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APRIL – JUNE 2017
RESORTDEVELOPER.COM
VACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
7
IN BRIEF
6
Names in the News
José Chapur Zahoul
was recognized as a distinguished busi-
nessman by Mexico’s president Enrique Peña Nieto, as part of a
national awards presentation from
Mexico’s Confederation of
National Chambers of Commerce, Services, and Tourism
,
represented at the event by Enrique Solana Senties, the organiza-
tion’s leader. Chapur founded Palace Resorts Group, one of Mexico’s
leading hotel chains, in 1984, and has served as president of the
Chamber of Commerce of Merida. He is considered a pioneer of
all-inclusive travel in Mexico.
Scott Dravis
has been promoted to senior vice president of
the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions for VRI/TPI. He works
directly with and supports the efforts of the regions’ vice pres-
idents, and fosters relationships with strategic local and national
alliance partners. Dravis is based in Hyannis, Massachusetts.
He joined the company more than 25 years ago, and was most
recently vice president of resort operations for the Northeast
region.
Joe Hickman
, Interval International’s
vice president of resort sales and ser-
vice for Asia/Pacific, has been inducted
into the ATHOC Hall of Fame. His
peers selected him in recognition of his
many achievements over the past 25
years. Hickman has been employed by
Interval for 14 years, assuming roles of
increasing responsibility.
Marie Lee
, chief information officer at ILG,
was presented with the
2016 Woman
of Wonder Award by ITWomen
. The
award recognizes outstanding leader-
ship across South Florida’s technology
community. This is the second time
Lee has been honored by this group.
With her support, ITWomen has raised
more than US$560,000, which has
been presented to 91 deserving young
women, enabling them to pursue a future in technology and
engineering.
Neithard Foley
has been named vice
president of operations for Equiant, a
Scottsdale, Arizona–based accounts-
receivables servicing provider. He has
more than 20 years of experience in the
field. Foley comes to Equiant from Axway,
a computer software firm, where he was
senior director of finance. Prior to that,
he served as vice president of opera-
tions at Vantiv Integrated Payments.
Rich Muller
has been named chief operating officer for
VRI/TPI. He will be assuming the responsibilities of Loren
Gallagher, president and CEO of VRI/TPI, who plans to retire later
this year. In this new role, Muller will lead all aspects of corporate
operations and the business of serving 120 independent resorts
that VRI/TPI manages throughout North America. Muller joined the
company more than 25 years ago, and was formerly senior vice
president of the Eastern region.
Danielle Royden
has joined ILG as vice
president of tax. She is based in Orlando,
Florida. Royden is a certified public accoun-
tant with more than 17 years of experience
in taxation. She has held positions with
Deloitte Tax and Arthur Andersen, and
graduated magna cum laude from Florida
State University with a bachelor’s degree
in accounting and a master’s degree in
taxation.
Carol Smith
has been elected president of the Australian
Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC). Smith,
chief operating officer for Classic Holidays, was inducted into the
ATHOC Hall of Fame for her services to the industry, and she is a
life member of HMAA Queensland.
vinBack
Giving Back
The
2017 Diamond Resorts Invitational Tournament
benefiting
Florida Hospital for Children
was held in January
in Orlando. The three-day, 54-hole tournament was nation-
ally televised on Golf Channel and featured 27 PGA Tour
champions, four LPGA stars, and more than 45 sports and
entertainment celebrities at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons
Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.
On one of the nights, Diamond Resorts hosted the All Fore
the Children Dinner and Concert, which raised the cumulative
donation to more than US$2.3 million over four years.
Awards and Recognitions
Two properties of
TM Real Estate Group
, a leader in the
construction and sale of vacation residences on the Spanish
Mediterranean Coast for over 45 years, were winners of the
2016 European Property Awards. Mar de Pulpí and Sunset Drive
were recognized as “highly commended” within the mixed-use
development category and residential high-rise development cat-
egories, respectively.
Aqua-Aston Hospitality,
one of Hawaii’s leading hotel and
resort management groups, received 27 Readers’ Choice Awards
from the readers of
HAWAI’I Magazine
, with recognition of 10 of
its properties.
Additionally,
and
were recognized in the Best New
Hotel category across all islands, and Aqua Hotels & Resorts was
recognized as a Best Value Hotel brand.
HAWAI’I Magazine
is distributed internationally. A complete
list of the Readers’ Choice Awards winners can be found in the
March/April 2017 issue of the publication.
Gi
Passages
Mark Ozawa
passed away in October
2016. He was the managing director of
Windjammer Landing Villa Beach Resort
on Saint Lucia in the Caribbean. Ozawa
joined Windjammer in 2010 and led a
team of more than 460 employees.
Under his leadership, the resort underwent
a massive upgrade, including guest rooms,
the spa, the beach area, and more. He
orchestrated many opportunities for the
resort to donate time, resources, and financial-assistance programs
in the community. Previously, he served as a consultant and as the
head of Sceptre, a reservations and e-distribution business for
small chains and independent hotels. He spent 18 years with
Westin Hotels and Resorts in a variety of positions.
Thomas C. Franks,
co-founder
and president of Outfield Resort
Group, passed away in December
2016. His industry involvement
began more than 30 years ago,
when he joined the American
Resort Development Association
(ARDA) in 1982 as director of gov-
ernment relations, handling federal
and state legislative relations on
behalf of the industry. He held
positions of increasing respon-
sibility, including vice president
of government relations, senior vice president, and executive vice
president. He was named president of ARDA in 1991, and served in
that capacity until 1997, when he left to take on a leadership position
at a private-sector company.
Franks was a pivotal force in the transformation of timesharing
into a respected and leading sector of the tourism industry. He
scored significant victories in the areas of tax and consumer pro-
tection during the 1980s, and significantly raised ARDA’s profile in
federal regulatory and legislative circles.
Prior to joining ARDA, Franks lobbied on behalf of the National
Association of Realtors, serving as the youngest legislative direc-
tor in the organization’s history.
“Tom was a dedicated and charismatic leader of the time-
share industry during a critical period in its evolution,” says Craig
M. Nash, chairman, president, and CEO of ILG. “I will miss his wit,
enthusiasm, and passion for our industry. But more importantly, I
will miss his friendship.”
Neithard Foley
Joe Hickman
Marie Lee
Counsel to Global and National
Hospitality Industry Leaders
bakerlaw.com
Our Hospitality Industry Team
• Practices in the areas of hotel, resort, condominium,
vacation club and country club development
• Advises on resort management, finance, branding,
governance and regulation
• More than 30 years of experience in the hotel, resort,
vacation ownership, travel and leisure industries
• Counsel to many of the nation’s leading hotel and
resort brands and developers
Mark Ozawa
Danielle Royden
Thomas C. Franks
