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With Regards: Archives ~ |
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"A good garden may have some weeds." -Thomas Fuller - Those of you who have read past With Regards are aware that on occasion I have been more than candid about some faults I perceive with some of the new product that RCI has brought to the marketplace, some of the methods they have chosen to expose those products to the consumer and for the radical decline from the "Christel" type of service which had become routine. For those occasions I offer no apologies. Those within the RCI system who know me, know that my interest is specific to serving the best interest of those Interval Interest Owners who look to me and mine for guidance and protection, however, ..... When one is willing to offer criticism they ought also to extend praise when it warranted. Between the time that RCI was acquired by Cendant and when Ken May and Frank Morrisroe assumed their current leadership positions, RCI had lost its focus on servicing not only its exchange members, but its resort affiliates. One could say that more than a few weeds appeared in the garden. One of the first acts that May and Morrisroe performed was to identify priorities for the coming year. Three of those priorities were reveled in Ken's CEO Comments contained in the May/June 2000 issue RCI Premiere. Therein he stated: "In order to achieve these priorities, RCI must respond more quickly and decisively to your, and your owners', needs and concerns." and then he continued with: "Most of the people at RCI who you talk to regularly, our Resort Sales and Services staff, will be moving closer to you. Within the next six to nine months, RCI will open six U.S. Resort Operations offices covering the following areas ......" Were these just more words meant to placate cynics such as myself? Roll forward approximately one year to June 26-27, 2001 - Miles and miles away from Parsippany, N.J. and/or Indianapolis, Ind. Kris Jamtass, Vice President of RCI West stepping to a podium at The Hotel Monaco in Denver, and welcoming a room full of Timeshare/Vacation Ownership Professionals and Preferred Alliance representatives to the first ever RCI in the ROCKIES - "Timesharing in the West ...The State of the Industry." It is my understanding that this was not the first of such meetings, however, it was the only one that I had first hand experience with. Lo and behold some of those seeds flung into the wind have taken root. Now Kris could take all the credit, however he would be the first to tell you that the whole team from the RCI West Regional office played a vital part in pulling some weeds, bringing service back to the West, and pulling off such a resounding successful meeting. Kris's team included Joan VanArsdale, Dori Carlson, Marsha Taylor, Scott Merritt, John Loeblich, Laura Klinkose and Susan Toner. (Susan and her clan have moved lock, stock and barrel, back to Indy and she has secured a position with Fairfield (still part of Cendent). We will miss her in Phoenix and the West and would wish her good luck (except she doesn't need it.) We had our share of Industry dignitaries including RCI Senior Vice President Frank Morrisroe, ARDA President/COO Howard Nusbaum, Brad McDonald who made the obligatory RCI Points points and "Carnac (Lynn Weas) the Magnificent". Just about everybody in attendance had the opportunity for about 15 minutes to give their insight into what was happening in our region and what was available to us via the Preferred Alliance folks. No overkill, just good informative stuff given with an attitude of "we're in this together - how do we make it better?" Then we all went to watch The Denver Rockies play the San Diego Padres at Coors Field and a good time was had by all. Final thought Ken May's CEO Commentary in the May/June 2001 issue of RCI Timeshare Business included the commitment that "The people who comprise the "new RCI" will be noteworthy for their remarkable intelligence, for their passion for our industry, and for their complete integrity." Clearly Kris Jamtass and his exceptional staff have so far mended the fences, cleared the field, tilled the soil, spread some fertilizer, and are going around demonstrating those qualities you outlined. Many of us feel that whatever ground was lost in serving our owners (who are RCI members) is well on the way to being recovered and once again we can reach out and touch someone we trust. Was that what you had in mind Ken? If so, this Week the Point is that, the garden is blooming out west again!
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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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