Club Las Calas - Resort Solutions

N E W S U P D AT E
Club Las Calas
W I N T E R 2 0 1 5 w w w . r e s o r t - s o l u t i o n s . c o . u k
CC1115-115162
Creating a lifetime
of holiday memories
year after year
Chairman’s letter
Well, it has been an eventful year.
When I wrote to you after the AGM, I told
you that we, as your elected committee, had
a number of priorities to address including
tackling the challenges of the bars and
restaurants, the sales situation following
notice of the termination of the CLC contract
and commitment to continue to look at
helping owners who have weeks for resale.
Taking these in order:
We put out a survey to owners with 4
options for the bars and restaurants and
have received some good feedback – not as
much as we would have liked but we have
got a very clear picture of where you seem
to want to go with this thorny problem. We
are now looking to progress the ideas and
will be in a position to start to make changes
well before the summer period next year.
These will include some rejigging of what
we offer in each facility, and will make both
of them more efficient and welcoming. We
know that service and menu choice are of
prime importance to you and these issues
are being addressed as I write. We are now
looking in depth at the costings and long
term potential to turn the current losses
around. In the interim we are trialling new
initiatives such as the theme nights in 361,
which have proved popular. I would stress
though that we all have a part to play, we
will need all owners to try out the facilities
and, once they prove to be what you want
from your holiday destination, use them.
When we put out any survey (in the future
we may need to solicit your views on other
matters important to you) we need to
alert you to our request quickly and easily
and we want to get as many responses
as possible. The best way to do this is by
email as additional postage costs cannot
be justified. Therefore, please tell us your
up-to-date email address so that we can
ensure the database is current. Please
email Resort Solutions with these details
now, and at the end of January we will
identify an owner with a registered email
address as the recipient of a free rental
week at Las Calas – in either 2016 or
2017 to include a complimentary meal for
two in one of the on-site restaurants.
Speaking of Resort Solutions I am pleased
to tell you that, after exhaustive investigations
into alternative service providers and the
possibility of managing the Club in house,
we followed a rigorous procurement process
which concluded (in agreement with fellow
Directors of CMS Ltd) that RSL should be
appointed as the provider of Management
Services for the clubs under the Diamond
Group umbrella for a further eight years.
Collectively we believe that RSL offer the
best fit for the needs of the clubs. Under
the new agreement all the Clubs will benefit
financially from re-negotiated terms including
the removal of any ongoing contractual
bonus award. This clause was championed
by the previous Chairman of Las Calas as it
was felt that a bonus award would encourage
the management company to strive to
deliver better results. The current board of
Directors feel that delivering results should
be expected, rather than rewarded, and as
such this benefit to RSL has been removed
from the revised contract. Also, under the
new contract, the award of any inflationary
annual increase in management charge
is linked to UK CPI rather than RPI. The
need for investment in new IT infrastructure
to support the service the Management
Company can give to us has been agreed
and work has already started on this. Finally,
the Service Level Agreement (SLA) which
forms the basis of the services provided
under the management agreement has
been completely re-drafted and brought up
to date to reflect the needs of the individual
Clubs, and the service delivery expected
from the management company. We are
extremely confident that together with RSL
we are in a good position to move forward
with the development needed in our Club.
As I advised at the AGM, the contract with
CLC will be terminated at the end of the year
and we expect the CLC sales personnel to
have left by then. The good news is that the
weeks CLC took on as part of the contract
will remain in their hands. We will continue
to benefit from the maintenance income
this brings and we will still see their guests
enjoying our resort and the facilities we offer.
We are fully aware of the need to find an
alternative and creative means of getting
new owners to take over club owned
weeks, as well as finding a way to openly
promote resale weeks on behalf of our
owners. As I told you before, we are
restricted by the resolution passed at the
2010 AGM to NOT re-instate the owners’
resale list. The Committee think that times
have changed and owners may now have
different views. Please tell us if you agree
by sending a message to the committee
email address. We have had to make the
decision not to open the Privilege Club
for new membership in 2016, but we will
consider this decision annually. We are well
on the way to solutions to these difficult
issues and I expect to be able to bring
you completely up to date at next year’s
AGM - but should we make headway
quicker than that I will put information on
the Club’s website, so keep looking.
For some time now, I have had owners
request that the owners’ site meetings are
reintroduced. This was reinforced at the AGM
and the owners’ meeting recommenced in
September. The meetings are going well with
a full exchange of views taking place and
with Rachel able to keep owners informed
on resort matters. I hope they continue to be
positive and constructive meetings. The big
issue that has come out of these meetings
is the WiFi connection on site. Whilst there
are some infrastructure issues to overcome
we are hopeful of a more adequate solution
being in place in the foreseeable future.
The refurbishment of the apartments
continues to remain on track and we have
received very positive feedback. I am
pleased to see that the resort continues to
look good, despite all the building work going
on, and I thank you all for your patience – it
will all be worth it! Along the way we have
identified other areas where change may
be made to the resort whilst the area in
question is closed to visitors. We continue to
listen to feedback from owners and guests
staying in refurbished apartments and will
keep these in mind as we move forward.
Rachel’s update gives you more detail on
some of these additional improvements.
The leisure centre roof has been replaced
and the entrance to the centre has been
improved. When we start work on Las Calas
2 in earnest, we will fit the (much needed)
drainage around the bar area so visitors who
are on site during wet weather no longer
have the issue with the bar floor flooding.
During the refurbishment programme,
the availability of additional rental weeks
will continue to be more limited so if you
are not using your week, please put it
up for rent with Resort Solutions.
I am pleased to confirm that we have once
again retained RCI Gold Crown status
and my thanks go to the management
teams both on and off site for their
involvement in this achievement.
We also continue to get good feedback
from guests visiting from our exchange
partners. Recently Dial an Exchange
acknowledged the excellent feedback and
reviews from their guests exchanging into
Las Calas, which they say is a favourite
destination resort for their members.
We are always conscious of the need to
keep maintenance fees at an acceptable
level, so ownership at Las Calas continues
to offer great value for money. Despite
the financial impact on the club of the
termination of the CLC contract, I am
pleased to tell you that the increase in fees
for 2016 has been kept down to 2.21%
for those owners paying in sterling. This
means that for a 1 bedroom apartment
the weekly fee increase is only £6.50.
From January 2016 the utility fee will increase
to €20 per week. This obviously only affects
non owners as owners will continue to
receive a full credit in the form of a voucher
to be used in the bars. This increase is the
first since the fee was introduced in 2013.
The committee have revisited the future
needs of the club and are committed
to the following mission statement:
To deliver exceptional holiday
experiences for all, by providing
quality accommodation, great onsite facilities and value for money.
We will continue to ensure that everything we
consider or put forward to you fits this goal.
Best Wishes for a Happy Christmas
and prosperous New Year.
Mike West
Chairman
News AGM
The 2016 Annual General Meeting for Club Las
Calas will take place on Sunday 12th June 2016
starting at 1.00pm. The meeting will take place at
the Kettering Park Hotel, Kettering, Northants.
Further information will be forwarded to all members closer to
the date. The Scottish Information meeting will take place at
The Glasgow City Hotel on Saturday 30th April at 11.00am.
Plan your way to a great holiday!
Holidays are all about great times and
great memories, but don’t risk having a
holiday from hell by not planning ahead.
Of course, there is always the unknown,
but if you can tick the list below
before you travel you should be in for
a lovely holiday, and will be protected
should the unforeseen happen:
1. Complete your holiday planner (and
return it to RSL!). This helps the resort
to prepare your accommodation to
meet your requirements, and if at
all possible, have it available for you
on arrival. If you do not complete
your holiday planner and return it
to RSL you may not be allocated
the apartment that you own.
2. Get travel insurance sorted.
This is an absolute must, but it is
amazing how many people think
they can rely on the European
Health Insurance Card (EHIC).
3. Check your passport and EHIC
are in date (do this early!).
4. Protect your spending money by
using a currency card rather than
carrying cash around with you.
5. Check out the current restrictions
regarding carry-on luggage.
Helpful websites:
www.resort-solutions.co.uk
(where you can complete your holiday planner online)
www.gov.uk/european-health-insurance-card
(where you can apply for your EHIC)
www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-restrictions
www.gov.uk/apply-renew-passport
Resort update
Refurbishment 2015 and beyond
“WOW”, “Amazing”, “Beautiful”, “Quality”,
“Fantastic” and “Transformed”
Just some of the descriptions you use
on first seeing the newly refurbished
apartments. Some 56 apartments have
now been completed on schedule and
on budget in 2015. This is an excellent
achievement, Paco and the Team deserve
to be congratulated. Not only have they
delivered what was promised, but more:
exterior white and green paintwork; exterior
lighting improved; gardens redesigned,
adding colour and variety; troublesome
palm trees removed in Calas III; extra en
suite shower room added to 4 of the two
bedroom units in Calas III; and of course the
added extras in the duplex apartments of
new handrail, telephone downstairs, more
cupboard space and new kitchen windows.
guests, the committee are proposing that
modifications are made to the bathrooms in
apartments 101, 247, 267 and 320 to make
them more comfortable and accessible
for less mobile guests. The proposal is to
widen the doorway into the bathroom and
replace the existing baths with a walk-in
shower. The committee believe that this is
something that is needed, and will also help
those existing owners who are less mobile.
Mimosa will be the first area to be
completed in 2016, starting in week 53
and then reopening at the end of week 6.
Apartments 263 and 268 will have an added
en suite shower room; the pool will also be
repaired and repainted. We then move into
Calas II in week 14 and reopen at the end of
week 23. This area will be one of the most
A new ramp has been built between Calas
disruptive as reception and Skyline are both
I and Calas II, which means that every
apartment can now be accessed easily from located within it. We also need to close the
ramp connecting Calas II and Mimosa. We
the lift. This is great news for everyone and
will keep Skyline open as much as possible,
enables ease of movement of luggage and
assists our less physically able visitors. Also, but during the demolition stage we will
close during the day and re-open at 18.30
in an effort to cater for a wider audience of
for Happy Hour. 361 will serve breakfasts
during this period of closure. Updates
will be posted on the website. For the full
refurbishment schedule please login to the
owners section on the Las Calas website.
Resort solutions have, or will be, writing
to everyone that is directly affected by the
refurbishment in the future. We have kept
all owners and guests informed and this
has resulted in very few dissatisfied guests.
Please remember that during 2016 and the
first half of 2017 we will be utilising Club
owned weeks to re-allocate owners, and
as such you may find availability limited
at certain times of year. Our advice is to
look ahead and book as early as possible.
We would like to thank you for your
understanding during these phases of
refurbishment, everyone has been very
supportive and excited about the whole
project. The end result will give Las Calas
the power to offer even better holidays
in beautiful apartments refurbished to a
high standard that we can all be proud
of. Continuing to build on the past 30
years of improvements, yes that long!!
As many of you who have visited Las Calas
this year will know, we have introduced an
animations program led by Georgina and
Szandra. This has made a real difference to
the atmosphere on site and it is wonderful
to see so many people joining in the fun.
2016 Refurbishment schedule (Easter weeks 12 & 13)
Phase
Weeks affected
Apts to be refurbished
Total apts to be completed
1
53,01,02,03,04,05,06
263-272 (Mimosa)
10 (8 x 1 bed, 2 x 2 bed)
2
14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23
247-262 (Calas 2)
15 (13 x 1 beds, 2 x 2 beds)
3
24,25,26,27,28,29
319-322, 350, 352, 353
7 ( 6 x 1 bed, 1 x penthouse)
4
35,36,37,38,39,40
309-312, 340, 342, 343
7 ( 6 x 1 bed, 1 x penthouse)
5
41-51 incl
202-216
15 (13 x 1 bed, 2 x 2 bed)
Total: 54 apts to be completed.
NEW - Club E Card
This is our new initiative to improve
your dining experience at Las Calas.
The Club E Card can be loaded in either
facility: 361 or Skyline, and used in
either of these areas. To get started all
you need is your passport so that the
card can be initiated with an identity
number unique to you. So easy.
You can load this card with as little or as
much currency as you wish. If you load the
card with €100 we will give you a bonus of
€5. Every time you use your card you will
receive a receipt that includes the balance
left on the card. Any money left on the card
can be used on your next visit to Las Calas.
The owners vouchers can also be added
to the Club E Card, giving you an extra €15
(per week owned) to spend in either facility.
This is only the beginning of our cashless
living option at Las Calas. In the future
we hope to be able to offer this in the
Leisure Centre and Reception also.
Lanzarote Operation Santa
Christmas is a very special time of year
and should be filled with laughter, joy and
children’s faces filled with anticipation.
However, many needy children do not have
the same anticipation as their “Dear Santa”
letters are left unanswered, and they never
receive any material evidence that he exists.
Our aim is to bring Operation Santa to life
and bring Santa to needy children who
would otherwise have no Christmas at all.
Lanzarote is a small island, but unfortunately
it has an ever growing number of needy
and disadvantaged children. Being
one of the smaller islands it doesn’t
have the same kind of support from
charities as the larger islands do.
Being an island totally dependent on tourism
we thought it would be a lovely idea for
the Management & staff of the Diamond
Club group in Lanzarote to join forces and
launch “Operation Santa”, in preparation
for Christmas 2016. In order for it to be a
great success, we are asking for help and
collaboration from all our lovely owners
who return to the island year after year,
and love the island as much as we do.
We would like to invite all our owners to
donate a new toy to “Operation Santa”
when coming out to the island during 2016.
This toy can be for any age of child, from
newborn to 16 years old, and for either
gender. This can be anything from something
as simple as a pack of felt tipped pens
and a colouring book to a doll, teddy bear,
toy train, toy plane etc. Each resort will
be collecting the toys throughout 2016.
At the end of November 2016 we would
like to donate all the toys collected to the
local department of Social Services, who
will then distribute the toys to the neediest
children and local children’s home.
We feel every child deserves a new toy
at Christmas and by working together we
can help keep the magic of Santa special
for these disadvantaged children.
How to pay your invoice
On the reverse side of your invoice you will
find all the options available to make your
maintenance fee payment. It is essential
that you quote your contract number(s) as
a reference with every transaction made.
Resort Solutions can assist Owners
in paying their maintenance fees by
spreading their payments using Direct
Debit. There is a small administration
fee of 5% taken in the first instalment for
every year you elect to pay by this method.
Simply return the completed Direct Debit
mandate enclosed with your Newsletter.
Once the Direct Debit is in place, you will
not need to worry about your maintenance
fees again. Your completed mandate will be
carried over from one year to the next so there
is no need to cancel and renew at the end of
the year. You will be notified of your annual
maintenance fee as usual in December.
Don’t forget that during this
busy period you can also pay
your fees 24/7 online by visiting
www.resort-solutions.co.uk
We recommend that when
using the pay online facility,
Owners check their bank
statement before they call
RSL with any queries.
Family ‘Summer Fun’
at Las Calas
Book two consecutive rental
weeks - based on 2 adults and 2
children (12 yrs and under) sharing
a 1 bed apartment and including
breakfast. Offer available for dates
between week 26 (30th June 2016)
and week 34 (25th August 2016).
Quote: CALAS16
*Subject to availability. Book by January 31st 2016.
for just
£499*
Instagram Competition
Your best photo
memories
could win you a
fantastic prize!
We invite you to share your
memories – and you could win a
complimentary stay at Las Calas,
plus an excursion for up to 4 people!
All you need to do is upload
photographs that capture your best
holiday memories to Instagram using
the hashtag #clublascalasmemories
You will be able to see what other
owners have sent in by searching
#clublascalasmemories
For information on Instagram go
to www.instagram.com - failing
that we suggest you consult your
children or your grandchildren!
A selection of the best photographs
will be on display at the resort and the
winners announced at the 2016 AGM.
Notice to owners
staying in weeks
14-15 & 41-42, 2016
Due to the refurbishment scheduled for Las
Calas II apartments in phase 2 and phase
5 (2016), Skyline will be closed during the
daytime for weeks 14, 15, 41 & 42 and will
open at 6.30pm for happy hour. During
this period 361 will be fully operational.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
Diane Williams Staff Member
Diane Williams Staff Member of
the Year 2015
Diane has now been with us since 15th
June 2011. I am sure you will agree she
deserves this accolade of Staff Member
of the Year. She is bubbly and smiley,
with a cheeky sense of humour!
Diane was born in Hertfordshire and has
just one sister, she says that in many
ways they are complete opposites! Diane
left home at 17 to attend university and
confesses that her behaviour was not
becoming of a 17 year old student!
Lanzarote became her home in 1997
when she worked for Thomson’s as a
children’s rep, so she is used to being in
the public eye. Dressing up as a dragon, or
doing silly dances, has never fazed her.
Diane realised it was time to move on
when she was spotted singing in the
Thomson cabaret and was offered a job in
a Karaoke bar, singing and getting paid!
She went on to become the other half of the
duo “Rock Steady” with “Wey Hey Chris”
in Charlie’s Bar and describes these times
as “crazy but fun” - once over, she swore
she would never sing in public again. Then
along came Sharon and the formation
of the most popular duo in Lanzarote:
“Sweet Sensation”. The duo perform every
Sunday night in Skyline. It is the most
popular night of the week there. Diane and
Sharon are brilliant, so next time you are
on site do not forget to book your table.
Diane loves tea and cake whilst listening
to rock music, she also has a passion
for dancing for which she rarely finds
time these days. Her two adorable cats,
Beebo and Buffy, are almost 18 months
old. She loves nothing more than curling
up with her “babies” on the sofa and
watching Bargain Hunt, Great British
Bake Off and, of course, Strictly!
Well done Diane!
Resort Solutions rental service
If you are unable to travel to your week next year and exchange is
not a suitable option, have you thought about renting it out?
Resort Solutions (RSL) offers a rental service
to Owners. While there is no guarantee of
success, you will receive a refund of any rent
achieved less a small commission to RSL.
RSL has a cross marketing agreement
across all the Clubs under its management.
This means that rental promotions and offers
go out to a large database to maximise
the opportunity to rent available weeks.
If an Owner’s apartment has not achieved
a rental 8 weeks before the start date
of the week, the Owner can either call
RSL to remove it from the rental program
or leave it and RSL will promote late
availability offers to try and secure one. Late
availability will be marketed at a discount
of up to 50% off the standard rental rate.
Please contact the CUSTOMER CARE
team at Resort Solutions by emailing
admin@resort-solutions.co.uk
or calling 01858 431160.
Top tip:
The earlier RSL has your week available
for promotion on the rental program
the more your chance of success!
Beware! Scammers are on the rise!
Unfortunately, for many years the timeshare
industry has had its reputation tarnished
by scam companies. Owners were initially
caught out by bogus holiday club companies
offering the world on a plate, for a hefty
one-time fee. Many of these holiday clubs
also promised to take away Owners’ existing
timeshare weeks. Far too often and despite
paying thousands of pounds, the holidays
failed to materialise and the owners were
left paying the maintenance fees on their
existing weeks. The RDO and TATOC have
worked with the authorities to identify and
close down such operations and have
been successful in many cases. However
some of these unscrupulous outfits have
metamorphosed into a bigger threat and have
resurfaced in the guise of claims companies.
Many owners are initially lured in by the
promise that the “claims company” will
act on their behalf in fighting the resort to
release them from their timeshare obligations
which will otherwise “hound them to and
beyond the grave”! Owners should be aware
that Resort Solutions has never and never
will seek to enforce timeshare ownership
on the beneficiaries of an estate in the
event of the death of a timeshare owner.
effectively prohibits the owner from
talking directly to the Committee or
the Management Company. Why
do they insist on this? They do
so because if Owners contacted
the Committee or Management
Company directly with legitimate
reasons why they could no longer
keep their timeshare, consideration
will be given to their individual
circumstances and in cases
of severe medical or financial
difficulties Owners will be allowed
to leave the Club - free of charge.
The advice to owners from TATOC and RDO
is to treat these companies with extreme
caution and if Owners find themselves in
difficulty, in the first instance talk to the
Committee or the Management Company.
Please think carefully before parting
with any money and if in doubt consult
the TATOC and RDO websites or call the
TATOC helpline on 0845 230 2430.
There have been stories where
owners have been so frightened
by what they have been told
they have paid £12,000 for this
service. Often the claims company
forces the owner to sign a Third
Party Authorisation form which
Helpful websites:
www.tatoc.co.uk
www.rdo.org
www.mindtimeshare.com
www.timesharebusinesscheck.org.uk
with so much more!