| LANSING, Mich., November 1998�Hoteliers making the transition
from traditional hotels to non-traditional lodging segments may wish they
had a guidebook to help them get a handle on the many differences between
hotels and resort condominiums. They need look no further than Resort
Condominium and Vacation Ownership Management: A Hospitality Perspective,
which will be published by the Educational Institute of the American Hotel
& Motel Association this December.
This first-of-its-kind textbook presents an overview of one of the fastest-growing segments of the  lodging
industry�resort condominiums. Experts in both whole- and interval-ownership
resorts contributed to the book, which highlights the importance of hospitality
to successful resort condominium operations.
Members of the AH&MA�s Condominium/Vacation Ownership Committee, including past chairman Jack Rush, CHA, general manager of Port Royal Ocean Resort Condominiums, Port Aransas, Texas; current chairman Robert A. Gentry, CHA, vice president of operations for Eastern Resorts Co., Newport, R.I., and vice chairman Pedro Mandoki, CHA, president of Plantation Resort Management, Gulf Shores, Ala.; directed the production of the book. Other resort condominium and vacation ownership managers helped develop case studies that illustrate key points throughout the text. �We�re very excited about this publication,� said Mandoki. �We
hope it will help train hoteliers to succeed in this growing area of hospitality.�
�This has been a labor of love for all of us,� said Rush. �We think we�ve put together something that will benefit young professionals getting their start in this business, as well as hospitality industry veterans who are making a career move.� Resort Condominium and Vacation Ownership Management includes an introduction explaining major differences between traditional and non-traditional lodging, and chapters on sales and marketing, reservations and front desk operations, housekeeping, maintenance and engineering, and accounting. The book�s primary focus is on resort condominium operations, with relevant examples targeted to vacation ownership operations. �We hope we offer something here for everyone,� said Gentry. �This is the first book of its kind. We hope it will be a catalyst for others to expand on these initial ideas.� While the book was written for an audience of managers and supervisors, Aspen, Col., condominium consultant Jerry Hewey, believes the book can also be an eye-opener for resort condominium board members. �Managers could give this book as a present to their boards,� said Hewey, who consulted on the textbook�s development. �Resort condominium managers finally have a much-needed tool to help them in their daily operations.� For more information, call 1-800-752-4567 or 407-649-8252. Academic customers may call 1-800-344-4381 or 517-372-8800. Established in 1953 as a nonprofit educational foundation of AH&MA, the Educational Institute is the world�s largest hospitality communication resource center, providing quality training and educational materials for the hospitality industry. |