The Evolution of Timeshare: Today’s Timeshare Owner

The “timeshare” stereotype is officially outdated.

Recorded live from the Bellagio at ARDA’s Spring Conference in Las Vegas, Dan sits down with the leaders redefining vacation ownership into something far more flexible, digital, and experience-led than most travelers realize. This conversation explores how the category is evolving, what’s driving growth, and what today’s owners expect from modern travel experiences.

This is the first episode in our 3-part series exploring the evolution of timeshare.

We begin with ARDA President and CEO Jason Gamel, who breaks down ARDA’s role in shaping the industry, from advocacy and research to elevating its global story.

From there, we discuss into the trends fueling this transformation:

•  Points-based flexibility 
•  Personalization and app-first experiences 
•  AI-driven engagement 
•  Rising expectations from modern travelers 

Jared Saft (COO, Westgate Resorts) shares how “bespoke” timeshare is coming to life, from destination-driven resort design to partnerships and loyalty programs that deliver immediate value.

Scott Weisz (EVP, Marriott Vacations Worldwide) brings the owner perspective, reflecting on how the experience has evolved through the lens of a “timeshare kid.”

Derek DeSalvia (EVP & Chief Customer Officer, Hilton Grand Vacations) explains how the customer journey is shifting, from multi-generational travel to the expectations of younger buyers.

We close with Catherine Lacey (SVP, Member Experience & Events, ARDA), who shares insights from the conference, key takeaways on experience design, and new research showing strong demand from Gen Z and millennial buyers, along with a positive outlook for summer travel.

Learn more at arda.org.

Be sure to join us next Tuesday for the second episode in our series with ARDA.

The #1 B2B Travel Podcast Globally. Over 100 Episodes. Listeners in 125 countries. New Episodes Every Weds. 

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Transcript

Live From Las Vegas Kickoff

SPEAKER_04 0:05

Hello everyone and welcome to a very special edition of the Travel Trends Podcast. This is your host, Dan Christian. I'm here live at the Bellagio for the Arda Spring Conference in Las Vegas. Arta, of course, is the American Resort Development Association, and they represent the leading voices across the vacation ownership and resort development industry. Every year, Arta Spring Conference brings together more than a thousand industry leaders, innovators, developers, hospitality executives, marketers, and technology partners to explore what's next for travel, ownership, and guest experience. And this year, one thing is abundantly clear: the vacation ownership industry is evolving faster than ever. Today's traveler is looking for flexibility, personalization, digital convenience, elevated experiences, and deeper value from every trip they take. At the same time, operators are navigating changing consumer expectations, emerging technology, AI-driven engagement, operational transformation, and an increasingly experienced focused travel economy. In this three-part series, we're going to be looking at the trends shaping the future of vacation ownership, from next generation owner engagement and hospitality innovation to what the industry can learn from broader travel and lifestyle trends. Joining us are the leaders in this space. And over the course of the next three episodes, we're going to look at today's timeshare, the experiences in timeshare, and tech in timeshare. And to kick off the very first episode, I have the great honor to be joined by Jason Gammel, artist president and CEO. Welcome to Travel Trends, Jason. Thank you so much, Dan. It is an absolute pleasure to be here. Thank you so much for bringing us, and I'm I'm thrilled to be here. I've been preparing and looking forward to this for several months now. And I'm obviously very keen to start this conversation with you. And I want to make sure our global listeners, I mean half our listeners are in the US, but the rest of our listenership is around the world. I want to

What ARDA Is And Does

SPEAKER_04 2:00

make sure that everyone actually understands what ARTA is and what you guys do. Would you mind just giving us a brief overview?

SPEAKER_05 2:05

A lot of people have misconceptions, funny enough, when you say what uh what is ARTA to begin with. I think uh if you ask a lot of people in our industry, they think ARTA is a meeting. I think the meeting we're at right now is I think they believe what ARTA is. But what we are is we are truly the voice of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry. We do so much from a public relations communications perspective and trying to get the good word out about timeshare. We also are the leading advocacy organization on behalf of the timeshare industry. So that means we are active politically at the local, state, and federal levels. We also help in our world of research, and we have a wonderful research foundation. And through our Ardor Research and Insights program, we produce research that helps fuel our publicly traded companies, the privately held ones the same, helps fuel our advocacy efforts and our PR efforts. And quite frankly, we have a role to play in the international world. So we help out other trade associations throughout the world. We bring all of those leaders who happen to be with us here in Las Vegas. They come to a meeting where we get a chance to talk about all the issues that are affecting timeshare globally. So we would like to believe that we really are sort of the centralized hub for everything timeshare.

SPEAKER_04 3:12

Fantastic. And obviously, our listeners know I'm a huge fan of organizations like Arta and the importance that they serve to the community that they support, advocate for. And your role and background is really quite impressive. And I just wanted to call that out because, and I'm not trying to make you blush here, Jason, but obviously you have your uh doctorate in law, so you're a lawyer by training. You've lived, you know, you're in Washington now, but you've lived in Orlando and Los Angeles. You were uh with Wyndham uh destinations uh for a number of years as the senior vice president of legal, and so you really know this industry and you really know the legal side of this, which is incredibly important in contracts and how this uh entire industry comes together. But tell us a little bit more about your role at Arda. I know you've been in the position now for over seven years, so you are, you know, you are the go-to person to understand Arda. And just so everyone is uh it's Arda.org, arda.org, if you want to multitask while we're having this conversation. But tell us a little bit more about your role, Jason.

SPEAKER_05 4:11

Yeah, my role is it's an exciting one, and it's one that I have the privilege to have served almost for seven years now, as you pointed out, Dan. It's evolved, and I say it's evolved because you're right, the my entrance into the industry as an attorney did help me learn the regulatory side of the business. It helped me learn the basics of that you don't necessarily see every single day, how to put together a piece of advertising, a budget, and so on and so forth. And really, my journey after having nine years worth of experience at Arta before doing the legislative and lobbying work and the time with the private sector has led me now to a position where I believe I have a really 360-degree view of the industry. I've seen it from the business side, I've seen it for the regulatory side, I've seen it from so many different angles, and now having the ability to tell the story, and that's one of the areas that's been exciting for me to grow, is the storytelling capabilities of what we can do. And really, as my role, as it is almost a grandmaster of ceremonies, I oftentimes say, sometimes I feel like a pastor at a church that I look around at all the pews and I see all of our members there. And it's a little bit of that kind of a job because you we are bringing together competitors in all areas of our industry, not just on the development side, but it might be on the legal side and architecture, engineering. So you've got people who are competing for business, but all need to play nice under one roof. And this is where they come to do that.

SPEAKER_04 5:31

That's fantastic. And obviously, that is the importance of a trade organization, getting people together that wouldn't otherwise be in the same room together, as you pointed out. Now, some of the questions I'm keen to ask you when I was preparing for this and looking at who comes together for an event like this, my first question was actually, they look like they compete in the marketplace, and now they need to obviously be here together. And I I'm a big advocate for the blue ocean strategy, which obviously you're very familiar with, the idea of growing the available opportunity for everyone, as opposed to a zero-sum red ocean game where there's just two main players that are battling it out over the same market share. And this is one of the things that I was fascinated with. I read your 2025 report uh is the growth of this industry. Um, but before we get into that, let's just set the stage for the conference. I know we're speaking on the very first day, so this is a perfect way to start off the conference and episode one. You're giving a keynote this afternoon, which I'm looking forward to attending, and I'll mention that later in the episodes of some of the highlights from Jason's talk today. But tell us a little bit more about the spring conference, what it is, and why it's important to bring the industry together, and specifically what some of the themes you're gonna be focusing on this year.

SPEAKER_05 6:34

The conference is always a centralized hub, as I mentioned. We'd like to believe that we are where the business comes together. It's a one-stop shop for so many of our members and attendees to come and do business, to meet, to learn. They know they're gonna have three days worth of intense deal making, intense conversations, and intense fun. Uh that's one of the things that's always been a hallmark of our conference, really, is the entertainment and the enjoyment of the conference. It's not just a meeting, but it is strong on education, right? There's a lot that we have here where people will learn. And that has always been a role. For over 55 years, this organization has been part of educating both the consumers, but we also educate everyone in the business, and that's a huge part with those educational sessions and how we focus on things. And really the marketplace ideas. These are the places where people go to find out what's the latest and greatest happenings in this industry. Where are they going to find their next, I'd say, uh, next advantage in business. And that's what you hope to bring together as we talk a little bit about the people who are here. You're trying to big people and create a marketplace that you know your members they want to meet and interact with. And that's really the secret sauce for a really good trade show trade show or really good convention.

SPEAKER_04 7:48

Well, I know one of the big topics uh

Why Tech And AI Matter Now

SPEAKER_04 7:50

was looking at the agenda, and we're gonna do an episode on tech, but tell us a little bit about AI. I've got to ask you that question first because I saw AI woven throughout the agenda, and I did see how significant the investment is for ARTA across the technology stack. So tell us a little bit more about the techno the importance of technology at this conference, and maybe if you wouldn't mind touching on AI a little bit as well.

SPEAKER_05 8:10

Yeah, this is a great big focus of ours this year. I can say honestly, Dan, maybe a little unfortunately, five years ago we wouldn't be having technology on the stage. Right. And really the reason why is the timeshare industry has always been about the product first. It's it's it's it's a product that's sold in person. It's a product that's used, obviously, by vacationers, over 10 million owner families here in the United States. But you look at the product itself, technology was never its strength. And so we were always a little bit, oh, I don't know, want to hide a little bit from the conversation of technology. Now our members have made that investment to sort of catch themselves up, to have the basis that's necessary in order to take advantage of all the new AI tools that are coming out and take advantage of next gen technology. As so many consumers are integrating their vacation and travel life into their personal lives, that goes right along with the need to have the technology match. And so if I can shop by an app or I could do this, well, I should be able to book my vacation the same way. And it's there are challenges that are there for this. But this conference is where we're going to explore where our members have come, like where they are today and where they're heading in the future.

SPEAKER_04 9:23

Yeah, and I I wanted to start on that topic because technology being so important to the wider travel industry and clearly

Modern Timeshare Through Points Flexibility

SPEAKER_04 9:30

for ARTA and the focus of the sessions this year. But just to also set the stage with the industry and how it's transforming, one of the things that really stood out to me in reading your 2025 report is this is an industry that does about $10.5 billion in annual sales. The other thing that was also interesting compared to hospitality, we've done a Forbes travel guide series, we've done luxury hotels, we've done a big focus on hotels throughout the time we've been running travel trends. But one of the things that stood out to me is that when it comes to the timeshare, you have 80% average occupancy compared to 63% for hotels, and the revenue in the US alone is $3.2 billion. And so tell us a little bit about how the industry's changed in the last 10 years, because I'm sure people listening to this, they have a outdated concept of what a timeshare actually is.

SPEAKER_05 10:12

Well, let's start with the I'd say the first of the biggest misconception that people have about our industry is that it's still the same product it was 30 years ago. Right. That there were more maybe independent developers, it was buying a fixed week and a fixed unit, a place you'd go back to every single year. And then things started changing. The concept of exchange came around. In addition to that, people started changing the way the purchase, the the way you bought the product. It was not a fixed week, fixed unit. Now you have options and it's flexible, and people now have reservation power in the denomination of points. It works very much like uh airline rewards program or hotel rewards program. You could book now, maybe minimum stays might be two or three days, but you could book two or three days or you could book two or three weeks. Uh now it's totally up to you as to what you want as an owner and where you go. And the resort systems now are large. Some some of them have over 200 resorts in the same system, and they're managed by some of the biggest and best hospitality brands in the industry. So if you look how things have evolved, they've really taken off from a product format, but also from who the people are that are actually doing the selling, the developing, and providing that amazing hospitality experience.

SPEAKER_04 11:20

Well, then let's look, let's look at some exact examples of the modern travel product as you refer to it, given the number of large organizations that are here and that you work closely with. Um Disney Vacation Club as an example, but you of uh one of the Hilton Grand Vacations. Um tell us a little about some of the bigger players in this space and how that industry has evolved.

SPEAKER_05 11:41

So the some of those major hospitality players, as you mentioned, Disney, Hilton Grand Vacations, we've got Barry on Vacations worldwide, we have Holiday Inn Club, you know, you've got Westgate Resorts, we we've got those who are publicly traded. Uh travel and leisure also in there, which is the Windham and Margaritaville and now Sports Illustrated and Eddie Bauer brands. They have so much going on right now as far as development. And those big brands have really helped, I believe, give the industry the polish it needs. It's always been a great vacation. The resorts have no one, I don't I I very rarely ever hear that someone has gone to a timeshare resort, stayed in one of those beautiful resorts, and didn't say that was an amazing resort, like a vacation experience. Now they can back it up though with names they can trust. So if they had any doubts before, there were questions about whether or not this could be for them or is this industry legit? All those brands, especially when they started really coming into the business back in the late 90s. Yeah, early to late 90s was when those brands really started putting resources into it. That's when really the industry started to take off and change from the perception of sort of the independent days of the 70s and 80s. Now we've got brands in there that are making investments and making sure that the vacation experiences are amazing for their owners.

SPEAKER_04 12:53

Well, and the reason I also wanted to ask you about that is because we're gonna be joined by three executives in this episode. We're gonna have Jared Saft, who's the chief operating officer at Westgate Resorts. I was shocked to see the scale of Westgate. I was uh walking on the strip yesterday and and remarking that you know there is the hotel that Elvis is so famous for. And you look at the modern reality, and we'll get into this when we speak to Jared from Westgate, the size of the organization, the fact there are multiple countries and the number of hotels under their ownership. And then you mentioned Marriott Worldwide, so we'll have Mike Flaski, who's the president and chief operating officer at Marriott, to join us as well. But there's another person that's gonna be joining us next that I'm also keen to ask you about, and that is travel and leisure. We're gonna have uh Louis Acosta, who's the FC VP of sports and entertainment, tell us a little bit about partnerships and the importance of partnerships, because I was thrilled to see that travel and leisure are part of the program.

SPEAKER_05 13:47

So partnerships, uh, I know you're gonna talk a little bit about experiences. Those partnerships, though, have become such a major part of our business. They might be and for them, they've got some incredible partnerships, as I mentioned a couple of seconds ago, Sports Illustrated Partnership, Eddie Bauer. They're doing some amazing things with other brands to really tie in a different audience to this vacation ownership product. And really people like Lewis who are out there every single day trying to figure out how do we continue to take and leverage these partnerships we have today, where are we going tomorrow? Where are we going to grow? I think it's fantastic. And I think it's such a big part of the hospitality world in general. If you look at, for instance, yeah, every time I use an Uber or I take an Uber ride, I get Marriott Bonvoy points. Yeah. Right? You look at the way that partnerships and relationships work and the way that two ladies, when they couple together, how much centered what kind of synergies there can be, I think they're just starting to crack the surface when it comes to partnerships at Travel and Leisure and many of our other major members as to how that can really help propel them forward. For sure.

SPEAKER_04 14:49

And actually, I'm glad you mentioned loyalty because that certainly the point system we've done uh focus on loyalty last uh two seasons of our podcast, and it really drives behavior. And I've spoken to hotel CEOs who've told me the reason they've sold to Marriott or partner with Marriott is specifically because of the Bonvoy program. And many travelers won't stay at a hotel where they won't earn their Marriott Bonvoy points, right? Right. So uh tell us a little bit about some of the sessions that are going to be focused on loyalty and what how important that is to the overall agenda.

SPEAKER_05 15:17

Yeah, so we're gonna have some some interesting conversations around loyalty, and I think this is the area where loyalty can take many different shapes and forms, right? It can be part of that as far as a points and rewards program. I think there's some people who've got some really creative ideas out there, how to create ways to get people to use more and earn more as they use it. And I think that's such a key concept in our industry and a key concept overall. It's not just about that I want to sell you something more. I'm trying to extend that there's more products and services, but what is where's that surprise and delight of something happening good to me because I happen to be loyal to you. Right. And and I think that's going to be one of these, I'd say, strengths of AI and personalization going forward and how people get personalized offers, deals, or treated like somebody is listening to them. And at the same time, trying to figure out ways from an operator perspective, how does this remain profitable? Yeah. Because my costs are rising, the the things aren't getting cheaper in the world right now. So, but how do I provide more value at a price where I'm not really seen as trying to get too much from my customer?

SPEAKER_04 16:23

Yeah. Well, I'm glad you mentioned personalization because that's really stood out to me. I've got a number of friends that have timeshares and love their timeshare experience, and they, you know, they always talking about where they're going to go next and because the and some of them continue to go to the same place that they love every year. Other people want to trade, and and so that personalization, what I started to wrap my head around is just how important that is to the individual traveler, to the families in a lot of cases that choose these timeshare options because it's accessible to them and it gives them either the consistency or the you know the the reliability each year they're gonna be able to take a vacation or have multiple weeks where they can go and take a trip. But clearly that level of personalization is incredibly important. Tell us a little bit more about how Arta is gonna be working with some of these suppliers to be able to leverage that and showcase what is best in class for personalization because I'm sure some of these partners of yours are already doing some pretty amazing things in this space to make sure that you're keeping people engaged by making sure the offers are very relevant for them.

SPEAKER_05 17:19

Yeah, there's there's gonna be some exciting things on the AI personalization side. You see it already now with our members. Let's start with our members first, and some of the things that'll be showcased on stage throughout the conference are the ways that people are using technology to personalize. It may be in the form of making recommendations as to where to make a reservation. It is the ability for AI to read and understand exactly, say, for instance, how much do I own and where do I own it? And where can I go that I might not even be thinking about because it didn't come up in my search. But based upon all of my prior travel patterns and all the things I like to do outside of travel, well, this could be a great vacation for me. So part of this is going to become a way for our members to connect with their owners to get them more engaged because we know one thing about timeshare. When people use it, they love it. I mean, 90% of all timeshare owners have had a great timeshare ownership experience. So when you look at that type of numbers and understand where it is, in order to keep it there and move it forward, needs to be the personalization that will allow people to say, gosh, I can't believe that my timeshare company knew that about me, or that was a fantastic recommendation. I'm so glad they thought I should go to this restaurant when I was up. And for Arta, it's really bringing those players. We've got some exciting folks here that provide those type of experiences. Those are the type of people when you go back to thinking about how do we create the right mix of people here at the conference to make it work. Well, we need to bring the innovators here. Yeah, it's our responsibility to help find those innovators to bring them to the marketplace, and our members hopefully then can see some opportunity.

SPEAKER_04 18:53

Well, I'm certainly looking forward to speaking to a number of them over the course of these three episodes. I know we have some real innovators lined up. I have a couple more

Experiences Drive The Next Generation

SPEAKER_04 19:00

questions for you before we uh we let you go, because I know you have to get back into the main session shortly. But one of the things, Jason, I wanted to ask you was along the line of experiences. Clearly, that's what travelers are looking for today. We're seeing some of the big hotel chains that are getting into offering experiences, Airbnb is getting back into the experiences game. And one of the things that I've learned over the time of doing this podcast, speaking to industry executives that have actually made that connection, that if a traveler has a great experience at their hotel or in the city that they're staying in the hotel, they're gonna give a higher rating to that property. And so the feedback is overwhelmingly positive when they've gone out and had a great experience. If it was the concierge that recommended it, or if they booked something and had a great experience in that destination. So tell us a little bit more how you guys are leaning into experiences as well as great places to stay.

SPEAKER_05 19:44

The experiential market has boomed over the last five to ten years. Timeshare was in on it early, which was great to see. We had at the time, uh it was Diamond Resorts, which is now part of the Hulk and Grand Vacations family, really was an innovator in the experiential platform space. It is so much part of the DNA of that entity, that organization now to have over 4,000 unique experiences that take place for owners throughout the year. It's it's become essential for some. I mean, some will just enjoy the lazy river at the pools and they'll have an experience to make it work. But when it comes to personalization and experiences, this is what really I think has propelled the next generation of timeshare owner and why Gen Z and millennials are so excited about the product, why they make up 73% of all people do purchasers for the product. Why does this happen? Well, it's because it's delivering what people want, it's delivering the consistent vacations, and those experiences could be as little as something that takes place at the resort, or is something as grand as what I got to experience with my daughters last year, taking them to the Formula One Grand Prix here on this. So the experience is there, and believe me, that experience will stick with them forever, right? And that's one of those things that they're going to understand, and as generations come up in the experiential culture, they're gonna see the products and services they want again. How are they gonna get those experiences and how can they get it through a travel provider? That's what this industry is starting to really deliver on and has been delivering, and what's really exciting about the future.

SPEAKER_04 21:12

Yeah, I love that. And I noticed actually on your LinkedIn profile you refer to yourself as a girl dad. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Which I love. It's a job. Yeah. And I let your team know that um usually I have a production assistant that comes and helps me. And this time I brought my daughter, she's finished her first year university, and so she's helping out with Travel Trends as a summer intern.

SPEAKER_05 21:29

That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_04 21:29

And I was actually walking around yesterday and helping her understand the conference and Arta and how this all works, and she's gonna help with some of the guesting on day two. And I've I that's also bringing someone into this world that wouldn't necessarily have a appreciation or understanding. And I think that's so important. So, one of the things I wanted to finish off with, I got two last questions for you. One is in terms of this industry and how it's evolving, obviously, you're very bullish on the growth in the future. Tell us a little bit about the growth potential of this category and what makes you so optimistic about how this industry is.

SPEAKER_05 22:02

So when you look at our growth, our growth for our growth, we've had an interesting dynamic on our industry as we see consolidation takes place, but at the same time, the growth and sales and the growth of owners has continued. And it's exciting for us because there continues to be evolution in addressing consumer needs. And I think that's the exciting part because really so many people ask that question will the younger generation really like this product? Will they really want to buy this product? They don't want to own anything as it is. Why do they want to own a vacation, right? So true. Guess what's what's more affordable than a house today? A vacation is, right? A timeshare is much more affordable if you're looking at what it is. And if you look at over time, they realize that if it really forces into plan for those vacations, and once they've got families of their own, especially if there's kids involved or other people traveling, staying on a couch in an Airbnb is no longer an attractive option. Absolutely. Someone like that. So when you look at the things and what I took a look at, even when difficult times, our industry tends to thrive during recessionary periods. It's kind of funny. If there's inflation or recession, people continue to want to travel. You might be depressed about what's going on in the world today, but you sure as heck are going to want to go ahead and take a vacation and spend time with your family. So that desire was there. And if you even look back to 2020, when people weren't even allowed to leave their house.

SPEAKER_03 23:20

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 23:20

Five billion dollars of timeshare was sold in 2020. So people continue to want desire and see this product as something that they they they really want as part of their overall vacation lives.

SPEAKER_04 23:31

Fantastic. And you hit you that speaking of uh my daughter, obviously your daughter, that this next generation that's coming up, I actually do see the opportunity for this industry to really meet the moment because you're absolutely right. There was even a comment that was made in regards to this new sharing economy that you know the the wealthiest people are not gonna be the ones that own, they're gonna be the ones that actually have a share in something and that they're sure so it this is this is this is the time for that. Just to wrap up, and I know um you're gonna head to the stage and I'll I will reference uh Jason's presentation later, but what would you like people leaving this conference if you could leave our listeners with one last kind of takeaway from this conference and what you're hoping people get out of it, and what you would like people over the course of this series to be able to take away from our conversation today?

SPEAKER_05 24:16

I'd like them to know that this industry has evolved and what they may have as a perception of the industry of 20 or 30 years ago is nowhere near what it is today. That there is so much happening, whether you're a traveler who's interested in traveling or you're a young adult who's looking at should I where where could I go get a job and I want to work in hospitality and where are there some really interesting things and jobs to be had? It's taking place right here in the industry, right in the timeshare industry. I think it's important for people to understand that that evolution and the brands at play today are very different than yesteryear. And there's a lot of excitement about the way this industry is growing. The platform and the base of it is as solid as can be. And when you're dealing in vacations and you're dealing in leisure travel, it's something that has always been a priority all across the world. I mean, I think for Americans, we probably travel the least of some of the other countries. But if you look at that and look at what people are are wanting out of a vacation and their experiences, it's all happening under the same roof. And I hope our hope our attendees walk away and see first and foremost that they're excited about the industry that they're in, that they see the way technology, they see the international scope, they see how it's really making a difference in people's lives. I hope they walk away with that and they're energized.

SPEAKER_04 25:27

Well, fantastic. Well, I certainly am. I'm thrilled to be here. It's terrific to meet you. I'm excited about the next couple of days and all the conversations we're going to be having. Thank you so much for bringing us in and um wish you great success over the next couple days. Hey, thanks, Dan. I really appreciate it.

Westgate’s Legendary Story And Scale

SPEAKER_04 25:41

Our next guest is the perfect segue as we talk about today's timeshare. Not only from my personal experience, but professionally as well. We have Jared Saft, who's the chief operating officer at Westgate Resorts, joining us. Welcome, Jared. Great to have you with us on Travel Trends.

SPEAKER_02 25:58

Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_04 25:59

Very excited. And now to give some context to our listeners, Westgate Resorts is the largest privately held timeshare resort club in the world. And they have a portfolio of more than 60 properties, one of which was my first introduction to timeshares more than 20 years ago, staying in Orlando, which I know is headquarters and home base for you guys. But we're sitting here in Las Vegas, where one of the most renowned hotels just off the strip is Westgate, which is where Elvis lived when he performed here.

SPEAKER_02 26:28

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 26:29

But tell us a little bit, Jared, about this incredible history of Westgate.

SPEAKER_02 26:33

Yeah, so our internal culture, we talk a lot about being legendary. We're an over 40-year-old company and uh we have some legendary properties. We were founded by a legendary hospitality visionary. We're still owned by his family today, which makes us unique in the space. And everything we do, we try to make sure we do it thinking about being legendary and what that means. And so when we had the opportunity uh to purchase what was the Las Vegas Hilton and rebranded to Westgate Las Vegas in 2014, it was a dream come true for all of us. And the, you know, obviously we have Barry Manilo as our headliner. I'm not sure if you're familiar with that. He is hundreds of course, yeah. Uh hundreds of sold-out shows uh year after year and Elvis and we talked a little bit earlier about Pluribus filming at our property. Uh yeah, we we've got some neat stuff uh around the country and around the world.

SPEAKER_04 27:28

Well, I want to talk about your background specifically because you're coming up on 20 years.

SPEAKER_02 27:32

I started when I was 10.

SPEAKER_04 27:33

Clearly, I'm just looking at you, I'm like, it doesn't make it up. The other thing is you are actually been on the board of Arta for nearly a decade. And one really cool thing that Jared just mentioned to me as we kicked off is that he's about to become the chair of the board, which is officially going to make him Jason's boss at the end of this week.

SPEAKER_02 27:50

That's right. His his his life of pain begins on Friday. No, it's I've known Jason for uh almost 20 years, as long as I've been in the business, and he is a wonderful steward and shepherd of our industry and tells our story fantastic, and I'm excited to work with him more closely and the entire team.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

Yeah, no, he's a fantastic guy. Obviously, I'm thrilled to be here. This is my first ARTA conference, and obviously you've been around uh the block a few times here. But tell everyone a bit about your background because you were actually a professor, like you were actually worked in university before. So give everyone a little bit about your background.

SPEAKER_02 28:23

Yeah, I I was plucked into this industry. Um, I met uh David Siegel, who was Westgate's founder in 2005 through a family connection. I was finishing my grad degree teaching um up in Rhode Island where I was going to school, getting ready to do the consulting or government, or you know, my my master's was in public policy and statistical analysis. And so I was really focused on that direction. And I met David, and I had never met another human being like him in my life. And I said, I'm gonna go work for this guy for the next six months, and that was 19 years and six months ago. Um, so it's it's been an amazing journey. I've watched the highs of growing a company, I've watched the lows of recessions, and uh I I I would be lying if I said I enjoyed every minute of it, but I've enjoyed nearly every minute of it.

SPEAKER_04 29:14

Well, I love when I get to speak to someone that has grown up or really excelled within an organization because that is becoming more and more rare. Yeah. Especially to be able to create the type of opportunity that the company and the industry has been growing so much. You know, you start as the director of strategic planning, you became a vice president, senior vice president, chief business officer, and obviously now COO. So you're incredibly core to the business, its function, it's and its future. So tell us a little bit more about your role today as the COO and what brings you to ARTA.

SPEAKER_02 29:43

I'm a snowplow. Okay, that's how I describe my job. I'm a snowplow. Uh I'm a Canadian, so I have an idea what that means. Yeah. I'm I'm from New York. But um no, I'm the first one on the road, and it's my job to clear the road for everyone behind me that ultimately executes and help them see what's coming and help them get done what they need to get done. But um, it's really about hiring wonderfully talented people and letting them do what they do and making sure that uh the the path is clear for them.

SPEAKER_04 30:11

Well, and let's talk about that world that it is today for your nearly 9,000 team members, which is again incredible. You look at the portfolio properties referencing being Canadian, you have resorts in British Columbia. It's really incredible to see the expansion over the years. Tell us a little bit about today's modern timeshare. And the reason I want to ask you that specifically, not only is that the theme of our very first episode, but you have a unique perspective on this because in many ways, Westgate built this industry. And going back to 1982, and it and it was my first experience. I was telling one of your uh colleagues before our conversation that for me, timeshares and Westgate go together, but you also you've a the business has evolved so much. It's not what it was 20 years ago or 10 years ago.

SPEAKER_02 30:53

Well, timeshare today is bespoke, and what I mean by that is when this industry started in the 70s and got going really in the 80s, it was a hundred condos and a pool, right? That's what timeshare was. Yeah. And if you look at timeshare today, where you have resorts in urban destinations, uh ski resorts, water parks, we have a dude ranch, which you know I definitely want to make sure we talk about because it's really neat. And we have a timeshare dude ranch, it's about creating experiences and it's about creating unique memories for people and not thinking that one experience is necessarily the same across the globe and across the country. And so our resort here in Las Vegas, it doesn't have full kitchens because people don't cook when they come to Vegas. It has just enough for them to make breakfast and maybe make a lunch, but at the end of the day, that's different than Orlando, where people are gonna get together and they're gonna barbecue and they're gonna be outside and they're gonna swim. And so the modern timeshare is designed for people to have the experience that they want in the destination they're in.

SPEAKER_04 31:57

You hit on something really important. It's literally the theme of our second episode, which is experiences, and I'm sure our conversation will carry over both of them because when people think about a timeshare, they're thinking about the resort, and what you said is obviously what my original perception was going back 20 years ago, but it's evolved so much since then, especially around experiences. And when I was looking forward to this conversation and and checking out some of the properties that I wasn't familiar with, you've mentioned a couple, but I want to go into them in a little bit more detail, especially the Dude Ranch. I need to hear more about the Dude Ranch. But uh tell us about the experiences that you very intentionally offer and curate at these properties.

SPEAKER_02 32:32

Yeah, so let's talk about Vegas because that's where we are. We have the largest sports book in the world sitting a couple hundred yards from 300 timeshare villas. So dad's here on a Sunday and he wants to go watch the big game. He goes downstairs and watches on a $7 million screen that's the largest 4K screen in the world. That wasn't timeshare in the 1980s and the 1990s, and in even in the early 2000s. Um, and we talked a little bit about the dude ranch. You know, the family wants to get on a horse for the first time. That wasn't timeshare. So um each of our properties really thinks about what the experience is going to be for the family or even the couple. A lot of our resorts now are designed for couples. Uh the kids are out of the house, and they don't need a two-bedroom, three or four-bedroom. They need a really nice one-bedroom with a kitchen. And so um, we're very intentional about that.

SPEAKER_04 33:22

And one other thing I was also keen to ask you is that the question of the the customer profile, because obviously that's changed a lot. They've gotten younger, they're family-oriented. Tell us a little bit about who is the kind of target profile for a timeshare customer within the Westgate portfolio.

SPEAKER_02 33:38

Yeah, so interestingly enough, more than 40% of our new buyers are millennials. And we get that question a lot saying, Oh, are millennials into timeshare? Well, they are, they're just now reaching the age where timeshare makes sense for them. Right. They were late getting married, they were late having kids, they were late moving out of the house, and uh they were late getting their first mortgage. Uh and so we meet them where they are and we're designing experiences that they want. Um, again, let's take a destination like Orlando, where we have over 6,000 units. Um it used to be you go to the theme parks for five or six days. Well, millennials don't want to go to the theme parks for five or six days. They want to go for two, maybe three days, and then they're gonna hang out at our water park for a few days, which by the way, you get into for free as an owner. So um it it is. It's it's about designing for who the customer is and understanding that customer will be different based on the destination.

SPEAKER_04 34:32

Now, one thing I find really interesting too is that based on that customer profile, the destinations they want to go to, you'll clearly continue to expand the portfolio. I know you're in three countries now, and so when you are being very intentional about new developments, when do you partner, when do you acquire? I know you've had some pretty significant acquisitions over the year and one major one in the past year. Tell us a little bit about that approach.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

Yeah, so I I think we go into a market and say, what do we do well and what do others do really well that we can work with? Um, it would be foolhardy to think that anyone is the best at everything. And so if we go into a market or a destination and we know that we need support or uh a partnership to make the experience what we want, that's what we're gonna do. And so again, back to Orlando, we partnered with Chuck E. Cheese to build a mystery fun house, arcade experience, a half-acre game room uh at our 3,000-room property out there, and nobody is better at delivering indoor experiences and entertainment and gaming and arcading than Chuck E. Cheese. And so they were a natural partner for us, and it's it's borne a lot of fruit.

SPEAKER_04 35:39

So my fondest birthday experiences as a kid who were at Chuck E. Cheese, and the fact you felt safe leaving your kids at Chuck E. Cheese, right? That was one of the beautiful things.

SPEAKER_02 35:47

It's incredible what they do.

SPEAKER_04 35:48

Yeah, and so yeah, I have a great respect for them as an organization and how they've also evolved uh to remain contemporary. And so when people are coming into the Westgate family and they are choosing to partner and become uh a timeshare, what's the terminology? The timeshare owner with a timeshare owner owner. And then they get the benefit of being part of the portfolio

Loyalty Benefits Without The Hamster Wheel

SPEAKER_04 36:08

and the network. And I know one of the things that Westgate does really well is your loyalty program. So the world of Westgate. That's right. Tell us a little bit about that program because I know the WOW program, it's completely free. That's one of the things that's unique. So, but tell us about that program and the importance and relevance today.

SPEAKER_02 36:24

Yeah, so we developed the World of Westgate program over about a half a decade and deployed it right after COVID, and it was very intentionally different. Um, if you're like me, you're on a lot of loyalty programs, whether it's your local burger state, you know, burger restaurant or an airline or a hotel chain. And the feeling I get and the team got about those loyalty programs is that they were like hamster wheels. You were never getting off, and you were never getting whatever hamsters eat. I don't know. Uh, the carrot, whatever, the horse. Uh, I lost the analogy.

SPEAKER_04 36:57

But all I can think is hamsters on the wheel and then drinking the water.

SPEAKER_02 37:00

That's right. All right, so you never got the water. Perfect. We never got the water, and so we intentionally designed a loyalty program that didn't require you to be on that wheel. That the minute you joined, you got benefits. It was immediate. And so we actually took a page from American Express that provides all those uh credits, you know, digital credits, travel credits, and that's what we did. We said, all right, all you have to do is join, and immediately you're getting anywhere from $25 to $200 credit that you can use as part of our loyalty program on property to eat, dine, drink, you know, whatever you want to do and enjoy with your family.

SPEAKER_04 37:37

And one other areas that I've seen that you have really evolved is in the world of technology. One thing I didn't expect from a timeshare offering is the fact you have an app that will allow you to actually go to the properties and be able to self-check in. That's something that I gravitated to with you know, with many hotels aren't even there yet, are there yet. So tell us a little bit about your investment in technology and how important that's been to making sure that you're relevant to a modern-day traveler.

SPEAKER_02 38:03

Yeah, so technology in our environment, for anyone listening who kind of has a hospitality background, it's incredibly complex because of the nature of the inventory that we have. So we we have what are called lockout units, which means that a four-bedroom is made up of four separate keys, and it can be used as a studio and a three, uh, two two bedrooms, a four-bedroom, all different sorts of combinations. Right. And so when we think about technology, it's not, hey, how do I check you into a room really quickly before you arrive? It's how do I make sure that I have the right configuration for you, which matches the right configuration that uh I have on property, and get that all seamlessly done in advance of you being on the property. And so um sometimes it takes this a little longer to get there, but the end result is incredible.

SPEAKER_04 38:51

One of the things when we talk about the experiences, you mentioned obviously the partnership at Chuck E. Cheese, we talked about the dude ranch um with a full water park. What about

Glamping Gets Real And Expensive

SPEAKER_04 38:59

glamping? Because that's actually something that that was a trend. The reason I ask is obviously this is travel trends, and we talk about you know the most important trends happening, and glamping was one of those things that sort of came and went, or is it still here?

SPEAKER_02 39:10

It's here, and it's and it people glamp hard. Okay, that's all I can say. Um glamping's one of those funny things we dabbled in many years ago. We built 10 glamping tents. We had no idea whether they were gonna work. People in hindsight were like, oh my god, your pricing strategy was so smart. And I know this is a podcast, so you can't see my finger, but it was basically putting my finger in the wind with the team and saying, We think people will pay this, right? And then what happens? But that was really the gen of genesis of our experiences and the idea that people will pay for experiences. And so today we have 40, 50 different glamping uh units, all different styles, and they range from platform primitive camping, which I affectionately affectionately call glamping for dads who don't own tents and don't want to be embarrassed in front of their children by pitching a tent, all the way to Conestoga wagons, which sleep six, and I can assure you nobody went in an Oregon trail with a wagon that looks like this. And so uh glamping's been this really cool experience that we've evolved and added, and we get twelve hundred dollars a night for some of our glamping experiences. That's how experiential they are.

SPEAKER_04 40:27

Okay, so that actually brings up a really interesting point that I wanted to ask you as well. Is the customer profile you mentioned 40% at Millennials, fascinating. That's like it, and I think most of our listeners, a lot of you've talked about how relevant timeshares are, the experiences of timeshares. One thing I want to ask you is about luxury and whether, given that is such a fast-growing category and people are looking for more premium luxury experiences, how is that playing into some of the properties you acquire, renovate, and the offering of amongst the collection?

SPEAKER_02 40:55

Yeah, so when we think about renovations, we're very intentional about thinking about who our customer is going to be and the experience that they want. So the Dude Ranch is a great example. When you go there, you know you're at a dude ranch. It can feel luxurious, it can feel rich, uh, but you don't want to feel like you are in Manhattan, you don't want to feel like you are in the West. You won't find pictures on the wall that have mountains in them because spoiler, there's no mountains in Florida. Um, we want you to feel like where you are. And so whether you're in Gatlinburg in one of our cabins, you're gonna feel like you're in the mountains. If you're in Park City, you're gonna feel like you are in the snow. Um, and that's really how we approach the luxury and the experience of the interior of the units.

SPEAKER_04 41:39

And now let's bring it back to where we are here in Las Vegas at the Bellagio, having the chance to sit down and record together live on day one of the conference. Given that you have, you know, not only are you a board member, but obviously you're probably one of the most senior statesmen here. So your background in the industry. Now you make me feel old. Yeah, I was gonna say, even though you look like you're maybe uh 25 or you've just graduated. All that moisturizing. It's working for you. Perfect. So tell us what brings you to Arta this year in particular. What is what is this year particularly meaningful for Westgate and what you guys are bringing to this conference?

SPEAKER_02 42:15

Yeah, I I think the industry is on the precipice. Um we've got a really good message out there that this product has evolved very differently. It's not your parents' timeshare anymore, it's not a fixed week. You're coming the same week every year in the same unit. You can craft and design your experiences. And I'll I'll get kicked by our PR team if I say it, but we'll be unveiling one of those experiences on Friday at one of our resorts right after the conference and basically grand uh or excuse me, doing a uh a groundbreaking for one of those which continues to tell the story of where we see this going.

SPEAKER_04 42:53

That's cool. I'll be looking forward to that. And we'll make sure that we update this as we release it with some of those exciting developments that you're gonna be sharing afterwards. The other thing I just wanted to ask you, given your background and experience, is what brings people to Arta? You know, obviously you just shared what brings you in your role as the CEO of Westgate. You've obviously got a lot of reasons to be here. But why do you think people come to Arta, especially those people that are coming for the first year?

SPEAKER_02 43:17

People are passionate about this industry. Um, I was actually just in a meeting before I came here with a bunch of timeshare owners who are here as part of our rock board, the Resort Owners Coalition. And these are regular civilian owners. They own a week at Timeshare somewhere in the country, and they came here because it matters to them how we as an industry evolve. And take that all the way forward to someone like myself who makes a living in this business. People care about this industry. And so it's great to connect with friends, colleagues, see what's going on. But more importantly, we want to see this industry continue to evolve to what we know it can be. It's it's still relatively small in terms of the size of the hospitality landscape, and we think it can be a lot bigger.

SPEAKER_04 43:58

Well, just on that note, because since you sit on The board and obviously now have a very important role on the board. So you have that vantage point of understanding how Arta is growing and evolving, and you have the industry association. Tell us a little bit where Arta is headed and how it maintains its relevancy. Because just speaking to Jason and having you on the podcast now, I'm sure thousands of people listening to this, all of a sudden it's going to be on their radar that maybe are not familiar with Arta and just how significant. And look at the size of the partnerships and the growth of this category. So where's where's Arta headed?

SPEAKER_02 44:28

I think Arta is heading from a position of how do we make sure that best in class technologies are shared amongst our members? So again, you have hundreds of companies out there that are all trying to do the same thing, deliver great experiences and vacations to families and guests. But at the end of the day, there's a lot of commonality. We all talk about the fact that the tide rises all the boats. And so whether it's advocacy on uh regulatory issues, making sure that our owners are safe and that the information they need is transparent for them, or it's making sure that the technology is across uh enterprise-wide and that everyone has uh an understanding of that, ultimately I think we're all here for that reason, and art is incredibly hyper-focused on that.

SPEAKER_04 45:20

Well, and I got one more question on that, and then I also wanted to talk about the future of Westgate. But when you mentioned technology, one of the things in the travel industry, and having worked in this industry for you know 20 plus years is that, and I I come from a technology background, the travel industry has always been criticized as being behind in terms of technology. And the but the reality for most travel companies, they don't get into this industry because they want to be in technology, they want to be in this industry because they want to focus on the guest experience. And when you do that incredibly well, and you hear online travel agencies, OTAs, as they're obviously shortened to, they often say they're a technology company, not a travel company. And I would always say, actually, I run a travel company, not a technology company. I'm not confused about that, because my first responsibility is to the guest. And so it's really interesting to hear you say that because there is a need across our industry, no matter what sector, to advance technology to meet the customers where they are today. And I think that I know that's a theme of our third episode is technology and travel. So on that topic, Jason talked a bit about AI and some of the personalization and tools. Where do you think technology is headed in this space and what are some of the developments you're working on at Westgate?

SPEAKER_02 46:26

Yeah, I I think there's a point where technology can be intrusive, right? I sit in a lot of meetings and people are like, wouldn't it be great if technology did this for our guests? And it'd be like, Yeah, but that's not what the guest wants. Yeah. The guest doesn't want a giant tablet that now they're searching and figuring out. You have to make it frictionless and seamless for the guest. And I think that's where we get criticized sometimes as a broader hospitality industry, is we've tried to get ahead of the guest or think about what the guest we think the guest wants when really all the guest wants is as little friction in their experience as possible. And so, you know, for Westgate, we've rolled out the ability to do as service requests all from your app, uh, so you don't have to pick up the phone. Um, those are the types of things that guests are looking for, not necessarily where technology is in their face for absolutely no reason. Um and and that's really how we think about it.

SPEAKER_04 47:19

No, that's great. And just to finish off with where Westgate is headed, given that you've really built this category and that you are the largest privately owned, I think there's a unique position in that. I'm sure you'll agree that you know that you don't have to give forward guidance, you know, and and some of the things we can say now. You can you can share your views without having to worry about the repercussions of that. And so oftentimes executives of uh public traded companies are limited in what they can say. And so I'm not asking you to share something that's too too close to uh I know this is a competitive industry as well.

SPEAKER_02 47:50

I'll share what I can.

SPEAKER_04 47:51

But I would love or if you wouldn't mind share, what's unique about Westgate and your advantage going into the future, given you are privately owned, and what keeps you so bullish about this category in the space?

SPEAKER_02 48:00

Well, the I would say the difference for us is we're patient capital. Okay, so we don't look at the next quarter, we don't even look at the next year, we look at the next ten years. Where do we think the puck is going? And I like it. That's another hockey reference. Yeah, well done. Canadian.

SPEAKER_04 48:15

Uh Wayne Gretzky, do you remember the line?

SPEAKER_02 48:17

Of course. I state where the puck is go uh where it's going, not where it is. Well done. Thank you. Uh I played hockey. Um, yeah, so so that's really how we think about the business. We're not thinking about what our earnings are going to be this quarter or the end of the year, and there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, there's a place for everybody, but for us to be able to be agile and nimble, it can't be about do I deploy this capital or this technology today because it gets me the return I need for the next year, or is this the foundation I need for the next five to ten or twenty years? And that was really the advice that our founder, David, who brought me into the business and uh sadly passed last year, he said, be patient, you know, make the long-term strategic investments because you know this is a marathon, not a sprint. And the guest will tell you if you're getting it right or wrong. And we listen to guest feedback, guest sentiment constantly. It's one of the first emails I get on Monday morning is how did we do in the last week? Did we match that expectation? And we're we're not afraid to look in the mirror and say, All right, we need to pivot a little bit, and uh, you know, or we've got this right and we need to double down. And so there's so many things we've done over the last couple of years to make sure we've removed that frick uh friction, whether it's technology or in the experience, and continue to deliver.

SPEAKER_04 49:33

Fantastic. Well, Jared, I have to say, like it's clear to me in meeting you and getting this time together why you've risen to such prominence, both at Westgate and in the industry. You're very well spoken and clearly very insightful, and I think you offered a lot to our audience today. I want to make sure that any of our listeners, if they want to know a little more about Westgate or connect with you or the team, what would be the best ways to do that?

SPEAKER_02 49:54

Yeah, so uh WestgateResorts.com, pretty much everything's on there. I'm on LinkedIn, you can find me. Um, our whole team is up there. We are very engaging. I literally answered an owner's email from my bed at 10.45 at night five nights ago because I knew I could solve that problem and I wouldn't sleep until I solved that problem. So we are probably the most engaging executive team in the industry.

SPEAKER_04 50:18

Fantastic. Well, that seems very clear, and it's a real honor to meet you and get this time together. Thanks so much for joining me for this.

SPEAKER_02 50:24

Thank you for having me.

Marriott View From A Timeshare Kid

SPEAKER_04 50:27

Our next guest in our today's timeshare episode, we have Scott Wise, who's the executive vice president of Strategic Business Operations at Marriott Vacations Worldwide. Welcome, Scott. Great to have you on the podcast.

SPEAKER_01 50:43

Thanks, Dan. Great to be here.

SPEAKER_04 50:44

Now we have your colleague as well joining us, uh, Mike Flaske, in episode two to talk about experiences, but I'm really keen to have you here to talk about today's timeshare and how it's evolved. I know you're very involved in the community, but let's let's talk about your background because one of the cool things that I heard before we started to record is you're a timeshare kid. Tell us what that means and tell us about your background in the industry.

SPEAKER_01 51:05

Yeah, that's absolutely right. So um my connection to the industry far uh outdates my involvement as a as a as a career. So uh it's been about uh 30 years or so that I've been vacationing in this business. And it all started back in high school. Uh my family owns uh on Hilton Head Island, and summer after summer, that has been our experience as a family, going back to uh going back to the island, enjoying the experiences there. And what's really cool about it now is I am raising timeshare kids. So I have three kids ages uh nine, twelve, and fifteen. They have grown up doing the exact same thing. So we have truly lived the life of timeshare. We have truly lived the life of having incredible experiences and memories of a as a family, and uh I love the fact that I can do that as my career too now.

SPEAKER_04 51:55

I find that really fascinating, Scott. My uncle actually lives in Atlanta and has properties in Hilton Head and has been in the vacation rental space for many years. I've been to Hilton Head many times. I love it. I totally understand that's a place you'd want to go back to over and over again. It's a great year-round destination. And although a lot of the industry has been shaped by the state of Florida, um, clearly there is timeshare opportunities worldwide and across the U.S. Now, given your background, uh, one of the things I also wanted to ask you about, you know, you've been in this industry for 25 plus years. You're still a young guy, clearly, but at the same time, you know this space really well. So your background growing up as a timeshare kid, what actually then brought you into the industry? And tell us a bit more about your role.

SPEAKER_01 52:37

Sure. So I actually started on the uh on the hotel side of the business. And um it was it was kind of a long journey to get there, but uh almost 30 years ago to the day, I started my first uh hospitality experience working in the front desk of a hotel in suburban Washington, D.C. where I grew up. And um I quickly learned that I loved every part of the hospitality business. Uh not only is every day a little bit different, right? And there's always excitement that comes around by the next challenge that comes that that comes before you, but there's an opportunity every moment that you have with a guest to really make an impact on their day and deliver an experience that can have an impact for for for a long time to come. So that's what I love about the business. Uh ultimately, I I came down here in uh 2002 to work for Merit Vacations Worldwide, had a great opportunity to work in the development side of the organization, variety of roles since then. And today uh I get to work with uh four teams that really touch all parts of our customer journey after an owner chooses to purchase with us. So uh it's it's been a fun ride. I love this business, I love this industry, and it's been great to be, you know, be able to make a career out of something that I've loved to do, you know, as a family growing up as a timeshare kid.

SPEAKER_04 53:54

That's amazing. One thing that's already standing out to me being here at the conference is the number of people that have been in this industry for 10 or 20 years and have been with the same organization and had the opportunity to advance within the company given the growth in this industry. Jared was a good example of that just a moment ago with Westgate Resorts. And obviously, yourself, given that you have grown up from a director to vice president, a senior vice president, and the fact that you've got such an important strategic role across the business, you know this space really well. So one of the things I want to get into today is today's timeshare and how it's evolved over the time you've been in the industry. But before we do that, I think it would be helpful for all of our listeners to understand a little bit more about Marriott Vacations Worldwide and your involvement in the timeshare industry.

SPEAKER_01 54:37

Sure. So uh as a company, we've been involved with Arta really since its foundation, right? And um, what's really important about ARTA as an organization, like you said, it brings all of us together as a common platform to talk about the industry, talk about the future of the industry, uh, and really align about what should we be doing collectively, right, as leaders in hospitality to move the industry forward. So MVW's been a big part of it uh since the uh really the mid 80s. And it it all it almost dates all the way back to when our company was founded in 1984 on Hilton Head Island, ironically, uh where we got our start. So uh I love coming to ARTA every year, having an opportunity to interact with our peers and uh you know talk about what's next for this business.

SPEAKER_04 55:20

Scott, one of the important parts of this industry, as I've come to understand, is the role that owners play, to choose who they partner with and keep them coming back year after year. Given the great global brand that you have and the portfolio of properties, I can think of many reasons why they would choose to do so. But how do you keep owners engaged in your program?

SPEAKER_01 55:38

Sure. You know, at the end of the day, it all comes down to our teams at our resort, right? Uh it's about the experience that our owners have when they come to our property, whether it's the same property they come to year after year or when they choose to, you know, to uh transition around different parts of our system. Our teams do an incredible job creating outstanding experiences for them on site. And it's those experiences and those memories that keep them coming back. And ultimately, it's genuine hospitality touches genuine service, which builds loyalty to a brand, and we're happy to deliver that each and every day.

SPEAKER_04 56:10

And you were mentioning about the connection to ARTA and the importance of that relationship. And I know you're also on one of the boards. The uh uh you're a chair of one of the boards, you're very active in this community. When you come to a conference like this, what are some of the benefits of uh from for your organization to be involved not only with ARTA but to come to an event like this, the spring conference? Aaron Powell Sure.

SPEAKER_01 56:30

Well, I mean a lot of it is best practice sharing, right? Uh we all are in the same industry, but we all have slightly different ways of doing what we do. And I like to learn from others. Uh sometimes, you know, it's stealing great ideas from others, but that's okay. That's how we evolve as an industry, and that's how we continue to, you know, remain at the forefront of the hospitality industry when people want to choose how they want a vacation.

SPEAKER_04 56:52

I know this is a competitive space, and one of the things that Jason highlighted to me is the fact that what's unique about Arta and the conference is that it does bring together people who are otherwise traditionally competitors to advance the industry. You know, and I'm a strong believer in the whole blue ocean concept that you can expand the category and bring more people into it rather than the red ocean, the Coke Pepsi fighting over market share. And that's clearly what's happening within the timeshare industry given the growth, and especially the younger audience that is now coming into this space. When you look at a conference like this and look at the sessions, I'm keen to know what are some of the things that stood out to you that you were keen to be a part of or conversations that you're involved in, because I know you're a very active part of the community here.

SPEAKER_01 57:30

Sure. So uh, you know, there obviously technology is a big focus right now. Uh we all know that. Um I think the really interesting thing about technology and the hospitality space is there has to be a balance. At the end of the day, technology should help owners get on vacation, plan their vacation, and go and enjoy the product. Uh when it comes down to the conversation within the industry, the one thing we can't replace are the genuine hospitality experiences and those touches. And I think that the conversation around how do you keep that balanced is really important and has been a good thing to be part of this week.

SPEAKER_04 58:04

Well, one of the things I certainly saw in the agenda and have been hearing over the course of the sessions is what owners are expecting today. And it goes along with the conversation around how this industry has evolved and what today's timeshare actually looked like. So the owners have evolved uh in terms of their expectations. Tell us a little bit about what you're seeing. I know experience is an important part of that, and Mike Flaske will be talking about that in episode two. And I know that's an important component. But what are owners looking for today from who they choose to partner with? And what are some of the things that Marriott Vacations Worldwide is really bringing to the table that's

More Options Through Points And Exchanges

SPEAKER_04 58:35

uh really unique to that offering?

SPEAKER_01 58:36

Sure. Yeah, a big part of it's flexibility and variety, right? Uh you mentioned experiences, that's certainly a big part uh once once folks get to resorts or or maybe choose an alternative uh way of vacationing. But uh we've got a great portfolio of resorts and uh and a variety of destinations. Uh but the other thing that we offer, and I think really helps differentiate us, are the other opportunities you have to vacation with us. So when you own points with us, you can use that to vacation at one of our resorts. You can use that to trade for either Merit Bonvoy Points or World of Hyatt Points in the Hyatt system. Uh or you can choose to exchange with our Innovroll International Exchange partner, which is also part of our organization, to open up thousands of other properties across the system. So I think as a company, what we offer as a product and opportunities is really unique. And I think that that's one of the reasons why we have such great loyalty to our brands.

SPEAKER_04 59:26

And one of the things I was also keen to ask you, when I spoke to Jared about the misperceptions about this industry, he was talking about the fact that many people saw timeshares as a hundred unit property with one pool. Clearly, a lot's changed in 20, 30 years, or even the last 10 years for that matter. I've been talking a little bit about owners, but let's talk about the guest experience. And one of the things that really is really unique about your offering is it's truly global. And you look at the properties you have in your collection, there's so many stunning examples of really modern resorts that are offering incredible experiences to guests. And yet it's part of the timeshare space that is, and I think I want to make sure if our listeners we make that connection that actually there's an opportunity that people didn't realize existed with Marriott Vacations Worldwide. And just so everyone knows, if you're multitasking, it is Marriott Vacationsworldwide.com. So you can get a sense of the overall size of the business and also the scale of the portfolio. So tell us a little bit about how the experience has involved from a guest point of view, staying at timeshares and obviously why they're deciding to become owners.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:27

Sure. Well, let me talk a little bit about my family and when we vacation, right? Um, as I mentioned a little bit earlier, I have three kids ranging from 15-year-old teenager, right, all the way to nine years old. They all have very different degrees of what they're looking for as when they when they get to a resort. What our resorts offer is a great selection of offerings for every age group, not just the kids, parents as well. And our teams do an outstanding job making sure there's a wide variety of experiences on site that address really pretty much any need a family may have when they come on vacation. So uh I think that that's a huge differentiator for us. Our teams have a lot of fun putting those experiences together, by the way, whether it's theming for the holiday that may be going on, whether it's picking up uh opportunities to educate our owners and our guests on what's going on in the city or the market around them. You know, they have tremendous pride in the geographic locations that they live and work in. And what they like to do is connect our owners and our guests to hey, this is the town, this is the city that I live in. Let me tell you more about it. Let me introduce you to that. So you really feel like not just a guest that's here for six, seven days, or maybe sometimes just you know a little bit shorter than that. You really feel a part of the community that they live and work in. And I think that that's a real differentiator for our product.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:44

Well, one of the things that's also come up over the course of this episode is the increased involvement of either the millennials, uh, younger generation becoming owners and getting involved in this industry, which is really exciting. And so we heard some stats both from um from Jared, it was about 40% of Westgate, and for uh the ARTA industry, it's more than 50%. And we'll have uh Catherine joining us a bit later in this conversation to highlight some of the latest research that they've done that indicates that that's even a more substantial figure. And so when we think about the younger generation coming into the space, and you mentioned having you know young kids and the idea that they're gonna become owners, what do you think is appealing to the next generation of travelers about this industry?

SPEAKER_01 1:02:27

We all live very busy lives, right? And one of the great parts about ownership is it's a commitment to go on vacation. And I think that in this day and age, when we're all running around doing a lot of things, and whether it's career, family, kids' activities, so forth, having that vacation on the books, having that vacation scheduled is incredibly important. I know it is for our family. It's a time when we know we're gonna get together, have purposeful time to spend together as a family. And by owning with our products, you're making that commitment and you're also making that promise to your family. So I think that's a really appealing thing. I know to my age group, I know my friends who uh are considering or have purchased in the product, that was a big driver for them, and it's a big part of our family as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:15

And let's talk a little bit about where the industry is headed. And so given that you've been in the industry for many years, and you clearly not only have a personal connection, but obviously professionally, this is the industry that you are, you know, you and your role being, you know, focused on strategy. One of the things I'd love to hear from your vantage point is where the industry is headed in 2026 and beyond, like the next six to twelve months. You mentioned about the importance of technology. We've talked a little bit about the importance of the next generation coming into this space. What are some of the other big trends that you're paying attention to that would be worth our global listeners understanding about this industry in this space?

SPEAKER_01 1:03:50

We have to continue to meet the owners where they want to be. And that's on a variety of levels. I think again, when you're interacting, when you're planning a vacation, when you're booking your vacation, we have to do, I think, more to make it easier, to make it more understandable to use the products that they own. Uh, there are so many great options out there. Sometimes it's a little bit overwhelming because you have so many different things to choose from. We we need to help walk them through it. And we've got great teams uh at our company that do that on a day in and day out basis, but it's putting the technology and the tools in the hands of both our associates as well as the owners to help to enable them to do that themselves. Um I think that that is a certainly a trend in the hospitality industry overall. I would probably be fair to say that timeshare's lagged a little bit behind in terms of catching up to that, but it's where it's where our owners want us to meet them, and we need to do a great job getting there. I think the other thing that's really, and I touched upon this a little bit earlier, but when we talk about the extension of the vacation, I think that's the other evolution within the timeshare industry. It's no longer, you know, certainly we're going back to the same resort every year. Sometimes it was the same unit, same week, right? Um iFamily, we choose to go back to the same resort around the same time each year and the same destination, but that's our choice. When our owners are traveling around our system, there's a big piece of what other experiential offerings do we bring them while we're there. And I think that that is something the industry overall is doing a great job at. And I would actually say we're at the forefront of bringing great local, authentic experiences to our owners and guests. And the hospitality industry overall, when you talk about traditional hotels, they're kind of trying to catch up to what we're doing in the timeshare industry today. So it's the difference of owning a product versus choosing to go and stay in a hotel. When you're an owner, you feel different about that vacation. You feel different about that destination. And that's been quarter of our business for really decades now.

SPEAKER_04 1:05:54

Well, it's nice to have both options, especially when you have a place as beautiful as Hilton Head to go back to. That's definitely a place you can go back to. Every year, and there's other destinations you want to explore because maybe you want to go do that trip for that week and then go somewhere else for for a second week, depending on uh the program and your approach to uh to travel. But I I love what you said about the fact that it's a commitment to travel and that you actually are making that commitment and knowing that you have that to look forward to. Because I always find that people on holiday are leading their best lives, it's like that's the that's the version of themselves that they want like to be every day. It's not a reality for all of us, but when you see someone on holiday, that's you know, that's their ideal state of being. And so that's one of the things I just love about connecting with people on holiday. And so I've got a couple last rapid fire questions here for you, Scott. Given your involvement in ARTA and also your role in the industry, what is something you would would like to share with our listeners that as a takeaway from being at a conference like this, you would like people to understand about the industry and this space? What's either a misperception or something that you think would be not well understood about the the size of this industry, the role of this industry in the travel industry? Because that's something I'll I'll share one example that I live with our listeners. I couldn't believe the occupancy rates for timeshares are more like 80% versus 63% for hotels. And we've don't have a huge focus always on hotels, but this industry doesn't get the recognition it deserves in terms of sharing some of those meaningful stats. So when I came into this, I was reading a number of the reports, and obviously you're close to a lot of these details. What is something else that maybe stands out to you that our listeners might find interesting?

SPEAKER_01 1:07:26

Sure. You know, um when we uh it was interesting when when COVID occurred, uh, some of the industry's best kept secrets really started to become more public. And so and and a lot of that is around it's around the accommodations, it's what's available to families when they travel and stay at a timeshare resort, right? It's not your traditional hotel room, right? You're walking into a villa, you're walking into a ton of space, a kitchen, a washer or dryer. I know when I take my kids to you know standard hotels, they're like, Dad, where's the kitchen, right? Where's where's the washer or dryer? Um and it's it's it's the product offering that the timeshare industry offers, which I think is is sometimes not quite fully understood. Um it is truly a home away from home for when you go on vacation. It provides great space within your villa for connecting as a family and highly amenitized resorts uh across the board. So uh I believe that uh timeshare has a great runway to grow from because the more and more people who get exposed to the product, and more importantly, the experiences that teams across all brands, all companies provide to owners and guests, I think that it's got a great, great runway ahead of it.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:42

And then as we sit here at the Bellagio uh midway through the conference, what is one of the things you hope to benefit from or take away from Artists Spring Conference this year?

SPEAKER_01 1:08:52

I always like to bring home best practices. I always like to talk to my peers and other companies about what they're doing, where are they, where are they innovating. Uh because at the end of the day, when we all innovate, the industry thrives and grows together. It's the rising tide that lifts all boats, right? And um I think that uh there is an incredible uh shift going on in the industry, not just with the owners and the demographics that are changing across the owner base, but there's also new leadership. There's new talent coming into the industry from industries that, hey, maybe they may be coming in from outside of hospitality, they may be coming in from technology, other loyalty programs that exist in other parts of the industry or business from a hospitality perspective. That infusion of new talent, new ideas, new energy, I think is great, and it's been a wonderful thing to see all week.

SPEAKER_04 1:09:40

Yeah, actually, I'm glad you mentioned that because that's something that has stood out to me. And I was actually keen on gonna ask Catherine about how many people are new this year versus returning, because I always find that fascinating about conferences, and it's been really interesting for me as a first-time attendee to get a sense of the dynamic in the room, and that obviously is a very important component. The other thing I wanted to ask you, and this is more on a personal level, Scott, is your next family trip. So, where are you headed next? Well, um, what is a new destination you're hoping to explore?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:06

So we do have our our annual summer trip book to Hilton Head. That's a constant. We have to get it, we got it, we have to squeeze it in right before school starts. So that's already on the books and uh and already penciled in. However, a uh an interesting and exciting destination that actually my kids picked this year was to go to Iceland. So we are taking a direct flight from Orlando, Florida, which which exists to Iceland, and we're gonna do that over uh over the weeks and months ahead here. So very excited about that, and uh always look to introduce uh my kids to new parts of the world.

SPEAKER_04 1:10:38

That's awesome, fantastic. Lots to look forward to. I want to make sure that our listeners, now that they've got a chance to meet you, learn more about your role and obviously about the company, the best ways to connect with you and the team if they want to learn more.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:49

Sure. So our our website, MeritVacationsworldwide.com, that's obviously a great place to go and learn more about the company. And uh I am uh active on LinkedIn, so you can find me there on LinkedIn and uh would love to connect with anyone who uh wants to learn more about the product, the industry, or uh just where the future of timeshare is going.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:07

Fantastic. It's it's terrific to meet you. Very cool to meet a timeshare kid and obviously make the Hilton Head connection. And I'm certainly looking forward to keeping in touch with you and wish you and the team every success in the year ahead.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:17

Great. Thanks, Dan. Nice to meet you.

Hilton Grand Vacations On Customer Journey

SPEAKER_04 1:11:20

I now have the pleasure to sit down and speak to Derek DeSalvia, who is the executive vice president and chief customer officer at Hilton Grand Vacations. Derek, welcome to the Travel Trends Podcast.

SPEAKER_00 1:11:32

Oh, thanks for having me, Dan. So excited to be here.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:34

Now, you have a very deep understanding of this industry. You've been in the industry for a number of years, you're based in Orlando. Tell us a little bit about your background first before we get into today's timeshare and this episode that I'm so keen for you to be a part of. But you what is your background in this industry?

SPEAKER_00 1:11:49

Yeah, thanks, Dan. I've so I've had the blessing to really work for some of the best companies in this business and lead large sales and marketing teams and see other aspects of the business and even Tay on the operation side. So it's really been a great career and be able to really understand how this organization and the company and the industry has really evolved over the last several years.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:08

Well, you also I just want to call this out too, because I'm sure people will reach out to you after this or check you out on LinkedIn, but you actually have a master's of science. And so uh, you know, when I uh meet some of the people here, we've got lawyers, we've got people that have worked in government, in industry. You actually have got a background in management, human resources, marketing, all things that are incredibly important for this industry to understand human behavior and uh how that is changing over time. So and then you worked at Disney Vacation Club, which obviously you got the expertise at Disney, and now here you are, you know, nearly eight years into your role at Hilton Grand Vacation. So you've got a really unique background. Tell us a little bit more about your role, especially as being the chief customer officer, because you're the only chief customer officer we're gonna be speaking to over this three-part series, and that role is important today, more important than ever, and it also is quite unique.

SPEAKER_00 1:12:57

Well, I think you just landed on why we have that role. Uh, you know, from a Hilton Grand Vacationist perspective, the customer journey and understanding the customer and trying to get things right all the time is really important. Uh the role really is compromised of you know, resort operations, our revenue inventory management teams, brand operations, our AMS services, which are all the HOAs and the resorts, and uh customer enablement team to really be that team that feeds the feedback into the organization about trends and what we're seeing and and rate learning opportunities. And it's important. You know, we want to make sure we have an oversight into that customer journey and there's responsibility for that.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:32

Now, Hilton Grand Vacations, we're actually going to have your colleague, Gordon Gurnick, join us in episode two on experiences. I saw him on the main stage yesterday, and he was handing over the baton to uh Jared, who's the new chair of Arda. Tell everyone a little bit more about Hilton Grand Vacations. Uh, I know it's something he's gonna speak to on episode two, but I want to make sure all of our listeners in this first episode wrap their head around Hilton Grand Vacations, who you guys are and what you guys do, and why you're so important in this space. Because you're you're the largest player.

SPEAKER_00 1:14:03

We are. We're the largest player in the industry right now. You know, and look, Hilton Grand Vacations is rooted in hospitality. It is the you know, the brand name of Hilton has been around for over a hundred years. It is the heart of what we do every day, uh, and taking you know the stewardship of people's vacations and providing great experiences to our customers and our guests is extremely important.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:23

And now, Hilton Grand Vacations, when did you guys get into the timeshare space specifically?

SPEAKER_00 1:14:28

Oh, well, that was over 30 years ago. You know, Hilton Grand Vacations uh began as a you know spin-off of the Hilton Leisure Travel and has been an incredible trajectory and in recent years with the two acquisitions we did has really expanded our footprint globally.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:42

And the reason I wanted to ask you that question, since we're talking about today's timeshare and overcoming some of the misperceptions of this category, uh Jared called out in this episode about Westgate that most people see or thought that timeshares were, you know, a hundred condos and a pool. And clearly it's changed significantly. You know, I see you're smiling, you're like, yeah, that's that's you know, that that's so 1990s. Um, and here we are in 2026 having this conversation. And experiences is one of the most important elements. But tell us a little bit more from your vantage point, being in the industry for a number of years, how you've seen it evolve. And what do you how would you describe today's timeshare?

SPEAKER_00 1:15:17

Yeah, it's a funny comment because you know, even today you see on some comedy shows or movies, people say, Oh, I'm going to my timeshare in Florida, we go every year. It's so different today than it was. I mean, it's not even funny. You know, we we've got great destinations, we've got great urban destinations, we've got a great footprint across the world, and it's really about not just going on vacation and staying at a certain destination. It's the variety of destinations, the variety of vacations, the opportunities and experiences that are attached to those. So it's so different. Much like any other consumer product over the last 20, 30 years, it's just changed dramatically. I mean, we're all holding phones here today, and everyone's carrying a phone. Very different from the Nokia's back in, you know, the late 90s, early 2000s. And that evolution is persistent. And to your point about consumer behavior, you've got to listen to consumers, see how they're behaving, what the trends are, and customize your product to what that is.

SPEAKER_04 1:16:06

Yeah, I like that you mentioned the phones because obviously there's two things there. There's the social element, which is incredibly important for marketing and guest experience, and there's also technology that people are expecting to be able to check in with their phone. And that's one of the things that Jared was talking about, that Westgate now has an app for all their properties. And this all connects to the fact that this industry is getting younger and the the owners coming into this space. And I found this really fascinating. We're having this conversation at the end of day two, and I've learned a lot over this uh two days already, and there's still another third day yet to come tomorrow. But one of the things that stood out to me is how many millennials are becoming owners of timeshares. And some of the stats that we've already highlighted, it was 40% for Westgate, and Catherine's going to be joining us shortly, is going to talk about some of the latest research Arda has done. What are you seeing at Hilton Grand vacations around who the owners are and how that's changing?

SPEAKER_00 1:16:55

You know, the ownership uh is definitely changing from a demographic perspective. I think what what people also need to talk about is inside those demographics, the diversity is magnifying and amplifying. So yeah, millennials might, you know, be coming in as a larger portion of the ownership base and you

Younger Owners Want Variety And Ease

SPEAKER_00 1:17:10

know, Gen Z right behind that. But their desires, their wants, their needs, their expectations, you know, what they want out of vacations is so diverse from what the traditional vacation vacation ownership and the Gen X generation, like me and the baby boomers vacation. So, you know, having to keep up with that product demand and those needs has become very important. And I think that to your point, as the generations change, so do we.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:32

And what do you think is driving that? What do you think is actually the younger owners being interested in timeshare product? Is it because it's now accessible to them? What what are the what are the factors that you think are at play that we're seeing more young people get into timeshare ownership?

SPEAKER_00 1:17:47

So a couple of different things. One, you know, you've got to remember a lot of a lot of that generation has experienced timeshares or travel or different accommodations. But most importantly, going back to the phone and technology comments, the world has shrunk. It's accessible, there's more utilization, they have access to different things, they know what's out there, they know the opportunities, they know the variety. I think it's less about brand and more about access and accommodations and utilization and the best value for what they want out of a vacation. It's an Instagram moment, it's a short story, it's a TikTok, it's whatever it may be. And we we just have to embrace we live in that time. And so that's what I think is driving people to be competitive amongst themselves.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:28

One of the things that stood out to me is that this is very much a multi-generational product and directly connected to families, of course, families that want to go on holidays, that see the value and the opportunity to be able to become part of the timeshare program and then have their week per year. But clearly there's been a whole generation that has grown up that have been timeshare kids and they love that experience, and now they want their kids to have that experience. And so I'm keen to ask you about family travel and specifically multi-generational travel. Is that a big driver that you're seeing for new ownership coming into the business?

SPEAKER_00 1:19:01

You know, we talked to a lot of our team members at the resorts and our members, and it's it's really interesting to see that some of the members have watched their children grow up on the resort. And so now those children have relationships with those team members. They know them by name, like they know where they've been prior vacations, they may have graduated or had a birthday, and that connectivity that's drawn into that ecosystem and resorts in these companies, you can't replicate that. So, you know, I don't think people are willing to give that up. That's that special moment they they experience when they're on property. Plus, it's pretty consistent to say I want to go here, I can get this one bedroom, two bedroom, three-bedroom studio, whatever my flexible needs are. I see that. And we'll see, you know, long stays like members will book two weeks. There'll be one week for themselves, and then their children will join them another week and they'll upgrade into a different size unit. And so that really has changed the game of accommodations and how people uh stay in our properties.

SPEAKER_04 1:19:53

Well, one of the things I'm keen to ask you about has how membership has changed over that time. With you mentioned the example of kind of the outdated stereotype of people having that one week in Orlando. And you look at Hilton Grand vacations, you have more than 200 resorts, you've got over 700,000 members, and give and I really enjoyed your answer when you talked about just millennials. Within that, you have all different types of customer uh personas and profiles that you're trying to connect with. So what I'm keen to understand from your vantage point is that when you look at about how membership has changed, is it they're taking more trips, or they're shorter trips, or they're looking for different destinations, or all the above? What how has the membership and the the expectations for owners changed?

SPEAKER_00 1:20:34

You know, I think it goes back to that uniqueness. So if you look at the the later stage generations that they're they're still taking those one week, two week, three-week vacations. We have members that stay with us for three or four months that are retired or you know, late stage. But then if you go back into the millennial population, which is really two segments older millennials, younger millennials, and then Gen Z, we see a lot of shorter stays, multiple vacations in the year, experience-driven, urban destinations, really foodies, trying to get concerts attached to it. They want to be places and time it to what they want to experience in that market.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:07

And now, as you continue to focus on that younger audience, I know experiences is going to be a big focus as well, and we'll certainly get into a lot more detail about that with Gordon. So everyone's gonna have to tune in for episode two to learn more about how Hilton Grand Vacations is really tapping into experiences, and it's pretty profound, I have to say. And this is obviously one of the biggest overall trends and themes within this space. But just keeping on the topic of the next generation, how are you, and especially in your role and at Hilton Grand Vacations, making sure that this brand remains relevant to the younger generations and catering to them specifically?

SPEAKER_00 1:21:43

Yeah, it's a question I get off often asked, and I always go back to you, you know, the first thing you have to do is listen and listen to your customer base and and your your generations that are out there and what they want. The second thing is, you know, we are experience driven and we're we're moving into that and complementing the vacations with that, but we're also looking at the consumer trends, and when you look at consumers being connected to their vacations digitally, it's really about ease of access, using technology to build that vacation itinerary or plan where they're going. And then there is, you know, they want to have some type of enriched vacation, we see. So it's really about what can be that memorable moment on that vacation that I I gotta compete against myself with the next time and the next time and the next time. And it's pretty cool to see that because they want to go experience different things. And the you know, FOMO, right? You hear that term a lot. I'm sure you've heard it a couple of times this this uh this session at Arta, but it you've got to really understand that, and it puts the pressure on us to be competitive in that space amongst ourselves, not not let alone the competition, right? That we've got to challenge ourselves all the time to be on the forefront of what they want.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:48

Yeah, one of the things I was also keen to ask you on the travel trends podcast, we're often talking to travel industry executives, and I always ask them about their unique selling propositions and really what makes their strategy unique. Because obviously there's a lot of intentionality behind your business strategy and how you connect with a customer and how you compete in the space because the reality is a lot of the companies that are here, you're all competing in the same space. You come together for ARTA, but then you go back out into the world and start competing against each other again. You come here, you share best practices. And one of the keynotes that was really profound on the first day was the coach of the Savannah Bananas, and he was talking about creating never forget moments. Yeah. And I learned a lot from that presentation. I thought it was so insightful because the Savannah Bananas, it was such a great parable, I would say, for a lot of people here to understand how intentional they are about we want to be the number one sporting event in the world. We want to have a billion fans, and we're gonna be fan first in everything we do, and we're gonna empower our team members to be able to create fan first experiences so that they have these moments that people will never forget and share them on social. So there was so much that was relevant to our industry and well, specifically the industry you've been a part of for so many years. So this is the question I want to ask you is Hilton Grand Vacations, you're trying to make sure that every vacation, every vacation is a special experience for your owners. What are the ways that you deliver on that?

SPEAKER_00 1:24:11

Well, I won't give away all our secrets, but I'll I'll uh I was trying.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:14

Yeah, I was trying.

SPEAKER_00 1:24:15

I figured. So, you know, I want to go back to the the coach and what he he mentioned, but the the first and most important thing I took away from that, they're listening to the fans. And they're providing fans with experiences that fans want to break the mold on and be uh be different when they go to those experiences. So for us, you know, look it look, it's it's programming and planning and and really making sure we have a programmatic approach to what people can do on their vacations, what they have. But the most important thing is those moments on property making those special and memorable. And we have an internal program that is has really taken incredible strides over the last few years. And and the heart of it is it's gotten away from saying, hey, service is our table stakes and that's what we do. For me, I always challenge the teams and say, everybody wants good service. But how are we gonna make those moments memorable and attach people to who we are? Yeah. And and you know, to your point about competition, that's okay. I mean, look, if members or guests want to experience different brands and own part of each brand, that's great. Just gives them more opportunity, more experiences, more flexibility in their life and provides them what they're looking for. So I think that's great and it's healthy, but it also is the responsibility of those organizations to make sure that they keep those people engaged. And we do a really great job of that. Our resort operations teams out in the markets, when people arrive and they're on property, we're not perfect. Nobody is, but I could tell you we always make it right.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:35

Well, it sounds like that keynote really resonated with you as well. It did. Yeah, it was really powerful. And so to bring us back to Arta, the you know, the spring conference, their largest annual conference, and what brings you here and brings us all together. I'd love to hear, especially given you've been involved in the industry for uh so many years, what brings you back to Arta this year? Obviously, your role in the industry is a key element of that. But specifically, what are some of your motivations of being here this year? And aside from that amazing session, what have been some of the other big takeaways from being here at the conference?

SPEAKER_00 1:26:06

You know, it's a great opportunity to hear like beyond I always say they always say it's like you're on neutral ground so people can share. Yeah. And it's great, you know, we had a a session this morning, latte with leaders, and the leaders from the technology side of the business really talked about things they're doing and different implementation. And it's good just to come here, have a you know an open mind, really talk to people, see some old friends, share ideas, talk to a lot of the vendors, and just step away and get the opportunity to look at your business, see what's going on outside of your business, and then talk about how you can enhance your business. And I think Arda does an incredible job of providing that forum for all the companies that come here every every year.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:42

And I've got a few last questions for you. One of the things I wanted to ask you is where you see the industry headed? So, you know, given that we're coming close to wrapping up Arta, you're everyone's gonna head back to their roles and and and their important focus on growing this business. Where do you see this industry over the next two to three years? Obviously, it's gonna continue to grow, it's continue to get younger, there's a big focus on technology. Aside from those, what else do you see in the next few years about this sector and and what are you optimistic about?

SPEAKER_00 1:27:11

You know, it's been an interesting few years behind us of the the the sector and the industry, and um it's really kind of dominated by a lot of you know, a collection of brands now, and I I think it's important that um they continue to evolve and we continue to evolve and think about vacations and the vacation ownership industry differently and how it becomes something that people are attracted to because it's so diverse and it spans so much opportunity. Now, that's not for everybody, they but they can pick and choose and customize what their experiences, their moments, and their memories are going to be. And I think you know the the brands are embracing that. You're seeing a lot of that come to life with new products, new, new, new spin off sub brands inside those brands, um, new experiences a big hot topic now. Just I I really want to see everyone be forward thinking and think through the future of what we should be beyond today.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:59

And now you're probably Personal travels, they may connect to professional travels as well. I think for most of us, we none of us like the term bleasure, but the reality is post-pandemic, we're traveling for work, we're adding a few days on for personal travel. We've all kind of realized how precious travel is and that we don't want it taken away from us again. So uh, and it's one of the things I love about this industry, it's incredibly resilient. Not only does it come back stronger, it all indications are even if there's going to be minor setbacks, um, geopolitical events, economy, the this industry keeps coming back. And that's one of the things I love about travel. And so I want to ask you, both on a personal level, where you're planning to travel to next, and then professionally, what you're excited about about the Hilton Grand Vacations portfolio expanding.

SPEAKER_00 1:28:40

Yeah, I want to actually go to the part of the statement you had there about the resiliency of the industry, and uh, I think it really speaks to that when times get tough, people need a break. And they go and they go, they you know, you hear it all the time, right? And so people go to where they find comfort, and where they find comfort is their home away from home and the people they get to know. It goes back to my point earlier about you know, team members and seeing generations of kids and children and families grow up at that resort. So when you need a moment of comfort and safety, you tend to go back to where that is. So that's really important, number one. Two, um, you know, you know, business travel. I try to use my I'm so fortunate to be able to travel a lot of places and experience a lot of things around the world. So I try to bring those opportunities, those learnings back home to my family and share those with them and take personal trips. Um I have a makeup trip for my daughter to go to Hawaii because we're gonna go and they had some rough weather there and we decided to cancel, and I still went for business and it was rough. And so if I do not make that trip up to her in the next six months here, it's gonna be a much longer run for me with my daughter. But uh, you know, right behind that is Europe. We want to go to Europe, see some of our properties over there, and spend some time in Europe. And you know, we look at it, it goes back to the essence of what I said earlier. We, as a family, look at it as a great opportunity to spend time together. But for me personally, embrace what I know is one day when I'm gone and my children are passing on that legacy to their children, they'll have grown up in a company that showed that to a lot of other people for a long period of time.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:02

Yeah. Well, our kids have grown up in travel, and actually, I was just gonna acknowledge our daughter uh has been here at the conference with me. You got a chance to meet her, and she's gonna be taking your photo in a moment. And that's one of the things I love about this industry, you know, that it is strongly connected to family. And if you love travel, you inspire that in your children. They love traveling as well. And ultimately, I guess part of the hope that we both have is that they maybe either follow in our footsteps or fall in love with the industry that we adore so much. So your daughter definitely has to get that trip to Hawaii. And um uh and I'm really excited for the future of this industry. That's something that you know I'm leaving this conference really inspired uh for what comes next. And I'm certainly looking forward to continuing to explore this space. And on that topic, I wanted to make sure that all of our listeners have the opportunity to connect with you too, Derek, and obviously learn more about Hilton Grand vacations. So, what would be the best ways for them to do that?

SPEAKER_00 1:30:50

Yeah, and I'm happy to talk to anybody anytime. Reach out to me directly at uh Derek D-R-E-K dot DeSalvia, D-E-S-A-L-V-I A at H T V dot com. Come look me up on LinkedIn too, Derek DeSalvia, and um I will talk to anybody anytime or help them whatever they need.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:05

Awesome. Well, I appreciate extending that to our listeners, and I'm sure you'll have a number of people take you up on it, and uh, I know we're gonna be continuing this conversation. So, Derek, it's been a real pleasure to sit down and to speak to you. Thank you for sharing all your insights and have a great trip to Hawaii with your daughter and a fantastic year ahead for Hilton Grand Vacations.

SPEAKER_00 1:31:21

Well, Dan, thanks for the opportunity. I really appreciate it.

How ARDA Builds Community And Learning

SPEAKER_04 1:31:26

I now have the pleasure to speak to Catherine Lacey, who is the Senior Vice President, Member Experience, and events at Arda. And over the course of this first episode, we have heard some exceptional executives that have been here for the conference. I had the privilege of seeing the keynote speaker at the end of the first day, which was absolutely extraordinary. And I'm keen to ask Catherine about that because she is the one that brings these events together. So I'm so delighted to close out this first episode being here live at the Bellagio with at the Arda conference. So, Catherine, welcome to Travel Trends. Great to have you here.

SPEAKER_06 1:31:58

Thanks, Dan. Great to be here with you.

SPEAKER_04 1:31:59

Fantastic. Tell everyone a little bit about your role at Arta and a little bit about your background.

SPEAKER_06 1:32:03

Sure, thanks so much. So I am the vice president, senior vice president of meetings and member engagement here at Arta. I also head up our research team. I've been with Arta for over 20 years. Um, prior to being with Arta, I was an association meetings professional at several different organizations in DC. I've been with Arta again for over 20 years, and one of the reasons I've stayed is because I love our members so much. I love their mission, and everything about timeshare and the vacation industry is fantastic.

SPEAKER_04 1:32:32

Well, it's been such an honor being here, and I could see the dynamic on the first day, the enthusiasm for members reconnecting, seeing each other again, especially the speakers that were on stage, the executives that I had the pleasure to speak to yesterday. And so I'm delighted now to have this opportunity not only to speak to you about Arta, but also the event itself. But let's just make sure for those people that have heard of Arda, obviously we started off with Jason in this episode and we spoke to a few other executives across the industry. Give us a little bit more background from your vantage point on ARTA, the organization, and how relevant it is today.

SPEAKER_06 1:33:03

Absolutely. So one of our missions at Arda is to what we say is protect, connect, and affect the timeshare and vacation ownership industry. Our members are your large branded travel companies, Marriott's, the Hilton's Holiday Inn Clubs, as well as your smaller independent resorts, um Westgate and Holiday Inn Club, as well as uh groups like Breckenridge Grand Vacations, smaller organizations like that. And then there are the people that service those organizations, your lawyers, your accountants, title companies, um, technology providers, and then people who service the resorts, things like housekeeping services, um, carpeting, vendors, interior designers, things like that.

SPEAKER_04 1:33:47

Fantastic. And then we're here obviously at the largest annual conference, the spring conference. Tell us a little bit about how long this has been running and how many years have you been here at the Bellagio?

SPEAKER_06 1:33:58

So we've been doing this show um probably for 40 years, which is hard to believe. You've only been here for half that time. Only half the time. Uh this is our uh second year at the Bellagio. We uh usually rotate every other year in Orlando. Uh we typically um wear a Vegas Orlando rotation. People love Las Vegas. This is just a great energy for us when we're out here.

SPEAKER_04 1:34:23

Yeah, and there's so many of your members that are have uh resorts here, obviously Westgate, but also uh Hilton Grand Vacations. There's so many, and even the conversations we've had over the course of this episode has highlighted the importance of Las Vegas to the timeshare community. Uh but tell us a little bit more about Orlando, given that obviously it's gonna rotate back there. Um is that gonna happen next year?

SPEAKER_06 1:34:45

Absolutely. We'll be back in Orlando next year. One of the reasons that we uh do a rotation in Orlando is because most of our large branded hospitality members are there, located there. That's where their corporate offices are. So it is very easy for them to send um so many of their employees to the show when we're in Orlando.

SPEAKER_04 1:35:01

Aaron Powell And you gave us a great overview of the membership and the reasons that people engage with ARTA. And I think that was actually really it was interesting for me to hear because there's certainly there's so many different aspects to the timeshare community that you impact and affect. I know, especially on the legal side and Jason's background, being able to advocate being based in Washington on behalf of the industry. And this is an industry that is growing, and I do want to touch on the research you've been doing. But before we do that, tell us a little bit about membership and the type of people that come together for an event like this. Because is this event a cross-section of the entire membership base, or are there certain people that come to the spring conference that are more um the executives or the owners? But yeah, tell us a little bit about both the membership and then who comes together for the conference.

SPEAKER_06 1:35:42

Sure. So this conference I would say is our most general one, meaning that any of our members, it would be an appropriate conference for them to attend. Um we do general programming that is available for everybody and is germane to everybody. We have large keynote sessions like the one that you referenced yesterday with Tyler Gillam. Yeah. Um you know, inspiring and motivational sessions like that, as well as deep dives into timeshare programming. For instance, today we have some sessions on HOA board training and um housekeeping and resorts, as well as lots of sessions focused on AI and technology and resorts.

SPEAKER_04 1:36:19

Well, since you mentioned the keynote from yesterday, I actually want to speak about that because I was so inspired. I'm a huge fan of the Savannah Bananas. And I it but what was so fascinating for me as a marketer and someone looking at business strategy was how many insights he shared with the audience that really resonated. It was it was incredibly engaging, it was very it was full of energy, but it also was remarkably insightful. Tell us a little bit of how you decided to bring him in and what were you hoping to get out of that, because I would say mission accomplished.

SPEAKER_06 1:36:48

Thank you so much. I'm really glad that you enjoyed him. When we were choosing a keynote speaker, I always am looking for somebody who can bring something relevant, interesting, and new to our community. Um, our art of members right now, and uh as well as I think the majority of uh consumers are really dialed into experience. Everybody wants an experience. It's not just traveling, it's not just getting on a plane and going somewhere. It's what is the experience, what is the feel going to be when I'm there, and what is the memory I'm gonna make with my family, my friends, my travel partners. So when we were starting to look at keynote speakers, Tyler Gillum really stood out for me. You know, Savannah Bananas, this is a phenomenon. And they uh he really talks about fan-based everything. Everything to them is their fans, how they're treating them, what they're doing for them, the experience that they're creating for them, and how that is relevant to their business. Um, they do things like free food at this at certain stadiums. You know, everybody said that would never work. You'll never make money. Guess what? They're making money because they're treating people well. So people have a great experience, they come back. And I think that's something that our all of our members are doing right now and are really leaning into and finding great um feedback on their experiences.

SPEAKER_04 1:38:04

Well, I can certainly see how much it resonated with everyone in the room, especially as you just highlighted, the fan-first entertainment and all of the ways that they've implemented that across the organization. And this was the part for me that I have a good understanding, or at least I thought, of what the Savannah bananas are and what they do. And I keep hearing people say we have to go to a game, we've got to see them. And I haven't had the privilege to do that yet, but I've seen lots of things on social media. But what I didn't understand was how intentional, from a business strategy point of view, that is they had this very firm conviction that they want to build the best sports experience uh in the world and that they want to have a billion fans. And so they have these incredibly grand ambitions. And he he described it as um that you you will it into existence by having these commitments and then living by your values. And so Fan First Entertainment was was one of about 10 that he had shared. And I was taking pictures of all of them because they uh there was uh create never forget moments was another one that I saw for sure resonate with everyone in the room because they're trying to do that to delight their guests.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:02

Absolutely. Uh, one of the things that I took away from that that he also spoke about was something he said called getting through the messy to get to the good.

SPEAKER_03 1:39:11

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:12

Which really resonated with me, especially in uh, you know, working in the business that I'm in, in in putting together a show like this. Sometimes it's real messy, and you got to get through that to get to the good.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:23

Yeah. And for me, the one other one I'll just mention, yeah, and I didn't see this on a slide, but I wrote it down was have the courage to stand out. Because when you're ahead of your time like they were, so many people thought it would fail. And they stayed true to their mission and their convictions and uh these values that he shared that you could see how applicable they are to many people in the travel industry in particular. And with timeshares, it was like, so yeah, it really hit the mark. So that was a terrific way to close out day one.

SPEAKER_06 1:39:49

Great. I'm so glad that you enjoyed it.

SPEAKER_04 1:39:51

And now we're sitting here on day two and closing out the very first episode of this, and I can't wait for all of our listeners to experience and understand what happens at Arda. And so I've got a few more things I'd really like to cover with you. I found it fascinating to see that when I was speaking to Jared that 40% of their new timeshare owners are millennials. And then Jason yesterday was talking on stage that it's actually more like 50% across Arda. Given that you lead the research, I would love to discuss some of the research findings and to get a sense from you how that is changing and evolving, especially that younger audience, which I'm sure many people listening to this will already identify with. So tell us a little bit about the research that you do and some of the findings that you've seen.

SPEAKER_06 1:40:29

Sure,

New Research On Road Trips And Demand

SPEAKER_06 1:40:30

thanks so much. So I think what I am finding really interesting these days is that our industry continues to attract a younger demographic. Our recent owner report, which will be out this summer, shows that 73% of all timeshare owner purchasers are Gen Z and millennials. We also run a monthly sentiment report, which is always giving us really interesting information. Um, things that we're finding this summer, the this is the summer of road trip travel. In our March 2026 report, we found strong intent for all travelers to take summer road trips, but timeshare owners are nearly 25% more likely than other U.S. travelers to take a road trip this summer. They're also more likely to visit key attractions this summer. 58% of surveyed owners plan to road trip to a national park, while only 36% of overall travelers plan to do the same. Forty-nine percent of timeshare owners will road trip to a theme park, compared to 28% of travelers in general. And 40% of our owners will attend a sporting event while on a road trip, while 24% of average travelers plan to do the same. We're seeing timeshare industry super robust this summer, and we're excited about it.

SPEAKER_04 1:41:35

Well, this is a landmark summer for the US given it's the 250th anniversary of America. It's also the 100th anniversary of the um Route 66th. So this is the year of the road trip. So getting to your timeshare, obviously that one of the best ways to do that this year is to jump in the car and to explore the country and to see our own backyard. The um the monthly sentiment index, I found that really fascinating. And as you mentioned there, because I guess there's about 500 timeshare owners and 500 general travelers that feed into this. And there was a number of initiatives that Jason highlighted yesterday, which showed me just how much is on your plate at Arta. And so this is a new initiative. Now you're doing that.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:10

We are busy, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:12

You're doing social media, you're doing technology, AI. Actually, mention uh I'd love for you to mention that because what in our third episode we're gonna be talking about uh tech in uh the timeshare space. And Jason was talking to us about AI, and I first got to see it uh the uh Arta Intelligence. So tell us a little bit more about that as well.

SPEAKER_06 1:42:29

Sure. So we uh just recently installed or produced our AI chat bot, which is called Arta Intelligence. It used to be that when you wanted to find out travel information or trend information on the timeshare industry, you would need to sort of weed through all the reports on our website. Uh a little cumbersome, a little bit hard to find the information that you need. Now you can just go on our website, type in your question, and get your answer right away. And we're seeing great success with it. It's really exciting for us.

SPEAKER_04 1:42:56

That's fair. And learning about that after because as I was preparing and looking forward to being a part of the conference, I was downloading all the reports and I was putting them in a chat GPT and summarizing them and getting some valuable insights from them. And I realized I could just be using Arta Intelligence. But is that for members only?

SPEAKER_06 1:43:10

No, that's for anybody. So just go right to our website and you can look up anything that you'd like to know.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:14

Well, I think that's a really unique strategy because of the fact that you're trying to get more people into the space, educate, informed. So, in addition to having this new monthly sentiment analysis and also having ARTA intelligence, one of the things that Jason called out was also the social media activity and this new consumer-facing website that you have, Go Timesharing. Tell us a little bit more about that and this social media activity around it.

SPEAKER_06 1:43:36

Sure. We are so excited to have launched GoTimesharing.com. This is our consumer-facing website, and it's designed to educate consumers who are not familiar with timeshare, about the timesharing lifestyle.

SPEAKER_04 1:43:48

Fantastic. There's and this is where there's just so much going on. And that was just on day one. And so as we sit here together on day two and you prepare for the programming and to bring us back to all the reasons that people come to the spring conference at Arta, what are some of the things you're hoping that you hear people getting out of being here? I have asked so far each of the guests, if there's one takeaway from this event, what would it be? And it's a little different for you because obviously you create this event and you put so much time and effort with you and the team to bring this together. So, what are the things over the course of today and tomorrow are you hoping to hear from members at the event?

SPEAKER_06 1:44:19

Sure. Thanks, Dan. Um, one of the things that you know that you really already touched on was how much people were excited about Tyler Gillam yesterday. Yeah. Uh that felt like a home run to me, no pun intended. Grand Slam, I would say. Yeah. We were really, really Grand Slam breakfast at Denny's. That was a cool story too. Yeah. So I'm really hoping that people leave this conference learning something new, feeling inspired, having met somebody new and made a new connection.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:46

Yeah. Well, I've made many, and I'm sure the people I've spoken to already that how many people actually just on that are attending for the first time at a conference like this?

SPEAKER_06 1:44:54

Oh, I would say 10%.

SPEAKER_04 1:44:56

Okay. That seems about right, actually, and you say that because most people seem to know each other, have a familiar familiarity with each other.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:02

Yeah, I think you'll find that people who are in this industry love this industry, and whether they stay with one company or they move on to many different companies, it's all comes back to the industry.

SPEAKER_04 1:45:12

And you mentioned this as one of a number of events, like you guys, this is one of the for all members. Tell us a little bit more about other events you have planned for 2026.

SPEAKER_06 1:45:21

Sure. So we have uh a couple of great events coming up this summer. We have a legal symposium designed specifically for the lawyers in our industry. Then we have our ROC TBMA series, which is specifically for HOA board members. So if any of your listeners are interested in that, we'd love to have them join us there. Um we have our Leadership and Policy Forum, which is a Washington, D.C. based um lobbying meeting, which we do every fall. Uh and then we have our Art Adventure VIP meeting, which is uh going back to a lot of what Tyler Gillam was talking about with experience, our Art Adventure VIP meeting is an experiential meeting for our VIP members where we go to a wonderful resort and provide um recreation and great amenities all week.

SPEAKER_04 1:46:03

That's fantastic. And just to conclude on this episode and in our conversation about today's timeshare, I would love to get your view on this. Given you know, your 25 years at Arta, you've seen this industry evolve considerably. The conversations we've had so far in this conversation have been you know, what did Westgate look like in the 90s compared to 2026? And it's a completely different business, from what I understand. Obviously, you can educate me on this, but from what I've uh gathered from these conversations, people used to see a timeshare as a condo with 100 units and a pool. And today it's about experiences, which is our next episode, and everyone I've been speaking to so far, and even many of the sessions I've been attending, and the uh the Savannah Bananas is a perfect example of experiences. That's what people are craving and seeking, and that's what the timeshare industry is providing. So tell us from your vantage point how you've seen the industry evolved and how would you describe today's timeshare?

SPEAKER_06 1:46:54

Sure. Well, just you know, speaking from our meetings and things the way that it used to be 20 years ago when I first started here, we had a huge trade show with, you know, maybe 300 vendors who would come in and sell their bedspreads and their rugs and things like that, because there were a lot of independent timeshares who, you know, needed that procurement vessel and and the ability to be able to purchase in that way. The industry has evolved so much uh to uh much larger players. So it's no longer your fixed week, your you know, as you were saying, your 100-unit place with just a swimming pool. There's these beautiful resorts, beautiful things to do. You're no longer just buying one week, you're often buying points. You can go to so many different locations and experiences, and it's really the product has evolved, the organization has evolved incredibly.

SPEAKER_04 1:47:46

Yeah, that was a big standout for me too, with Marriott Vacations Worldwide, is the point system, and that's a the loyalty was a big focus. And obviously, we'll get more into technology and the experiences. Is there one or two experiences that really stand out to you that represent what the timeshare space looks like today? I know you have to be mindful of not giving any particular preference, um, but we heard about the dude ranch from from Westgate and some of their new properties. I mean, not uh, and these are things that I didn't expect. But are there other interesting developments you're seeing across the organization or some some trends as as far as the types of experiences that members are introducing?

SPEAKER_06 1:48:21

Absolutely. Uh I I was lucky enough to be able to attend the F1 event here in Las Vegas in November with Hilton Grant vacations, and I mean, what an event that was. Okay. Just tremendous member experience there. Another thing that I think is interesting to highlight is that not only are our members creating these experiences for their owners, they're creating them for their employees. We had the opportunity to attend Holiday and Club Vacations, what they call their SMAs, their sales marketing awards, where they they um celebrate their sales and marketing leaders and they throw this amazing event for them with music and um really high-end food. And it's a celebration of people because if you take care of your employees, your employees are gonna take care of your owners. So I think experience resonates throughout the whole industry right now.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:09

That's great. That's fantastic. And what's next on your list for your travels? I'm sure you're, you know, I mean, after a conference like this, you're gonna need some downtime. What's the next big trip you're looking for?

SPEAKER_06 1:49:18

Well, I'm super excited. My college-age daughter is home for the summer, and we are heading to Miami for four days in June just to live it up and have a great time.

SPEAKER_04 1:49:26

Oh, that's awesome. Well, I wish you a wonderful trip. And I just wanted to say thank you so much for bringing travel trends to be a part of this. It's a real pleasure working with the team at Arta. Obviously, great to meet Jason and uh Lauren and of course now yourself as well, too, Catherine. I have, you know, my eyes have been uh really open to Arda, the industry, and obviously I'm thrilled to be here. And we're this is just episode one of our three part conversation, but I I wanted to extend a thank you and also wish you and the team the best of luck with the rest of the conference and and the and with 2026.

SPEAKER_06 1:49:58

Wonderful. Thanks so much for having me today.

Links Subscribe And Closing Thanks

SPEAKER_06 1:50:00

Dan.

SPEAKER_04 1:50:00

And that's a wrap on episode one of our special three-part series recorded live here at the Bellagio in Las Vegas at Arta's Spring Conference. I just wanted to say a special thank you to all the amazing guests that joined us here for episode one, starting with Jason Gammel, the president and CEO of Arta, Jared Staff, the Chief Operating Officer at Westgate Resorts, Scott Wise, the executive vice president at Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Derek DeSalvia, the Chief Customer Officer at Hilton Grand Vacations. And it was really wonderful to finish this conversation with Catherine Lacey, the senior vice president of member experiences and events at Arta. As I mentioned throughout the podcast, you can find out more information about Arta at arda.org. But we also have another really exciting episode lined up for next week on today's timeshare. And then the third episode will be on tech in timeshare. So make sure you are subscribed on the streaming platform of your choice to be notified when new episodes go live. That will drop next Tuesday, and then the third episode the following Tuesday. And they're if they're already out, you can listen to them all right away. You can find out more details at Traveltrendspodcast.com slash spotlights. And don't forget we do post clips and highlights on our social channels, which you can find at LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube at Travel Trends Podcast. Thanks again for joining us for this special series. Thanks to Arda and all the executives for joining us. And until next week, safe travels.