November 2014
DAE Taps John Locher & Associates to Provide Business Marketing Solutions
April 2014
Going for the Gold with John Locher & Associates
March 2013
Locher and Associates On Board To Strengthen Marketing Strategies for Katana
February 2013
2013 Perspective Magazine Award Winners Announced At GNEX Conference
November 2012
Triton Timeshare Software and Oombaga Engage John Locher & Associates
September 2012
When Travelers Fall In Love – John Locher is featured in this Ranch and Coast article.
August 2012
Expert Leads Luxury China Tours – John Locher interviewed on what he finds fascinating about China.
September 2011
ResorTime.com Taps Locher & Associates to Broaden Business Development Efforts
John Locher Teams With SellMyTimeshareNow.com For Strategic Growth
DAE Taps John Locher & Associates
to Provide Business Marketing Solutions
SEATTLE, WA (November 3, 2014) DAE, the world’s largest privately-owned global timeshare exchange provider contracted with John Locher & Associates to establish initiatives designed to provide a variety of Marketing Solutions through Membership Analytics. DAE has 12 offices worldwide. Locher & Associates will primarily focus on services for DAE Americas office.
According to Fermin Cruz, DAE’s vice president Americas Region, “John Locher is an integral part of our marketing team. We tap into John’s expertise including his vast knowledge of member engagement tactics and conversion strategies to business intelligence analytics. As we continue to expand all over the globe, John continues to be instrumental in ensuring our members leverage their benefits and have access to and utilize our international inventory of vacation weeks available for exchange.”
Specializing in online strategy and efficiencies, membership communities and lifecycle email marketing, John Locher is a sought after timeshare industry expert whose clients also include Katana Software, Barker & Associates and Golf Discount.com.
“It is a pleasure to work with DAE teams in both the USA and Global offices to help ‘Change Exchange’ and contribute to their rapid growth,” said John Locher. “We serve the DAE members and are advancing strategic and tactical changes in the way we connect and respond to their needs.”
About DAE
DAE (Dial An Exchange) began operations in the United States in 2003 and opened its first North American office in Phoenix, Ariz., in 2007. Today, the company is the largest privately owned vacation exchange company, serving a member base of over 1.5 million timeshare owners (including 500,000 direct members) at resorts and clubs through 12 offices worldwide. For more information, visit daelive.com.
Going for the Gold with John Locher & Associates
Travel To Go Strikes a Rich Vein of Opportunity
SEATTLE, WA (March 13, 2014)—Travel To Go, a Vacation Travel Club headquartered in San Diego, has again contracted with John Locher & Associates to further initiatives designed to re-engage members, and to continue strengthening renewals.
“During his consulting work with us, John has uncovered a wealth of revenue streams that had been neglected. We aim to always provide 5-Star Service to our members and with John’s help we are continuing to pursue that goal even more aggressively. By going deeper into our processes we are discovering such a great wealth of golden opportunities that we have incorporated Going for the Gold into our Travel To Go company lexicon,” said CEO and President Jeanette Bunn.
“We’ve been extremely pleased with the results that have been achieved in the past year,” said John Locher. “The team has been highly receptive to making some strategic changes in the way we contact members and respond to their needs. We have primarily been building upon the current success of Travel To Go’s renewal campaign, engagement, and member retention mainly through Email marketing strategies. Our method is simple. We encourage Travel To Go members to take full advantage of their Club…and its working!”
“I’ve always been a big Olympic Games enthusiast, and the theme of Going for the Gold seemed to ring loud and true when we began to drill down into the mother lode of previously missed opportunities,” continued Locher. “We are extremely excited about taking the next steps to discover other veins of precious metal at Travel To Go.”
About Travel To Go
Travel To Go offers travel benefits and services to a loyal customer base of 50,000 members and is currently celebrating 23 years in the vacation and travel industry. The company prides itself on its 5-Star Service standards and achievement of its mission to “Making Dreams Come True.” The company is licensed with all necessary agencies including the states of California, Florida and Hawaii. They maintain an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and are members of the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, ARDA and C.A.R.E. Sky Travel, a division of Travel To Go, is an approved travel agency licensed by the Airline Reporting Corporation (A.R.C.), IATAN and CLIA.
About John Locher and Associates
John Locher, RRP, is founder of Locher & Associates, a professional services firm specializing in online customer acquisition and efficiencies, marketing and business development. He has headed up ARDA’s Technology Group for five years and has actively served the industry with integrity since 2002. John is a founder of RedWeek.com and formerly it’s Vice President of Marketing. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. He formed his new company in 2010. For more information on John Locher visit https://johnlocher.com
Locher and Associates On Board To Strengthen Marketing Strategies for Katana
SANTA BARBARA, CA (April 4, 2013) – Katana Software, a custom development and systems integration firm providing hospitality industry software systems has engaged the services of Locher & Associates to broaden its marketing and business development efforts.
Locher will focus on timeshare industry relations and marketing strategies for the software company that has been an ARDA member since 2004 and which is best known for custom-tailored resort operations and business intelligence tools. Katana’s ASGARDTM system helps cut operations expenses, maximize resort amenity and billable revenue, and improve guest/owner satisfactions scores.
The asset, reserves and work order management system designed specifically as an integrated resource for timeshare, fractional, condo-hotel, and homeowner association operators may be used daily in all operational areas.
John Locher, RRP, is founder of Locher & Associates, a project services firm specializing in online customer acquisition and efficiencies, lifecycle email marketing, and business development. He has headed up the Washington D.C. based American Resort Development Association’s Technology Group for the meetings committee since 2006 and has actively served the vacation ownership industry with integrity since 2002. John is a founder of RedWeek.com and formerly it’s Vice President of Marketing. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. He formed his new company in 2010. Some of the company’s other clients in the shared ownership industry include (or have included) Oombaga, ResorTime.com, Sell My Timeshare Now, RMC Resort Management, TrackResults and Dial An Exchange.
“John Locher’s combined knowledge of marketing, technology and timeshare are a perfect combination to increase the awareness of Katana’s products in the timeshare industry. His guidance has been instrumental in leading us to a higher level of ARDA (American Resort Development Association) membership and spreading the word about how we can help keep resort operations, customer satisfaction and revenue on track,” said Rob Woodward, CEO of Katana.
Katana’s is best known for its highly respected ASGARDTM, a software and interface platform.
The company serves Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Diamond Resorts, Hyatt Vacation Club, and The Signature at MGM. The strategic resort operations platform now supports the vacation experiences of over 1,150,000 owner weeks and growing.
John Locher and Rob Woodward are speakers at the ARDA World Convention. For more information please contact Locher & Associates, 425 644-4399 john@johnlocher.com or www.johnlocher.com. For Katana Software visit www.katanasoft.com
2013 Perspective Magazine Award Winners Announced At GNEX Conference
Timeshare and fractional industry professionals from across the world gathered for the announcement of the Perspective Magazine Award winners last week during a Gala dinner at the Beverly Wilshire – a Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.
The Awards banquet was held on Wednesday, February 6th, 2013 at the conclusion of GNEX 2013, which saw a record 182 attendees representing 104 companies attend the conference. As the 3-day event came to a close, the industry’s elite were announced to attendees as the Perspective Magazine Awards, sponsored by Holiday Systems International, were presented during a Hollywood-style Black-tie, red carpet evening befitting its location.
Winners were decided through a combination of online voting and decisions from a panel of four industry experts, with each of the five components accounting for 20 percent of the overall results. Online voting took place during the month of January, with over 14,500 votes cast from industry professionals across the world (compared to 6,000 votes last year) as nearly 200 nominees competed for the coveted awards and accompanying global visibility provided through the industry’s most widely-read trade publication.
Best Innovation – Oombaga
Best Newcomer – Oombaga
Best Service Provider – Dial An Exchange USA
For the full list of winners: http://perspectivemagazine.com/blog/2013/02/13/2013-perspective-magazine-award-winners-announced-at-gnex-conference/
Triton Timeshare Software and Oombaga Engage
John Locher & Associates
SARASOTA, FL (November 12, 2012)—Triton Timeshare Software, a Sarasota-based technology solutions provider, has engaged the services of Locher & Associates to broaden its marketing and business development efforts.
Locher will focus on timeshare industry relations and marketing strategies for the 15 year old software company which has recently integrated its systems with OombagaSM, a middleware mobile application allowing timeshare owners to pay maintenance fees, make reservations and carry out transactions with their resort in real time.
John Locher, RRP, is founder of Locher & Associates, a professional services firm specializing in online customer acquisition and efficiencies, marketing and business development. He has headed up ARDA’s Technology Group for five years and has actively served the industry with integrity since 2002. John is a founder of RedWeek.com and formerly it’s Vice President of Marketing. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. He formed his new company in 2010.
“John Locher’s combined knowledge of marketing; technology and the timeshare industry are a perfect combination to take our product awareness industry-wide. Oombaga is an owner based app which is already making great strides with the timeshare industry. We are pleased to have Locher & Associates working on our behalf for both Oombaga and Triton to the shared ownership world,” said John Staley, chief architect of Oombaga.
A demo of the Oombaga app is available by texting the word “Oombaga” to 92010. Or see http://oombaga.com
Triton, founded in 1997 under the name Sarasota Software Solutions, is used by such resorts as Tropic Shores, Daytona Bch, FL and The Galleon (Key West), Scottsdale Camelback Resorts (Scottsdale, AZ), Whisky Jack Resorts (Whistler, Canada), Magens Point (St. Thomas), RAL Resorts and Goodmanagement, (New Port News, VA) to name a few. Triton recently signed Emerald Island Condominiums (Hot Springs, AK) and Bayan Resort (Key West). For more information visit the web site at http://timesharesoftware.com.
For more information on John Locher visit https://johnlocher.com
Expert Leads Luxury China Tours
August 18, 2012
John Locher loves to talk about China. The Southern California-based marketing and business development consultant attended the 2008 Beijing Olympics and became enamored with all things Chinese. He’s returned seven times – and now takes small groups of visitors with him on luxury China tours.
When we chatted, I asked him what he finds so fascinating about China.
“How do you answer when someone asks the same thing about a person? It’s hard to explain. China was a surprise for me, and I think the the best way to fall in love is when it’s a surprise and catches you off guard.
“China reminds me of a bee hive and I am Winnie the Pooh. I am amazed at the bees, what they are doing, how they make the honey and, of course, how do I enjoy some of that?
“China reminds me of the feeling I have in Las Vegas – wowed at the spectacle of it all, the reputation, the fast pace, the opportunity, and the sense that you can somehow get away with anything. But all the while you know someone is watching. There’s a reckless abandon, anything- is-possible feeling that comes with China. Its history shows that emperors did what they wanted by consuming, living, and building on an enormous scale, and recent growth and changes tells us there is much more to come from China.
“What is China to me? It is an intriguing mystery that demands my attention. I have a fondness for the grandeur, traditions, and the people. I’m captivated. Isn’t this the definition of love?
John’s luxury China tours feature friends and guides who add a unique perspective and create distinct learning experiences. Exceptional speakers discuss culture, language, family, business, religion, the arts, and history. His small groups offer the flexibility of custom travel and a good-value luxury experience.
Upcoming China Tour:
The next trip is scheduled for October 9 – 21, 2012, and the last time I checked, he still had space for five more guests.
“The itinerary includes visits to the wonderful places you must see in China and also some special locations I have handpicked,” John explained. Cities include: Beijing, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Wuzhen, and Shanghai.
The group will stay in five-star hotels, including the Regent Hotel in Beijing, the Xi’an Hyatt Regency, Hangzhou’s Shangri La Hotel, and the Nikko Hotel in Shanghai.
You can read about the trip here or call John at 425-644-4399, tweet him @johnmdlocher, email him at john@johnlocher.com, or visit his website.
He’d love to talk to you about China.
09/12/11
Some trips are just a trip — a vacation, a getaway — but others turn into life-changing experiences. That’s what happened to me when I first went to New Zealand. I stepped off the plane in Auckland and was nearly overwhelmed with the feeling that I’d come home. I don’t know if it was the smell of the freshly-washed air or the number of friendly faces — but it was definitely love at first sight.
I’ve subsequently returned to New Zealand many times, led tour groups, written four guidebooks and numerous magazine articles, and planned itineraries for other travelers. I wrote about the trip I designed for Del Mar residents Sandy and Bram Dijkstra in the May 2011 issue of Ranch & Coast.
Of course, I’m not the only traveler to fall in love with a destination. SDSU grad John Locher attended the 2008 Beijing Olympics and became enamored with all things Chinese. He’s returned seven times — and now takes small groups of visitors with him.
Locher notes, “China caught me by surprise. I really didn’t know what to expect but quickly fell in love with the people, history, rapid growth, and grandeur of it all. It is hard to completely describe what is so captivating. Perhaps growing up with news of China as Nixon helped open it up, and all the decades of stories since then cast a curious expectation for me.”
Locher’s tours feature expert speakers, friends, and guides who add a unique perspective and create distinct learning experiences. His small groups offer the flexibility of custom travel and a good-value luxury experience. The next trip is scheduled for October 2012. (www.johnlocher.com/china)
I met Locher through Ranch & Coast reader Brenda Holtzclaw, and I met another traveler who fell in love when I sought out New Zealand connections here in San Diego. Carol Gardyne’s roots are in Minnesota, but her husband is an ex-pat Kiwi. The pair traveled to France and became enamored with Burgundy 15 years ago.
Gardyne likes it because “it has real seasons — similar to New Zealand — and is less touristy than Provence.”
In San Diego, Gardyne is well known for the hand-painted silk garments that she sells in her Little Italy boutique. In fact, her innovative, colorful designs have earned her a following of loyal clients.
Gardyne loves her life as a silk artist as well as her home in Burgundy and combines the two by taking small groups of visitors to her French country abode four times a year (twice in May and twice in September). There, two guest apartments accommodate up to five people. The house also has an art studio, where visitors spend the morning learning and practicing the art of silk painting. In ten days, up to 25 pieces — scarves, table runners, and wall hangings — can be completed.
“Some husbands say they don’t want to paint,” Gardyne says, “but they end up having a great time. A retired radiologist from Oakland returned to California and built a studio in his home.”
After lunch each day, Gardyne provides tours of the region, including cathedrals, museums, and centuries-old historic buildings. The rolling hills and wooded setting of her home are also ideal for walking and photography. The house overlooks a lake and is just a short distance from the village
of Chaumard. Meals feature beautiful table settings or, weather permitting, dining in the garden. (www.carolgardyne.com)
While Gardyne favors Burgundy, Del Mar resident Ingrid Hoffmeister and her creative partner Savannah Sincoff think Tuscany is the perfect place for their workshops.
“Play2Create does not use conventional teaching methods but utilizes the environment for writing, improvisational drama, movement, art, and play, which inspires the emergence of each participant’s unique creative expression,” Hoffmeister explains.
Workshops are held in June and July at the Tuscan Renaissance Center, 30 minutes outside of Siena. Here, in this majestic 13th-century converted monastery, “a spirit of contemplative awe and ancient history meld with contemporary life. This fertile environment supports a transformational journey and personal renaissance.” (www.play2create.com)
This is the magic of travel: a trip can turn into a life-changing experience. For me it happened in New Zealand. For John Locher it was China. Carol Gardyne’s delight is Burgundy and Ingrid Hoffmeister’s passion is Tuscany — and each of us has found a way to share our discovery.
Where will you fall in love? And how will you lead others to your special place? ELIZABETH HANSEN
ResorTime.com Taps Locher & Associates to Broaden Business Development Efforts
CARLSBAD, CA (March 24, 2011) — ResorTime.Com, a Carlsbad, California-based company specializing in online timeshare condominium rentals which recently introduced its Bonus Time Network ™ has engaged the services of Locher & Associates to broaden its marketing and business development efforts.
John Locher, President of Locher & Associates was most recently co-founder and VP of Marketing and Sales at RedWeek.com. While there he was instrumental in growing the company to 1.5 million registered users. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. He formed his new company in 2010.
“With the formal re-branding of our Bonus Time Network™, we recognized that we needed to ‘bring in reinforcements’ to expand our outreach,” said Sherri Weeks, General Manger of ResorTime.com. “John Locher brings vast experience in the timeshare rental world to the table and we know he is going make a big impact on our growth.
“During these economic times, we know how important it is to drive revenue to our existing clients,” continued Weeks. “Our growth initiative for the next 24 months is geared to increasing the options for travelers and thereby producing better bottom line results for our affiliates as well as ourselves.”
“Working with Sherri and her team is an excellent opportunity for us,” said Locher. “Given the consumers’ desire for spacious accommodations at affordable prices, timeshare rentals are more popular than ever. ResorTime.com’s Exclusive Bonus Time Network makes the product even more appealing to timeshare owners.”
ResorTime’ s Exclusive Bonus Time Network is an extension of each individual resort’s Bonus Time program and is only offered online at ResorTime.com or through ResorTime.com’s call center. Members taking advantage of the exclusivity of the network are also ensured Best Available Rate Guarantees, No Booking Fees and No Cancellation Fees.
Locher added that ResorTime.com offers great values in more than 300 resorts. “Today’s traveler is focused on value and ResorTime’s product has always been positioned reasonably priced, with beautiful properties in desirable locations.”
ResorTime.com is located at 5900 Pasteur Court, Suite 105, Carlsbad, California. For more information go to www.ResorTime.com/BonusTimeNetwork.
John Locher Teams With Sell My Timeshare Now For Strategic Growth
Dover, NH – March 23, 2011 – SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, the global leader in online timeshare resale and timeshare rental marketing, has recently announced an alliance with John Locher RRP of Locher & Associates to provide consulting services.
According to Jason Tremblay, founder and CEO of SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, “Our relationship with John developed as the result of a long-standing mutual professional respect. We anticipate that this alliance will add a new dimension to our company as we move forward into totally new sales and marketing territories. During the process, we will take advantage of John’s promotional and strategic online experience.”
Also a veteran of the online marketing of vacation ownership resales and rentals, Locher endorses SMTN and is excited about its vision and growth.
“Today’s consumers demand transparency and safe choices in order to navigate the resale process,” says Locher. “SellMyTimeshareNOW.com is diligent with their effective ‘for sale or rent by owner’ consumer model and the recently enhanced ‘no fee until sold’ preference for those wanting full-service. I embrace this success-driven emphasis that is improving the secondary market for everyone.”
In a recent role as co-founder and VP of Marketing and Sales at RedWeek.com, Locher was instrumental in growing the company to 1.5 million registered users. John brought RedWeek into the American Resort Development Association in 2002 and plays an active role in influential ARDA committees today. He achieved the highest level of recognition as a Registered Resort Professional (RRP) with ARDA. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. Locher & Associates was introduced in 2010 to serve the shared ownership industry.
About Sell My Timeshare NOW
Averaging more than 2 million page views per month, yielding a proven market of timeshare buyers, Sell My Timeshare NOW provides internet advertising and marketing solutions for timeshare owners seeking to sell or rent timeshare while offering timeshare buyers and renters competitively priced vacation ownership and rental opportunities. The company offers success-based timeshare brokerage through Timeshare Broker Services. Headquartered in Dover, NH with offices in Orlando, Florida.