FROM THE SPONSORS PEN Our monthly highlight on what’s happening across the industry directly from one of our Annual Gold Sponsors.
As a proud sponsor and supporter of ATHOC, it’s really great to have this opportunity to say hello to everyone in this month’s Whispers, the monthly eNewsletter broadcast from the industry’s national group association. You’ve told us it’s our straight forward and uncomplicated approach to our business that has kept you coming back to DAE– it’s a very simple concept – Customer Satisfaction as the driving force for everything we do. Perhaps it’s innovation that has lead to our amazing growth? Or maybe it’s the fact that we’re privately owned and totally independent? There’s one thing we do know for sure - we know that one size does not fit all and we work for our members – one exchange at a time.
One of our goals is to provide some ‘new thinking in timeshare exchange’, and we’re always looking at ways to add value and greater scope for our members to use their holiday ownership products to get the very most from them. One of the innovations that we’re most proud of, was to come up with a fabulous solution to one of our member’s most frequent requests - how to help them use their timeshare to travel to destinations where little or no traditional Timeshare resorts exist.
We also have properties in the hot spot holiday resort towns of Ettalong Beach and Nelson Bay, an easy drive north of Sydney, plus the ever-popular Margaret River and Peel Region in West Australia. Australian Capital city requests can also be confirmed now with the introduction of daeOptions properties in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide; all of which are right in the heart of the city, and proving to be very popular with our members.
From all of us at DAE, thanks for your continued support and we look forward to greater development of our partnerships with Australian resorts and Clubs, and to helping Timeshare owners plan and confirm some great holiday experiences in the coming months and years ahead. |
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ATHOC and HWK Horwath held Seminars on the Gold Coast and by conference call for those people outside the region to look at the issues arising from the ATO interpretive decisions. ATHOC is currently setting up a meeting with the ATO to further discuss the issues that will impact members. We will advise further as more information comes to hand. If you would like a copy of the slides from the presentation, go to the member only section of the website. www.athoc.com.au A particular thank you to the team at HWK Horwath for working through this with us. |
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A casual get together for Dinner will be held Thursday 29th July at a venue to be confirmed, dinner is included in seminar price. You will also have the opportunity to attend the 19th Industry Awards night on Friday 30th July. Registration form is down loadable on ATHOC website - http://www.athoc.com.au/athoc/events |
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NAVIGATING THE NEW DECADE The ATHOC Conference will be held in Christchurch New Zealand at the Crowne Plaza from Sunday 12th September to Tuesday 14th September 2010. There will be a great line up of international and local speakers to bring you up to speed on what is happening in the timeshare industry. This is a must attend event for anyone in the industry or suppliers to the industry. Some speakers include Craig Nash CEO Interval International; Geoff Ballotti CEO RCI; Dan King from Generator Systems, and topics including – Do you have the wow factor; Maximising your inventory; Managing your customers; Being Green; Social media; Sales and marketing techniques; Industry resiliance and the list goes on. There will of course be the terrific networking opportunities thanks to our sponsors each night of the conference. For more information contact ATHOC at info@athoc.com.au or go to www.athoc.com.au and look at the events section. |
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The future mode of transport for the Managers of Accor Vacation Club may be on Segway scooters. The Leadership Team got together for a meeting at the Accor Vacation Club sales office located at the Novotel Twin Waters Resort in April. The focus of this great team building event was to set the strategy moving forward, and to reward the team for superb work completed over the recent months. So in line with the theme of the meeting, they had a bit of fun learning the precise direction to go in, the speed to go, how to balance and how to stop, all on a Segway scooter! After a quick lesson the team did a scenic tour through the surrounding bush of the Novotel Twin Waters Resort, with only one minor accident with our Sales Project Director running the Financial Controller off the track! No one was injured and it turned out to be a fantastic team building day. Accor Vacation Club and Dream Workers Local Gold Coast Charity, Dream Workers, were very grateful for the generosity of Accor Vacation Club, who recently donated an 5 night accommodation A-Gift pack for their annual Race Day. |
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Employees and guests at Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific head office and each of its managed vacation ownership resorts across Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, celebrated 10 years in the vacation ownership business during May. PHOTOS:
Top. Barry Robinson and some of the Wyndham team celebrating at Corporate office. Bottom.
The Judging panel assessing decorations in Wyndham’s Creative Services department |
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The Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC) applauds the arrest of two men in Victoria regarding alleged frauds relating to timeshare holdings. The vigilant industry body alerted the Victorian Police to this problem some time ago and is extremely happy that arrests have been made. You should also contact the resort that your are buying time in and ensure that you are purchasing from the rightful owner. If in doubt contact ATHOC to confirm that they are a member of the industry body. |
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Wednesday 26th May 2010 was an important day for the timeshare industry in Europe. There was no scandal, no new legislation nor a consumer television program about to reveal all. But in a hotel in Manchester there were representatives from every facet of the industry meeting for the first time to discuss the challenges and problems of the industry and more importantly to discuss action to overcome them. Senior Executives from Club la Costa, Dial an Exchange, Diamond Resorts International©, FNTC, Interval International, RCI, Resort Developers Association, Resort Properties, Resort Solutions ,and Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket attended the first of a series of meetings address the various issues that affect the timeshare industry Subjects such as the industry perception in the media, and how to attract new consumers to the industry, were discussed. However more importantly was how the industry addresses the problem for those whose personal situation means that they can no longer use their timeshare and want to leave. “All these subjects and more were discussed in an open, constructive and frank manner” said Harry Taylor the CEO of TATOC. He went on “Following our very successful Annual conference in March and as an Association who represents the consumer, we felt, that we should keep the impetus going and use this opportunity to move forward as a cohesive body. It is a TATOC initiative and we have been very encouraged as to the companies and interest taken by the industry and also the commitment to address these issues.” Many initiatives have been started over the years and the industry has been heavily targeted by legislators in both in the UK and EU. However it is recognised by those within the industry, that legal restrictions and laws will not solve all the problems. It is the first time that representatives of Consumers, Developers, Resale Agents, Trustees, Management and Marketing companies have met in this particular way and put individual company issues on one side to address the wider perspective The greatest challenge is for actions to be agreed and taken and at the next meeting, to be held in October, these actions and progress will be reviewed. Before the meeting a questionnaire was circulated and the common denominator was “Less talk and more action” and that is the prime objective of these meetings. “However “ said Taylor “ it was also recognised that this is a huge challenge and will not be overcome immediately but by taking small steps and working together miracles can and will happen” |
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ARDA CONFERENCE -
Opening Part 2
Lender Education
Technology
Enhanced Business Models
business model task force established Feb 2010 - case study on 3 areas:
future projections (next 10-15 years)
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The AEC Group have just about collected all of the data necessary for the project. I am happy to announce that over 7,500 owners responded to the survey and the winner of the 42 inch plasma TV is Kerry Cairns from WA who is an owner with Classic Holidays. The response from individual Resorts has been very disappointing with only a small handful responding. Thank you to those companies who took the time to complete the information. This is very important for our industry. The results of the business and consumer surveys will be released at the 2010 Conference in Christchurch. |
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Customer safety and OH&S are major concerns for all Australian businesses. Slip and fall accidents are leading cause of liability loss claims and ranks as the second leading cause of accidental deaths for aged 45-47 year old. Slip and fall accidents are estimated to cost Australia at least $3 billion each. A woman in 2007 was awarded $277,000 compensation after a fall at the Bondi Hotel. The largest settlement to date in Australia for a single slip and fall accident is believed to be $2.75 million. Risk assessment surveys typically identify the following as examples of slip hazards; spillage of (or the precense of) wet and dry substances; change from wet to dry floor surfaces; slippery surfaces; miscellaneous rubbish: unsuitable footwear; changes in slope and changes of level; and poor lighting. Many of these hazards are related to lack of cleaning and maintenance. This is something that every accommodation manager and restaurant owner faces every day when the floors they are responsible for are slippery.
OH&S legislation also requires employers to provide floors that are slip resistant and employees must also comply with OH&S legislation. There are so many ways of making floors less hazardous and, assuming one is unable to put down a completely new floor using non-slip materials, several methods of treating existing surfaces. This could involve totally resurfacing with a cover such as rubber, a paint-on solution or some means of etching. ‘Paint on’ coatings are a simple, cost effective and very efficient method of making an existing floor less slippery. Many of these are designed to meet the unique needs of the accommodation/ hospitality industry with features such as a steam cleanable, non-shedding surface that is slip resistant and hard wearing. There are a vast range of these anti-slip coatings ranging from vinyls, resins, epoxy and even paint. These include an ultra fast-track resin system that is ready for use within just two hours of application, an ideal feature for a busy hotel, resort or motel. Single and two pack polyurethane anti-slip protective coatings cure to form a tough, seamless, abrasion resistant, flexible durability as it is heat, water, salt water, impact and chemical resistant. (dilute acids and alkalies). Abrasive coating systems prevent foot traffic from actually walking on the floor finish. These finishes are designed to contain 120,000,000+ ceramic (or other) particles per square metre that protrude through the final surface. These particles are what guests walk on – not the floor. It provides superior wear resistance, superior scratch resistance as well as low maintenance and chemical and stain resistance. Stairs can present a real problem but, again, there are a number of coatings and overlays that can be applied. Tread overlays and nosing products are from hard wearing polyester resin, aluminum, rubber among other surfaces and are suitable for interior or exterior steps. These can be retro fitted onto existing wooden, metal or concrete steps and offer superior traction in wet or oily conditions. Anti-slip tapes offer a simple and effective way to reduce slip and fall accidents. Each tape has a heavy coating of permanent, pressure sensitive adhesive that is water resistant and ensures that once it is down, it stays down. Cold vulcanized anit-slip strip is a very fast drying and curing product with outstanding adhesion and wear resistance is applied using a unique cold fusion technology. It has outstanding durability as well as it is heat, water, electric current, slat water, UV, impact and chemical resistant. Micro etching is a chemical solution designed to increase traction by creating microscopic channels in most hard mineral surfaces, such as ceramic tile, quarry tile, granite, porcelain, and as well, steel enamel bathtubs. After the product is applied the water will disperse into the newly created microscopic channels and this will create a non- slip surface. (HMAA) |
SPONSOR WRITE UP: DAE
We first started Dial An Exchange to provide a fuss-free, uncomplicated alternative for Australian Timeshare owners to get that special exchange holiday they wanted. Today, we service Timeshare and Holiday Property Owners from around the world from eight Customer Service Centres, (located in New Zealand, the US, United Kingdom, South Africa, China, Thailand and India). 
With the introduction of ‘daeOptions’ we now offer Timeshare owners both exchange and low cost rental opportunities in high demand holiday areas such as Palm Cove and Cairns in Tropical Far North Queensland, Airlie Beach in the spectacular Whitsundays, Hervey Bay on the divine Fraser Coast, and some additional non-timeshare resort properties on both Queensland’s Sunshine and Gold Coasts. 
Adding new destinations in New Zealand to this program has also been rewarding for travellers wanting to stretch their wings a little more when they explore New Zealand. New destinations available through daeOptions on exchange or low cost rental include Lake Wanaka, Nelson and the incomparable Queenstown on the South Island, and on the North Island, we offer Napier on the west coast, Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, and two resort properties in Auckland – the City of Sails and main gateway to your New Zealand holiday.
BUSINESS: ATO Interpretive Rulings 
EVENT: 2010 Industry Awards Night 
EVENT: Operational Seminar Thursday 29th & Friday 30th July 2010
EVENT: 2010 ATHOC Conference – Christchurch New Zealand
HOME GROWN: Accor Vacation Club Segways in to the future!
HOME GROWN: Wyndham celebrates 10 years
Laura Younger, General Manager at ATHOC was a guest at a function held at Wyndham’s corporate office on the Gold Coast where each department had decorated their offices to celebrate the 10th Anniversary. CEO and Managing Director Barry Robinson celebrated with almost 500 Gold Coast employees, saying he was proud of the company’s achievements in the past 10 years. Guests and staff at each of the resorts across the Asia Pacific also celebrated during May, with special events being held in each location. 
WORLD AROUND US: 
BUSINESS: Economic Impact Study
BUSINESS: The major hazard in all hospitality businesses
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