Georgi Bohrod's Blog

Tomorrow I will be heading up to talk with the managers of all 15 of Grand Pacific Resort Management's resorts.  We'll be discussing social media and a bit about some key/hands-on ways to make sure people can find you; following people back; engaging non followers; developing interesting contact and promoting access across your digital assets.  We've been working closely with Coronado Beach Resort as an example to kick off and formulate best practices.  Follow on Twitter @GPRCoronado and GrandPacificRM  and on FB too.  Looking forward to learning about what each of the resorts is doing that works well for them. 

  It seems like just yesterday I attended the CRDA conference up in Vancouver.  What a great opportunity to look at our industry from a Canadian perspective, and from a no-holds barred outlook. Ross Perlmutter put together a forum where everyone was open, honest and ready to share best practices, innovative thoughts and futuristic plans.  That being said, what really stuck with me was the chance to experience two wonderful Club Intrawest properties:  Vancouver and Whistler. (And to make it all even better, my husband agreed to leave his busy mediation practice to explore the Pacific Northwest with me).  Club Intrawest-Vancouver is 28th, 29th and 30TH floors of the landmark Wall Centre Tower. This signature tower was the highest in Vancouver on its completion in 2002 (just now being eclipsed by a new tower several blocks north), but forever sits at the highest elevation of Vancouver’s downtown peninsula. The views are fantastic in every direction.  What’s really cool it that the urban vacation home comes complete with a telescope to check out what’s happening in all the skyscrapers that make up the bustling cosmopolitan city of Vancouver.  Plus, because the Club is literally within the Sheraton Hotel you can have all the amenities of the hotel while feeling right at home. Club Intrawest members (and guests like us) have their own lounge with a concierge on hand to help with everything from reservations to directions.  Tim, our concierge that day, pointed us toward the Sea to Ski Highway which we took up to the Club’s first resort in Whistler.  The views from the road both coming and going were breathtaking.  Rene Cardinal, President of Club Intrawest promised me the sun would shine for our drive, and the weather cooperated.  In a part of the world known for its rain and clouds, the sun shone brightly off the water and reflected off the mountains which disappeared into the clouds.  In keeping with Club Intrawest’s commitment to consistent diversity again we found a wonderful front desk team who doubled as concierges.  Like the other Club Intrawest locations, Club Intrawest - Whistler is a tribute to local culture with remarkable and unexpected features. The style of the 4-5 story structure goes back to the area’s roots for its design elements, being comprised mostly of various forms of timber, stone and metal. The Club is a “mountain lodge” style building, with topography and environment that dictate a style of large overhangs and snow dump areas, yet the landscaping and the indoor/outdoor areas make it adaptable for multi-season use.  You really don’t need a car in Whistler, we walked everywhere in the brisk mountain air.  Ski season was winding down and since we’re not skiers we took a long pleasant hike to justify the hearty meals we were enjoying.  Tourists were from everywhere:  Australia, UK, Japan, China, and New Zealand. We even shared a chair lift to the top of the mountain with other sight seers:   turbaned- Indian Sikh with a long gray beard and his extended family.   At night we returned to our cozy vacation home to stretch out by the fireplace. Ah….this is what life is all about.   One of the best business trips I’ve ever been on!

Now that we have stepped back from the always exhilarating and extremely exhausting ARDA convention, it’s a good time to pause and reflect.  Lessons learned.  Ideas gained.  Friendships renewed.  Client relationships solidified.  New business opportunities developed.  With 2700 of your closest friends milling about the Marriott World Center for a week, there’s bound to be a bunch of surprises. The best news is that our timeshare industry seems to be a buzz with hope.  Talked to colleagues who have just gotten new positions and others who are hiring.  Even talked to a few folks who are getting money for construction and others who have money to invest.  All in all-- good stuff. One of the most exciting couple of hours that I spent was in the session entitled WWYD (What Would YOU Do?):  The Timeshare of the Future.  We packed a room with a varied and enthusiastic crowd. 60% of them were students.  No surprise that the timeshares “developed” by the group all had a huge flexibility component.  Most suggested short term (3-5-7 year) commitments and all incorporated points which could be spent for a variety of vacation options from all inclusive plans to exotic elephant rides. It’s pretty special when we aren’t restrained in our thinking.  And the imagination can take over.  I invite all of you to check out the follow up on our session (which “starred” Ann Barker, Jim Beckham, and Dave Gilbert) at www.arda.org

Is this a great gig or what?  I’ve got the greatest clients in the biz.  They range from folks like Mobius Vendor Partners and their online feedback system CustomerCount© to ResorTime.com with a Bonus Time Network of more than 300 resorts.  But this is not about running off at the mouth about my client list (you can go to my web site www.gbgandassociates.com for that).  This is about the wonderful way my “real” life and my professional life are intertwined on a daily basis, so much that they dovetail  into fabulous experiences like my trip to Club Intrawest Palm Desert a couple of weeks ago.  My new client Club Intrawest is a unique private vacation club which has engaged my company GBG & Associates to work with them as they move along the path to grow and selectively bring more people into the fold.  With their recent IPO offering of Whistler, Club Intrawest is well positioned to selectively acquire companies and engage in partnerships.  But more about that another time. I wanted to experience first-hand Club Intrawest’s corporate culture and the results of a commitment to give members the best vacation of their life.  So, what better way to take a road trip from San Diego to Palm Desert with one of my most favorite traveling companions, my first granddaughter, Natalie? Natalie is an aspiring photographer and as bad a navigator as her grandma. So, armed with both a camera and a GPS system we headed out for a short trip. The weather in the desert was perfect.  Warm.  72◦.  Slightly overcast.  The air still and quiet.  The resort is large and sprawling.  But so serene.  I can see why they had a member’s yoga retreat there a few months ago.   Over the years I’ve been fortunate to visit many timeshare properties. But frankly this was one of the very nicest. ”) From the moment we checked in, we were treated like honored guests (not “freebees/comps.  Our unit was on the second floor in a quiet corner overlooking the mountains on the horizon and the golf course.  Really cool was the enclosed separate patio, with a fireplace…we made immediate plans to enjoy a “romantic” supper out there after our touristy activities.  Upon further inspection we came upon an outside shower.  Yes. That’s right.  With an adobe brick wall just high enough for privacy and low enough to enjoy the view, it was an exceptionally unusual architectural touch.  This beautifully crafted property feature is part of what Club Intrawest’s design philosophy calls Consistent Diversity.  The kitchen (where we spent a good deal of time “togethering”, laughing and enjoying each other’s culinary skills –does spaghetti with a jar of marinara sauce count as cooking?) reflects the southwest Spanish influences with vivid colors complete with glasses which screamed “margarita”  to me!   This time I avoided that siren’s call, but perhaps another time my husband and I will put that blender to good use. )    Natalie and I set off on our walk to the Desert Willow golf course; but we hadn’t gotten to the guard house when a friendly staff member drove up behind us in a golf cart and invited us for a quick ride over.  He might have been motivated by the loveliness of my 17 year old companion, but nonetheless he was genuinely determined to add to the Best Vacation of Our Lives.  Our excursion was a bit like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, and as we held on for dear life, it was clear we weren’t really going all that far. After our tour of the property, which boasts a wonderful movie theatre, two pools, tennis courts and lots of activities, we thought we should check out the nearby resorts.  The Westin Desert Willow was of particular interest since it is part of ResorTime.com’s offerings.  So we scooted around the block (and blocks are much longer in the desert) to check out our neighboring property.  It looked busier and more populated than our home base, which was nearly fully occupied and still miraculously quiet.  Yet, there were bunches of kids having a terrific time over at the Westin and the Christmas decorations were lovely.  Not a bad place to stay either we decided. However, we were glad to get back to Club Intrawest with our bag of groceries…a true mark of staying at a timeshare rather than a hotel.  We set up the kitchen and headed down to the Jacuzzi® where we talked to a few folks enjoying the warm desert night.  Actually we met only exchangers.  One family with three generations splashing about was from nearby Orange County; the youngest, a fourth grader was enjoying the attention of her dad while her aunt and grandma lounged nearby and extolled the virtues of owning a timeshare. They were the kind of folks that should make an owner referral video.  Another woman from Alberta was a member of a resort in South Africa which she only purchased to exchange. She couldn’t wait to visit our unit because she didn’t have the outdoor shower and fireplace configuration that we were so proud of.  She did say that this was the nicest of any resort she had stayed in…her husband was a golfer and couldn’t have been happier. (And we didn’t even pay her to say it!) After to our unit we had our supper on the patio.  For dessert we popped in Adam Sandler’s 8 Crazy Nights (after all it was Chanukah season) which we had checked out from an extensive DVD collection at the front desk.  The extremely comfortable bed welcomed us as we crawled in, quite content to enjoy the calm and sleep soundly.  I looked over at Natalie and the memories of years of past year’s shared vacations (Las Vegas, San Francisco, Hawaii, Colorado, Wisconsin) flooded my heart.  Each one special in its unique way.  And this one, which combined work and relaxation, perhaps the most memorable of all. (So far).

If you had asked Wednesday “what was the highlight of the ARDA convention?” I would have gladly gushed about the positive attitude, renewed energy, increase in business. Triton Timeshare Software thrilled that the last month brought in more business than the whole previous year; the speed-lead concept energized new and established vendors; the food in the exhibit hall was really good…all that seemed prominent and important.  That was before I heard Consuelo Kickbush share her vision  and spiritual humanity at the Breakfast of Champions on Thursday morning. This was truly an epiphany for me, and I venture to say, many others.  What we do in our industry is provide rest. Rest for weary bodies and tired minds. And our new demographic of what we used to call minorities has worked long and hard to enjoy the fruits of their labors.  Now they are coming to spend that hard-earned time with us in a resort environment.  Consuelo talked about this, her pride of serving in the military, her growing up in the barrio and her return to do service for children through EASLeadership.  This breakfast was followed by a Diversity and Inclusion panel which furthered the discussion.  It is a shame that so few got to experience Consuelo’s spiritual motivation and the ensuing discussion.  Maybe next year we can blend in this sort of session earlier in the convention. 

Heading off to ARDA At first it feels like I’m going to a reunion of some nature. And actually it is. With 3,000 of our closest friends we are bound to know lots of folks.  What’s cool is there is always someone new to meet, a new idea to encounter, a new technology to be amazed at, and a new company with a great platform. What’s got my attention this year are a few things. First of all WIN (Women in the Industry.org) is having our third ARDA networking function.  This time at the Double Helix in the Palazzo shops. We’re a bit nervous because we didn’t know we’d have so many enthusiastic members and supporters who want to attend Tuesday night.  An embarrassment of riches, so to speak. But, this being Vegas, we figure that people will come and go and we all won’t be there at once.  (Keep your fingers crossed!) Secondly, CustomerCount© is powering a survey on Green Initiatives at the Triton Timeshare Software booth and at various Wi-Fi locations throughout the convention. The preliminary information was interesting and the complete data will be of great help to ARDA’s Sustainability/Green Design Group committee to help establish the future direction of the committee’s focus. In order to encourage vital responses all timeshare professionals responding to this survey will have a tree planted in their honor by Arbor Day Foundations as part of its “Replanting Our Forests” campaign.  CustomerCount has just launched a new web site at www.customercount.info so check it out! Grand Pacific Resort Management will be actively pursuing management contracts. They’ve been managing their own resorts for nearly two decades and have decided not to keep their expertise hidden from resorts that can use their help.  Since I’ve known these people since my start in the industry, it is a lot of fun watching them evolve from a derivation of Winners Circle Resorts to their own full fledged company with 14 resorts, 45,000 owners and 800 employees. Another old friend is ResortCom International.  They’ve refocused their strategies and now are clearly defining the two divisions and their services.  Since I used to work in-house full time with Jeff Healy and his strong group of executives and hard working managers it’s particularly wonderful to be back sharing their professional growth and plans for the future. An exciting component of ARDA this year will be seeing ResorTime.com signing up resorts to broaden their already robust portfolio of 300 resorts.  I’ve already referred lots of my friends who are not “in the biz” to take advantage of ResorTime.Com’s great rates and they’ve come back with rave reviews. As an A+ member of the Better Business Bureau, it’s hard to believe they’ve been around for 10 years. I’ll be at the The Trades booth interviewing a bunch of people on Tuesday for AskMando TV, so if you’re around stop by and say hello. It’s always good to see new and old friends!

Tired of the guessing game? Well I am.  So often I speak with clients who are quite sure they know who their target market it, what their customers are thinking and what the best strategy is for staying in touch with their base.  “We know who are raving fans are,” they say.  “We just need to engage the group of owners/guest/customers (fill in the blank, here) and they’ll all be happy.”   Well, what makes them happy?  Is it that they can depend on the friendly folks at the front desk to remember them year after year?  Is it that their unit always has the air conditioning on (or off) when they arrive?  How about that the garage is locked and secure at night or the resort uses recycled materials? Maybe they just like returning to the beach or the mountains and can be assured that the resort is well maintained with plenty of place for kids and kid’s stuff.   There is no way of knowing what makes clients tick unless you zone in on the particulars and slice and dice data in numerous ways. That’s what CustomerCount© does.  Developed by Mobius Vendor Partners for its client RCI, Customer Count was four years in the making.  Now it not only surveys the reservations, sales and vacation experience, but analyzes the data so that resort managers can make informed decisions.  It’s also easily adaptable to other businesses and industries outside of the timeshare / resort market.   In the next couple of weeks Resort Trades will launch a survey they commissioned CustomerCount© to create and build.  It will be a good example of just what the product can do, and in addition provide a ton of information which Resort Trades and www.askmando.com will make public.   GBG & Associates will write up that report for the Trades.  Those who participate are going to get a chance to enter into a drawing for a TruCash Certificate ($200) or another gift certificate for $100.  Be on the lookout for the survey because we need your input to pull good data.   If you have any questions feel free to email me:  georgi@georgibohrod.com

  Attending Fall ARDA turned out to be a mood elevator, not a downer as was feared by many.  Attendance was better than expected, yet not as high as previous years. Actually higher than last year’s Fall Conference.  It always surprises me that in addition to the usual suspects, we get to meet a few folks we hadn’t really had the opportunity to connect with. A special shout out to Gustavo Ripol (can’t believe we’ve never truly known each other face to face, but only by emails and reputation), Ross Perlmutter (head of CRDA who has the very same birthday as Howard Nusbaum and seems to be some what of a doppelganger in other ways), and Jeff Ingram who managed to point me in the right direction a number of times.  The Meetings Committee managed to re-arrange priorities while adding and subtracting subject matter and various speakers who are repositioning themselves during this “new normal” economic climate.  The Communications Committee once again bounced around myriad ideas and blab our way through an hour with some direction.  (After all we ARE communicators).  The WIN Advisors Board meeting was attended by Deborah Linden, Robert Kobek and JoAnn Lockard and after the BOD made our presentation we were all impressed with the strides Women in the Industry www.womenintheindustry.org has made in a year.  The Florida Regional Meeting should add even more members to our roster.  As will our special event at ARDA on Tuesday night in Las Vegas.  Finally, we want to wish Mobius Vendor Partners (www.mobiusvp.com) a very happy ten year anniversary.  That’s a long time to be part of this industry with such important contributions as CustomerCount®.  GBG & Associates has some damn good clients if I do say so myself.  Next time you’ll hear more about them.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out walking virtually it is an experience you don’t want to miss.  Seriously. WIN is walking as a team for those with Stage IV Breast Cancer.  Of course you don’t have to be on our team. You certainly can go it alone.  But either way let me encourage you to go to www.galtogalwalk.org and sign up.  The month is half over and we are falling short of our goal.   There is another walk with the same general theme at Grand Pacific Palisades Resort is in Carlsbad. However, this time you actually have to walk for real.   This one’s called Making Strides Against Breast Cancer ®, He’RO’es for Hope.  It memorializes Ro Fecko, a long time Grand Pacific Resorts employee.  To sign up go to http://main.acsevents.org/goto/gpresorts  It doesn’t cost a dime but donations are appreciated. So if you want to honor breast cancer survivors, remembers the ones we have lost, help raise awareness, support research and fight back against cancer show up at 8 .m. on Saturday, October 17.   There are so many ways to let our energies be directed toward healing this month.  We don’t have to wear pink cleats, or write huge checks, but we can be part of the community to show we care.