Interval International co-sponsors development program for Caribbean Hospitality and Tourism professionals
Interval International, a leading worldwide provider of vacation services, recently co-sponsored an educational conference for hospitality professionals in Eagle Beach, Aruba. The program ran from Nov. 26th to Dec. 13th at the La Cabana Beach Resort and Casino, organized by the Aruba Timeshare Association (ATSA) and Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Association Education Foundation (CHTAEF). More than 300 Aruba-based hospitality professionals from over 30 companies attended the conference, which provided participants with full-day, interactive workshops. Industry training professionals led sessions focused on housekeeping, food and beverage, and supervising personnel. “ATSA would like to thank Interval International for its sponsorship of this important event,...
Initiatives to tackle cold-calling and data abuses and connected scams affecting timeshare owners
Under a recently launched initiative, KwikChex and EUROC are urging timeshare owners to file reports on cold-callers and other unsolicited contacts such as by email and text. All reports will be investigated and evidence of data protection breaches and other unlawful behaviour will be collated and presented to the relevant authorities throughout Europe. The number of nuisance calls and connected scams has increased dramatically since the start of the Covid-19 crisis and those targeting timeshare owners are amongst the most prolific and serious in terms of financial losses. This initiative, which commenced in the UK and is now being rolled out across...
RCI and The Registry Collection welcomes Anantara Vacation Club back to its global exchange network
RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange as part of Wyndham Destinations (NYSE:WYND), recently entered into an affiliation agreement with Anantara Vacation Club, welcoming its portfolio of 9 resort properties across 7 destinations to the RCI vacation exchange network. The 9 Anantara Vacation Club resort properties will be affiliated under the RCI Points program, with three of these properties also a part of The Registry Collection® program. Effective 1 January 2020 through the agreement, Anantara Vacation Club’s over 13,000 Club Points Owners will have access to RCI’s network of over 4,300 affiliated resorts in nearly 110 countries. Anantara Vacation Club’s Elite...
John Spence appointed the Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Professor of Architectural Design at the Yale University School of Architecture
John Spence, Founder and Chairman of Karma Group, has been honoured for the second time by the Yale University School of Architecture by being appointed the Edward P. Bass Distinguished Visiting Professor of Architectural Design for the fall semester of the 2019-2020 academic year. This marks the first time that the faculty has offered this position to the same person on more than one occasion. Established through the generosity of Edward P. Bass, this fellowship enables the School to invite distinguished private and public sector leaders in the development community to participate as integral teaching members in advanced studios and seminars. John...
Consumer wins case against ITRA in Weston-Super-Mare County Court
On 19 January 2018 a member of the public was awarded £4,802.60, the judge stating that breaches of contract by International Refund Action Ltd (ITRA) were “completely unacceptable” and that ITRA had not provided the services promised. The judge also commented that the “breaches were as fundamental as they could possibly get” and that there had been “so little done for so much money”. The consumer had approached KwikChex, which manages the Timeshare Task Force on behalf of RDO, after ITRA failed to clearly respond for over a year to requests to detail what ITRA had carried out on the consumer’s behalf. KwikChex provided free...
New consumer helpline launched
A new consumer helpline is being launched by KwikChex today for members of the public with queries or complaints about companies that are not in membership of RDO. This follows the decision taken by the TATOC directors last month to close their helpline service. This will complement the existing advice website, www.timesharebusinesscheck.org, provided for consumers by KwikChex. The assistance given over the helpline will, like the website, be entirely free to consumers – providing a unique and invaluable service, with advice on concerns and complaints to timeshare consumers. All requests for help will be responded to in detail. The funding for the helpline will...
Dedication of the Ron Haylock Music Room in South Africa
11th November 2015 was a very special day for Christel House South Africa. Christel DeHaan was paying her annual visit and during a Special Assembly held for the School's friends and donors, she was personally able to dedicate the Ron Haylock Music Room in tribute to him as a passionate lover of music and supporter of Christel House. As well as academic accomplishments, the Special Assembly celebrated dance, drama and of course music. The School Band accompanied the programme and played their hearts out. The younger children played beautifully on their recorders and the Marching Bank ceremoniously accompanied guests to and...