Tom Lyons
Global Connections, the highly-respected resort developer, travel club fulfillment and service provider of Global Discovery Vacations (GDV), continues to be on the cutting edge of the vacation industry, having introduced a short-term membership product to the marketplace 20 years ago.
Shared vacation properties and timeshares are a form of leisure travel accommodations which allow for the purchase of a share of a property enabling travelers to stay at the resort for an allotted segment of time. In the past, most resort condominium units would be divided among 50 owners at one week each, leaving two weeks a year for maintenance of the units. Today’s buyer is looking for all types of flexibility rather than being committed to the same week in the same place year after year. With that in mind, timeshare exchanges and points programs were welcomed to the shared vacation ownership mix.
A large segment of today’s buyers desires a shorter-term commitment rather than a “lifetime of vacations.” Acknowledging that circumstances change and following the emerging millennial generation as they move into a family lifestyle, more developers are looking for ways to offer vacation “ownership” or “membership” with shorter time commitments.
Global Connections’ CEO Tom Lyons knew this two decades ago when he brought Global Discovery Vacations to the market. GDV offers members a variety of travel options ranging from resort condominium vacations to cruises to VIP Tours and experiences as well as other leisure benefits. The company makes their program available to traditional timeshare developers to offer to potential customers who would rather not sign up for timeshare in perpetuity. Another cornerstone of GDV is that members only remit payment of their activity fee in the years they choose to use their travel club benefits.
GCI will be attending the American Resort Development Association Convention, ARDAWorld 2018 at Caesar’s Palace May 6-10 and will explain the program to attendees who are interested in broadening the vacation opportunities for their members, owners and prospective clientele. For more information, or to make an appointment at ARDAWorld, contact Melanie Gring.
About Global Connections, Inc.
Global Connections, Inc. is based in Overland Park, KS, opening in 1996 as a travel club fulfillment and service provider. Considered a leader in the travel club industry, GCI offers the members of its Global Discovery Vacations club program a wide variety of leisure benefits and vacation options at more than 700 North American resorts. GCI is the developer and owner of resorts in California, Florida, Tennessee and Colorado as well as owning and leasing numerous resort condominium units throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Caribbean. For more information about GCI visit exploregci.com
About Global Discovery Vacations
Global Discovery Vacations is a respected membership-based travel club offering its members access to condominium accommodations, cruise and tour vacations, a full-service travel agency, a concierge program, and other leisure benefits. For more information about Global Discovery Vacations visit globaldiscoveryvacations.com
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