A common question we receive when introducing Vacatia Partner Services is “Why Vacatia?” Although timeshare companies may know that Vacatia, an ARDA-member since its founding in 2013, has been introducing new travelers to the superior experience of vacation ownership resorts, they often don’t know the rest of the story.
Just as VPS was founded to offer innovative new solutions for legacy resorts, San Francisco Bay-based Vacatia was founded to bring an innovative approach to timeshare resales and rentals. They began by assembling an all-star cast of travel technology titans.
We have already introduced you to the Vacatia Partner Services Team, but you also should know about the talent that resides within Vacatia. Co-founder and now CEO Caroline Shin has a record of building companies that embrace technology to deliver a stellar customer experience. Past positions include being the lead website architect on the startup team at Hotwire, leading global CRM and revenue management functions at Starwood Hotels and Resorts, and as senior VP at Sentient Jet, she oversaw client services and command center operations, and launched a new technology platform for flight management.
Steve Hankin, Vacatia’s President, was Chief Marketing and Revenue Officer at Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and led Starwood Technology and Revenue Systems (STARS), which centralized cutting-edge technology functions for all Starwood hotels. As CEO of Sentient Jet, Steve pioneered a private-aviation membership program and led the company from post-startup to sale as the largest non-fractional jet company in the United States.
Kristina Davis, Chief Administrative Officer, has 20+ years in travel technology startups. During her 10 years at Travelzoo (employee #4), she helped build the business from the ground up, ultimately leading to an IPO. She later joined KAYAK at an early stage holding several leadership positions, including Senior Vice President of Global Sales, Account Management, and Operations.
Vacatia put that incredible expertise to use creating an online marketplace that presents the spacious resorts residences offered by timeshare resorts, both as rentals and resales. If you visit Vacatia.com, you can see for yourself the compelling and sophisticated platform they have developed to welcome new customers to our resorts.
Not only is the site beautiful and easy-to-navigate, Vacatia.com has the tools that make bookings happen. For example, clients can pay now or later by credit card, Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, or even apply for financing to pay with two to four interest-free payments. They can also hold a reservation for 48 hours. And if site visitors have questions, telephone or live chat operators are standing by to assist.
Today, Vacatia partners with over 750 timeshare resorts to provide rental and owner-friendly resale services and serves over 25,000 timeshare owners through its resort management division. Until recently, Vacatia’s services were available to a select few developers and resorts, but with the creation of Vacatia Partner Services, that’s changed. Vacatia Partner Services can now work with virtually any legacy resort’s association to drive new revenues and welcome new guests – even if Vacatia is not managing the property.
“Legacy resorts are facing big challenges, and part of that is they have fallen behind some of the technological shifts and innovations for new revenue programs that have set the major players apart,” says Caroline Shin, Vacatia’s CEO and co-founder. “My goal is to help more legacy resorts embrace a fresh approach and apply creative solutions.”
By partnering with VPS, your resort can access:
The industry’s most advanced resort rental solution, which will allow your resort to easily compete with the biggest brands while generating optimized average daily rates and guaranteed results. New clients find that this user-friendly rental platform dwarfs the performance of current strategies. Says one resort manager, “We booked more rental revenue in our first month with VPS than we had in the prior year.”
A revolutionary new finance program for resort renovations that minimizes the need for special assessments. Through VPS’s partnership with Glacier Creek Capital, resorts can use defaulted inventory as collateral. Your resort can now offer a high-quality product that drives owner satisfaction while generating increased rental revenue and attracting new owners.
Innovative membership products that generate incremental income to pay maintenance fees on defaulted property. VPS’s flexible, subscription-based model provides access to a wide array of travel products without the angst of a lifetime commitment.
A real resale solution for your owners. No matter how great your resort experience is, eventually some owners will want out. By engaging VPS, you can offer them a resale solution without the upfront fees and headaches that generate dissatisfaction with vacation ownership. Vacatia already provides this solution to leading resort developers and is now making it available to legacy resorts that desire to create a safe haven for their owners who need an exit strategy.
Excellence in resort operations through VPS’s property management solutions. VPS can partner with your homeowner association to ensure long-term vitality and care for the resort and owners, using their technology and experience to enhance the customer experience at every touchpoint. Plus, VPS’s property management solutions include all the products and services mentioned above, reinventing the timeshare experience across discovery, booking, and stay.
Ready to learn more? Connect with Vacatia Partner Services here or call us at (720) 449-6738!