At Grand Pacific Resorts, associates embrace each day with a purpose of enriching lives by creating experiences worth sharing. It’s their mission and something they think about every day in their interactions with guests and with each other. Their BE EPIC values – Balance, Empowerment, Enthusiasm, Passion, Integrity, and Consistency – define who they are on and off the job.

Grand Pacific Resorts is one of the few developers within the vacation ownership industry who maintains long-term partnerships with developed resorts through their operations management team, Grand Pacific Resorts Management (GPRM). Highly respected for their Corporate Social Responsibility programs and financially savvy leadership, GPRM manages resort operations under contracts with each vacation ownership association and focuses on maintaining their award-winning service culture. They also recognize that during this time of industry consolidation under publicly held corporate brands, HOAs want to remain independent. This led to the creation of an exciting new offering called Vacation Services, powered by Grand Pacific Resorts. The organization is proud to offer personalized services to self-managed resorts that want to remain independent. They have accomplished this by deploying a suite of HOA solutions that guarantee a resort will be 100% fully funded along with realizing an increase in Owner, Guest, and Associate satisfaction. Their support services launch seamlessly in the background while the resort carries on the day-today operations. Employee longevity and dedication are other special qualities with associates remaining with the company for many years, developing a serious passion for owners and guests. This is most likely because GPR offers great opportunities for growth not found elsewhere. Here, there is a unique ability to grow within the company, moving from Administrative Assistant to General Manager, or from Activities Intern to Senior Director of Owner Loyalty.

Commented Nigel Lobo, Chief Operating Officer: “We’re very proud of the fact that our associates stay with us for a significant amount of time. Any company should expect a small level of turnover, especially in the hospitality industry, and while we’re not immune to it, we have reduced it by finding associates who not only have the right skill sets for their position, but those who perform with excellence, embody our BE EPIC values and fit well within our unique culture. This is a big part of our employee retention strategy. We want people who love coming to work every day, because when they love what they do it’s not really work.”

Our Associates Say it Best

Shared GPR associate Josh L., “I’m so fortunate to be part of a team that feels like family. Every day I get to work with people who genuinely care about each other. I feel supported both professionally and personally and my ‘office’ has the best view of the Pacific Ocean.” “When I started at Grand Pacific Resorts, I came with little timeshare experience,” added Mark D. “My manager gave me wise direction and encouraged me to try new things. This made work fun and in just a couple of years, I was happily promoted.” Dexter C. added more reasons why he thinks GPR is a great place to work. “When I come to work each day, I am grateful for the endless opportunities I have to converse with our AWESOME guests! Plus, I have the beautiful ocean on one side, EPIC co-workers on the other side, and our awesome guests in front of me…I’m simply always surrounded by greatness!”

Associate Benefits & Continued Learning

  • From $39 for 3-night stays at any GPR managed resort, to tuition reimbursement, leadership training programs, and financial literacy and English as a Second Language (ESL) programs, GPR has robust benefits for its employees. Equally important, employees are encouraged to pursue their passions and participate in charity events and programs.
  • Extremely thorough training programs ensure that all individuals at all levels are knowledgeable about the guest experience. Depending on the type of position, associates follow different training trajectories. Each new hire benefits from an orientation program with the Learning and Development Manager, which introduces associates from all different areas (housekeeping to marketing to admins) to Grand Pacific Resorts and its service style. Then each level dives deep into their training, with 30- 60-90-180-day development goals that training managers use to ensure appropriate and efficient onboarding. The intention is to give associates all the tools they need to find success. The result is that through these onboarding processes, associates are happier and more confident in their work.
  • When it is clear that associates are living the BE EPIC values, they are nominated by Owners/Guests as well as their peers for a BE EPIC Moments recognition. Be Epic Moments honors and recognizes those who are EPIC with Owners/Guests or are going out of their way to do something great, without the expectation of being noticed. This helps us call attention to these individuals that are truly making a difference and creating experiences worth sharing!
  • BE EPIC Champions are nominated quarterly; each resort and the home office selects a BE EPIC Champion. Of those individuals one per resort/ home office is named the BE EPIC Champion of the year. Thee Be EPIC Champions of the Year are invited along with their spouse or significant other to a grand Best of the Best Gala celebration in Carlsbad, CA where they are given a red carpet “night at the Oscars” type recognition on stage in front of their peers and company leaders.

Philanthropic Endeavors & Look Ahead

Grand Pacific Resorts is proud of its huge focus on philanthropic programs. This includes smaller local events like the Carlsbad Lagoon Cleanup to large national scale programs like Send Me on Vacation and Christel House. GPR hosted two interns from Christel House this past summer and will do so again in the future; they also held a charity golf tournament for the non-profit and raised over $100k for the organization. Associates are encouraged to participate in philanthropic endeavors, and have the opportunity to volunteer for events like Holiday Baskets in Del Mar or even take time out of their schedule to volunteer for non-profits like Girls on the Run.

Concluded Nigel Lobo, “The vacation industry is changing rapidly, and we’re evolving with the changes and leaning into the parts of our business that will help us thrive in the future. As we move ahead, our associates and our timeshare owners will continue to be our number one priority, as the business wouldn’t exist without them. Improve our products and processes along the way, and look forward to a bright future ahead!”

 

Written by Marge Lennon. This article was originally published in the February 5, 2020 issue of Resort Trades.