Challenge

SVC is a timeshare-based parent company, and it offers timeshare packages in several of its vacation resorts located throughout the nation. Initially, it was extremely difficult for SVC to unify its resorts under one title company, as the resorts also offered individualized vacation plans. Furtheremore, some of SVC's entities published individual websites, but there was no central unit overseeing online reservations,information availability, nor publishing information about all of SVC's locations. SVC also had low sales of timeshare and vacation packages, as most prospective customers were not familiar with timesharing or had preconceived notions about it. Thus, SVC had two major challenges. First, how to attract SVC's existing members to its locations through the internet and secondly, how to attract new members without making the "timesharing" aspect of SVC seem unknown or negative.

Solution

Capstone REM helped design a web-based community consisting of heavily branded regional portals that linked to SVC's individual vacation locations. The portals and individual sites allowed SVC's prospective members to gather information on SVC's vacation resorts, such as accomodations, amenities, outdoor activities, weather, etc. It also enabled customers to make reservations quickly. Another aspect of the web-community was the member-only area, which was designed mainly for the timeshare members. This portion of the web-community allowed the members to keep track of their timeshare points, plan vacation, and search for information on different SVC locations under one parent logo/unit.

Results

Although we are still analyzing the results, both our clients and sales centers reported improvements in timeshare and vacation sales.