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Bigger is Better
Nusbaum observes that timeshare developers are responding to the
demand. “I can tell you when I talk to developers, they’re building more
and more three- and four-bedroom units, where it used to be everyone
only had studios and one-bedrooms.”
That’s been the experience of Westgate Resorts, according to
Mark Waltrip, the company’s chief operating officer. “We started sales
over 35 years ago, and over the past decade, we have seen an increase
in the use of our resorts by extended families.”
With a focus on SMERF (social, military, educational, reunions, and
families) business, Westgate has modified its unit design with this
market in mind. “Over the past 10 years, we have redesigned all of our
new unit plans with the flexibility to connect various unit types to
accommodate group sizes ranging from two to 20 in the same unit. We
have created upwards of six lockouts in some cases.”
Breckenridge Grand Vacations in Colorado has also responded to
a demand for larger units. “We knew that there was a growing push over
the last five to seven years,” says Dave Stroeve, vice president of sales
operations. “We saw larger groups asking for bigger units. I don’t know
a lot of developers out there who have built very large, four-bedroom
residences that are 2,700 to 2,800 square feet.”
Ample space was paramount for the Chans as they put plans
together for a full family reunion at their home resort in Key West a
few years ago. “The resort has to be accommodating to assign units
convenient for a multigenerational group,” says Amelia Chan. While
they owned a two-bedroom unit, which would hardly have housed the
21 family members in their group, they were able to rent units close to
each other. “We occupied five two-bedroom units, one unit for each of
the married children and family,” recalls Chan.
Other big pluses for the Chans were the kitchens in each unit (“We
definitely only consider accommodations with a full kitchen to prepare
various daily meals without eating out all the time”), and plenty of public
space, including a restaurant that was able to accommodate their
group of 30 (including local friends) each night for dinner.
“Every so often, we will
reminisce about an event
[that occurred]
during the intergenerational
vacation, something
funny or special that
happened — very fuzzy,
warm feelings.”
Amelia Chan
, owner of a two-bedroom
at the Hyatt Windward Pointe Resort
TRENDS
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
vacation industry review
JULY – SEPTEMBER 2016
32
“We need more
space!”
Meeting the
Multigenerational
Demand
Building bigger units is certainly one way to
satisfy the needs of larger family groups. But
with the majority of vacation owners possessing
a two-bedroom unit or smaller, what can a
resort do to accommodate their owners when
they need more space for a multigenerational
vacation? Interval International–affiliated
resorts have a few options:
Club Interval Gold
®
.
Owners who are members
of this points-based program can take advantage
of the flexibility that points allow and trade up for
more or larger units.
Unit Upgrades.
Those who own a traditional week
product can trade their unit for a larger one, for a fee,
through this program.
Getaways.
Interval members can book the number
of units needed in addition to or without using their
exchange. These weeklong rentals are available at
affordable rates.