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command center with full video connective capability
to all of the resorts. We have emergency communication
plans — everything from converting to radio to
what happens if the cellular goes down — and emer-
gency generator-backup deployment.”
Preparation should begin long before a disaster
is imminent, with proactive measures such as backing
up important databases and records and storing them
off-site, and reducing reliance on a power grid that may
be down for weeks.
Educational efforts on Barbados speak to the cost
benefits of addressing energy issues ahead of time. “The
Barbados Department of Emergency Management has
stated that every dollar a hotel spends on preparedness
yields them a US$4 savings in the event of a storm and
recovery,” John Marcocchio, regional project manager of
the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID) Caribbean Clean Energy Program (CARCEP),
told participants in a webinar presented by the Caribbean
Hotel & Tourism Association (CHTA). With recent weather
events, it has taken months to restore power to much of
the region that still relies heavily on the grid.
Marcocchio advocates for reducing demand for fuel
and water by maximizing energy efficiency and gradually
shifting reliance to alternativemethods for self-generation,
such as microturbines that produce power at half the
cost. “These machines are becoming much more user-
friendly, with little maintenance. Couple that with a PV
system [solar] and you’re very resilient, and you can also
run right through the storm,” he says.
Another critical step is stockpiling supplies such
as blankets, flashlights, and satellite phones, as well as
food, water, and medical supplies to last at least 72 hours
after an event, when communication may be cut off.
Westgate Resorts goes a step further. For its Florida
resorts in Irma’s path, “We already had warehouses full
of lumber, drywall, and paint,” Waltrip says. “All that was
staged so that when the hurricane passed, within an hour
we had a damage assessment of every facility and we
were able to get every facility open within a day. We knew
where the roof leaks were; we had the tarps; we knew
where the windows got blown out; we had the board-
ing. And our team members all knew when to show up
for work. It’s almost like planning for a military exercise.”
Behind-the-Scenes Partners
Meanwhile, thousands of Interval International
®
member
exchanges at a host of resorts affected by the storms
had to be canceled.
“We had members confirmed all the way from the
Caribbean to the Carolinas,” says Soraya Gonzales,
Interval’s vice president of resort assistance and client
services. Days after employees returned to work after the
Miami headquarters’ own encounter with Irma, Gonzales
and her staff started reaching out to resorts, many still
without power, for updates. They then emailed inbound
guests at affected properties with instructions on what
to do next.
“A good percentage of the members were grateful
that we were proactive enough to reach out with options
for either canceling or trading out for a different time or
location,” says Tedwyn Perez, Interval’s manager of cus-
tomer service correspondence.
But that’s only the tip of the iceberg when it comes
to Interval’s preparedness plans. First, its secure data
center is located outside of hurricane-prone areas and
features redundant high-availability systems and multi-
carrier voice and data networks. Calls coming in to the
Member-Services Centers are rerouted to advisors in unaffected
areas. So the company is always open for business.
Communication, Communication, Communication
Rock-solid communication systems with everyone from first
responders to guests’ families are the backbone of any disaster
preparedness plan. In addition to its daily phone updates between
on-site and corporate staff, The Westin St. John Resort Villas kept
guests up to date on the storm’s progress multiple times a day by
phone and email, and converted its lobby into an information hub. The
resort’s website was updated to let family members know guests were
safe. Twenty-four hours before the storm, security staff went door to
door instructing guests — who were hunkering down in their units — to
stay in the smallest, centrally located room without windows.
“We had done a lot of upgrading of the units over the past eight
years —new roofs, hurricane-proof glass, hurricane straps, solid exte-
rior facade work. We knew those units were very secure and we were
spot on,” Thomas says. “There was an hour-long call [about] where
guests would be located. We wanted to make sure we knew exactly
who was in every single unit.”
Thomas considers it a victory that there were no casualties from
the storm.
Informed and Empowered
Timelines, alerts, and procedures are not stand-ins for common sense.
“No matter how well you plan, at the end of the day, it comes down to
how responsive your team is to the tragedy,” Waltrip says.
On Nov. 28, 2016, a wildfire started 10 miles (16 kilometers) from
Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort & Spa in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
Freak 80-mph (129 kph) winds propelled coal and ash from treetop to
treetop, reaching the first cabin at the resort just before 7:30 p.m. There
were 1,200 guests on-site and only one two-lane road off the top of the
mountain.
“The entire team got disconnected from the world instantly when
the phone lines burned,” Waltrip says. “But because they had been
trained so well on how to take care of the guests, they knew exactly what
APRIL – JUNE 2018
RESORTDEVELOPER.COMVACATION INDUSTRY REVIEW
After a fire destroyed
more than half the units
at Westlake Resorts’
Gatlinburg, Tennessee,
property, the developer
immediately began the
rebuild, scheduled for
completion by the end of
the first quarter of 2018.
Mike Hill/Alamy Stock Photo