Marriott Hotel and Marriott Timeshare Company to Create 220 New Jobs
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Marriott International, owners of Marriott Hotels and of Marriott Vacation Club International is expected to officially announce a new project that will create some 220 jobs – in Cork, Ireland. Great news for the people of Cork; disappointing news for recently laid off U.S. timeshare company employees like those at Westgate timeshares or Wyndham Worldwide resorts.
According to Finfacts, (Ireland’s top financial news portal) Marriott International is gearing up to more than double the size of its Cork call center which currently employees 160 people in reservations and customer service for inquires originating from Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Continental Europe. The new call center will occupy 10,400 square feet in Blackpool, Cork City and is expected to handle approximately 1,500,000 calls by the end of 2009.
Billy Kelleher TD, Ireland’s Minister for Labour Affairs at the Department of Enterprise, Trade, and Employment, says this about Marriott’s expansion in Ireland, “We are delighted that Marriott chose Ireland and Cork for its second operation. It shows a level of confidence that the company has in our ability to provide the highly skilled personnel necessary to support a rapidly growing international business. Marriott’s positive experiences at its existing Vacation Club International facility in Cork and the standard of its Irish management and workforce were instrumental factors in securing this investment for Cork against strong competition from other global locations. It is also a substantial endorsement of Ireland’s reputation in the business of global customer services and support activities.”
Both Cut Backs and Expansion Ahead for Marriott Timeshares
It’s interesting that the news of Marriott’s expansion in Ireland surfaced on the same day as Bill Marriott wrote in his blog, “In early October, we reported our third quarter earnings results and also provided observations about business for the rest of 2008 and into 2009. At that time, we expected business in late 2008 and 2009 to decline, but in just the last few weeks our business outlook has further weakened.”
For more information on the layoffs at timeshare companies, see these recent The Timeshare Authority blog posts:
