Remembering Anil Rathor

On the 30th of June, AIRDA lost one of its most inspired guiding lights. B.S. Rathor (fondly known as Anil) was a passionate campaigner for all that AIRDA stood for and meant, in India’s world of timeshare and vacation ownership.

For the team at AIRDA, he was our guide, mentor, sounding board, and yes, a friend you could shoot the breeze with – discussing ideas, content direction and the sensible way forward.

Anil was a key member of the think tank that laid the cornerstone for AIRDA, the organization. He also helped put in place the building blocks of a structure that was increasingly strong from within. Anil’s perspective here was visionary and his thinking was far-reaching. He also contributed a great deal to the defining aspects of what AIRDA set out to do in the industry and how it gained ground in terms of endeavor and achievement.

For the month of July, in our Message for the Month, we feature tributes and memories shared by the people Anil spent tireless days and countless hours with, to give AIRDA direction, purpose and a value proposition that was shared by resort members, stakeholders and other associates that joined its fold.

B. S. Rathor
Till recently, he was Advisor & Member on AIRDA’s Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – July 2019

Read Full Post »

Widening your circle of brand ambassadors . . .

Hello and welcome to my Message of the Month.

This month we feature a very unusual story in our Q&A feature. We feature someone who has been to a Club Mahindra resort almost every year, for the last ten years – not as a first level customer, but as a family member coming in as a guest. For all practical purposes he is a regular “consumer” of a fast-evolving timeshare marketplace.

Looking closer at the narrative, it certainly makes you think.

It can make you think about consumer profiles in a rather different way. It’s not just our primary customers who have something to share in terms of a first-hand experience of the merits and benefits of timeshare. Their guests and other family members are equally qualified to share opinions, feedback and tell stories about the wonderful time they had at the resort. (They will also have photos and videos to take back as memories, and to showcase all the good times.)

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – June 2019

Read Full Post »

When you don’t want your vacation to end . . .

This month we feature an interesting story that’s so much a part of every vacation seeker’s mind space – post-vacation blues. In our Q&A section, we talk to travel blogger Shama Ahmed about the various shades of post vacation blues, and ways to get over that empty feeling.

I’m sure you know what we are talking about here – it’s that dull hangover you might experience at the end of a vacation. Simply because we just don’t want the vacation to end.

So, what’s my own perspective on post-vacation blues? (And there’s some logical reasoning out here.) Each experience in life has a life cycle – which means there is a beginning and there is an end.  Even Sunday turns into Monday, and you will only see that weekend in your rear-view mirror.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – May 2019

 

Read Full Post »

Spare a thought for people working so hard in customer service

This story of mine has to do with feedback, customer feedback at a hotel, resort, or maybe a home-stay location. (That little slip of paper where you have tick-boxes on service levels.) Some of these have smileys with different expressions – ranging from happy, to hopping mad.

And there are times when, out of sheer reflex action linked to a particular incident, we tend to award “minus” points to the resort, on ALL other counts. Though this is completely understandable, I would suggest that you take the broader, more considerate view.

 

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – February 2019

Read Full Post »

Why January is a good time to make your holiday plans

One of the challenges of today’s world is to get the entire family on the same page of the calendar. We’re talking about wives, husbands and children who need to align and coordinate their free time – with a little give and take. It also means getting grandparents, uncles and aunts from different locations to wing their way to your holiday destination.

Every year we send out messages via our social media channels, reminding people that it’s a good time to plan your getaways for the year. Especially if they have a timeshare plan in place. “January” is a nice time for renewal, because the month brings in a newness that goes with making plans and resolutions. It also serves as a topical reminder for important things to do on your calendar.

So, here we are, once again, urging you to make time slots during the year for those well deserved breaks.

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – January 2019

Read Full Post »

Views on wildlife from the perch of a jeep

Over the last few months, we have featured some of the country’s best-known travel writers. These are people who venture into uncharted territories to tell a story – a story that’s untold. They do this through a narrative that takes us right there – right in the middle of it.

And unlike most of us who take a break from work, these travel writers take their breaks from travel to be with family and friends.

While their life and lifestyle sounds interesting, things can be difficult – because you’re always on the move. For some people, sunrise could be at one location and sunset, in a totally different geography. But they still do it, with unbridled enthusiasm that fuels every step, every mile, and every journey that they undertake.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – September 2018

Read Full Post »

Two big names come together for the Big Idea

This month we have an interesting interview on our Q&A update with Mr. Rajiv Agarwal – Head of Marketing Operations at Salarpuria Sattva Group. And what really makes interesting reading here is the idea his team has come up with, linked to a sales promotion offer with RCI.

Along with an apartment in a pre-designated project of theirs, customers are awarded a vacation ownership plan for 21 years – now add to that, an exclusive five year membership with RCI. That’s “happiness” in one word.

Looking at this closely, I find total synergy in this co-branded promotion. The company making the offer and the organization delivering the experience are large trusted brands – there is a logical and meaningful fit in the two names coming together.

This is an idea that might just bring a whole new demographic into play – previously not accessed or reached by vacation ownership developers. It will most certainly accelerate the rate of initial trial and first user experience of vacation ownership products.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – August 2018

Read Full Post »

Do new-age professionals take time off from work?

I often spend time talking to people at airports, malls and other public spaces about how they spend their free time. And these conversations are primarily done to bridge the generation gap. And maybe even learn how millennials work, play and take a welcome break when they need to.

Millennials are known to approach life and living differently. They have new-age professions and take on an amazing degree of work pressure. But when the time comes to let off steam, they readily embrace a well-deserved break – unlike many of my generation, who did not really think about work-life balance.

I analyzed my discussions with these youngsters with the objective of drawing out meaningful take-aways – for new customers and readers of this article. Each little take-away capsule is like a nugget of advice that can get you planning and thinking – a small survival kit of thoughts and feedback.

Be my guest.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – July 2018

Read Full Post »

Job opportunities in hospitality – home sweet home

For most young job and career aspirants, leaving their hometown to seek greener pastures in large cities always seems to be the first step. To a large extent that is true – but for those looking for a stepping stone to a career in hospitality, starting at the lower rungs is also a very good opportunity. Especially if you don’t have the exposure or experience. .

At mid-to-senior levels most hospitality jobs call for relevant qualifications and experience. For early job seekers, a basic degree and a whole lot of promise are useful qualifiers. Young employees starting at the bottom can learn on the job and later choose to do a professional course in their area of interest.

This way you get your first job in your hometown, and also start earning a salary to support yourself. Your first job at a home-location is useful and convenient in more ways than one.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – June 2018

Read Full Post »

How an international business model in vacations can take root in India

Over the years I have watched timeshare from the ringside – as a committee member at AIRDA. I have also been inside the ring, as a timeshare customer. And I am happy to say that I can see that the product offering and the service support around it, has gone up several notches.

If I were to look back just twenty years at the “typical customer”, I can see someone who would duck every opportunity to go on a vacation. Because he looked at holidays as an intrusion into workspace – with the Boss, happily agreeing with that sentiment. His family on the other hand, waited patiently for things to ease at office.

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member – Executive Committee

More on this story at the link below >
Message of the Month – May 2018

 

Read Full Post »