening materials. Complimentary PCs and tablets are provided.

Living Labs

Also doing technology testing is NH Hotel's Madrid Eurobuilding in Spain. The company has designated several of their rooms as "Living Labs." These high-tech rooms have tablets to connect you to the hotel staff, wireless charging, high-speed Wi-Fi, ultra-high-definition TVs and more. Think of the rooms as incubators where tech entrepreneurs study future hospitality technology. 

Robo-receptionists

Starwood isn’t the only hospitality group enthralled with robots. If by chance you're traveling to Nagasaki, Japan in July, check-in to the Henn-na Hotel and you can be one of the first travelers to experience its ten humanoid robots. They will greet you, carry your luggage and clean your room. At this point according to company president, Hideo Sawada, the robo-receptionists, maids and bellhops will be supported by human staff, but he hopes to soon have robots performing 90 percent of hotel services.

Henn-na Hotel isn't the first to use a robot. The tech-advanced, Yotel opened its New York City property in 2011 with a Yobot, a robotic luggage handler that stores guests' bags. The capable Yobot can also send your luggage to the airport (by delivery service) when you check out.

Check-in From the Comfort of Home

A bit less futuristic and in use now at the Villa Del Palmar Resort is technology that lets guests bypass the reception desk, and get a head start on their vacation by doing the check-in process at home before they arrive. The resort located at the islands of Loreto, Mexico, allows guests to pre check-in online from their homes. The process only takes 3 minutes and when guests arrive they can go straight to their rooms or head for the pool. Guests can also take advantage of a new online Vacation Planner to schedule vacation activities, or create a-one-of-a-kind family adventure. 

Have you experienced any new technology or have tech ideas of your own that you would like to share with us? Give us your comments at www.timeshare-info.org 
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TBMA Continues its Focus on the Future of Legacy Resorts

6/10/2015 Unknown
At its upcoming fall meeting, the Timeshare Board Members Association (TBMA) will continue its focus on helping legacy timeshare resorts to successfully compete in the ever changing timeshare market. TBMA invites Board Members and Onsite Resort Managers to attend the meeting October 25-27 in Denver for an update on all the changes, challenges and solutions under TBMA's program, Timesharing 2020 - Creating a Vision for the Future of Legacy Resorts through Strategic Planning.

TBMA, a non-profit association, is dedicated to helping provide technical, organizational and moral support to directors of owner controlled timeshare boards. TBMA provides a forum for the exchange of views, and offers support, informational resources, and assistance to all association members in carrying out the responsibilities of the HOA.

TBMA Fall Meeting Offers Needed Insights

The October 25-27 meeting in Denver offers some needed insights from industry experts during an impressive agenda of educational panels. HOA Board Members will join in the discussions to add their detailed knowledge about running a timeshare resort, and establishing and implementing policies and procedures. 

Key Issues in Educational Sessions

Here are a few of the key issues that will be featured at the fall meeting:
  • Sunset Clauses - governing documents that call for expiration of the timeshare plan, and disclosure issues relative to those sunset provisions that affect resale.
  • Vacation Clubs - their impact on control of a resort and how they can help generate revenues from non-performing owners' association controlled inventory.
  • The Evolution of Marketing - a study of ownership preferences for new and younger buyers, and marketing strategies to reach them.
  • Creating and implementing property-improvement plans for refurbishing and reconstruction projects.
  • Evaluating your resort's financial health.
  • Monitoring a resort's public image, dealing with transient guests, and utilizing social media.

Special "Meet and Greet" session on Sunday

Board Members and on-site managers will get a chance to meet fact-to-face on Sunday prior to the start of the educational sessions. This is a good opportunity to discuss common interests and exchange contact information. More networking opportunities are scheduled throughout the sessions.

Membership and the meeting is free


Membership in TBMA is free and there is no registration fee for board members and resort managers to attend the TBMA meetings. Join at www.tbmassoc.org RSVP for the Denver meeting to resorts@tstoday.com

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