RCI (company)

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RCI
Founded 1974 (1974)
Founder(s) Jon and Christel DeHaan
Headquarters Parsippany, New Jersey
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Kettering, England
Parent Wyndham Worldwide
Website http://www.rci.com/

RCI (formerly, Group RCI; formerly Resort Condominiums International) is a division of the firm Wyndham Worldwide (spin-off from Cendant).

Founded in 1974 by Jon and Christel DeHaan, it has grown to become one of the larger brokers of timeshare trades. RCI has over 6,300 affiliated resorts in over 100 countries around the world.[1] Its membership base is approximately 3.8 million members worldwide. RCI operates two main exchange programs - RCI Weeks and RCI Points.

Corporate structure

RCI's CEO and president is Geoffrey A. Ballotti. RCI's corporate headquarters is in Parsippany, New Jersey. Its North American membership office is in Indianapolis, Indiana, and its European membership office is in Kettering, England, with several satellite servicing offices in places such as Mexico City; Cork, Ireland; Manila, Philippines; Bangalore, India; Singapore; Dubai, United Arab Emirates; and Montevideo, Uruguay.

Currently, RCI's biggest competitors in the timeshare market are Interval International [2] Dial An Exchange (DAE Live), and Trading Places International.[3]

In July 2007, RCI was merged with Holiday Cottages Group, another of Wyndham Worldwide's subsidiaries. The two would still retain their individual names but operate under the parent name GroupRCI until 2010, when the two companies changed the name to Wyndham Exchange and Rentals.[4]

Business model

Timeshare exchange is often confused with timeshare sales. RCI is in the business of timeshare exchanges. It does not develop or sell timeshares, although it does sell a Points Program and a Weeks Program to use in the RCI affiliate resorts network. In the Points program, members receive an allotment of points that can be applied to different factors, such as room type, resort quality, location, and time of year. In the Weeks program, members may exchange their property's shared time for another week at an equivalent or lower value property. Members may join one program or the other, or both. Annual membership fees are required.

Customers who buy a timeshare with an RCI-affiliated developer have the option to become a paid member of RCI. Such membership entitles them to exchange (swap) their timeshare with other members. RCI facilitates and fulfills the exchange. Also, Wyndham Worldwide (RCI's parent company) does develop and sell timeshares having several resorts around US which are listed in RCI's resort directory.

RCI has resort affiliates in over 100 countries around the world on every continent. The company recently announced a few relationships with the Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotel in Huangshan, China.[5]

Litigation

A class action lawsuit against RCI was pursued by Green Welling LLP on behalf of RCI Weeks Program members in New Jersey of 2006. The Plaintiff alleged that RCI actually rents out the most desirable and highly demanded vacation weeks from the spacebank, thus depleting the most desirable options available to Weeks Program members who seek exchanges. The lawsuit was settled in favor of the plaintiff. Benefits for RCI members would have begun on January 11, 2010 but one or more appeals of the entry of the final judgment were filed. Thus the Effective Date began July 28, 2010 when all appeals were resolved.[6]

Philanthropy

RCI co-founder Christel DeHaan has opened five schools — known as Christel House — in Bangalore, India; Mexico City, Mexico; Cape Town, South Africa; Caracas, Venezuela; and, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The schools are designed to provide an education to poor children around the world.[7]

Awards

  • Jeff Parker, on behalf of Group RCI, won the "ACE" employee award in 2007 from the American Resort Development Association.[8]
  • In 2011, 2010, and 2009, RCI was named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.[9][10][11]
  • In 2009, RCI (Grupo RCI Mexico) was named to the 2009 List of Best Companies to Work for in Latin America.[12]
  • In 2009, RCI (Grupo RCI Mexico) was named to the 2009 Best Places to Work for in Mexico.[13]
  • Alicia (Agugliaro) Maguire, on behalf of RCI Corporate Communications, won the "ARDY" Award for Public Relations Efforts (RCI Wellness Initiative) in 2005 from the American Resort Development Association.[citation needed]

References

  1. ↑ Browse all 4,704 RCI Affiliated Resorts
  2. ↑ About Interval International
  3. ↑ Trading Places International
  4. ↑ Group RCI Renames to Wyndham Exchange and Rentals
  5. ↑ RCI Announces Relationship with Huangshan Hotel
  6. ↑ Green Welling files a nationwide class action in New Jersey on behalf of RCI Weeks Program members.
  7. ↑ How Christel DeHaan launched attack on childhood poverty, Indianapolis Star, July 12, 2010
  8. ↑ ACE Awards
  9. ↑ 2011 Best Places to Work in Indiana
  10. ↑ 2010 Best Places to Work in Indiana
  11. ↑ 2009 Best Places to Work in Indiana
  12. ↑ 2009 List of Best Companies to Work for in Latin America
  13. ↑ Great Place to Work Institute Mexico

External links

Wyndham Hotel Group
Wyndham Exchange & Rentals
  • Canvas Holidays
  • cottages4you
  • Cuendet
  • Endless Vacation Rentals
  • Hoseasons
  • James Villa Holidays
  • Landal GreenParks
  • NorthCourse
  • Novasol
  • RCI
  • The Registry Collection
  • The Resort Company
  • ResortQuest
Wyndham Vacation Ownership
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