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Happy Anniversary
“We had a big party at our San Diego resort. Guests included the
children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of Lawrence Welk,”
says Fredricks, himself a grandson, “along with some of the original
stars from The Lawrence Welk Show. In all, more than 1,000 people
attended — family members, board members, employees, vendors,
partners, attorneys, lenders, accountants, design professionals,
contractors, title company representatives, timeshare owners, and
exchange company team members.”
Clairy Browne & the Bangin’ Rackettes provided live entertainment,
and Larry Welk, now the chairman of the board, was presented with an
Entrepreneur and Lifetime Achievement Award. “In addition, Adrienne
Edwards, our director of guest services, was awarded the Welk Loyalty
and Heart Award for her 50 years of service to the company. She is an
original employee from 1964,” Fredricks says.
Each Guest Is the Most Important One
Welk Resorts also recently hit the 50,000-owner milestone, which
undoubtedly is a significant corporate event, but shouldn’t come as
much of a surprise. After all, Welk has posted annual revenue growth
of more than 18 percent for the past 10 years, and an approximately
40-percent increase from 2013 through 2014. In order to have that
type of continued prosperity and growth, it stands to reason that the
company would also have to continuously make its members happy.
And they do, with ever-expanding benefits and updated amenities.
For example, the group’s original property has received more than
US$20 million worth of renovations — including a brand-new fitness
center — in the last five or so years, and a stylish, contemporary
restaurant will soon be unveiled at the
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, resort.
These are definitely important updates, and oftentimes new does
equal happy in the eyes of the consumer. Ultimately, though, refurbish-
ment is just standard operating procedure; it’s something that simply
has to be done. When it comes to truly making visitors feel as though
they’re special, Fredricks and his team believe a bit of personalized
service goes much further than a new treadmill.
Critical Touch Point
“Our front desk is the chief touch point for all
guests,” Fredricks says. “Especially during the
check-in process. We’re focused on greeting
guests by name, and making every interaction
positive and personal. Our corporate culture is
built around the philosophy of ‘I will take care of
it for you.’ In real time, that means our guests can
rely on any associate for assistance, and rest
assured the associate is given the authority to
effect change and the tools to facilitate solutions
outside of his or her jurisdiction. In the long run,
we strive to treat each guest how they would
like to be treated.”
In keeping with the ideology of treating each
guest as though they’re the most important one,
Fredricks notes that therewas no specific celebra-
tion for the 50,000-owner mark because every
new owner is met with a celebration of its own!
“Our owners are the very core of our busi-
ness, and so we do have a number of exciting
plans underway,” he continues. “In all, we’re
paying close attention to what our owners want
and need, and developing programs to cater to
those requirements.”
Expanding Interests
This isn’t new, of course. “Welk himself was committed to providing quality
entertainment and giving the people what they really want,” Fredricks
explains. “In many ways, this is still reflected in our culture today. We are
constantly innovating and re-engineering our business with attention to
detail, quality, and providing a superlative guest experience.”
Over the years, what many Welk Resorts owners have really wanted
is simply more Welk Resorts. To that end, the company has expanded
several times, and to various locations. In addition to Escondido, Welk
currently has offerings in Palm Springs and Lake Tahoe, California;
Branson, Missouri; and Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The next one, sched-
uled for construction in 2016, will be in Breckenridge, Colorado.
“We focus our development on where the market is heading, and
the market loves the western U.S.” Fredricks says. “With three resorts
already in California, we studied the destination trends for vacations, and
Colorado and Hawaii were at the top of the list. [A Kauai development is
planned for the future.] Breckenridge is an amazing location, with year-
round attractions and plenty of sunshine. We are very excited to break
ground on this one.”
Consumers are sure to be excited with the outcome. Welk Resorts
makes a point to incorporate various qualities and available activities
into its developments based on geographic location. Golf is the focus
in Escondido and Palm Springs. The beach steals the show in Cabo,
and the Branson property has a theater. In Breckenridge, as in Lake
Tahoe, skiing will be the highlight.
That said, “We want to maintain a consistent, quality Welk experi-
ence for all of our owners and guests,” Fredricks adds. “The overall
sales and marketing efforts are expanding and
innovating across the board.”
Those marketing efforts include an associ-
ation with Interval International. “That’s been an
important component to our success, from both
a resort operations and sales perspective,”
Fredricks says. “On the front end, the relation-
ship with Interval increases the value of our
product, with the option of exchanging weeks at
Welk properties for sought-after destinations
the world over. The resources they offer our
owners are unparalleled, from information and
reservations to maintaining standards that
ensure a consistent, quality experience no
matter where they travel.”
Property renovations and new develop-
ments and coordinated marketing efforts are all
necessary components of the timeshare busi-
ness, and, admittedly, when those elements are
handled well, good things often follow. Still,
when asked about his plans for another suc-
cessful 50 years, Fredricks falls back on what
he still believes influenced the first 50 so much:
“Focus on the owner.”
See page 2 for currency conversions.
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Developer: Welk Resort Group, Inc.; Jon
Fredricks, president and CEO
Headquarters: San Marcos, California
Product: Points-based timeshare (exception:
San Diego has a few deeded, fixed-week/
fixed-unit interests)
Resorts: San Diego: Welk Resorts San Diego
(comprising Mountain Villas, Resort Villas, and
Villas on the Greens)
Cabo San Lucas: Welk Resorts Sirena del Mar
Branson: The Lodges at Timber Ridge, Welk
Resorts Branson
Palm Springs: Desert Oasis Resort, Welk
Resort Palm Springs
Lake Tahoe: Northstar Lodge by Welk Resorts
Website: welkresorts.com
Social Media:
facebook.com/WelkResorts
twitter.com/welkresorts
pinterest.com/welkresorts
Welk Resorts
fastfacts
WELK RESORTS SAN DIEGO