Press Release: RCI
April 15, 2002
PARSIPPANY, NJ -- Resort Condominiums International, LLC (RCI), Friday announced that it has launched the RCI Community
(http://www.RCICommunity.com), a new online gathering place for RCI members
to share travel experiences and communicate with other members who have similar leisure interests and preferences.
"The RCI Community is a truly visionary concept and we are very delighted to offer it to our members,"
said Ken May, president and CEO, RCI. "The RCI Community will improve our members' ability to plan and enjoy
their leisure travel, and improve the quality of their vacation experiences."
Members participate in the RCI Community first by registering their travel preferences in the form of a Travel
Profile. Within this Profile members list their favorite travel activities, such as cruises or outdoors recreation,
sports, arts and culture, family fun or nightlife, dining preferences and the type of vacation accommodations they
like best.
The primary content of the RCI Community is comprised of journals written by members, which are reviewed by the
site's independent editors and posted on the site. These journals, which are stories, reviews or accounts of vacations
or specific vacation activities such as restaurant reviews, can be searched by destination, by activity, by quality
of content and by relevance to each member.
In this way, for example, an RCI Community Member who enjoys mountain biking can learn from other mountain biking
enthusiasts within the RCI Community which RCI resorts in a particular region offer the best access to mountain
bike trails, whether bike rentals are available, information on nearby restaurants and so on. The ability to see
the degree to which a member's travel profile matches the profile of other members, combined with the ability to
view the highest quality content makes the recommendations particularly relevant and interesting.
When members submit journals, they earn "Community Credits" that can be redeemed for various prizes including
cameras, bags, travel gear or American Airlines AAdvantage Miles. Members also earn credits when they register,
and whenever another member reads their journal. This allows members to easily determine the highest-quality journals
from among many that might be posted for a popular destination such as Orlando, while at the same time rewarding
those who put the most effort into their journals with the most credits.
Other features of the RCI Community, which is available free of charge and is open to RCI Points and RCI Weeks
Members, include the ability to communicate with other RCI Community members through the use of the RCI Message
Center; access to photo galleries, where members view and post pictures from their vacations; an online marketplace
that will offer a variety of travel-related merchandise; and the ability to book travel-related services through
Avis, RCI Holiday Network, Cheap Tickets and Trip.com, among others.
"The RCI Community will add more value to RCI membership in many different ways," said May. "In
addition to facilitating communication between members, we'll be able to identify ways to provide savings on certain
travel offers by better knowing what our members' preferences are, and connecting them with companies offering
the products they want."
Content on the RCI Community is managed by independent editors who are not employees of RCI. These editors preview
every journal and photograph to ensure that it is appropriate for all audiences and to provide initial ratings.
All journals that meet these criteria are posted on the site, regardless of whether they are positive or negative
in their review of a resort, destination or vacation.
The RCI Community also offers a premium "Passport Club," an expanded fee-based membership, that presents
additional benefits including last minute discounts and upgrades, the ability to purchase up to four Guest Certificates
at half-price each year, companion air tickets, and travel guides for timeshare destinations.
The RCI Community Web site is powered by IgoUgo, an innovative travel technology company that harnesses the power
of the Internet to create travel communities. IgoUgo has created the platform for the RCI Community utilizing IgoUgo's
proprietary technology including technical architecture, web design and development, programming, systems configuration,
deployment and e-commerce.
About RCI
Resort Condominiums International, LLC (RCI) is a global provider of leisure travel services to businesses and
consumers, with market leadership positions in vacation property exchange, rental and resort management. As a growth
partner to its business clients, RCI leverages core competencies in networks, technology, brand and product development
and world-class customer service to deliver superior vacation experiences for travelers anywhere in the world.
RCI operates the world's largest vacation exchange network, RCI Weeks, with 3 million members around the world,
as well as the world's only global points-based exchange network, RCI Points. The RCI Holiday Network offers consumers
the world's largest and most diverse selection of holiday rental properties, and operates rental programs on behalf
of resorts around the world. RCI offers property owners at private residence clubs access to a portfolio of fine
leisure assets through The Abercrombie & Kent Registry, bringing flexibility and added value to the luxury
segment of the vacation ownership industry. RCI Resort Management is the vacation ownership industry's largest
property management company, providing branded holiday experiences to consumers on behalf of nearly 250 resorts
and associations worldwide. RCI is a subsidiary of Cendant Corporation (NYSE: CD), a global provider of services
primarily in travel and real estate.
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Media Contact:
Inna Shamis 973-496-7021 inna.shamis@cendant.com <mailto:inna.shamis@cendant.com>