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With Regards: Archives ~ |
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The June 1999 issue of Developments contained a small and somewhat obscure reference to a pair of AIF (ARDA’s International Foundation) commissioned complementary surveys from the Department of Restaurant, Hotel, Institutional and Tourism Management at Purdue University. The first of these surveys was an inventory of member-identified training needs and the second took stock of timeshare-specific programs at colleges and universities. I, for one, was not surprised with the following quotes: "The surveys found that while members have the interest and resources to invest heavily in training and education, there is very little in the way of formalized instruction.", "It should be no surprise that members identified customer service/service quality as a priority.", "Two-thirds of members surveyed are interested in education on resort management", "There is a strong interest in long-term professional and executive development, as well as intensive, localized education for line staff." Again, I for one, was not surprised that the Foundation’s first action with this information was not to address the issues of service/service qualities at the resort or line staff level. The October 1999 issue of Developments indicated the Foundations direction in the article "A Wider, Deeper Pool" as follows: "The Foundation ......has begun an aggressive campaign to increase the visibility of the timeshare and vacation ownership industries at post-secondary educational institutions. The two-pronged effort will increase the quality and quantity of information available to faculty, while encouraging students in their formative years to pursue careers in the industry." "This .....will allow the Foundation to make a quantum leap in developing educational programming targeting the academic world." The January 2000 issue of Developments contained an article titled "Employees with Credentials". This article contained the following quotes: "However, it is a common assumption that this industry is dominated by a host of sales and marketing positions. While that is, to a large degree, accurate, this industry also depends heavily upon other areas of specialization, including accounting, finance, MIS, and property management positions.", "Where do you find quality people for these professional positions? Obviously, the most common and readily available source is from the competition.", "So what other options are there?", "Another viable alternative is to seek out individuals who have acquired their professional skill sets from an institute of higher education." For the purpose of this thesis, let us assume that the typical Timeshare or Vacation Ownership Resort contains 100 units and the standard of service established requires 1 service or operational staff member per unit. Simple math would then indicate that the typical Resort would have 100 employees committed to delivering service/service quality to the industry's consumers. Let us also assume that Senior Management at this typical Resort consist of 5 individuals, a General Manager, a Director of Guest Services, a Director of Property Services, a Director of Administration, and a Comptroller. Again, simple math would indicate that at this typical Resort, 95 of the employees would hold such positions as Supervisor, Maintenance man, Houseman, Room Attendant, Security, Concierge, Front Desk Clerk, Pool Attendant, Housekeeper, Inspector, Secretary, Groundskeeper, Data Entry Clerk, and so on. Given this thesis, 95% of individuals working at the typical Resort hold down the line staff positions and are the folk's who, 99.9% of the time, are required to deliver the service/service quality. Let us again assume that there are something north of 4,000 Timeshare or Vacation Ownership Resorts in active operation and that the average number of units at these resorts is 100 thus, according to this thesis, the assumed number of employees at these resorts is 100 x 4,000 or 400,000 with about 20,000 of these employees holding managerial level positions and about 380,000 holding line staff positions. Let us again assume that upward to 10% (2,000) of those employees holding the managerial level positions have achieved Industry Certification from AIE (ARDA Educational Institute) as an ARP (Associate Resort Professional) or a RRP (Registered Resort Professional). This assumed number is about ˝ of 1 % of those individual who are intrusted with delivering the service/service quality at the typical Resort. Currently the only way for a typical Resort level employee to acquire the criteria necessary to achieve certification is by attending one of the ARDA National Meetings and/or one or more of the Regional Management Seminars. The cost of attending the National Meetings is well above that the typical non-managerial level Resort employee could afford to pay themselves and few, if any, Development Companies are willing to foot the bill. Attendance at one of the Regional Management Seminars is much more affordable ranging around the $100 dollar level. Based on the current criteria I would estimate that between the required Individual Membership in ARDA, the Conference Registration Fees, and the AEC Certification Fees, travel & lodging, an individuals cost of obtaining even the lowest level of certification would approach $2,000. One of the staff members at Scottsdale Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona recently received certification as a Certified Executive Housekeeper from another National Association for under $500 total costs. He was able to meet the required criteria via correspondence and on the job performance and passing a final examination, without ever attending a National or Regional Meeting. I recently received my copy of the 2000 edition of the catalog from the Educational Institute (EI) of the American Hotel and Motel Association (AH&MA). This catalog contains hundreds of books and videos for training for jobs within the hotel and motel segment of the hospitality industry. Without exception these are the same jobs which are filled by the majority of our timeshare or vacation ownership segment non-managerial staff members. This catalog offers hundreds of courses of study all of which go toward achieving certification at almost every level of employment. There are 12 Professional Certifications for the Management and Department Head and 13 Certifications for Line-Staff Hospitality Skills. From the highest certification of Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) to the line-staff certification of Hospitality Skills Certification for a Front Desk Representative (HSC-FDR). The EI strategies for success statement regarding certification asks the following questions: "What happens when every member of your management team becomes certified? What happens when they, in turn, pass the desire for skill recognition on to the next person and the next level? The answers: Teamwork happens. Efficiencies materialize. Why? Because: Certified managers excel as hospitality professionals, certified department heads are acknowledged experts in their field, certified supervisors acquire the skills needed to lead people and certified line-level staff are proud to have a future with your company." Final thought Certification from the ARDA Educational Institute is currently for the elite within the industry and makes a nice addition to a resume’, on a business card or as credentials of an humble author such as myself. For the hundreds of thousands of individuals who strive daily in the trenches of the Timeshare or Vacation Ownership segment of the hospitality industry to provide the service/service quality necessary for our industry to meet, yes even exceed, owner and guest expectations, it is a non-factor. One of the first things that Ed McMullen and Rip Gellein need to place on the agenda for the new Vacation Ownership Committee of the AH&MA is to determine how to avail Randy Goodhope and the ARDA-AEI many of the resources of the AH&MA-EI. Our Timeshare or Vacation Ownership resort staff members deserve the same opportunities to improve their lot as do their counterparts working in hotels and motels which are members of AH&MA. The ARDA effort to enhance the Timeshare and/or Vacation Ownership Industry participation at the post-secondary educational institutions and enhance the quality and quantity of information available to their faculties may be a quantum leap in developing educational programming targeting the academic world but it does little to provide certification opportunity for the non-managerial staffs at our Resorts. Within the next couple of years their numbers will approach a ˝ million. Give them the same opportunity and you will hear a Quantum Roar of thanks all the way to the ARDA Headquarters in D.C. |
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Jerry Sikes, RRP / CHA, is President of Professional Resort Operators, Inc., Scottsdale, Arizona. He has 35 years in the Hospitality Industry / 25 years in Timesharing, and is the current Co-Chairman of ARDA Arizona as well as Chairman of the Arizona Timeshare Management Association. Jerry is a frequent guest speaker regionally and nationally on all aspects of Timeshare Management and a frequent contributor of articles for industry publications. Email: boyjerry@cox.net Phone 480-947-3300 Fax 480-947-6853 Web site: http://www.protimeshare.com |
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