Grand Pacific Resort’s Circle J Club, Park City, Utah
To remain the recognized leader in the highly specialized field of hospitality technology, a company must be able to adapt or change with lightning speed. For the past four decades, SPI Software has done just that, remaining the preferred supplier of vacation ownership properties by providing world-class software solutions and exceptional customer service. Resort Trades recently reached out to Grand Pacific Resorts, one of their long-time clients to better understand how SPI has implemented software solutions and adapted platforms as the company has grown.
Nigel Lobo, RRP, Chief Operating Officer of Grand Pacific Resorts and respected industry veteran shared some details about their collaboration with SPI. “We selected SPI about 15 years ago, because of their highly customized marketing/sales functionality. Over the years, we have continued to use SPI for their dynamic software platform for our evolving Resort Management and Vacation Service needs as well. Today, we proudly manage 22 timeshare resorts and currently serve over 80,000 member families. Clearly, SPI’s systems have served us well over the years.”
With most of their resorts in California and Hawaii, this leading timeshare resort management/vacation ownership company has added four new management contracts since January 2021, including Circle J Club in Park City, Utah, joining their portfolio in June 2021. The SPI property management system created for GPR is in use at all their 22 resorts. SPI covers check-ins, owner database, contracts, dues, reservations, and front office.
“A huge benefit in partnering with SPI,” adds Nigel, “is their amazing ability to excel at creating customized solutions that serve our needs. Instead of ‘one-size-fits-all’, SPI comes to the table ready and supremely qualified to fulfill our evolving needs. Our relationship and the systems they have created enable us to smoothly transition new resorts into our operations, as we continue to expand. SPI’s continuous creation of software solutions is extremely important to us because Grand Pacific Resorts is on an exponential growth spurt, expecting to double our size within the next decade.”
Charged with researching and implementing new resort management software solutions, Dan O’Donnell is GPR’s Regional Manager of Resort Technology. He spent the past 14 years as the Director of Information Technology and Enterprise Architect for the Welk Resort Group. Prior work also includes TimeShareWare, Four Seasons, Stratosphere, and the MGM Grand. Dan shares some recently added software programs, created by SPI.
“We are very excited about a new service that we recently launched called Vacations Services, powered by Grand Pacific Resorts,” says Dan. ” The program essentially allows us to provide timeshare resorts with white-label a la carte services, including owner reservations, exchanges, inventory, rental and revenue management, as well as collections and owner loyalty support to significantly enhance the resort’s ability to be successful with these award-winning offerings.”
Room Readiness.
SPI built a custom 2-way near the real-time interface with Knowcross, which is a workforce automation tool. Utilizing this program has enabled our GPR resorts to dramatically increase our efficiency in our housekeeping and maintenance departments. In Housekeeping, every room attendant carries a mobile device. As soon as a guest checks out, the device indicates the availability of that room, helping prioritize the cleaning of rooms. By digitizing the housekeeping process, everyone knows the status of every room on the property so at glance we know when a room cleaning process started, the approximate completion time, who is cleaning the room, and if the room has passed inspection. The Knowcross system enables the identification of top performers as well as highlights which room attendant needs additional training. Amazingly, the program has increased GPR’s ability to have close to 100% of their rooms ready by check-in time.
GPX Perks is exclusive to Grand Pacific owners in their family of managed resorts. With GPX Perks, Owners can view live availability without having to deposit their week in advance. The GPX network includes resorts on six continents, and the platform allows owners to explore popular domestic destinations like Hawaii and California, as well as international resorts in Europe, Australia, and beyond. There is no annual membership fee and low exchange fees.
SPI developed a module called OTA Connect which provides a 2-way interface to the global distribution system (GDS) and the open travel alliance (OTA) reservation booking channels for automation of our rental programs at each of our resorts. Ultimately, this automation assists GPR’s growth without having to expand staffing.
SPI created a module for a new owner product called Owner Connect. Exceeding GPR’s expectations, this required some serious customization within a short delivery window. SPI’s speedy response allowed GPR to deliver the product on time and “Bug Free.” Adds Dan, “This furthered our ability to provide products and services to our owners, enabling them to provide self-service functionality. Utilizing Owner Connect, owners can now pay their maintenance fees, update their personal information, book and review their reservation history. The best part is that the implementation of this new service has allowed GPR to grow without adding cost for additional personnel.”
In looking ahead, Nigel Lobo says he believes today’s entire consumer landscape is heavily focused on customization. “For GPR, this requires us to be able to capture highly detailed information on our owners and guests, as we constantly seek opportunities to provide exceptional vacation experiences. Working closely with SPI has made that happen by interfacing their system with our software platforms like Salesforce, as well as custom-built applications that help us personalize our Owner and Guest experience. As we continue to welcome new resorts to our Grand Pacific family, we will rely on SPI to make the transition and onboarding experience seamless.”
Grand Pacific Resorts creates experiences worth sharing for 80,000 owner families and tens of thousands of loyal guests every year. With over 22 managed properties spanning from the pristine island of Kauai to the slopes of Park City, along with numerous top vacation destinations across Northern and Southern California, the resort management company customizes its services to preserve the unique experience each location offers. For over three decades, Owners and Guests have valued the heartfelt hospitality as they continue to vacation with Grand Pacific Resorts year after year. For more information, visit grandpacificresorts.com.
SPI Software has a corporate philosophy of continuous development and innovation, which has led them to create the most advanced hospitality-focused technology in the world. Developed as state-of-the-art business application software, SPI’s technology is available to the industry as an enterprise system or through individual modules which may be deployed via cloud or on-premises. SPI has remained at the forefront of timeshare software technology with a continual release of enhancements and new products. To learn more about software solutions created exclusively for the vacation ownership industry, please visit www.spisoftware.com or contact Gordon McClendon at 954-856-8060, or via email at gordon.mcclendon@spiinc.com.
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