What makes a timeshare management company successful, or even award-winning?

For over three decades, Grand Pacific Resorts has been wholeheartedly devoted to creating experiences worth sharing by consistently delivering exceptional results to our portfolio of managed resorts. Our top priority is also ensuring that all of our Associates feel supported and valued, as both professionals and individuals.

This year, our ongoing efforts have paid off immensely. During a time in which our industry as a whole faced significant obstacles, we were honored to experience remarkable growth, onboarding five new resorts in 2021 and three resorts in 2022 in a variety of locations across California, Hawaii, and Utah. We were also thrilled to bring home multiple wins from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) conference, including some in entirely new categories for our company.

These achievements are humbling, to say the least. As I reflect on what contributes to a resort management company’s overall success, I remain steadfast in the belief that a significant degree of achievement is tied to possessing an unyielding passion while executing key objectives. It also involves keeping people at the forefront of all that we do, from our owners and guests to our associates. However, there are other concrete factors that distinguish a good timeshare management company from an exceptional one.

Cultivating Vision and Partnership

Our mission at Grand Pacific Resorts is to define and develop the unique identities and visions of each of our resort properties, which are as diverse in nature as they are geographically far-reaching. We are fortunate to have cultivated extensive experience in a variety of key areas:

Inventory Management & Rental

Grand Pacific Resorts leads the industry in monetizing non-performing inventory to ensure we keep owner utilization high while offsetting the costs of unrented rooms.

Renovation & Project Management

We oversee projects and renovations that enhance the value of our properties, with our experts managing every aspect of each project, including identifying areas of maximum cost savings without compromising quality.

Vacation Services

This offering allows us to provide resorts with a la carte services such as owner reservations, exchanges, and inventory, along with rental and revenue management. Our collections and owner loyalty support significantly enhance the resort’s success.

Creative Services

We breathe life into each individual resort to keep owners and guests connected in ways that are engaging and authentic to the property’s unique personality.

Prioritizing Owner Relations

Here at Grand Pacific Resorts, we believe that vacation ownership entails more than a once-per-year stay—it’s a lifestyle, and our owners are at the center of it. As a result, our benefits extend well beyond our heartfelt service culture to also include savings opportunities, incredible amenities, and travel inspiration.

We are fortunate to have a highly engaged owner base thanks to our multi-faceted communications plan and consistent relationship management efforts. Owners with us are encouraged to enjoy the following:

• Grand Pacific Exchange (GPX), an exclusive exchange benefit with no annual fee
• Special rental rates at hundreds of resorts across the country through GPX
• A savings-credit-based perks program for rental cars, hotels, gift cards, and more
• Opportunity to make tax-deductible vacation week donations to cancer survivors
• Rental programs for anyone unable to use their weeks
• An annual digital magazine, Time Together, features resort updates and prizes

GPX is our exchange network exclusively allowing Grand Pacific Resorts owners to view availability without having to first deposit their week. The program features many popular domestic and international destinations. With GPX, owners are able to exchange their weeks at low rates, gift it to family and friends, or request a specific resort or destination. It requires no annual membership fee and offers competitively low fees.

Our latest offering, GPX Perks, is a credits-based shopping experience featuring special vacation offers throughout the year, as well as opportunities to earn savings credits that can be redeemed on hotels, cruises, tour packages, and rental cars.

Finally, we prioritize feedback through surveys and social media communications. Messages are routed to Vacation Specialists at Grand Pacific Vacation Services who are on hand to assist with reservation questions and resort information. As a direct result of evolving to engage our customers on their preferred methods of communication, we consistently enjoy average review ratings of 4.5/5 and boast a Reputation score of 700, in contrast to an industry average which hovers around 579.

Related: 5 Tips On Increasing Social Media Conversions

Implementing Innovative Solutions

Grand Pacific Resorts is committed to providing superior customer service, which we have taken to new levels by improving existing services while offering new ones.

We utilize robust technology platforms, from Live Chat to SMS, making it easy and convenient for owners to receive prompt assistance in the communication channel of their choice. This has drastically improved our efficiency and guest satisfaction. We have also long collaborated with SPI Software and currently tailor its highly- customizable functionality to the evolving needs of our resorts, enabling us to smoothly transition new resorts into our operations as we continue to grow. Additionally, we implemented Knowcross, a digitized workforce automation tool that has dramatically increased efficiency across our housekeeping and maintenance departments.

At Grand Pacific Resorts, we encourage, promote, and facilitate professional development at every level. Docebo is our internal learning management system which offers 65 courses, with new content constantly being added, to educate and empower over 300 active enrollees. Associates find these learning modules particularly valuable since they are able to go back and reference them at any time. Our Marketing & Communications Team recently added new training videos for incoming General Managers, significantly streamlining our onboarding process.

We are also in the process of implementing Zenarate, an AI Coach that utilizes customer engagement simulations to assist with both new hire training and tenured agent upskilling. This tool helps develop top-performing teams with the objective of increasing proficiency and conversion rates while decreasing operating costs.

Related: Better Resort/Better Community

Fostering Associate Retention

We place tremendous value on associates who are committed, focused, and excited about providing the best vacation experiences possible. Grand Pacific Resorts applies this philosophy as we hire, train, and perhaps most importantly, retain our associates.

Two years ago, many of the labor issues we see continuing today, came into focus. I knew we had to take exceptional care of our furloughed associates to bring them back to work with the ultimate goal of keeping our teams intact. We implemented a call campaign to help line-level staff complete the complex unemployment application forms. To assist with pay gaps, we also distributed electronic grocery store gift cards. We remained in contact with our displaced associates, frequently checking in on them. This program was so effective that when we reopened, over 90 percent of our staff returned.

As we have shifted our focus back to retention, our strategy is to provide our associates with a viable career roadmap, detailing opportunities for promotions from within. We developed a BE EPIC Trailblazer Program, which helps promote future General Managers, and we boast multiple graduates who have been promoted to general manager positions at their resorts. Describing these potential career paths to incoming associates helps them to envision pathways to their futures at Grand Pacific Resorts.

Lastly, we launched a Housekeeping Enrichment Program, which helps our housekeeping associates strengthen their English as well as learn computer and financial skills. We also created a benefits package for room attendants, offering complimentary meals at work along with a new pair of work shoes from Shoes for Crews. Our teams have expressed their appreciation for these efforts, further cementing their loyalty to our company.
Despite the overwhelmingly positive response we have received to the initiatives and accomplishments, they are not a reason for us to remain complacent. Rather, what makes a timeshare management company truly exceptional presents an opportunity for Grand Pacific Resorts to leverage our areas of strength while identifying areas for growth—which is exactly what we will continue to do.