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Focus and Refocus
The Villa Group’s focus on the guest experience is legendary, but even
that undergoes frequent analysis and adjustment. “We have to constantly
improve our services and benefits, and find better ways to deliver them,”
Kistner says.
Every resort in the network is a destination unto itself. Each features
gourmet restaurants, restorative spas, and activities for children and teen-
agers. In addition, The Villa Group can arrange tours to nearby attractions.
There is literally nothing guests need to navigate alone once they arrive
at the resort.
Every guest who stays at a Villa Group property is asked to fill out
a “fairly long survey,” Buchalter says. “These surveys are reviewed by
property managers and by management. You get a good idea of where
you need to improve.”
Friends and Family
One of the findings from the surveys is that guests feel comfortable and
happy when they see the same staff year after year, he says. “That sounds
silly, but they enjoy knowing that they have friends and family in Mexico—
the people who work with them at the resort.”
Recognizing that keeping those employees whom guests regard
as “friends and family” is a key business advantage, The Villa Group is
greatly enhancing its retention program, adding better benefit packages,
more generous bonuses, and “fun things for employees to do,” Kistner
says. “We’ve really increased our budget for this program. That’s one
example of a change we made because of something members brought
up in the surveys.”
The currency situation in Mexico late last year—the dollar was strong
against the peso—brought droves of visitors to The Villa Group’s hotel
properties, Buchalter says. “It’s a tremendous time for Americans to come
down to Mexico, because their money goes so much further,” for food,
entertainment, activities, and purchases to bring home. (That doesn’t
apply to shared ownership points, though, he notes. Those are priced in
U.S. dollars.)
Some of those hotel visitors will become prospective buyers, he
acknowledges, but in addition to them, The Villa Group has a sleek, tar-
geted marketing plan in place.
“We are strong at the airport and strong on the street,” Buchalter
says. But now the focus has shifted more to company-owned call cen-
ters, he says.
One of Mexico’s most successful development firms—with hotels,
resorts, and other real estate holdings—The Villa Group operates shared
ownership properties on five of the country’s most breathtaking beaches:
in Cabo San Lucas, Cancún, Loreto, Nuevo Vallarta, and Puerto Vallarta.
Founded in 1984, the company is known for its longevity and sta-
bility—it continued to build new resorts during the worldwide recession
that began in 2008. And the company is on the move again. “As a group,
we have several projects in the planning stages right now,” says Michael
Buchalter, vice president of timeshare operations at The Villa Group. Two
will be resorts in Cabo San Lucas, he confirms. “The land has been pur-
chased, and we look forward to making announcements very soon,” he
said in late 2016.
THE VILLA GROUP
To not just survive, but thrive in Mexico’s hotly
competitive resort marketplace, “We’ve learned we
have to constantly innovate,” says Robert Kistner, vice
president of The Villa Group.
Innovation
Provides
STAYING
POWER IN
MEXICO
BY CATHERINE LACKNER
34
VILLA DEL PALMAR-FLAMINGOS, NUEVO VALLARTA VILLA DEL ARCO, CABO SAN LUCAS