RCI® TV Continues To Gain Industry-Wide Momentum
July 13, 2009 in All News, Group RCI, Latin America, News By Region by Timeshare & Fractional NewsOverwhelming interest in RCI TV’s “Resort Showcase” prompts addition of new “all-inclusive” features
RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced that more than 30 resorts, including many all-inclusive resorts throughout Latin America, have signed up for high-definition (HD) video production to market their resorts online on RCI.com. These hotels and vacation ownership resorts are among the first to be filmed for RCI TV’s exclusive “Resort Showcase” channel which was launched earlier this year at the vacation ownership industry’s largest annual tradeshow.
Through the unique “Destination” and “Resort Reviews” on http://www.rci.com/RCITV, this proprietary HD online video content will be distributed to not only RCI’s 3.8 million subscribing members, but also to travelers who will begin to view this content at RCI’s new non-member travel site this November. Multiple social networking partnerships over the coming year will further expand the reach of RCI TV, educating and entertaining travelers seeking dream vacations. Through its unique “Resort Showcase” channel, millions of prospective viewers and timeshare buyers will be exposed to not only the developers’ resorts, but also linked back to the developers’ websites for lead generation purposes.
“The response to RCI TV and our Resort Showcase channel has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Group RCI. “The response in Mexico alone was so tremendous that we were asked by both developers and the Government in that great ‘vacation nation’ to develop a destination promotion along with an all-inclusive channel to help spotlight the many features that the all-inclusive resorts there have to offer. It’s airing now on RCI.com. This is just one more way that RCI is working to support and promote our affiliates worldwide.”
Among the first all-inclusive resorts to be filmed are Palace Resorts, Blue Bay Club and Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club.
“RCI TV is a great tool to help RCI members select vacation destinations and vacation resorts like ours,” said Santiago Merizalde, business development manager, Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club. “And, it’s much better than looking at photos. It allows members to take a virtual look into a vacation experience, and you can’t get any better than that. With RCI TV video, we are showing RCI members not only what Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club is like, but also what it’s like to vacation in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, with its beautiful mountains, ocean, beaches and warm and friendly people.”
RCI TV was launched as an exclusive and innovative online television network to distribute RCI’s award-winning HD videos coupled with its artistic and iconic resort photography across RCI.com, a rapidly expanding travel distribution channel which receives millions of unique visits each month. It is designed to help owners get the most out of their RCI membership and make vacation planning fun again while also reminding current owners of the benefits of vacation ownership. Since announcing the Resort Showcase channel at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) 2009 Convention and Exposition in Orlando, Florida, more than 80 affiliates worldwide have expressed interest in being featured on the channel. The first North American resort to film a resort showcase is Grand Pacific Resorts of California.
“I think RCI TV is a great way to showcase our resorts on the internet for both new tours and exchangers. By showing that our resorts are family friendly via RCI TV, we can drive the type of inbound visitors to our resorts that we think will be the best candidates to purchase,” said Ed Wright, vice president of sales, Grand Pacific Resorts.
“HD video is what vacationers prefer to see to help them in making their decision to buy. We believe that RCI TV will continue to expand and shape the future of how developers market to their members and non-members alike,” added Ballotti. “We’re ever so excited to bring vacations to life on RCI.com and help consumers sense and feel the thrill and atmosphere of the resorts before they arrive.”
For additional information on how to showcase your resort on RCI TV please send a message to enquiries.rcitv@rci.com or to learn about the value-added services offered to leisure real estate developers by Group RCI visit http://www.grouprci.com.
About Group RCI
Group RCI, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, (NYSE: WYN) is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and the European leader in vacation rentals, with exclusive access for specified periods to more than 73,000 vacation properties in approximately 100 countries. The company is comprised of vacation exchange, including RCI, the worldwide leader in vacation exchange and provider of travel services to businesses and consumers and The Registry Collection program, the world’s largest luxury exchange program; vacation rentals, including Endless Vacation RentalsSM , Landal GreenParks®, Novasol®, and other renowned vacation rental brands, through which vacationers can rent a variety of property types, from city apartments to villas; and NorthCourse® Leisure Real Estate Solutions, an international leader in providing a full spectrum of advisory, research, and asset management services. Wyndham Worldwide Corporation is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies with leading brands in lodging franchising, vacation ownership, vacation rentals and vacation exchange. For additional information visit www.grouprci.com or the media center of www.wyndhamworldwide.com.
