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Dr. Guido Renggli, Creator of the Resort Timeshare Concept
40 Years Ago, Named to ARDA Circle of
Excellence Lifetime Achievement
Washington, D.C. - May 2002 - The American Resort Development Association (ARDA recently honored Dr. Guido Renggli by selecting him for its highly sought ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) Lifetime Achievement Award. He was co-founder, longtime leader, and is now Honorary Chairman of timeshare resort developer Hapimag, based near Zurich in Baar, Switzerland. 

This is the top award an individual can be selected to win in the competitive annual selection process of ARDA. 

Dr. Renggli, known also as the "Father of Timeshare," is the first European to win this honor. The announcement capped the Gala Awards Dinner at ARDA's Convention in Las Vegas, when the 750 ARDA members and guests present gave him a standing ovation.

ARDA made its selection on the basis of Dr. Renggli's creation of the resort timeshare concept nearly 40 years ago and leadership since that time. It also recognized his dedication to constantly improve this leisure product into one that has gained rapidly growing consumer acceptance worldwide.
 

In 1963, Dr. Renggli and German developer Alexander Nette co-founded Hapimag, starting with projects in Italy and Spain and only a few hundred owners. In accepting the award, Dr. Renggli explained his basic concept. "People from northern European countries, seeking the sun and warmth of the Mediterranean, should share a nice, solidly built, 
Hapimag
"Hotel- und Appartementhaus Immobilien Anlage AG"
well-kept bungalow or apartment with other vacationers," rather than buying and having to take care of their own place that might be less desirable.

Under the guidance of Renggli, an experienced attorney and executive, Hapimag grew to become the market leader in Europe. Its over 50 popular city and resort destinations in 18 countries in Europe and the Americas now serve more than 135,000 owner families, and even include houseboats. Hapimag has more timeshare city destinations in world class locations, such as Paris, New York, Vienna, Athens, London, and Prague, than any other developer.

In presenting the award, ARDA President Howard Nusbaum cited the "10 Guiding Principles" that Dr. Renggli defined for Hapimag and its owners. Nusbaum said, "Those principles included stability, quality, innovation, honesty, and responsibility. These ideals not only served the growth of the company; they became a blueprint for successful timeshare companies around the globe. But while many companies may put those words on their walls, our honoree put these principles into action in his life."

Nusbaum cited other factors that led to Renggli's selection, such as relations with colleagues. "He was a superb communicator and motivator of employees, drawing on the best talent from all over the world, and reached out to gather their ideas. When your company operates in 13 different languages, this is quite a challenge."

Another was consumer philosophy and relations. "He insisted on ethical treatment of consumers from the very start," Nusbaum said. "He solicited customer input before and after sales presentations, and then again once a sale was made."

Further, Nusbaum said, "From the outset, he was an innovator. He pioneered the point system in the 1960's and made it a standard practice in the corporation."
Since Dr. Renggli created the timeshare concept, the industry has made much progress. From just a handful of projects and questions about its viability in the early 1960s, the timeshare industry has become one with worldwide impact. It now comprises a total of over 5,800 projects in 110 countries, with more than 6 million owners from 150 nations around the globe. Estimated global sales now exceed $7 billion.

Timeshare's double-digit sales growth for over two decades on six continents has made it one of the fastest expanding travel industry segments. Leading hospitality brands, such as Marriott, Starwood, and Hilton, have joined the industry's independent developers, such as Hapimag, in continuing to improve product quality and variety, along with consumer acceptance.

In recent years, more of the industry's top developers and other firms have offered consumers the option of using "points," similar to those in frequent flyer programs, to provide more leisure flexibility. Consumers may use the points they have purchased to choose from a wide range of vacation options, with different destinations, seasons, types of lodging, and other travel selections that fill their needs.

This concept has quickly gained consumer acceptance. Leading firms have used as their model the exclusively points-based system invented and improved by Dr. Renggli for Hapimag. 

During his acceptance remarks, Dr. Renggli graciously acknowledged the role of others in the timeshare industry's expansion during the past four decades.  He said that what American companies had done to greatly expand the industry made him "modestly proud." 

He stated that the award was a great honor, not only for him personally, but also for the thousands of colleagues who worked with him at Hapimag. Dr.  Renggli cited Hapimag's Senior Vice President in New York, Jan Willem van Bergen, as one of his companyâ€�s most highly motivated and talented executives.

He added that it was also a great honor for his country, Switzerland, "which has given the world not only sweet chocolate, but with the Hapimag System also sweet and suite vacations."

Two past award recipients announced the award to Dr. Renggli. One was Crystal DeHaan, co-founder of Resort Condominiums International (RCI), the industry's largest timeshare exchange firm. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001.

The other was van Bergen, who received last year's Community Service Award.  Hapimag is the only European firm with two winners of the highly sought ACE prizes.

Based in Washington, D.C., ARDA is the world's largest timeshare trade association, with nearly 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to large public corporations in the United States and abroad.

###

Contact
American Resort Development Association
Washington, D.C.

 


 
Also See Perry J. Snyderman and Edwin H. �Ed� McMullen, Sr. Receive the ACE Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Resort Development Association / April 2000 


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