Revitalizing Vacations with Authentic and Destination-Themed Resorts

Mark Waltrip is the COO of one of the largest privately held timeshare companies and destination resort developers, Westgate Resorts. He’s made a noteworthy and valuable contribution to the Westgate Resort's acquisition, design, development, construction, resort operations, restaurants, shops, and marketing. Mark is mainly responsible for the Westgate brand's ongoing development as an experience-based destination resort in his capacity as a chief operating officer. A proficient musician, author, and inventor, Mark defines versatility with precision. In addition to developing more than 50 restaurants, ranging from fast food to fine dining, he has created a wide range of retail stores, entertainment venues, and destination health spas under the Serenity Spa by Westgate brand. Mark has been a guest speaker at hospitality real estate and leadership conferences across the country. Besides the wide range of books he authored, Mark also wrote and published the song "A Hero's Walk", released by six-time Grammy Award-winning artist Lee Greenwood.

Can you brief me about yourself, the journey you have had in your field experience, and your role and responsibility in the current organization?

In 1996, I started my career in the hospitality industry. Prior to that I was workingat Computer Sciences Raytheon where I oversaw the finances, project management, and information technology for thedevelopment and operations of the USAFspace launch supportfacilities, and I was previously the propulsion and pneumatics engineer for the first commercial space program at Cape Canaveral. While I was working in the space industry, I was also serving in the US Air Force Reserves performing organizational re-engineering projects for the US Government. The turning point in my careerwas when I was asked by David Siegal to join his team to help grow his business. Davidtaught me the travel and hospitality industry from the ground up including development, operations, and marketing. Consequently, I have 26 years of experience in the business.

Founded in 1982, Westgate Resorts is one of the largest mixed-use companies with timeshare hotels, restaurants, retail stores, and waterpark entertainment facilities dispersed across the United States. We have more than 25,000 beds across 23 locations supported by over 8500 team members. We construct small cities and refer to them as our “cruise ships on land”. This is because of our comprehensive activity and amenities programs that resemble cruise ships more closely than conventional destination resorts.

Distinctive for designing and buildingresorts that are heavily themed following the location, a visit to any of the Westgate resorts, including Westgate Smoky Mountain resort, offers guests an authentic experience of the Great Smoky Mountains. The national park inspires the resort's entire theme, amenities, activities, resort architecture, signage, and even the team members' uniforms.

Another example is Westgate Historic Williamsburg Resort, a charming colonial-style red brick hotel with staff members dressing in period attire. The units are named after prominent Virginians to engage the guests in the story-telling process. This endeavor develops a memorable visitor experience by fully immersing them through connectivity with various attractions.

Having been in the industry for a long time, how do you think the hospitality space has evolved through the years?

The hospitality industry has evolved in many ways, especially using technology to obtain real-time customer engagement and feedback. In the past, most operators didn’t have a clue what their many of their guests thought until after they left and filled out a post-stay survey. Westgate has adopted technology to overcome the loopholes in guest engagement process by intercepting them early in their stay and immediately acting on their feedback. The goal is to resolve any issue a guest encounters before it is too late for them to enjoy their stay.

What would you say are some of the latest trends that are seen in the travel and hospitality space?

In response to the pandemic, people have gravitated towards resorts that provide all of the comforts of home, such as timeshare where they can enjoy a safe and unique vacation experience. The past two years have specifically been ideal for the timeshare business, creating a record year in 2021 and an even better 2022. The COVID situation essentially compelled people to work and school from home and Westgate was able to provide them large units at destination resorts with full kitchens, separate bedrooms, large balconies, outdoor space, and socially distancing activities for guests to experience.

What pain points do you feel are prevailing in the marketplace today in the hospitality and travel space?

Regaining our convention and international hospitality business is the current pain point. Due to the havoc created by COVID over the past two years, we have witnessed unprecedented restrictions on the travel and hospitality industry. Governments across the globe imposed lockdowns and restricted travel of all kinds in order to mitigate the spread of the virus.

The good news is this situation is improving and the industry is once again welcoming business and corporate travel, which frequently entails meetings and conferences in hotels and resorts. In addition, international travel restrictions and mandates are being relaxed.  While these segments of the industry have not fully recovered in places like New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles, the future trends are looking promising.

Are there any latest projects you are working on regarding travel and hospitality within your organization?

Currently, we are launching our first loyalty program, the World of Westgate (WoW) Program to create more value for becoming part of the Westgate family. Our new loyalty program offers multiple tiers of exciting and valuable benefits, with the very highest tiers reserved for ourtimeshare owners.

Is there any particular piece of advice that you want to give to budding entrepreneurs in the space?

In my opinion, the cliché, "This is business, it's not personal," is entirely incorrect in the travel and hospitality profession. The travel and hospitality business is entirely personal and our success relies on establishing a unique relationship between our guests and our team members.

Is there anything else you want me to highlight in the article, or do you feel I have missed asking you?

Our best team members are those who love to serve others, which is why we have invested so much in our Westgate Resorts Foundation. The focus of our foundation is supporting our local communities by partnering with local organizations to help curb the opioid epidemic, support stability in families, provide critical resources to military & veteran personnel and develop workforce readiness programs. In addition to financial support, we encourage and provide resources to our team members to volunteer at these local organizations where they log thousands of hours each year. Our foundation also provides a safety net for any team members that experience a tragedy beyond their control. Just in the past year we have provided over $137,000 in grants to over 100 team members in need, as well as distributing over 2100 backpacks full of school supplies to our team members school aged children.