JANUARY – MARCH 2016 A PUBLICATION OF INTERVAL LEISURE GROUP VOLUNTOURISM: Giving Back on Vacation High-Action Amenities, From Rock Walls to Zip Lines Riviera MAYAVACATION OWNERS FIND A LOT TO LOVE PROFILES A-NAH SUITES PLAYA DEL CARMEN | ANANTARA VACATION CLUB | ARTISAN VACATION CLUB CORAL COAST RESORT PALM COVE | MORRITT’S RESORT | NOVOTEL SUITES MANILA STK+ Make it personal. Make it your Workspace. The Interval Sales Tool Kit’s Workspace lets you put everything you need in one easy-to-reach place so you can seal the deal faster than ever! IMAGES: Show prospects pictures of properties, members’ experiences, and more. + Import from the cloud or your computer. PRESENTATIONS: Have a killer Keynote or PowerPoint presentation? + Save it here and grab it fast! VIDEOS: Nothing says vacation like swaying palms, slaloming skiers, whitewater rafting — you get the idea. + Show them what you have with the touch of a finger. AND MORE: Access all your favorites from STK, save articles, press releases, PDFs, screenshots, + Word documents — virtually anything you need to take your pitch to a whole new level! INTERVALWORLD.COM RESORTDEVELOPER.COM WORKSPACE I Conveniently access your most useful digital content from one place I Combine photos, videos, spreadsheets, presentations, articles, and more I Sequence components your way, and deliver your sales pitch the way you want to — every time FAVORITES I Bookmark your favorite Interval Sales Tool Kit features I Call up what you need, when you need it, fast THE GLOBE I Interactive 3-D representation of Interval’s world of exchange I Seamlessly integrates with Resort Directory and Interval HD I Destination descriptions and images complete the package VACATION CALCULATOR I Modernizes the pencil pitch I Reinforces the value proposition of vacation ownership MAGAZINES I Prospects can view destination features, cruise offers, and more with the digital version of Interval World, one of the top-rated membership benefits I Industry news is just a touch away with the digital edition of Vacation Industry Review INTERVAL EXCHANGE TRACKER I Vacation exchange comes to life on an interactive map I Displays where real members are traveling in Interval’s network I Can be customized to show resort or club-specific exchange activity INTERVAL HD I Destination and resort videos I Helpful videos, including member testimonials and overviews I Animated Highlights presentations RESORT DIRECTORY I High-quality resort images I Informative descriptions I Amenities listings TURN PROSPECTS INTO OWNERS WITH THE MOST POWERFUL TOOL IN THE INDUSTRY. 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JANUARY – MARCH 2016 vacation industry review RESORTDEVELOPER.COM CONTENTS page 22 IN REVIEW IN PROFILES MEETINGS A-Nah Playa del Carmen Shared Ownership Veteran Enters Timeshare World Investment Conference 8 30 MEETINGS Artisan Vacation Club Portrait of American Hand-Crafted Luxury in Mexico 32 EVERY IN ISSUE Travelers Recap 12 Morritt’s Resort VIEWPOINT MARKETING Cayman Favorite Sports New Look 34 The Future Ain’t Innovative Promotion in Brazil 16 What It Used to Be 4 Coral Coast Resort Palm Cove TRENDS Major Facelift for a Prime Property Action Items, Extreme Amenities 36 INSIDER 18 Benefits, News, GIVING BACK Anantara Vacation Club Updates, and More 6 Voluntourism 22 Dynamic Growth in Asia 38 PULSE MARKET SPOTLIGHT Novotel Suites Manila People and Mixing It up on Riviera Maya 28 Home to the Philippines 40 Industry News 51 executive editor creative director photo editor advertising Torey Marcus Ailis M. Cabrera Kimberly DeWees Nicole Meck US$1 €0.94, £0.66, P47.06 Interval International editor-in-chief senior graphics assistant vice president 949.470.8324 Betsy Sheldon manager graphics and production £1 US$1.51, 1.42, P71.13 John Cavaliere Janet L. Orr [email protected] € staff writers currency J.B. Bissell senior graphic production manager For address changes and corrections, or to receive a complimentary € conversions 1 £0.70, US$1.06, P49.99 Jacquelyn Kalis designer Claire S. Sayan subscription, please send an email Maria Garcia-Aguilar editorial assistant to [email protected]. Yahaira Cespedes graphic designers P1* US$0.02, 0.02, £0.01 Frank Gonzalez € Cristina Mencia George A. Sariego Valid at time of publication. Visit xe.com for other currency conversions. *Philippine peso Vacation Industry Review is published by Interval Leisure Group. It is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. It is published with the understanding that the publisher is not en gaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional ser vice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent FIND US ON professional should be sought. ©Interval Leisure Group, 2016. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any part of this publication without written consent is prohibited. GIVE THE PEOPLE WHAT THEY WANT. Choice is king. Options are no longer an option — they’re a must. Club Interval Gold® delivers. It’s the best of traditional timeshare combined with the flexibility of points-based programs. Owners can trade up, trade down, and take long weekends all around. And it gets you to the point — fast. No significant operational changes. Very little incremental expense incurred. Plug in and sell. Existing owners, new purchasers, all of the above — it’s your call. BRING MORE TO THE TABLE: Club Interval Gold helps close sales and keeps members engaged year-round. AND WHEN NEW OWNERS BECOME ENGAGED MEMBERS, WE ALL SUCCEED. FOR MORE INFORMATION, INTERVALWORLD.COM CONTACT YOUR RESORT SALES RESORTDEVELOPER.COM AND SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE. VIEWPOINT JANUARY – MARCH 2016 vacation industry review RESORTDEVELOPER.COM The Future Ain’t What It Used to Be ovie buffs will probably be aware What Doesn’t Surprise Me of the significance of October 21, 2015. It’s the There’s plenty that doesn’t surprise me, though. date on which the 1989 film Back to the Future That despite increasing hours of work, vacations BY Craig M. Nash Part II landed teenaged Marty McFly, traveling in a are still one of the most valued priorities the world truly tricked-out DeLorean, into his own future as a over. And that timesharing, a nascent industry back CHAIRMAN, PRESIDENT, AND CEO INTERVAL LEISURE GROUP middle-aged family man. The marketing hype that in 1976, has not just survived, but thrived. drove crowds back to the theaters this past What was once seen as a revolutionary concept autumn was the interest in seeing how closely the and the realm of risk-taking entrepreneurs is now a writers got to predicting 26 years into the future — respected and established business model that was I’ve been thinking now our present. clearly a precursor to the sharing economy’s model. Did they get it right? Well, we don’t have shoes Most of the largest and respected hospitality brands about our own back- that fasten themselves, although sneakers have in the world have a strong industry presence. Many to-the-future. As sported wheels and light-up features for several companies, including Interval Leisure Group (ILG), Interval International years now. Cars still don’t fly, but they can self-park are now publicly traded, lending further evidence and talk — and they’re getting closer to self-driving. that vacation ownership is here to stay. marks 40 years in And hoverboards? Not yet, but the self-balancing, 2016, I’ve tried to wheeled electric scooters might be a close second. Transformational Transaction One of those brands that stepped up to timesharing mentally transport to Our Own Back-to-the-Future was Starwood Hotels and Resorts. In 1999, the 1976 and imagine the As I write this column, I’ve been thinking about our global company acquired Vistana, Inc. — which changes in a world own back-to-the-future. As Interval International later became Starwood Vacation Ownership — to marks 40 years in 2016 (the company opened for establish a presence in the timeshare market. Last four decades older. business in January 1976), I’ve tried to mentally year, Starwood announced its plans to sell its vaca- transport to 1976 and imagine attempting to fathom tion ownership business — to be known as Vistana some of the changes in a world four decades older. Signature Experiences — to ILG, and its hotel busi- Computers that sit in the palm of your hand. ness to Marriott International. New verbs such as text and friend. The demise, This transformational transaction positions ILG then return, of the electric car, vinyl records, and, at the forefront of the consolidating shared owner- now, cassette tapes. Drones. That water is more ship industry. Along with the exclusive global license often consumed from plastic bottles rather than to the Hyatt® brand in vacation ownership, the addi- the tap. tion of the Sheraton® and Westin® brands secures Then there are changes that have transformed high-quality inventory for the Interval network. travel and vacationing. Who could have imagined It’s impossible to imagine what the next back in 1976 — just four years after President Nixon 40 years will bring to the greater world, let alone visited the People’s Republic of China — that one our industry. But with the solid foundation of day a burgeoning Chinese middle class would have well-established businesses such as Interval a positive worldwide impact on tourism? Or that International, Hyatt Vacation Ownership, and only now would U.S. tourism to Cuba be on the Vistana Signature Experiences, ILG can anticipate cusp of opening up. a rewarding future, one that not only brings benefit Nor could I have fathomed that resort and to ILG, but to its valued resort and business hotel guests would be able to bypass the recep- partners, as well.