Vacation Ownership Industry professionals from all over the globe gathered in San Diego for a one-of-a-kind gala on February 17th, during the record-breaking Fifth Annual GNEX Conference in San Diego, California. The event attracted 200 senior level executives from over 115 different companies spanning across six different continents.
The legendary USS Midway Navy aircraft carrier, now serving as a museum in the San Diego Bay, was the perfect setting for this year’s awards ceremony. This unique venue offered attendees a special experience which included guided tours of the Admiral’s quarters and command center and 360-degree air combat flight simulators.
The evening kicked off with cocktails on the top deck of the aircraft carrier where attendees marveled at restored aircrafts from World War II, Operation Desert Storm and more. On the lower deck they were welcomed with a massive buffet displaying a variety of dishes, ideal for the most discerning of tastes, and a bar serving premium drinks.
The Christel House auction took place immediately following dinner where attendees bid on 17 different auction items. The auction raised nearly $24,000 on behalf of Christel House, a non-profit which allocates the proceeds to transforming the lives of impoverished children around the world.
As the auction came to an end, anticipation for the awards grew quickly. Attendees finished dinner while the elite of the industry were announced by Master of Ceremonies Jim Madrid, who presented each winner with a gorgeous crystal trophy.
As the auction came to an end, anticipation for the awards grew quickly. Attendees finished dinner while the elite of the industry were announced by Master of Ceremonies Jim Madrid, who presented each winner with a gorgeous crystal trophy.
The 2015 Perspective Magazine Awards program boasted 29 categories across various segments of the vacation ownership industry. Winners were decided by a format unique to the Perspective Magazine Awards – four industry veteran judges, who do not know each other until after the voting closes, and an online voting system where industry professionals have their opportunity to influence the outcome. Each judge accounts for 20 percent of the nominee’s final score, with online voting accounting for the remaining 20 percent of the score. Online voting for the awards took place during January, with votes cast from industry professionals around the world, while nominees competed for the coveted awards and the global visibility they provide.
In addition to the fame and recognition that comes along with winning a Perspective Magazine Award, winners also receive a customized Perspective Magazine Awards logo for use in their marketing collateral, website, and brochures.
Of the winners, DAE was named Best Customer service provider for the fifth year in a row. The worldwide vacation exchange provider also took home two other coveted accolades, Best Consumer Product and Best Overall Company (Under 250 Employees). Karma Royal Group took home four awards, winning Best Timeshare Resort in Asia Pacific, Best Exterior Design, Best Industry Leader, and Best Industry Veteran. Also winning an award was Unlimited Vacation Club, an exclusive travel club, which won Best Timeshare Resort in Latin America for its beautiful Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort and Spa.
For those who didn’t enter the 2015 Perspective Magazine Awards, nomination information on the 2016 Perspective Magazine Awards and GNEX 2016 Conference will be available on the website, at http://gnexconference.com/
WINNERS
BEST PHILANTHROPIST – TRAVELTO GO
“The strength of a company lies in its culture and its values. Travel To Go relies on its deep seated family values which are shared by the entire staff. Although the focus was on me this year, we can not ignore the kind and generous actions of each individual in our company which volunteers and supports those in need. I am very proud of all of the time and financial donations made on behalf of our company and the concern for others which is instilled by each member of the Travel To Go Team, “ Tommy Middaugh, Executive V.P. of Business Management at Travel To Go.
BEST MEMBERSHIP PROGRAM – TRAVEL TO GO
“This win, especially as the second consecutive year in a row, proves Travel To Go has gained respect for its excellent customer service and dedication to providing “Above & Beyond 5-Star Service” to its members, and shows just how far the commitment of every individual on our team goes. We are endlessly proud of our team and feel very grateful for the recognition. Our established and proven brand could not succeed as it has without the dedication of its team and the loyalty of our members to whom we are committed to fulfilling and making all their vacation dreams come true,” said Jeanette Bunn, President and CEO of Travel To Go.
BEST CONSUMER PRODUCT – DAE
“DAE was conceived during the time I spent face to face with so many timeshare owners who were completely disenchanted with the model offered by leading exchange providers. Since then DAE has been changing exchange. We decided to strip away the complexity, and create an exchange service defined by its simplicity. Almost 18 years later, winning this award is one of our company’s greatest achievements. But what really excites, and keeps me motivated, is the feedback I continue to get from new members who had given up on exchange, and in finding DAE, have developed a renewed appreciation and enthusiasm for their timeshare investment,” said Francis Taylor, CEO of DAE.
BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE – DAE
“It is difficult to express how grateful I am to see DAE win this award for the fifth consecutive year. As much as I personally believe that great customer service is the foundation of success, it means little unless it is a culture embraced by our entire staff – those at the coal-face helping members to fulfil their vacation dreams. We could not have achieved this honour without every member of the DAE staff treating customers with respect and warmth, while doing everything possible to make them happy. This award belongs to our incredible team worldwide who win hearts and minds every day with their dedication to friendly service,” said Francis Taylor, CEO of DAE.
BEST OVERALL COMPANY (UNDER 250 EMPLOYEES) – DAE
”DAE has evolved from a purely consumer-focused organisation, to being a valuable ally to the business-end of vacation ownership. Our first priority is finding people the best vacation with a personal approach, and that is what guides us every day, however if you want to become a leader, it takes more than great service. You have to back that up with constant innovation, product development, and the most knowledgeable employees in the business. It feels fantastic for DAE as a whole to be recognised with this award after the many years of team-inspired innovation which has seen us grow to become a global force in the industry,” said Francis Taylor, CEO of DAE.
BEST NEWCOMER – STAYSKY VACATION CLUB
“It is an honor to win the award for Best Newcomer at the Perspective Magazine awards. The staySky Vacation Club brand was designed by veteran timeshare executives who saw the opportunity to create a new kind of members-based program in tune with the changing economy and emerging travel trends. Now a year later, we are delighted to receive recognition from our peers for all of the hard work and dedication that our team has committed to launching staySky Vacation Club and developing it into the thriving brand it is today,” said Jack Chevrier, Vice President of staySky Vacation Club.
BEST MARKETING PROFESSIONAL – GRAND PACIFIC RESORTS
“I am honored to have been recognized by Perspective Magazine and my colleagues in the industry. This award is made even more special by the fact that Grand Pacific Vacation Services was also honored as the 2015 Best Team. Our associates are the ones that make everything come together day after day. I am so proud to be a part of Grand Pacific Resorts and all that we do to enhance the lives of our owners,” said Lisa Wanzenried, of Grand Pacific Resorts.
BEST TEAM – GRAND PACIFIC RESORTS
“A palpable wave of surprise and gratitude ran through Grand Pacific Vacation Services when we announced that we had 2015 won the Best Team Award from Perspective Magazine. We are a new department, but we are already making great strides toward improving the vacation ownership experience. It’s such an honor to be recognized for our hard work and camaraderie this early in our development. We look forward to the even greater accomplishments to come!” said Lisa Wanzenried, of Grand Pacific Resorts.
BEST TECHNOLOGY – STK.2 SALES TOOL KIT APP BY INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL
“We are very pleased that our Interval Sales Tool Kit app has been named Best Technology winner in the Perspective Magazine Awards competition,” said Bryan Ten Broek, Interval International’s senior vice president of resort sales and marketing. “Whether used on a tablet for a one-toone presentation or on a big screen for a group, our affiliates tell us that this tool has revolutionized the sales presentation, putting all of Interval’s key components at their fingertips. Features such as the Exchange Tracker and The Globe bring the advantages of vacation ownership to life with interactive content that adds credibility and impact,” said Bryan Ten Broek, Senior Vice President of Interval International.
BEST FINANCIAL SERVICES – CONCORD SERVICING
“We are proud to have recently been awarded Perspective Magazine’s 2015 Best Financial Services company. Since our beginning in 1988, we have been the market leader in delivering best in class financial services, with our continued focus on developing, implementing and integrating sophisticated tools that meet the ever-changing demands of our clients. This award is especially important given we were chosen by a vote from our industry peers. We recognize that our clients have a choice when selecting a financial services company, and are honored to be their chosen servicing partner with a proven record of helping them enjoy a positive return on their investment,” said Joy Powers, Director of Business Development at Concord Servicing.
BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN – BRECKENRIDGE GRAND VACATIONS
“We are thrilled that our launch campaign for the Grand Colorado on Peak 8 was honored with the Best Marketing Campaign award from Perspective! There was a lot of passion, sweat and tears that went into pulling off such a multifaceted campaign with the incredibly short timeline we were dealing with. We love how it turned out and believe the branding really does represent this new amazing resort. We are so honored to be recognized by Perspectives and the Industry as a whole,” said Ginny Vietti, Vice President of Marketing for Breckenridge Grand Vacations.
BEST PLACE TO WORK – BRECKENRIDGE GRAND VACATIONS
“Breckenridge Grand Vacations (BGV) takes immense pride in its family of almost 500 employees. We believe we are the best in sales because we’re the best in service, and that mantra can be heard at any level of the company. Our employees are empowered to do whatever it takes to create GRAND vacations, and they do so with enthusiasm because they love BGV and what we stand for. We also provide great benefits for all of our employees and we embrace the philosophy of work hard, play hard. It’s an amazing honor to be recognized by Perspectives Magazine as the ‘Best Place to Work’ as this award reflects BGV’s long-standing belief that happy employees will create happy owners and guests,” said Kimberly Tramontana – VP of Operations for Breckenridge Grand Vacations.
BEST BUSINESS PRODUCT – TRACK RESULTS
“Attending the awards again this year turned out to be a pretty momentous occasion for us,” said Sean Nickerson, CMO for TrackResults Software. “These awards are given as a result of both a judging panel and voting among our industry peers, so being awarded the Best Business Product is quite an honor and accomplishment for us.”
BEST INNOVATION – CONDOWAREHOUSE.COM BY VACATIONCONDOS.COM
“We are so excited that VacationCondos.com was recognized for our exciting new website CondoWarehouse.com. We’ve experienced exponential growth over the last year and look forward to a great 2015 full of innovation,” said Jon Blackmon, Vice President of Operations at VacationCondos.com.
BEST LEGAL SERVICES – LEGAL ASPIRIN
“It’s an honor to be recognized by my peers at the Perspective Magazine awards for providing quality legal services. I take pride in getting to know my clients on a personal level, applying creative solutions that directly addresses their needs, and obtaining better results more efficiently. Legal Aspirin allows me to fulfill my professional goals– receiving an honor like this at GNEX is icing on the cake,” said David Waller, founder of Legal Aspirin.
BEST TIMESHARE RESORT IN NORTH AMERICA – PARK CITY RESORT & SPA BY WESTGATE RESORTS
“The Westgate Park City Resort & Spa’s mission is to enrich the lives of our guests by providing a lifetime of wonderful vacation memories. In addition to the beauty of the mountains and an impressive list of activities and amenities for all seasons, what makes Westgate unique is that we accomplish this through the sincere thoughtfulness and warmth of the entire team. They are encouraged to live outside the box by being creative and innovative with service and product, which is the philosophy that says to our valued owners, ‘Welcome home’. If you want the team to inspire the guests, inspire the team; caring about people more than you care about yourself is the true essence of the service industry,” said Brian Waltrip, General Manager of Park City Resort & Spa by Westgate Resorts.
BEST INTERIOR DESIGN – WESTGATE PARK CITY BY WESTGATE RESORTS
“The driving force behind Westgate Park City Resort & Spa is not only to provide our valued owners with an unforgettable vacation experience, but to exceed their expectations at every opportunity. Westgate Park City never rests on its laurels and has spent millions in improvements, resort-wide. “From the gastro pub vibe in Drafts Sports Bar & Grill, where Las Vegas meets the mountains in Edge Steakhouse, to the mountain contemporary rooms, we have pushed the envelope in our interior design, keeping it the latest and most innovative in the industry,” said Brian Waltrip, General Manager of Westgate Park City Resort & Spa.
BEST ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR – DAVID SIEGEL, CEO OF WESTGATE RESORT
I’m very honored to receive the award for Entrepreneur of the Year,” said David Siegel, CEO of Westgate Resorts. “It is truly humbling to be recognized by a community of my peers for my efforts. I would like to thank my entire team for all of their hard work and dedication, because without them none of this would be possible.”
OVERALL COMPANY (OVER 250 EMPLOYEES) – CLASSIC HOLIDAYS
“Classic is a family-run business. We pride ourselves on our culture, and above all we value the people at the heart of our organisation – both our members and our staff. Being the most innovative, member focused timeshare company with a finger on the pulse is what sets Classic Holidays apart from our competitors – everything we do comes down to making sure our members are the happiest in the world, enjoying affordable holidays that create lasting memories. It is incredibly humbling to have that commitment recognised through the industry’s most prestigious Awards,” said Ramy Filo, CEO of Classic Holidays.
BEST MANAGEMENT COMPANY – CLASSIC HOLIDAYS
“It’s such an honour for Classic Holidays to be recognised as the timeshare industry’s Best Management Company for the fourth year in a row. It is through our commitment to customer service and member satisfaction that Classic’s true essence as a Management Company shines. By developing innovative products and sales channels we are able to take on the challenges faced by each resort under Classic management and turn those challenges into opportunities, for the benefit of the resorts and the owners. Having these four consecutive Perspective Magazine Awards badges to display means we continue to improve year after year and set the bar even higher for our standards and levels of service,” said Ramy Filo, CEO of Classic Holidays.
BEST TIMESHARE RESORT (EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST, AFRICA) – EMIRATES GRAND HOTEL BY EMIRATES VACATION CLUB
“Over the last few decades, Timeshare resorts have developed their properties within a pretty much standard framework that typical timeshare chains provided. The decision is understandable since certain standards would be adhered to and there is familiarity from the point of view of the customer. Whilst this had its advantages, it left little room for imagination or flair. That was our very reason for developing and promoting a property and a product which was unique. Today in hindsight we are proud that our decision has resulted in us winning the Best Timeshare Resort: Europe, The Middle East & Africa for the 3rd time in 5 years. I would like to thank Perspective Magazine for the effort made and great dedication they take in their work providing a global arena in which timeshare properties can showcase their excellence with uniqueness,” said Ashraf El Zarqa, COO of Emirates Vacation Club.
BEST STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP – SUNSET WORLD GROUP & MARKETING 4 SUNSET GROUP WITH STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
“I feel honored to receive this award. Sunset World Group is the holding company of Marketing 4 Sunset Group and it owns several of our other companies such as Yucatan Holidays. Their specialty is precisely strategic alliances; either with celebrities, foundations or international businesses, and other industry colleagues, such as ARDA members.Our alliance with Sunset World paved the way. We are always looking for a win – win situation, to benefit each other and to empower each other, instead of just competing and feeling like we are ahead of the game,” said Erika Garcia, CEO of Marketing 4 Sunset Group.
BEST PRINT MEDIA – DESTINATIONS MAGAZINE BY WYNDHAM ASIA PACIFIC
“We are thrilled to have been honoured with the Perspective Award for Best Print Media. We have been challenging ourselves to take Destinations Magazine to a new level and this award has inspired us to keep on striving to make each issue better than the last. From the Owner Marketing and Solutions Team who seek to provide engaging and helpful content for our 50,000 plus WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham Owners, to our team of talented graphic designers and writers, we all share a passion for the magazine and for the incredible lifestyle that the Club offers. Our vision, making holiday dreams come true is at the heart of everything we do,” said Angie Christofis, editor of Destinations Magazine – published by Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific for WorldMark South Pacific Club by Wyndham Owners.
BEST EXTERIOR DESIGN – KARMA KANDARA BY KARMA ROYAL GROUP
“At Karma Royal Group, we are crafting a world of elegant contemporary simplicity and sustainable style. I was recently appointed the Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellow at the Yale University School of Architecture followed by a Distinguished Visiting Fellowship with The Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA. By sharing my experience in realizing and developing opportunities in challenging, remote and non-urban environments with the students and, in turn, allowing them the opportunity to realize their talent and vision working with me and my global team, we are investing in, and setting the benchmark for, the future of the industry,” said Grant Raubenheimer, General Manager, Karma Kandara.
BEST INDUSTRY LEADER – MICHAEL WOOD, GROUP SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR, KARMA ROYAL GROUP
“Winning ‘Best Industry Leader’ is an honour to say the least. Every day with Karma Royal Group brings a new adventure into my life, whether I happen to be onsite at one of our properties in the UK, India, Thailand, or Bali. Each resort is unique, yet is infused with Karma’s philosophy to provide travelers with the best holiday experiences ever, so although my job is very, very busy at times, there’s no better team of people that I’d rather be working with. 2015 proves to be a very exciting year for KRG and I’m looking forward to growing our network and reach even more with our expansion into the Caribbean and heading back to the Philippines,” said Michael Wood, Group Sales and Marketing Director of Karma Royal Group.
BEST TIMESHARE RESORT (ASIA PACIFIC) – KARMA KANDARA BY KARMA ROYAL GROUP
Karma Royal Group has always operated with the mantra of providing luxurious holidays in the world’s most exotic destinations to discerning families, by emphasizing affordability without compromising on quality accommodation. We are grateful to Perspective Magazine for this recognition, but this award is also a tribute to our loyal guests; those families and travellers who are determined not to compromise on quality and affordability, who seek the most memorable holiday experiences with their loved ones,” said Michael Wood, Group Sales and Marketing Director of Karma Royal Group.
BEST INDUSTRY VETERAN – JOHN SPENCE, FOUNDER AND CEO OF KARMA ROYAL GROUP
“Your work has got to be taken seriously and earn you money, but it also has to be rewarding, challenging and fun. Whether discovering locations in the world to open up for our Karma guests, judging the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year, being a Distinguished Visiting Architecture Fellow at Yale University or Distinguished Visiting Fellowship with The Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA, my work is an adventure every day. Through my work I meet talented people throughout the world that share my philosophy and then come to work for us at Karma Royal Group and I would like to dedicate this gratefully received award from Perspective Magazine to this hard working, fun-loving Karma Royal Group team,” said John Spence, Founder and CEO of Karma Royal Group.
BEST TIMESHARE RESORT (LATIN AMERICA) – DREAMS RIVIERA CANCUN RESORT & SPA BY UNLIMITED VACATION CLUB
“The powdery white sand, turquoise waters and distinctive Mexican Caribbean charm make Dreams Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa by UVC stand out amongst other all-inclusive timeshare resorts in the destination,” said Eliana Jones, Corporate Marketing Director for the Unlimited Vacation Club. “With its unique octagonal shaped rooms and suites facing the ocean, family-friendly offerings such as a Mayan-themed Explorer’s Club for kids and the Unlimited-Luxury® program, this resort truly has it all.”
BEST RESORT DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD – PARK CITY RESORT & SPA BY WESTGATE RESORTS
“We are honored to receive these prestigious awards from Perspective Magazine,” said David Siegel, President and CEO of Westgate Resorts. “Each year the entire Westgate team strives to provide an unparalleled vacation experience for our guests and we are most proud of our team in Park City, setting the bar of excellence for outstanding vacation experiences in the timeshare industry.”
