Company: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation, Orlando, FL
Company Description: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is recognized as the global leader in the Vacation Ownership industry. MVC develops, sells and/or operates 50 Vacation Ownership resorts around the globe, employing more than 10,000 Associates, and, most importantly, sets the stage for more than 360,000 families to enjoy a lifetime of unforgettable vacation experiences each year.
Nomination Category: Company / Organization Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Company of the Year - Hospitality & Leisure

Nomination Title: Marriott Vacations Worldwide Owner Services delivers unforgettable experiences that make vacation dreams come true!

Tell the story about what this nominated organization achieved since January 1 2012 (up to 525 words). Focus on specific accomplishments, and relate these accomplishments to past performance or industry norms. Be sure to mention obstacles overcome, innovations or discoveries made, and outcomes:

Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation is the leading global pure-play vacation ownership company offering a diverse portfolio of quality products, programs and management expertise with more than 60 resorts and more than 420,000 Owners and Members.  Its brands include:   Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club and Grand Residences by Marriott.  For more information, please visit www.marriottvacationsworldwide.com.

Making Vacation Dreams Come True with passionate, purpose-driven associates. 

We recognize that our associates are our source of greatness, and the very best at what they do.  The many heartfelt stories from our Owners (Customers) of service excellence affirm our company’s philosophy:  Take good care of your associates and they will take good care of your customers and the customers will come back.  We are also very proud of our Spirit to Serve one another and the communities in which we live and work.

2012 Results for Marriott Vacations Worldwide Owner Services Call Center and Electronic Services:

•  Owner Services’ Spirit to Serve is demonstrated by 300 associates volunteering with ten charities, including:  Hand-made blankets for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, the Utah Food Bank and Volunteers for America.
•  The company’s philosophy carries over to the environment.  Owner Services is committed to reducing its environmental footprint and educating its associates through offering best practices on reducing energy consumption and waste for both the workplace and home.  See the “Going Green” site at http://slcmarriottgogreen.com
•  Owner Services’ customer service efforts contributed over $3.6 million in new points sales and more than $4 million in travel insurance.
•  In 2012, we provided customer service to more than 420,000 timeshare Owners.
•  The Salt Lake City-based Call Center received 1.7 million phone calls in 2012.
•  With an average Owner satisfaction score of 96%, nine out of ten Owners were highly satisfied with their service experience.
•  A 75% Associate Engagement score places Owner Services in the Global Best Employer category by AonHewitt.
•  Owners also have access to the Owner Website at www.my-vacationclub.com and interactive voice response system at 800-845-4226 with these results:

       o 360,000 electronic payments for annual maintenance fees and monthly loan payments.
       o 165,000 reservations for timeshare usage.
       o Average 200 Chats per day via the Owners’ website totaling 73,000. Chat service is available 19 hours per day weekdays and seven hours a day on weekends.
       o Owner Services hosted more than 500 education webinars for 9,000 Owners in North America in 2012.  Topics included Resort Webinars, program usage for Enrolled and Points Owners, Interval International (exchange company) and Marriott Rewards (Marriott Hotels loyalty program) benefits and redemption.

•  Owner Services is successfully servicing the world’s leading timeshare points program:  Marriott Vacation Club Destinations.

       o Through 2012, Owner Services booked reservations representing more than 845 million Vacation Club Points and 440,000 transactions!
       o 135,000 existing Owners who enrolled their week(s) in the Destinations Program and also purchased more than 73 million new points, illustrating their ongoing brand loyalty.
       o New Explorer Collection usage options and volume totaled more than 98 million points used to book Epic Explorer (guided tours around the world); Active Explorer (river rafting, mountain biking, etc.); City Explorer (select cities/hotels); Ocean Explorer (cruises) experiences; and most recently Airfare!

Upload a collection of supporting files and web addresses to our server to provide more background information to the judges. You may upload any number of attachments and URLs through the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above. (Do NOT list your URLs below.)

Provide a brief (up to 125 words) biography about the leader of this nominated organization:

Ron Essig, Senior Vice President, Global Owner Products and Services, Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation

Ron’s career at Marriott began in 1985 where he worked at several Marriott Hotels and later served as General Manager of Marriott’s Worldwide Reservations center.  In 1998, Essig jointed Marriott Vacation Club to lead the global growth of Owner Services from 100 associates to 600 associates today.  Essig continues to have global responsibility for customer service with office locations worldwide.  A “hands on” leader, Essig motivates his teams to provide outstanding customer service so our Owners have unforgettable vacation experiences.  Marriott Vacations Worldwide is recognized as the preferred employer in every market we operate.