Kemmons Wilson

"Hospitality King's "last hurrah"
shows big promise"
SPOTLIGHT
July 1983

In 1951, Kemmons Wilson took his family on what he calls "the most miserable vacation trip of my life." He attributed the discomfort to cramped, costly lodging. Thereafter, Wilson was determined that his family never would have to experience such a fate again.

That incident marked the beginning of Holiday Inn®, a franchise which today boasts about 1,700 locations in some 50 foreign lands. Thirty years after Wilson opened the first hotel in his hospitality empire, he expanded his business interest with a new concept in vacation and travel - resort timesharing.

Today, he describes vacation ownership as "the wave of the future," but you wouldn't have found Wilson raving about timesharing four years ago. It wasn't that he didn't find the idea appealing. He just didn't know what it was.

It didn't take a salesman to convince the retired hotel magnate that "This (timesharing) was the business I wanted to spend the rest of my life in." In fact, all it really took was an introduction to the concept and a tour of a Florida resort.

The beautiful, 375-acre, purpose-built resort community promises to be one of the biggest successes in the resort-timesharing industry.

Wilson was a fast, eager industry learner, and his Orange Lake Country Club resort is proof. The beautiful, 375-acre, purpose-built resort community, strategically located four miles west of Walt Disney Worldâ in Kissimmee, Florida, promises to be one of the biggest successes in the resort-timesharing industry.

With an impressive $18 million in sales after one year of operation and a projected goal of $24 million in second-year sales, it appears that Wilson has carved an enviable niche in the vacation ownership arena with the Orange Lake venture, which he describes as his "last hurrah."

Wilson is opening the industry's eyes with his astounding sales volume. And he's defying the industry norm by keeping marketing costs at 27 percent-an admirable achievement in today's marketplace.

Low cost factors

Charles Zanowski, vice president of marketing and sales for the resort, cites several reasons for Orange Lake's overwhelming success. The credibility associated with Kemmons Wilson's name is one factor. Who better could endorse vacation ownership than one of the world's hospitality kings?

Quality of product keeps the business thriving. "I have built an all-around resort that would make anyone proud to be a part of it," claims Wilson. "I've built bigger and better."

Orange Lake is massive. The finished plan calls for 600 two-bedroom/two-bath units (1,216 sq. ft.). In addition, 128 studio units (462 sq. ft.) will be constructed on the upper level of the resort's spacious, three-story clubhouse. About 110 of the two-bedroom units have been completed, and another 32 are scheduled for completion in the next few weeks.

Prices for two-bedroom units vary from $5,5000 to $10,000 per interval week, while studio units sell for $2,800 to $6,000 per week. Zanowski contends that the pricing flexibility at Orange Lake fosters its mass appeal.

The resort's unequaled amenities package offers "everything under the sun," according to Wilson. August 1 is the targeted date for completion of the entire Orange Lake amenities profile, which includes:

• an 80-acre lake for sailing, fishing and water skiing, surrounded by a 400-foot sand beach.
• an Olympic-size swimming pool
• 14 tennis and four racquetball courts
• a 7,000-seat tennis stadium, which will house professional and celebrity tournaments
• putting greens, a golf pro shop and a 27-hole golf course
• a movie theater
• meeting rooms
• a ballroom which seats 600 for dinner and entertainment
• two separate dining rooms
• a commissary, which stocks just about anything a vacationer may need

"Family" is a key to Orange Lake's marketing plan. This is why the resort's amenities package is so extensive, says Wilson. "I've found, through my personal and business experience, that if you can make the children happy, then you can make Mom and Dad happy, too," he reasons.

Traffic no problem

Orlando's Walt Disney World® is not exactly off the beaten path for Orange Lake. In fact, several national tourist attractions (including Busch Gardens and SeaWorld) are in the resort's neighborhood. More than 13 million vacationers stopped to see the Disney shrine last year, and it is expected to attract more than 20 million people in 1983.

Surging tourism plays a pivotal role in Orange Lake's sales strategy. About 600 to 700 prospects-vacationers and residents-tour the facility each week. On-site sales (Orange Lake employs a sales staff of 60) account for 99 percent of the resort's volume.

Orange Lake's 5,000 timeshare owners come from 49 of the nation's states and 38 foreign countries, which attests to Orange Lake's gold mine locale.

Orange Lake's 5,000 timeshare owners come from 49 of the nation's states and 38 foreign countries, which attests to the drawing power of the Orlando area and, in turn, Orange Lake's gold mine locale.

Future plans call for expansion of the resort's off-site sales program. Zanowski says targeted areas will be the Northeast and Midwest regions of the United States.

Sales are up (35 percent ahead of last year's figures), marketing costs are expected to decline (Wilson vows to cut back another two percent)…and, as the resort communicates in its telephone greeting, "It's a beautiful day at Orange Lake."

Orange Lake's massive, 375-acre tract boasts a 7,000-seat tennis stadium, an 80-acre lake and a three-story clubhouse. The resort's location-just four miles from Walt Disney Worldâ - lends significantly to its drawing power.