welkconnect - Welk Resorts

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APRIL 2013 NEWSLETTER
Your
Owners
Lounge
Winning
Award
Resort
Mountain Villas
New Construction
San Diego • Palm Springs • Branson • Cabo San Lucas
Transformation
Owner
Services
Growing
Our Team
Table of Contents
1-3
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4-5
6
7
8
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9
From our General Managers
Owners Lounge Expansion
Mountain Villas Expansion
Your Award Winning Resort
Owner Services Expansion
Associate Spotlight
Day Use at Welk Resorts!
Interval International Owner Assistance
Recreational Day Use 2013
Welk Resorts • Cabo San Lucas
welkconnect
Welcome from Jon Fredricks - Welk Resorts, President
To our Dear Welk Family of Owners,
I would like to take a minute and introduce our brand new Welk Owners Newsletter. This newsletter was created with the
sole purpose of sending you information and insights on what is happening here at Welk Resorts. As you know, we value
each of our Welk Family and want to keep you abreast of all the exciting changes and events as we go continue to grow in
the new year. We hope you find the information helpful and of course, please feel free to reach out to us and let us know
how we’re doing.
From our General Managers
Dathan Atchison - Welk Resort, Branson, Mo.
While the area is a little quiet during the winter season, it’s
been very busy at our resort in Branson. Our teams have
been working around the clock to renovate the Hotel and
it’s looking great! Portions of the project are just about
completed and the guests who’ve stayed with us so far
have been thrilled. This total renovation literally includes
everything from floor to ceiling. Working with Juli Russell
Designs, we’ve implemented a concept that is tasteful and
compliments the feel of the Ozarks region. Of course the
improvements didn’t stop at the guest room door. All of our
public areas, meeting rooms, lobby and guest registration
will also get a facelift, with targeted completion dates of
late April. It’s warm, inviting and we’re sure our guests are
going to love it.
During this slower paced time of the year, our guests have
loved spending time in our cozy and rustic Lodges at Tim-
ber Ridge. Relaxing by the fireplace is certainly a favorite
past time on a cool, crisp winter night. Maintenance weeks
were completed over the winter months as well, with our
team taking advantage of the quiet to fine tune each unit
with annual preventative care and upkeep.
March 14th kicks off our theatre season as TV’s most
popular game show returns to Branson! The Price is Right
Live, Stage Show premiered with us last season and was
a bit hit! Huge audience participation and all the games
we love, from Plinko to the Big Wheel. There are dozens of
winners in every show, so Come on Down to Win! It’s also
not too early to begin making plans to see the legendary
entertainer Tony Orlando. Tony will be performing for his
20th and Final Season here in Branson this November. Be
sure to catch this inspiring and wonderful performance
before it’s gone.
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
Of course there is always so much to see and do in Branson. Silver Dollar City is adding a new $10 million dollar
roller coaster, Outlaw Run and travel options into the area
abound with the addition of Southwest Airlines.
We’re working hard and preparing for a fantastic season
and look forward to welcoming you and providing a wonderful vacation experience!
ites are the deep Mexican massage, relaxing Mexican
massage, reflexology and a neck and shoulder massage.
Most services are in our Cabana where you can relax and
be in touch with nature. and experience the relaxation
with our SPA services and be in touch with the nature, but
of course we offer in room treatments as well.
The engineering Team has been hard at work to keep a
well maintained and beautiful resort. They’ve recently
completed painting the exterior of building 1, finished
the wood beams and sealed the pool deck. The resort is
ready for your visit.
Que el sol siempre brillará sobre ti – until next time we
meet!
Alejandro Neri
Welk Resort, Cabo San Lucas, Mx
Hola from the beautiful resort of Sirena Del Mar! The sun is
usually shining down on Cabo San Lucas, and even when
it’s not we still have fun with our guests. We have created
two signature events for our guests here, Friday Fiesta
and the Sunday Pool Party, and the guests are loving it.
Chef Jesus along with our restaurant manager Jaime have
been working hard to create a brand new breakfast and
lunch menu which we think all the guests will enjoy. “The
Palapa” restaurant is now featuring “Moon Light Dinner”
where all the guests can soak in the breath taking view on
the terrace while enjoying the explosion of flavor with the
menu of local seafood.
Bill Palmer
Welk Resort, Dessert Oasis, Ca.
Greetings from the sunny California desert.
Also speaking of guest experience, our activities director
Manny is always thinking up new attractions and experiences at the resort like Monday Tequila tasting, where
everyone can learn all about tequila from production to
different types of it. For our active guests you can find
Manny in the pool leading the new Aqua Zumba class.
2012 was another great year for us at the Welk Resort Desert Oasis. Occupancy at the resort was strong with many
positive comments from our owners, exchange guests,
and renters. We once again enjoyed top billing with both of
the exchange companies and were able to boast about our
Gold Crown rating with RCI and our Premier Status with
II for 2012. What’s even more exciting is we have already
been awarded those same ratings for the 2013 year, as
well as being rated number 1 for Hotels in Cathedral City
on Trip advisor.
Our spa has added a few new packages incorporating the
newest relaxation therapies. Our guests all time favor-
In 2012 we completed the remodel of the kitchens and
baths in 34 of our 162 units, including new cabinets, floor
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
tile, granite counter tops, plumbing fixtures, and stainless
steel kitchen appliances. We will continue with another 34
units schedule for this summer. We are bringing HD television and upgraded flat panels into the villas as well.
The front entrance to the lobby and the breezeway also
saw a facelift, changing out the stamped concrete with
fresh awesome looking interlocking pavers and added a
bright new desert landscape under the portico. We will be
turning to our lobby shortly, renovating this area to give it a
new fresh update look that many of you have been asking
for.
We are always looking for new types of fun to bring to you
here in the Desert , like evening BBQ’s and family activities. We always love to hear what you think, so if you have
any ideas or suggests please email our Activities Director
Robert at Rburke@welkgroup.com. Of course, for the golf
and tennis players in the group – don’t forget our Cathedral
Canyon Country Club and our lit tennis facility.
Well that’s all for now. We look forward to your next visit
here with us and by all means let us know if there is anything we can do to make your visits more enjoyable!
you would be greeted with a three story banner showcasing South Pacific. We also have our Front Desk lobby and
associates in South Pacific “theme” which has created a
lot of fun for our guests and associates. The remainder of
the Theatre season consists of Chicago, Hairspray and A
Welk Family Christmas. Our two signature weekly events,
Farmers Market (Monday) and Festival Under The Lights
(Tuesday) continue to please our owners and guests. We
have grown to over 100 vendors and now have our CFO
(chief fun officer), Josh Riffe hosting both events.
Speaking of our CFO, Josh has expanded an already
robust activities program with many new attractions and
experiences. One new program I’m excited about is our
Media Center. This allows young and old the ability to
make movies and have fun writing and creating story
boards utilizing our activities staff to produce a movie that
guests will have for the rest of their lives.
Our Canyon Grille recently updated their breakfast menu
and are currently developing family dining to go packages, as well as a whole new lunch and dinner menu. The
Galleria has been getting creative this past year, our guests
love our new Welk Champagne and Lawrence Welk coffee
mugs which are just the beginning of some new and fun
items they will be carrying.
On the construction front we are continuing our renovations of our Villas on the Green. These consist of new carpeting, furniture, bedding, cabinets, painting and counter
tops which is receiving rave reviews. We have currently
completed 132 of the 288 units. We continue to strive to
exceed our guest expectation keeping our service and
property looking fresh and beautiful.
We look forward to seeing you in San Diego.
Sean Coogan
Welk Resort, San Diego, Ca.
We’re very excited about 2013 at Welk Resort San Diego.
Our team has put together a number of guest experiences
and offerings that will create memories to cherish for a lifetime. To start, we have an exciting theatre season for 2013
starting with the Roger & Hammerstein’s classic musical
South Pacific. Right now if you were to drive on property
Josh Riffe
Chief Fun Officer
We’ve been having lots of fun designing brand new activities for our already robust activities program, were excited
to launch many new attractions and experiences. One
new program I’m excited about is WOW Studios. In this
day-camp style program, our younger guests will become
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
the actors, directors and producers in their own media
project. The projects include movie trailer making, comic book creations, music video making and stop motion
animation. As WOW Studios grows, so will the programming, expanding to our more mature guests as well with
tech classes about how to use your smart phone, Facebook for Adults and more. Be sure to also check out our
newly reinvented Vacation Kick Off Show/Party as well.
Beginning March 24th, this new production will include a
guest appearance by members of the cast of Chicago with
a taste of what’s to come on stage plus hilarious guest
participation, all hosted by me, the CFO.
Owners Lounge Transformation
If you haven’t visited ownserslounge.welkresorts.com
you’re in for a big surprise. The Owners Lounge has been
going through some major transformations lately and we
think its expansion is exciting.
Now most Owners have the ability to book your reservations or check availability online, whenever you want.
The new lounge also allows you to check your current
vacation balances, review existing reservations, pay your
annual maintenance fees, purchase insurance, update
your information, request your vacation be deposited to
II or RCI and many other conveniences. Depending on
your ownership, you may also be able to book full and split
weeks, future years, accrue your points and make day
use reservations. This allows you the freedom to maintain
your Vacation Ownership when it’s convenient for you.
“We sat down with our Owner Services and IT teams and
developed a very intricate list of all the services that we felt
would be beneficial to our Owners. Our IT team took the
ball and ran with it, developing one of the most dynamic
applications to ever be offered within our industry. We are
thrilled to say that we are the only Vacation Ownership
company that can provide our Owners with such a robust,
full service portal that allows for booking of reservations as
well as an array of online services.“ said Glen Clinton, Vice
President of Resort Operations.
To be able to access the new Lounge you’ll need to register using your owner ID. Of course feel free to reach out
to our Owner Service agents any time you need personal
care, we are always happy to speak with you.
Mountain Villas - New Construction
Construction is well under way at Welk Resorts San Diego
with the expansion of Mountain Villa’s up on the hill behind
the Fountains Golf Course. We broke ground last fall and
have been watching the buildings rise quickly before our
eyes. The current projects are comprised of two buildings making up a total of 36 new villas. The first building,
which is slated to be completed in July of 2013 will include
12 new two bedroom lockoffs. Each two bedroom unit is
1,435 square feet and the lock off measured out to 584
square feet. The second building, slated for completion
in September 2013, will boast our very first three bedroom
villas at Welk San Diego. The new building will include 6 –
two bedroom non lock off Villas at 1,430 square feet a unit
and 6 three bedroom non lock off Villas at 1,575 square
feet a unit. Both new building will be designed with the
same luxury appointments as our current Mountain Villas.
Your Award Winning Resort
Last year was a big year for the baby in our family of
resorts. Welk Resorts Sirena Del Mar received two awards
of distinction during the year - the Trip Advisor Travellers
Choice award and the Expedia Insiders Select Award as
well as receiving high rankings in customer satisfaction.
The TripAdvisors Travellers Choice Award is received by
less than one percent of all accommodations listed on
TripAdvisor. Hotels and resorts are selected by their trip
advisor ratings which are received from guests of the
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
resort. Sirena del Mar also has the distinction of being
ranked 10 out of 25 of the top 25 Relaxation/Spa hotels in
Mexico for 2013.
Cabo also received the Expedia Insiders Select award for
being one of Expedia’s top-ranked properties. This is an
annual award recognizing the very best hotels available on
Expedias’ 30 branded travel sites worldwide, as judged
by the experiences of Expedia’s customers. Cabo was
one of only 650 selected winners worldwide and has been
identified as consistently delivering superior services, an
exceptional guest experience and notable value. Earning
a place on the select list is a testament to ongoing commitment to excellence.
“I am very proud of my staff here at Sirena del Mar and all
of the hard work they put in to make sure that our Owners
and guests have an experience that will last a lifetime. For
us to receive such high rankings in customer satisfaction
is a testimony to their hard work, and the Trip Advisor
Traveller’s choice award and Expedia Insiders Select award
proved that all of our hard work pays off. Of course it is
nothing compared to the smiles on our Owners and guests
faces. “ Alejandro Neri, General Manager, Welk Resorts
Sirena del Mar.
Owner Services began a transformation that included
moving to a new facility and expanding the call center.
The team then built a highly intense training program for
all new Owner Service Agents. Each agent is put through
an 8 week program before they are put on the phones with
our Owners.
“We want to make sure that each of our agents hits the
ground running to better serve our Owners. They must
be able to answer any question and handle any challenge
without difficulty” said Ellis.
The class of January 2013 consisted of 11 new agents
and the plan is to add another 21 before the end of the
year. These additions have shown a dramatic decrease in
on-hold times, better customer service and more attention
paid to each of our individual owners.
Owner Services – Growing Our Team
Breckenridge, CO
We are pleased to announce a new addition to our Welk
Resort Family, in January we finalized plans to expand into
Breckenridge, Co.
Ann Ellis, Director of Owner Services and her team are
always looking for more ways to make their team more
efficient to assist our Owners more effectively. As call volumes increased by 33% from 2011 to 2012, the need to increase the Owners Service department became necessary.
“The opportunity to open in the beautiful Alpine town of
Breckenridge will not only provide additional value to our
owners and guests who enjoy the Welk family of resorts,
but also provide a unique experience for world-class skiing
in the winter and unparalleled beauty and activity in the
summer months for Welk’s new resort property” said Michael Gehrig, President of Sales and Marketing.
“With most of our existing 44,000 owners residing in the
Western U.S. and Missouri, Colorado is the ideal ski resort
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
location to add to our Welk family of resorts.”
This is an exciting time for our company, and even more so
for our family of owners, as we begin the process of establishing our beautiful new property in Breckenridge.”
Resting on 6.5 acres of land on the Blue River in Breckenridge, the new resort will consist of 126 luxurious
units, in a mix of one- bedroom, one-bathroom suites,
large one-bedroom, one-bathroom villas and deluxe
two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas, each with a kitchen,
living room, dining area, balcony or patio and fireplace.
It will also house a Preview and Meetings Center, lobby,
housekeeping and maintenance facility as well as employee housing. Plans are still being designed to include an
owners lounge, state-of-the-art fitness center, game room,
movie room, indoor/outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, fire-pits and
BBQ areas.
The property is framed by mountains, including views
of the Breckenridge ski area. We plan to provide shuttle
service to connect our guests to the base of the mountain,
which is a quick five minute drive away. There is also a
bicycle path for our summer guests that connects Breckenridge with Vail, Colorado. The location on the Blue River
is a favorite fly-fishing spot.
“To me the Rocky Mountain experience is breath-taking - the beauty and majesty of the mountains combined
with the kindness, hospitality and warmth of the people
of Breckenridge makes this a tremendous opportunity for
Welk Resorts. Vail Resorts operates one of Colorado’s best
ski areas at Breckenridge, and the expansion plans for the
mountain are impressive” says Jon Fredricks, President of
Welk Resorts.
Associate Spotlight
While Welk Resort Group is proud of its latest physical and
digital growth, we are extremely proud of the growth of our
associates. ARDA LEAPS is a new program through the
American Resort Development Association, designed to
develop and educate future leaders committed to serving
the shared vacation ownership industry. This is a one year
program that offers association leadership development
for individuals at various management levels within ARDA
member companies. Each individual must be nominated
and accepted to the program and agree to make a minimum of a one year commitment. The goal of the program
is to help industry professionals become future leaders. We
are very proud to announce that Aundralise Diaz de Leon
was nominated and accepted into the program.
“We are very honored to have Aundralise represent Welk
in the ARDA LEAPS program. We are confident she will
portray Welk in only the finest light and are very fortunate
to have her on our team” says Jon Fredericks, President of
Welk Resorts.
“She has been a shining example of what it means to be
committed to our Owners and always puts her best and
brightest foot forward for us.”
Aundralise started with the Welk
Family in 2005 and in less than
two years assumed her role as
Vacation Ownership Inventory
Manager, a new position that was
designed to aid with the changing environment and new growth
of the resorts. She quickly analyzed the needs of the company
and became instrumental in the
development of inventory coordination, trending and reporting for
best utilization of inventory. “Aundralise took the initiative to create new reports that allow us to make relevant
occupancy forecasts. By providing this information, the
resort is able to not only staff accordingly, but focus on the
needs of our owners and exchange guests” says Ann Ellis,
Director of Owner Services.
“It is so amazing to me how much faith this company and
the leaders of this company have in me and my abilities.
And I promise to do everything I can to represent Welk as
finely as you all have” said Aundralise.
Congratulations Aundralise from
the entire Welk Family!
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
Day Use at Welk Resorts!
It’s that time again! Summer is right around the corner and we want you to come enjoy our San Diego and Branson properties. Please remember the following rules
San Diego:
• Day Use reservations are required for
Holiday Weekends and Friday, Saturday and
Sundays during June, July and August.
• Please log onto Welk Resorts website
(www.welkresorts.com) and log into your
Owner’s Lounge Account. You may
reserve dates online 2 to 30 days in advance
to obtain a Day Use Reservation Number.
• Two guests are allowed per Owner Card.
• Children are considered guests. All owner
children under 18 are allowed and are not
included in the guest count.
• Owners and Guests may be required to
park in our lower parking lots or street
parking. Shuttle Service is available from
9:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. from Memorial
Weekend through Labor Day Weekend.
• Bring your Owner Membership Card and ID
• Cards are not transferable and may be used
only by the person to whom they are issued.
Branson Splash-A-Torium:
• Call ahead to verify our maximum capacity.
• Check In at the Front Desk.
• Bring your Owner Membership Card and ID.
• Two guests are allowed per Owner Card.
• Children are considered guests. All owner
children under18 are allowed and are not
included in the guest count.
• You will be issued a colored wrist band for
the day.
• Daily 10am-10pm Seasonal hours may
apply in the winter months.
Call the resort to verify operating hours.
• Welk Resorts Branson (417) 336-3575
Interval International Owner Assistance
Let us help you plan an exchange vacation now. Call
Owner Services to deposit your time and then use the
“Welk Hotline” for Interval International to place your
exchange vacation request (866-909-9355). If you are
staying at Welk Resort San Diego, visit Marilyn Fraser our
on-site Interval International Representative. She is happy to personally assist. Appointments are available daily
excluding Saturday and Wednesday.
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com
RECREATIONAL DAY USE 2013
As part of our Vacation Ownership Family, you are entitled to year-round day use of the
recreational facilities at Melody Hill, Broadway Hill, Harmony Hill and Boulder Springs Club
House, Mountain Springs Club House and all water slides.
Day Use Pr ivile ge s
• 2 (two) guests per card holder, maximum of 3 (three) people per card. Ownership Card and
ID required. Children are counted as guests.*
• All fees must be current to utilize Day Use privileges.
• For your parking pass, please sign in and out with the Main Villa Gate or Day Use Booth.
They will have a list of all confirmed reservations for the day. Please have your reservation
number (on days requiring reservations), Owner Card and ID ready.
• Owners utilizing Day Use are limited to one car. Owners and Guests will be required to park
in our lower parking lots or street parking. Shuttle Service is available daily from 9 am to 8pm
from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• Please accompany your guests at all times. Guests are required to leave with you.
• One cooler (small size) per group is allowed at all Recreation Centers EXCEPT Mountain
Springs. NO coolers and NO outside food or beverages are permitted at Mountain Springs,
where food and beverages are available for purchase from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
• NO glass containers allowed at any recreation center/pool area, at any time.
• Please bring your own towels. Towels are NOT provided at recreation centers.
• Lost your card? New cards may be ordered from Owner Services for $15 each.
• Temporary cards can be obtained from Front Desk for $5 each.
• Remember, Day Use cards are non-transferable.
Re se r vation Sche dule
Winte r/Sp r ing
New Year’s ‘13: Dec 28–Jan 1
Spring Break: March 22-24
Easter:
March 29-31
Spring Break:
April 5-7
Mother’s Day: May 10-12
Memorial Day:
May 24-27
Summe r
June / July / August
Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays
Father’s Day:
June 14-16
Independence Day: July 4-7
Fa ll / Winte r
Labor Day: Aug 30--Sept 2
Thanksgiving: Nov 28--Dec 1
Christmas:
Dec 20-25
New Year’s ‘14: Dec 27–Jan 1
We will reserve ample space throughout all of the recreation centers to accommodate Day
Use guests; however, space will be limited to a first reserved basis. Even with a reservation,
Resort Safety may deem that a specific pool is "full" (based on owners staying on property
with first rights to use). In this case, they will direct you to another pool. Owner must make
reservations no more than 30 days and no less than 2 days in advance. Reservations may
be made through our Owner Services Department in one of two ways:
1.Log onto your online Owner’s Lounge page at ownerslounge.welkresorts.com
and select the Day Use button to make a reservation (you must be a registered user).
2.Call Owner Services at 1-800-240-9342.
Please bring your confirmation numbers. Day Use Hours are 9am–8pm daily.
*Excluding the day use owner's children under 18 years of age. **Advance reservations are required.
This program is made available at the discretion of the Board of Directors and the Management
Company and may be changed or modified at any time without notice.
8860 Lawrence Welk Drive • Escondido, CA 92026
www.welkresorts.com