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Resources for Vacation Rental Managers
There are a number of organizations that offer products, services and information for
Vacation Rental Managers (VRM). A few we like are listed below.
The Vacation Rental Managers Association is "the"
industry association for VRMs. It has approximately 500 business members from the U.S.,
Canada, Mexico and the Virgin Islands. VRMA holds an annual conference each year in the Fall,
and hosts regional meetings on the East and West Coasts in the Spring. It publishes a
quarterly newsletter. (For some history, visit our About Us page.) The next annual
conference will be held October 21-25, 2006 in San Diego, California, at the Paradise Point
Resort and Spa. Visit the VRMA website for more information.
The Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association (FVRMA)
is a regional version of the VRMA,
dedicated to issues of special interest to Florida VRMs. FVRMA is not an official
chapter of VRMA, but many if not most of its members are also members of VRMA. It
can be contacted at (407) 774-7880 or 222 S. Westmonte Drive, Suite 101, Altamonte Springs, Florida
32714, or by e-mail at fvrma@fvrma.org. It hosts a conference and trade show in the Spring of each year. It's
next annual
conference will be held May 21-23, 2006 in Orlando, Florida.
Professional Resort Housekeeping
is the creation of Steve Craig.
Steve has shown over 165 VRMs that housekeeping, that most dreaded of VRM functions,
can be done professionally. Even more important, he has shown VRMs
how to increase quality (happier guests and owners) at the same time they are
actually reducing housekeeping costs. Steve also founded the Association of
Vacation Rental Housekeeping Professionals (VRHP), publisher of Vacation
Rental Housekeeping. VRHP is planning a national convention on October 12-13, 2001
in Biloxi, Misisippi.
Advanced Management Systems
provides financial consulting services to VRMs. Its principle,
George T. Volsky, is an expert in the financial issues involved
in the financing and operation of vacation rental businesses, and has developed the
tools to help VRMs operate more efficiently and more profitably. He is especially
"on top" of the issues involved with "roll-ups," such as ResortQuest's
purchase of over 40 VRMs. He is a frequent speaker at VRMA conferences and can be
contacted at viking@interpath.com or (252)
995-6941.
Navis
is the VRM industry's grand
daddy when it comes to the devlopment of the latest in technology in vacation home
telephone systems and services. Formerly knows as Buehner-Fry, Inc., it was Navis that
first showed VRMs how to convert a problem into a revenue source, by installing
telephones in vacation homes that
prevented guests from charging calls to the owner, and generated income for the
VRM at the same time. The technology has become more advanced over the years,
but the concept of helping VRMs become more profitable remains. Navis also pioneered
the technology and software needed to
track housekeepers as they check into and out of vacation homes in the course of their
work. Navis also provides long-distance telephone services and now offers a sophisticated
contact management system. Navis was founded by Milt
Buehner and Greg Fry, two of the industry's early leaders.
CSA Travel Protection provides travel
insurance to vacationers, ensuring that they will not lose their vacation investment
should they have to cancel their plans unexpectedly. Many VRMs sell CSA's travel
protection insurance to renters at the time of booking, which provides protection
for the guest, and revenue for the VRM. If the renter later has to cancel the
reservation, the renter gets a refund, the owner of the property receives the rent,
and the VRM gets a commission. Win-win-win!
Pacific Legal Foundation is a non-profit
legal organization that works to maintain the balance between individual property rights,
including the right of vacation home owners to rent their vacation homes under appropriate
conditions, and the rights of government to "take" private property for the public
good. PLF helps keep governments at all levels in check.
Resources for Timesharing Resorts
American Resort Development Association (ARDA)
is the big daddy association of resort development, and by extension, the entire
vacation ownership industry. This organization is dominated by the big players of
the industry, with an emphasis on Timesharing. On one hand, the voices of small
independent resorts tend to get lost at ARDA, on the other hand this is the organization
that is heard in Washington and state capitols when it comes to resort development.
It's a great organization to be affiliated with, regardless of the size of
your resort.
ARDA sponsors an annual conference in the Spring of each year, and offers a plethora
of member services, including many education programs. ARDA's website contains a
a lot of vacation industry information, and is worth visiting.
Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers
(CARE) is a non-profit industry organization consisting of a network of resort
developers and resort service companies working cooperatively among themselves to add
value to the vacationing experience of timeshare owners and club members.
TimeSharing Today is the monthly publication of
an organization by the same name, that touts itself as The Independent Voice of
Vacation Ownership. Subscribers are primarily individual Timeshare owners and the
stories are oriented to the point of view of owners vis-a-vis those of resort
management. However, it only takes what may seem like an anti-resort
position in situations where it appears
that resorts have failed in their responsibilites to owners in one way or another.
The primary objective of TimeSharing Today is a healthy and viable vacation Timesharing
industry. Each issue includes articles about and evaluations of individual resorts,
and every Timeshare resort manager should be reading this publication
just to keep his or her pulse on the industry, and to hear what owners are saying
publically about his or her resort.
Please e-mail or call us if you have suggestions for this page.
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