TS Today - Creating a Vision for the Future of Vacation Ownership Issue #142, Jul/Aug 2015 | Page 23

TimeSharing Today Page 23 Jul/Aug, 2015 LQJKHDOWKEHQH¿WVDQGWKHLUHPSOR\HUVKDUHRIWKHSUHPLXPVIRUIXUORXJKHGHPSOR\HHVXQOHVVDQHPSOR\HH¿QGVDQRWKHUMRERUGRHVQRW return to work. Boards also can consider offering valued employees an incentive to return in the form of a “restart” bonus to compensate for the gap between unemployment and regular wages. Potential Savings Depending on the resort, seasonal closures may produce far more savings than the association can generate in maintenance fees and UHQWDOLQFRPHDQGWKHEHQH¿WVH[WHQGHYHQIXUWKHU)RUH[DPSOHUHORcated owners who were statistically most likely to become delinquent are now less likely. By compressing ownership into other non-performing intervals, EDGGHEWLVUHGXFHGDQGWKHDVVRFLDWLRQRSHUDWHVPRUHHI¿FLHQWO\,W LVDVLJQL¿FDQWVWHSFORVHUWRFRPSOHWHVHOORXWZKLFKLQFUHDVHVWKH overall value of ownership. Furthermore, hundreds of low/no value off-season weeks have been removed from the resale market, which EHQH¿WVWKHLQGXVWU\DVDZKROH Any association that has an under-utilized season should consider this option, even on a year-to-year basis. Boards should be forewarned, however, that planning must start well ahead of execution since owner relocation can take up to two years to complete. Unanticipated complications from winterizing buildings and then reviving them are common. In fact, all aspects require a considerable amount of planning, organization, and man-hours, but the return on investment will likely justify the effort. Richard Muller, senior vice president of resort operations for Vacation Resorts International, has more than 35 years of hospitality experience, including 20 years in the timeshare industry. He maintains a Community Association Manager license in Florida and has a hotelmanagement degree. VRI is based in Lake Forest, CA, with regional RI¿FHVLQ+\DQQLV0$1HZ%HUQ1&DQG6DOW/DNH&LW\87,WSURvides resort and owner-association X[