Timeshares have been seeing an increase in bookings this autumn and not just because of the upcoming holidays, but because of workations.

Workations have been a thing for a little while already, but they might be the new norm. What is a workation? It is where a worker goes to unwind and relax on vacation, but also where they can work remotely.

“Remote workers are 20% more productive”

Before the pandemic workers used to go on their workations, because they were so strapped for time that they had to somehow integrate their vacation time and work, and this seemed to be the easiest compromise. It also kept the boss happy, even though they were taking a vacation they would still be working.

“15% of workers gave up on vacations because they did not have time to use them, and on the flip side 82% of employees check into the office daily while on vacation”

Pre-pandemic American workers were just simply overworked and stressed out. Now they are taking workations for an entirely different reason.

“Remote workers are happier, healthier and feel more valued”

 

“82% of telecommuters report lower stress”

Since there are new rules following the pandemic which has created a completely different work environment where people are now working remotely already it’s not about being overworked and stressed out.

“93% of respondents are more productive when working remotely”

Stuck at home every day and all day going on for months stretching into what feels like years. Not being able to go out to your favorite café, or just things that we took for granted are just not options anymore. Taking the time to go to a timeshare for a week and work is like a home away from home giving them the opportunity to become focused and at the same time get outside and walk around and experience nature or new sights. Just something different and separate from the stale day-to-day they’ve been subjected to for the better part of the year.

“Workation clients found a renewed sense of inspiration when traveling and learned valuable skills and tools whilst working remotely.”

 

“Remote workers cite they accomplish 30% more in less time”

Timeshares are taking advantage of the new booking opportunities and letting their guests know that the Wi-Fi has been turned up, and cleaning protocols have been upgraded for their safety and comfort.

If you haven’t seen an uptick in your bookings maybe you can remind your members and guests there are more reasons to take advantage of reservations than they might be thinking of.

References:

Tiny Pulse  |  Remote.co  |  Fast Company  |  Flexjobs  |  Global Workplace Analytics  |  CBS San Francisco: Facebook, Google Among Tech Companies To Let Employees Work From Home Through 2020  | OWL LABS – (2019 Demographic Analysis of Remote Workers)  |  CNBC Study on Employee Satisfaction during Remote Work  |  Owl Labs  |  PGi

Why is a Newsletter Important for Your Guests and Owners?

Your newsletter can provide great value, by informing your guests with up-to-date content that they can use. How are you providing value, and why does it matter?

Why are members going to visit their timeshares in 2020?  With a newsletter you can calm their worries by letting them know your plans for keeping them safe during their stay.  Keep them coming because they trust you and are loyal to you.

Here are some suggestions for your newsletter.

The Anatomy of a Good Headline – Getting them to open the email

Most timeshares send a monthly newsletter via email. You need an enticing attention-grabbing headline to get your email opened and read. As long as you keep offering content that your members find useful, they will most likely keep opening them.

Some headlines you should be careful not to overuse because then it just becomes an Aesop’s fable with Peter yelling Wolf! Wolf!. Unless you really mean it do not use words like: Important, Must Read, Urgent, and other emergency words.

Attention getting headlines that get noticed: Good News…, This Just In…, Exciting Development…, Sneak Preview…, Keeping You Safe on Your Next Visit…, We have Been Keeping a Secret and Now We are Ready to Share It…, etc.

How much do you really have to say? How much do your readers really want to read?

Basically, how long of a letter is too much? A good rule of thumb is to keep each article around 4 paragraphs or so. You do not want to write a novel. Only enough to paint a picture of what event is happening and how fun it will be, or maybe instructions on something that can help make their experience smoother.

Depending on the size of your newsletter you can have just a few items to talk about or you could have up to ten items or so. You want to include at least one or two of the items that have to do with your resort. The rest can just be interesting or funny fluff.

Everyone gets writers block, so we have brainstormed and have come up with a list of suggestions that can fill in spaces on your newsletter and make it a little more interesting for the reader:

• Monthly Calendar – local or in-house events
• Recipes – alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks in the summer, soup in the winter, etc.
• Popular local hangouts or hot spots – restaurants, dancing or bars
• Local points of interest – amusement parks, parks, museums, theaters, concert venues
• Recommended book of the month: suggestions for something to read to wind down with while they are vacationing
• Body care suggestions – how is the sun, is it too hot? maybe remind them to bring sunscreen or suggest a good sunburn ointment. Items they might want to bring with them just in case. Or perhaps where they can buy them locally if needed.
• Public transportation information – for getting around town
• Do you have an in-house shop? Do you offer sales or promotions?
• Do you have amenities like a pool or workout room? Take this opportunity to discuss the rules and working hours
• Comic or Joke – relatable to travel or the local area
• Famous Quote
• Contests 

As you can see there is a long list of items to choose from and the nice thing is that you can keep the same sections and fill them with new ideas for each month without repetition.

End your email with some encouraging thoughts and remember to let them know the door is always open and that you look forward to hearing from them. Next are two important items to always remember to include if applicable.

1. Call to Action (CTA) and Useful Links

Call to action is simply where you ask your readers to complete an action in the email by including a link that can say something like “Read More” and that will direct them to your website for articles, services, offers, or downloads, etc. Your newsletter can be an effective vehicle to motivate your readers to take action. And remember to be as detailed as possible in helping make the CTA clear and easy to understand. Such as: “click here to receive” or “pick up your phone and dial” or “click on this link to fill out the form for…then print it out and fax to 800…”. Your CTA should be clear and easy to follow.

2. The Header & Footer

Pretend you are typing this on your business letterhead paper. You always want to have your logo in the Header, and the Footer should contain all your contact information like your resorts address and phone number including social media and web links.

Best Regards and Keep Well!

From the TSS Staff

Access your Timeshare Management Software easily and quickly from anywhere! Are you tired of needing to log into a remote server to access your software? Are you frustrated with the additional costs to manage the server? Are you concerned about your data security? At Rhea, we handle all of that for you. You will have easy and secure access from any computer or tablet device!

In our new COVID reality of safe distancing and stay-at-home curfews, the industry will need to be flexible and find ways to improve their service for a new way of travel and leisure. Most of these outdated industry software companies have walked away from updating their systems and the timeshare resorts are left to work with bare minimum support. Some of the on-premises timeshare software systems are so old that the timeshares are forced to keep an older operating system to be able to run their software and are not able to update their systems to perform optimally.

On-premises Software VS Rhea’s Cloud-Based Software

On-premises software can mean many things such as limited access on specific computers as requires installation, slower speeds, server problems, licensing, maintenance costs, upgrade fees, etc.

Rhea’s Cloud-based software means easy access from home or office, up to the minute reports, in house communication with house cleaning, lower cost of ownership, no IT support needed, and most importantly disaster recovery.

Whether you are already a Rhea user or have not become acquainted with it yet, we have just mentioned some of the advantages let’s take a closer look at some of those benefits:

1. Easy access: The ability to access Rhea anywhere anytime since there is no software to download. Can be easily be accessed on a laptop or tablet. You can even login on your tablet to see reports, and anything else you need to see when you are out-and-about or in a meeting
2. Reports: Real time reports, seamlessly integrated
3. Night Audit: With new stay at home restrictions this can be easily handled from home
4. Sales: Even without a sales team, you can stay connected with your owners and guests via our mass emailing functionality – send updates, notices or invoices and statements
5. Lower cost of ownership: No 3^rd party software for you to license, No hardware costs, No servers needed, No maintenance fees
6. No IT support needed: No need to update operating systems or applications. No need to decommission outdated software, Nothing to maintain or upgrade
7. Disaster recovery:Cloud-based computing keeps your timeshare running even when an emergency or disaster strikes without loss of service or data
8. Owner Portal: Allows your owners to pay their dues online directly to you without any interaction. This saves you time and increases revenue as it is easily accessible by your owners and convenient

Using cloud-based software solutions means timeshares can quickly and more securely handle all activities throughout the resort from anywhere in the world. Owners can pay their dues online and your available units can be uploaded automatically to all popular travel agencies, just waiting to be booked. Once booked, reservations are automatically recorded in Rhea and your money is deposited to your bank account.

Are you taking advantage of all the extra time and money savings that Rhea’s cloud software has afforded you? If not, give our TSS team a call and we will be happy to help.

Best Regards and Keep Well!

From the TSS Staff

As the COVID-19 Coronavirus strain grows there has become an increasingly and understandable strain on the travel industry. Since timeshares are shared from consumer to consumer similar to hotels it helps if the guest feel secure in knowing that their room has been cleaned as thoroughly as possible before their stay. 

Analysis by the New England Journal of Medicine and earlier by medRxiv has found that the virus can remain viable in the air for as long as 3 hours, on cardboard up to 24 hours, on both stainless steel and plastic up to 72 hours, and on copper for up to 4 hours. 

Many timeshares are following official guidelines and advice of government and medical authorities to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Among these are (plus maybe a few extra for good measure):

Switch to and use disinfectant products that have been pre-approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for use against emerging viral pathogens.

Ongoing training for staff and housekeeping with hygiene safety protocols.

Isolating anyone staying at the timeshare showing symptoms and notifying relevant medical authorities of anyone showing signs of the virus.

Frequent cleaning in public areas with the appropriate cleaners such as an alcohol disinfectant, diluted bleach solutions, soap and water (then a disinfectant) depending on the surface. Areas Including: Keeping the reservation desk, keys, writing tools clean (pens, keyboards, etc.); Employee Areas such as offices, locker rooms, laundry rooms, and entrance doors; Lobbies; Elevators and buttons; Door handles; Public bathrooms; Conference rooms; Furniture; Ice and vending machine; Water fountains.

 Supplying easy access to antibacterial hand sanitizer, hand wipes in high-touch areas such as the lobby.

Cleaning rooms with particular attention paid to high-touch items. Including: Walls (i.e. walls near beds for balance when getting up from the bed); TV remotes; Refrigerators; Coffee machines; Microwaves; Light switches; Toilet flush handles; Shower soap dispensers; Furniture; Trash cans.

Closing any exercise rooms and pool areas temporarily.

Provision of gloves and masks for employees and guests if requested.

Wash all linens at appropriate high temperatures for optimal disinfection, including adding a disinfectant to the laundry. Bedsheets and bed scarfs should be washed more frequently.

Spray curtains with disinfectant.

Be proactive about sharing specifics about your cleaning efforts to the public. Reassure guests that you are using cleaning and disinfecting protocols in your rooms. Let them know that you have increased the frequency of cleaning and disinfecting in public spaces, including contact areas such as the front desk counter, elevators and buttons, public bathrooms, and door handles.

If you have any suggestions that could help our timeshare family in decreasing the spread of this virus we would like to hear it and share it with everyone. Email us.

Best Regards and Keep Well!

From the TSS Staff

References:
WHO – Getting your workplace ready for COVID-19
https://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/advice-for-workplace-clean-19-03-2020.pdf
CDC – Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3990.pdf
CDC – Cleaning and Disinfection Recommendations
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/disinfecting-building-facility.html
The New England Journal of Medicine (updated)
https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMc2004973
medRxiv
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.09.20033217v1.full.pdf