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2030, according to
a research study
conducted by global travel and tourism IT
provider Amadeus.
“The Interval relationship is going bril-
liantly,” say Melanie Smith, vice president
of club operations. “We’ve done lots of
education with our club services team
and our sales team, so we can really edu-
cate the owners in how to use the pro-
gram. Interval also conducted a webinar
with the owners. We’ve already seen a
100-percent increase in bookings.”
Marketing Muscle
Anantara Vacation Club’s strategy for growth is to first cultivate out-
bound markets in select countries throughout Asia and the South
Pacific via target print and electronic direct marketing.
“When we test new markets, we have to prove that the product
really resonates with the consumer,” Tolan explains. “We have a lot of
success with outbound China, which means we’re driving a lot of peo-
ple from China into our destinations in Southeast Asia.” The Club plans
to build on its advantage in China by reaching deeper into the country’s
tier 2 and 3 markets with the help of two new dedicated marketing
resentatives based in Beijing and Guangzhou.
“We’re starting to get the name out a lot faster,” Tolan says. “We
have millions and millions of impressions going out, more and more
each year. We really impact brand awareness based on the type of
marketing we do in the region. We’re hearing from consumers and,
also, from people in the industry, ‘I’ve heard of Anantara. You guys do
a lot of marketing!’”
Two more new Bangkok-based marketing
team members will develop new marketing
alliances and refine Anantara Vacation Club’s dig-
ital platform. Building on her experience as the
East Asia regional director for the
Ivy Chee will forge
partnerships with travel agencies, tour operators,
attractions, luxury travel networks, and other
industry wholesalers. Paul Lim has spent more
than a decade developing strategic affiliate mar-
keting programs and partnerships and brings
experience in event management, public rela-
tions, and sales promotion to the table.
Thoughtful Diversification
The challenge is not as much about getting the
word out, Tolan admits, as it is dealing with the
complexities of doing business in such a diverse
and changing region.
“There are so many different languages and
currencies, that you have to take a step
back when you prove a market out and
say, ‘Are we really prepared to go into
this market?’” he explains. “You have
to build all of the language capabilities
and there are some differences in tech-
nology, as well. So, it’s not like other
companies would do, in that you test a
market and then go, go, go. When you
start having owners wanting to make
reservations and ask questions and
wanting more education and service,
you have to be able to deal with all
those requests in their own language.”
That said, with outbound markets in Japan and the Philippines
delivering on their promise in the near term, Tolan is bullish about
expanding Anantara Vacation Club’s development footprint, thanks to
Minor Hotel Group’s existing infrastructure and financial backing.
“Minor used to be a Thai company based in Bangkok doing busi-
ness internationally. Today, that’s really not the story,” he says. “The
story is that we’re an international company headquartered in Thailand,
because we’re so diversified. We’re really focused on Indonesia,
Malaysia, and China, and expanding what is already a decent footprint
in the Middle East. Africa is on our radar and we’ve just purchased
assets in both Portugal and Brazil, so the reach of the brand is really
continuing to grow.”
With clout comes responsibility. “One of our commitments — in
the markets we’re in and the markets we want to go into — is that we
want to be part of the educational process, so government and local
authorities understand the difference between good operators and
not-so-good operators,” Tolan says. “Then, we can help drive what the
legislation and regulations look like. That’s
critical for our future success and the overall
good of the industry. [American Resort
Development Association] is helping us blaze
that path.”
A New Organization
Like any worthwhile journey, the transition from
startup division to key corporate brand has
been painful, at times, Tolan says. But, well-
worth the journey for Anantara Vacation Club.
“I’d say it’s a new organization. Yes, our
brand is really a cool brand in the vacation
ownership space. I think our pool villa product
is world-class. But, at the end of the day, we’re
really most proud of how we’ve been able to
set the organization up for a really strong
future in this part of the world.”
See page 2 for currency conversions.
39
ANANTARA VACATION CLUB SANYA ANANTARA VACATION CLUB BANGKOK SATHORN
ANANTARA VACATION CLUB BOPHUT KOH SAMUI
Developer: Minor Hotel Group, William
Heinecke, CEO
Headquarters: Bangkok, Thailand
Product: Points-based club
Price: Five membership levels, from
US$19,000 to US$380,000
Resorts: Bali Seminyak, Indonesia;
Bophut Koh Samui, Phuket Mai Khao,
Bangkok Sathorn, Chiang Mai Resort
(opening in early 2016), Thailand; Sanya,
China; Oaks Shores, New Zealand
Website: anantaravacationclub.com
Social Media: Facebook, Twitter,
Pinterest, Instagram
Anantara Vacation Club
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