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View from the Bottom

MikeThe View from the Bottom is Mike Millisor’s monthly letter to all of the stakeholders of the Breckenridge Grand Vacations family of resorts.

Last month, I used this column to tell you a bit about what BGV does with the feedback you provide us when you complete the surveys we send to you.  I hope the information clearly expressed how important your responses are in helping us to provide GRAND vacation and ownership experiences!  This month, I thought I’d follow up by sharing with you a bit about how we have structured our surveys to make sure we cover all the bases, in addition to spotlighting some of the improvements we’ve made as a result of your feedback.

Each year, on the anniversary of your first purchase with BGV, we send you what we call the BGV Owner Survey. This is an opportunity for you to reflect on your ownership as a whole, separate from any particular visit, to tell us anything that has been on your mind or to share ideas for making things better.

In addition, we also send a Post-Stay Survey at the end of each vacation stay at a BGV resort to the departing owner, renter or exchange guest. We know that the expectations of each of these groups will be a bit different, and will depend to some degree on past experiences they have had either with their home BGV resort or with other resorts in which they have rented accommodations or used exchange privileges through their home resort.  Looking at their rating and comments separately helps us to better anticipate the needs of each group. In the near future, we also hope to launch Onsite Surveys at each BGV resort so that we can make sure that every stay is as enjoyable as can be!

Several years ago, we started using a metric within our surveys that has been adopted by many, if not most, of the major companies in all fields of business.  The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is based on customers’ responses to a single question on a scale of 0-10: How likely are you to recommend our business to your friends and family?  Those who score a 9 or 10 are considered Promoters, those who score a 7 or 8 are considered Passives and those who score 0-6 are known as Detractors. To date, I’m pleased to share that over 70 percent of all BGV survey respondents are Promoters! While this metric is helpful because it allows us to measure customer loyalty and not just customer satisfaction, it is the verbatim comments that we receive with each survey that truly help us learn what we can do to improve the experiences of our owners and guests, so please keep those comments and suggestions coming! To that end, I’d like to share some of the changes that our BGV owners have suggested and that we’ve implemented.

Gold Point Resort heard from our owners and guests that they had difficulty reaching the Front Desk during their hours of operation and/or the Resident Manager during the evenings due to how the phone system was set up with multiple phone numbers. To improve the owner and guest experience as a result of this feedback, an auto attendant was installed that uses just one main phone number to ensure that each call reaches the correct point of contact, no matter what time of day the call is received. In addition, we now stock more towels in our hot tub rooms and replenish them more frequently to ensure there are enough towels available throughout the week, based on survey feedback. Survey comments have also helped us shape our long term refurbishment and replacement schedules.

At Grand Timber Lodge, we installed additional robe/towel hooks throughout the indoor and outdoor pool areas based on comments we received. We also added an additional Activities Coordinator to ensure that the Activities Desk is always covered while other activities staff are hosting in-house events, which were increased as the result of several requests from owners and guests. In addition, we are pleased to announce that a new and improved version of the weekly “owner party” is back by popular demand. Lastly, the Lodgepole Market in Building 6 now features select grab-and-go breakfast items, per the suggestion of some of our owners.

At the Grand Lodge on Peak 7, we installed coat hooks in the Day Use Lunch Room and a lock on the exterior door to this room.  We are also in the process of installing a second coat hook in all of the residences in the South Building.  In addition, we are installing a bar on the outside of the spa locker room showers to increase the safety of our owners and guests.  Last year, a water fountain was installed in the Day Use Lunch Room and we also added a water cooler outside in the pool area. Recently, the Grand Lobby Bar began featuring Starbucks offerings.  All of these improvements were the result of suggestions from owners!

Based on additional suggestions from owners, our Owner Relations Team worked in collaboration with our Information Technology Team to implement the online Bonus Time Availability Calendar for all resorts, and the Points Availability Calendar for Grand Lodge on Peak 7 owners.  The feedback we received from our owners also helped us to develop the usage plan for our newest resort, the Grand Colorado on Peak 8.

I hope the picture you’re getting is that we are very thorough in seeking out the data that will tell us what we need to know.  We wouldn’t do all this work if we didn’t really want to know how we are doing, where we can do better, and how we can do better.  I realize that it also creates a bit of work for you when you receive these surveys, and I thank those of you who have faithfully and honestly completed these.  If you have not been completing these surveys, I hope you’ll consider sharing your input with us in the future.

In today’s marketplace, we are all asked to complete surveys for virtually every product we buy or service we contract, and it can be tempting to ignore them all, especially if we get the impression that our feedback disappears into some big pot and is never seen again.  I wanted to share this level of detail on our survey process so that you’ll know the quality of attention that your rankings and comments get from our staff, from executives down to front line employees.  The scores you provide help us measure improvement; your comments inspire improvement.  Yes, we do ask for your input fairly frequently, and we do that because we honor your investment with us and your trust in us.  Thanks for helping us continue to provide the best possible vacation experience and ownership experience for you and your family.

Mike Millisor
GreatVacations@BreckenridgeGrandVacations.com

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Interval International Tip

These days, the places we tend to go on vacation are highly dependent on the cost of airline tickets. These high prices are due to many factors including a decrease in airline companies (resulting in less competition), the rising cost of airline fuel, increasing taxes/fees, and a reduced number of routes to certain locations.

However, these high prices do fluctuate depending on an airline’s needs to fill as many seats as possible on a flight. Overall, the best way to find cheaper airline tickets is to be flexible on when and where you travel. Airlines look at trends from previous years to base their fares on; for example, holidays will typically have higher fares due to the high demand for travel.

But, if your schedule does not allow you to be flexible, here are some tips you can follow to take advantage of drops in airfares:

  • Start searching about 3 months in advance
  • Do not book inside 30 days from departure
    • Statistically higher rates because the majority of tickets are sold within this time
  • Avoid traveling on Mondays, Fridays, or Sundays
    • Travel midweek
    • Travel early-morning or late-night flights
  • Search for flights on a Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon (around 3 p.m. Eastern time)


Tip of the Month:

The ITA Software by Google

Visit http://matrix.itasoftware.com/ to start a search for the lowest fares on flight routes. This website, developed by a group of computer scientists from MIT, acts as a search engine and provides a calendar of the lowest fares on given routes based on what you put in for a search. The search looks at several different airlines to try to get you the best rates. With the calendar, you’ll be able to see which departure/arrival dates will give you the cheapest rates!

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Owners Only

2015 is the year of change at Breckenridge Grand Vacations: a new property, new features on Grand Central and now a brand-new owner blog! This blog is another tool to help all owners stay up-to-date with events, property updates and to communicate with us. We have created a more user-friendly layout, a calendar of events, and a quick link navigation system.

We want to know what tools, features and content you would like to see added to our owner blog. So take a look around and let us know what else you would like to see. Comment below or send an email to customerservice@breckenridgegrandvacations.com with your suggestions and a chance to win 25 Reward Dollars!

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View from the Bottom

MikeThe View from the Bottom is Mike Millisor’s monthly letter to all of the stakeholders of the Breckenridge Grand Vacations family of resorts.

If you have been part of the BGV family for any length of time, you know that we are fond of surveys. We ask you to complete a survey after each stay at one of our resorts, as well as contacting you once a year on the anniversary of your vacation ownership purchase to ask for input on your ownership as a whole. Thank you to all of you who take the time to reflect on your experience and share your thoughts with us.

We do respect your time and know that you have lots of demands on it, so I want to assure you that we act on every bit of information we receive from these surveys. We constantly strive to provide the top-notch vacation experience that you expect, and while we may not reach perfection, that remains the goal.

What do we do with that survey data? You might be surprised to know that the survey scores are actually a very small part of what we look at. The scores you provide for each resort function, and particularly the rating you give regarding whether you would recommend our resorts to your friends or family, tell us whether we are on the right track, or whether changes are needed. In order to know what is going well, and what has disappointed you, we rely on the comments you supply to determine what needs to continue and what needs to change.

Every comment you add to the survey gets the attention of the executive team as well as resort and department managers. Each manager digs in to investigate the circumstances that gave rise to the comment, and appropriate feedback is given to department employees. An employee will reach out to every guest who has provided helpful critique. Each comment is also tracked in a computer program that allows the employee to enter the resolution of each situation identified. All that activity, is triggered by each and every comment you send us.

We are pleased and gratified that our scores are consistently the highest in the timeshare industry. In January, 72 percent of our owners and guests rated their most recent stay as a 9 or 10 out of a scale of 10, and another 20 percent rated us a 7 or 8, in terms of whether they would recommend us to others. That tells me that in general, we are on the right track, but that there is always room for improvement. You have my promise that we will continue to work to close that gap, however small it may be.

So keep those surveys, and especially your comments, coming. Never feel that your comments are being sent into a dark hole, never to be seen or cared about. We use them daily to fulfill our commitment to you: Always Grand Vacations. We count on you, so that you can count on us.

Mike Millisor
GreatVacations@BreckenridgeGrandVacations.com

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View from the Bottom

MikeThe View from the Bottom is Mike Millisor’s monthly letter to all of the stakeholders of the Breckenridge Grand Vacations family of resorts.

As we wrap up 2014 and look down the road towards 2015, all of us at BGV have much to be grateful for. 2014 saw a number of milestones: 30 years of developing resorts in Breckenridge, expansion of our family to 20,000 timeshare owners, and the launch of sales for our newest property, Grand Colorado on Peak 8.

On December 5, our first day of sales for Grand Colorado on Peak 8 broke industry records. I am very proud of the hard work by all of our employees to make this possible, but I am most pleased because I have to believe that we have accomplished all we have because of the high standards we have set and maintain for service to our owners and guests. From the very first guest we welcomed to Gold Point back in 1984, my brother Rob, our partner Mike Dudick and I have made service the highest priority.

While our sales efforts now focus on the new resort, I want to assure you that each and every one of our resorts, and those of you who own there, are just as important as the newest one. Our high standards for service, accommodations, and amenities are the same for Gold Point, Grand Timber Lodge, Grand Lodge on Peak 7 and now for Grand Colorado on Peak 8.

There is no doubt that our properties get hard usage, and every week they are filled with families having fun. We work hard to maintain them at the level they were when they were first built and without having to raise HOA dues significantly year after year. Upkeep can certainly be a challenge, but we strive to retain our resorts’ level of value. I never want to hear anyone refer to any of our earlier constructed resorts as a “red-headed step child.” Each of our resorts bear special memories for me:  imagining them, building them, and inviting people to help create grand vacations.

As our family grows, we welcome more families to build their own memories around our resorts. I look forward to hearing about them for years to come.

Mike Millisor
GreatVacations@breckenridgegrandvacations.com

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Interval International Tip

ii_dec[1]We asked our Interval International Support Department what their favorite vacation was, and one of our staff members chose her recent vacation in Mexico at an Interval International Resort. Read about her vacation below:

Where it was: Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico

Where you stayed and the type of accommodation: Villa del Palmar-Flamingos (VDF), Studio with Limited Kitchen

Why you loved this vacation: Everyone—the resort staff, airport employees, shuttle drivers, taxi drivers, restaurant owners and employees, lifeguards—was extremely friendly and accommodating. Most people spoke English fluently, or would genuinely try to have a conversation with you in English. The people of Puerto Vallarta and Nuevo Vallarta were exceedingly helpful and made sure that the group of girl friends that I was traveling with and I were being safe. For example, on the day we ventured to the grocery store, the taxi driver offered to help us shop. He came inside, helped us pick out the best food options, helped us pay at the cash register and made sure we felt welcome going to and from the store. He even offered to help us carry our groceries back to our room. The resort staff was also very instrumental in assisting us select and plan out the activities during our weeklong vacation. When we expressed that we wanted to experience local nightlife, one of the staff members we became close with took us to Bucerias, his hometown located about 15 minutes from Nuevo Vallarta. In Bucerias, we got to experience the local culture and nightlife, and left with a unique memory we’ll always have.

What are your recommendations for activities, food or experiences that cannot be missed?

  1. If you are going to Mexico and do not have an all-inclusive package, you should take the time to get a taxi to a nearby grocery store or Wal-Mart to stock up on basic foods (eating out every day for every meal can definitely add up). Another way to save a few bucks is by stocking up on your favorite alcoholic beverages for the time you spend in your room. Also, invest in bottled water! You cannot drink from the tap in Mexico and you’ll definitely be drinking more water than you anticipated.
  2. Wear a lot of sunscreen, and make sure to reapply often. If you happen to get sunburned, make sure to have aloe on hand.
  3. Drink lots of water – most of your time will be spent outside in the sun.
  4. Pack lightly – the weather is very warm, and you will most likely be doing lots of beach activities that don’t require you to pack a lot.
  5. Plan on going into downtown Puerto Vallarta at least once. It is very fun and there are plenty of great restaurants, bars and clubs.
  6. Do an all-inclusive day cruise to the Marieta Islands (about 30 – 45 minute boat ride from Puerto Vallarta).
  1. You will receive free breakfast before you leave, beer and liquor drinks on board the catamaran, as well as onboard music and entertainment.
  2. Enjoy breathtaking dolphin and whale sightings.
  3. Try snorkeling, stand up paddleboarding, kayaking and explore the beautiful beaches.
  4. The entire trip will be photographed and you have the option to purchase the photos at the end.

 

Tip of the Month: Are you a member of the Club Interval Gold (CIG) program with Interval International? If so, are you familiar with how to view the CIG point charts for each property? Start by visiting Interval International at www.intervalworld.com . Next, log in to your account, click on the resort directory, and use the map feature to get to the area you are interested in. For example: click on USA, Rocky Mountains and then Breckenridge. You have to click into each property separately. Once you’ve selected a property, such as Grand Lodge on Peak 7, you will select the Club Interval Gold Points Chart to the right of the photos. This will enable you to see the properties point chart and the values for different weeks of the year. See example below:

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