Page 16 - ARUBA TODAY

A16 LOCAL
Monday 30 July 2018

Hotel Hustle

Column by: Shanella Pantophlet

ACCOUNTABILITY

During my studies of the hospitality industry we spent a lot of time talking
about different company structures and company cultures, but we never
really touched on the set up for timeshares. One of the things I find unique
about timeshares is that our owners are our stakeholders. The board of direc-
tors and the management team are ultimately accountable to the members
about how the resort operates.

At a timeshare resort there is no way to escape that accountability, as our
members elect a board of directors that represent their interests and over-
see the management team to make sure everything is running smoothly at
their home away from home. You’d think having a board of representatives
that serve as a liaison between those who oversee the daily operations of
your property would be enough, but in timeshares there is an added layer,
which is the weekly members meeting.

Once a week every week the resort manager, general manager or man-
agement team sit in a meeting with their members to give them updates
on what is happening both at the resort and around the Island. Once the
information session is done the floor is opened to questions and answer ses-
sions. I remember before I was promoted to a manager, feeling bad for the
poor souls who had to attend what at one point in time was akin to a public flogging and then still had to go back to work after that. I remember
seeing the former management team coming out of the meetings two hours or more after it started and looking older than when they went in. Of
course at that time we had members who were upset at the way things were going at that time and they would hold the management team’s
feet to the fire, demanding answers for why their investment was basically going down the drain.

After I was promoted and told I had to attend the meetings, I nearly quit for fear of premature aging. Although, at the beginning I felt like I was go-
ing into the lion’s den, by the end of the meeting I had a whole new perspective. These meetings if they get out of hand can be taxing, but when
well guided with proper information and a team that takes responsibility and action to fix issues, the yelling match blossoms into an idea exchange,
which leads positive change.

In the years since my first meeting, things have calmed down significantly, people don’t come in ready to attack, they are more willing to listen
and make their points and receive answers. Of course crowd sizes vary from standing room only to more managers than staff, but we always try
to provide the same information no matter the audience, especially since even if we don’t have a physical audience, we have a digital one via
our website.

I’m happy to have seen the changes and the growth from where we were to where we are today and knowing that those who own at our resort
trust us, but still want to keep us on our toes. As I’ve stated before a great resort is built on the active engagement of both staff and stakeholders.
So if it’s been a while since you were last at a meeting maybe stop by on your next visit or catch up on the minutes on your home resort’s website.

Aruban born and bred Shanella Pantophlet is passionate about tour-
ism. That is the world she studied and works in, so we might as well call
her a specialist. Luckily for Aruba Today Shanella also loves to write.
And together with the fact that the majority of our readers are tourists,
we found ourselves a perfect combination for a column: Hotel Hustle.