RCI Timeshare

Today, Christel House International announced that they have elected RCI President Gordon Gurnik to its Board. Through his experience with RCI, Gurnik brings a practiced business prospective to the charity group. Having worked with the organization multiple times in the past, Gurink has already assisted with many Christel House events. He will make a great addition to the Board.

Christel House International is a non-profit organization committed to helping impoverished children. By providing “a hand-up” to children around the world Christel House is working to break the cycle of poverty.

Founder and CEO of Christel House, Christel DeHaan says, “Gordon has a wonderful ability to combine vision and practical implementation. He is a great addition to our board and I look much forward to working with him.”

Since 1987, Gurnik has helped to transform the RCI-and the industry-to become the innovative brand that it is today. He was influential in developing RCI’s points program, The Registry Collection, and modernizing the RCI Weeks program.

Gordon Gurnik shared, “Since its inception, Christel House has been committed to supporting our communities and investing in the future, which is why we are such ardent supporters. Its mission of breaking the cycle of poverty across the world through investing in children is helping to shape a brighter tomorrow. Christel House is important to RCI and to me personally, which is why I am so honored to join its Board.”

To learn more about Christel House International, visit ChristelHouse.org.

RCI, the global leader in timeshare exchange, received not one, not two, but nine awards at last week’s ARDA Awards gala.

As mentioned previously, the annual gala was hosted on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. Awards were presented in 70 different categories, including 16 ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) awards.

The RCI team took home three of these prestigious awards, including the ACE Customer Service: Industry Partner award. The company is extremely excited to take home this particular award, as RCI has a core focus on delivering quality customer service to their members.

President of RCI Gordon Gurnik shared,

“We are ecstatic to once again take home the ACE Customer Service Award. Customer satisfaction is our number one priority at RCI, and we are committed to listening to, engaging and servicing our customers in whatever way is most convenient and accessible for them. Whether helping a customer online or on the phone, RCI®vacation guides consistently provide prompt, friendly service and assistance to make it easy to book amazing vacations all over the world.”

The organization is consistently working to improve their customer service team and technologies. This year, they introduced such innovations as their “Click to Chat” services on RCI.com. This interactive help tool provides direct access to the RCI customer service team, which is available to members during business hours.

Tara Bergeron, RCI’s Manager of Business Development, received the ACE Spirit of Hospitality Award. Bergeron came to RCI with an impressive resume, filled with industry experience. In particular, the ACE award recognized her contribution in the implementation of RCI’s Online Tour Generation program. Bergeron also works with RCI’s affiliated brands to educate their members about timeshare exchange and RCI.

Later in the evening, Amy Self accepted the ACE Volunteer of the Year Award. Self accepted the award as a member of the RCI team involved with the ARDA LEAPS Leadership Development Task Force. This one-year program is a great tool for industry professionals in various management roles. The program works to educate and develop these employees into future leaders.

“On behalf of everyone at RCI, we’re thrilled to have won nine ARDA Awards today,” continued Gurnik. “This impressive collection of awards stands as a testament to the great work being done throughout the company from graphic design, advertising and marketing campaigns to video production and mobile app development. We will continue working on behalf of our subscribing members and affiliates, and we’re excited to help make timeshare the preferred choice of travelers everywhere.”

To see the entire list of ARDA Award Winners, visit ARDA.org.

RCI, the world’s largest timeshare exchange company, has redesigned their travel website RCI.com. Now, consumers can easily browse, reserve, and exchange their timeshare week on the reimagined site. RCI shares, “The new RCI.com makes planning your vacation almost as fun as the actual trip.”

President of RCI, Gordon Gurnik states,

“Already the world’s most visited vacation exchange website, RCI.com now offers a more engaging and customized experience that will keep visitors coming back to our site. Through its expanded travel guide-style content and enhanced functionality, the new RCI.com addresses travelers’ growing demand for more resources and information to help plan each aspect of their vacation—making the process simple, engaging and fun.”

The website, which already attracts over 48 million visitors per year, was redesigned with a dual focus on both RCI members and non-members. Now the site is not only a great place to book and exchange timeshare weeks, but a full-service vacation planning center.

Gurnik continued, “The new site is full of content that demonstrates the wonderful experiences available through vacation ownership and RCI membership, and showcases the quality of RCI’s affiliated resorts. The website is now an even more beneficial marketing tool that affiliates can use to promote the benefits of the vacation ownership and exchange lifestyle.”

The new, expanded content includes information about things to see and do while vacationing. Now vacationers can learn more about their favorite travel destinations from around the world.

Design details such as images and video were also updated. After 40 years in the industry, RCI has collected a great selection of photographs and video content to share on the new site. Before the redesign, RCI only shared these pictures within their member magazine, Endless Vacation^®. Both pictures and articles from this award winning publication can be seen throughout RCI.com.

For RCI members, the experience is even better. Once a member logs in, their homepage is now personalized with current membership details such as their points balances and reservation information. Through navigating the portal, members will see that overall the site is much more user-friendly and helpful. The new RCI.com will even suggest trips and travel destinations for members based on past vacations.

Both RCI and their affiliated resorts are looking forward to how their members react to the new RCI.com. To visit the site for yourself, check out RCI.com.

Today, RCI announced the winners of the third annual RCI Green Awards.

The Green Awards recognize environmentally conscious timeshare resorts. As the largest timeshare exchange company in the world, RCI sets the bar for many standards in the timeshare industry, including green practices.

To grant the awards, RCI partnered with Green Key Global, a third-party sustainability firm. This year’s recipients include Grand Pacific Palisades Resort, Peacock Suites, and Hilton Grand Vacations Club at MarBrisa.

RCI President, Gordon Gurnik shared,

“Sustainable business practices are extremely important to all of us at RCI, our members and our affiliates, and we want to recognize our affiliates that make this a priority in their day-to-day hospitality practices. Many of our affiliates have implemented substantial green initiatives that are having a positive impact on our earth, and we applaud their efforts. These awards recognize the top three RCI affiliated properties amongst a competitive group of applicants.”

For the second year, Grand Pacific Palisades has received the Platinum RCI Green Award. Day-to-day activities at the Grand Pacific Palisades are filled with practices for conservation and sustainability. For example, employees are provided with bike storage and easy access to public transportation, while guests are encouraged to conserve linen use.

The resort has also implemented a variety of green alternatives during recent renovations. Around the resort, over 75% of lighting and windows are now energy efficient. More than 75% of the resort’s roof area uses high-albedo materials, which also moderate energy consumption.

Peacock Suites in California took home the Gold RCI Green Award. Their commitment to the environment also starts with their employees. Team members regularly participate in park clean-ups and celebrate earth-day activities. Daily, employees are encouraged to use public transportation to reduce auto-emissions.

Last but not least, the Hilton Grand Vacations Club at MarBrisa has received the honor of Platinum RCI Green Award. This year, the resort implemented a “Green Team” to organize their environmental sustainability practices. Together the green team installed energy efficient lighting in over 90% of the resort, created a recycling program, and implemented annual energy audits.

Gurnik continued, “These three resorts clearly understand the positive effect that the hospitality industry can make when it comes to sustainability. With millions of vacation ownership travelers in the U.S. alone, even small acts can add up to a major impact on our environment. And, with consumers increasingly looking for green travel services, it also makes good business sense to take these actions.”

Green Key Global used their Eco-Rating program to grade each resort applicant. In addition to the Green Awards, these resorts were also rated on Green Key Global’s “key” rating scale. Each resort received one to five keys based on energy conservation, sustainable practices, land use, and indoor air quality.

To learn more about the RCI Green Awards, visit RCIaffiliates.com.