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(dicembre 2010)  TARGA DI RICONOSCIMENTO

1985 – 2010

RCI si congratula con

il Gruppo LCL

per il suo 25° anniversario

Celebrando l’eccezionale dedizione,

collaborazione e successo del Gruppo LCL

all’interno dell’industria del time sharing

Targa conferita da

Geoff Ballotti President & CEO RCI

Dimitris Manikis VP Business Development RCI Europe & Middle Easte

(ottobre 2010) ARTICOLO SULLA RIVISTA VENTURES

Lo scorso ottobre la rivista "Ventures", il magazine di riferimento del nostro settore più importante a carattere internazionale, ha dedicato un articolo al Gruppo LCL. Precisamente la pubblicazione riservata al mercato Europeo, Medio Oriente, Africa e India, a pag. 28 festeggia i 25 anni del Gruppo LCL ed elogia l'operato del servizio clienti LCL assistance. Questa è la secoda volta in due anni che il mercato internazionale del nostro settore si dedica al Gruppo LCL, per noi è motivo di vanto e di orgoglio. Sembra banale, ma è proprio in questi momenti che bisogna fermarsi e pensare a tutte le persone che ci sono sempre vicine, i nostri clienti, il nostro staff e i nostri partners... grazie soprattutto a voi!

vedi articolo in originale clicca qui

QUOTE: THIS IS WHERE RCI’S EXCHANGE PRODUCT BECOMES A KEYSTONE IN OUR VALUE PROPOSITION TO CUSTOMERS. ITS SERVICING PLATFORM AND THE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY ITS EXCHANGE SYSTEM CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER COMPANY.

LORIS CAPPELLI Italy has long been an attractive but challenging timeshare market. Celebrating 25 years as leading marketers in the Italian industry, Gruppo LCL, know more about what makes it tick than most, as SARAH LEE finds out. 25 YEARS OF PUTTING THE CUSTOMER FIRST TURIN-based Gruppo LCL is something of a stalwart of Italy’s shared ownership industry. The company first entered the industry back in 1985 marketing Ischia Uno Residence, but this wasn’t its first taste of timeshare. Gruppo LCL founder and CEO Loris Cappelli started the familyrun business after experiencing the product for himself. “After buying a timeshare and discovering this fantastic product, I started to operate in the field, from there I founded LCL Group,” he said. “Even today, two of my four children, Alessandro and Ambra, are working in the company and once the other two complete their studies they will have the chance to decide if they want to become part of the LCL team.” Following the success of its work with Ischia Uno Residence the company began selling a second resort, Residence Verde Mare in Sardinia in 1994 and in 2001 became one of the first companies in Italy to embrace RCI Points. Gruppo LCL has since become the sales and marketing force behind a number of Italian resorts including Borgo al Sole in the Dolomites, Torre Inserragio I Tramonti and Portoselvaggio, Puglia, and Tuscany-based Il Poggio. Earlier this year it started a collaboration with Camporosso II, an alpine ski resort two hours from Venice. Cappelli said: “We feel very much a part of the Italian timeshare market – we’ve always traded here and I’m sure we always will. Many, many customers have bought timeshare owned or marketed by us.” For Cappelli, Italy’s strength is the fact that most of its resorts are in drive-to destinations and offer holiday options from beaches to mountains, cultural cities, thermal waters and more. He explained: “We’re mindful that the average Italian takes at least two holidays a year. So we’re always looking to enrich our portfolio of resorts so we can cover all types of holidays – from the exclusivity of Sardinia to the beauty of Il Salento, or Ischia Island and its breathtaking views of Naples Bay and Etna, to the Tuscan countryside and the ski resorts of the Dolomites. “This wide range of destinations not only contributes to our customer satisfaction but allows us to keep selling further weeks to existing clients.” Given the company’s longevity and dedicated focus on the Italian market, Gruppo LCL is an expert in the field and has seen Italy’s timeshare industry grow and mature. But how has it changed in the past 25 years? “From our perspective opportunities have increased,” said Cappelli. “People no longer simply look for timeshare during the classic four weeks of August. They are also looking for a wider variety of holiday. People are not only interested in sunbathing at the beach, but also in wellness, culture, tradition and lifestyle resorts. This is also where RCI’s exchange product becomes a keystone in our value proposition to customers. Its servicing platform and the range of opportunities offered by its exchange system cannot be compared to any other company. “RCI exchange greatly increases developers’ chances of selling and changes our approach to marketing. We have adapted it to the requirements of a more experienced consumer but the basics remain the same. We work exclusively on site, as we believe the client needs to touch and experience the product before making the decision to buy.” But the market is still not without its challenges and Cappelli says the biggest is increasing the number of new customers while keeping marketing costs within reasonable budgets. Added to this is the constant need to challenge preconceived ideas about the product, and to fight against unscrupulous companies and the bad press they generate. “As an industry we need to work on customer satisfaction as well as actively fighting those who operate outside ethical boundaries,” said Cappelli. The Italian market is also renowned for something Cappelli has termed the ‘July- August problem’ – the result of Italians’ love of holidaying in peak seasons. But how are they helping resorts overcome it? “If a customer needs holidays in July and August they have two solutions: the first is to buy peak season holidays through travel agents and pay the corresponding rental fee. The second option we recommend to clients is to acquire a peak season timeshare week that will give them not only guaranteed QUOTE: THIS IS WHERE RCI’S EXCHANGE PRODUCT BECOMES A KEYSTONE IN OUR VALUE PROPOSITION TO CUSTOMERS. ITS SERVICING PLATFORM AND THE RANGE OF OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY ITS EXCHANGE SYSTEM CANNOT BE COMPARED TO ANY OTHER COMPANY. LORIS CAPPELLI MARKETING 25 YEARS OF PUTTING THE CUSTOMER FIRST RCI’s Enrique Gutierrez, left, presents awards recognising the company’s long-term business relationship with Gruppo LCL to Loris Cappelli (CEO), Alessandro Cappelli (sales director) and Ambra Cappelli (assistant director) RCI Ventures, October 2010 | 29 holidays every year in peak season if they decide to use it, but also a high trading power that will increase their opportunities of exchange into other resorts during the most demanded dates of the year. “Often we find customers who need to travel during peak seasons have bought timeshare in destinations and seasons that are not very appealing to our market. It is our job to explain that the location and the dates they acquire are a key component of the product. Put simply, if you love eating authentic pizza napoletana, you have to go to a pizzeria napoletana!” LCL-Assistance was established in 2003, and is Gruppo LCL’s customer service programme which works closely with clients to serve their needs. Cappelli said: “It may seem trite but we saw that our customers are our first source of new customers – they bring us many of their friends, so customer service is vital. “The daily challenge is to improve LCL-Assistance and make it a more efficient division. To do this it is essential to ‘hear’ the customer’s requirements and try, if possible, to make them a ‘tool’ to fill the service. Special thanks goes to RCI’s member service team in Cork with whom LCL-Assistance is always in direct contact. “In our 25 years RCI has evolved a lot with different products, but we’ve seen it always maintains the goal of delivering high customer satisfaction and as long as this remains we’ll keep working alongside RCI.” RCI’s affiliate services manager for Italy, Enrique Gutierrez, said: “Gruppo LCL has been a travel companion throughout RCI’s journey in Italy since its earliest days. Although Loris Cappelli and his team are veterans of our industry they are always ready to embrace change. Their marketing and post sale services, together with the long term commercial relationship with RCI affiliates, are a winning formula, and will continue to be so for their next 25 years.

(maggio 2010) RCI PREMIA IL GRUPPO LCL

Lo scorso 26 maggio, nell'incantevole scenario del Portoselvaggio resort nel Salento, la RCI Europe, nella persona di Enrique Gutierrez, affiliate services manager italy, ha consegnato due riconoscimenti al Gruppo LCL. Il primo, consegnato all'amministratore unico del Gruppo LCL Loris Cappelli, è il premio ai nostri 25 anni di attività in questa fantastica industria della multiproprietà. Il secondo, consegnato ad Ambra Cappelli (responsabile LCL-Assistance) e Alessandro Cappelli (responsabile marketing), è il premio per la qualità del nostro marchio post vendita ovvero LCL-Assistance, giudicata da RCI come un esempio a livello europeo di qualità di assistenza ai clienti.

da sinistra a destra: Loris Cappellii, Alessandro Cappelli e Ambra Cappelli (LCL), Enrique Gutierrez (RCI)

da sinistra a destra: Alessandro e Ambra (LCL), Enrique Gutierrez (RCI) con il premio qualità della LCL-Assistance

da sinistra a destra: Alessandro, Ambra e Loris Cappelli (LCL)

(novembre 2009) Visita al call-center di Cork

Ambra Cappelli (responsabile LCL-Assistance) e Alessandro Cappelli (responsabile marketing LCL) hanno fatto visita al call-center RCI di Cork. Certo i clienti LCL quando chiamano RCI Points per prenotare parlano con le guide viaggi RCI che si trovano proprio a Cork. La collaborazione tra LCL-Assistance ed il Call-Center RCI è fondamentale per garantire la qualità dei servizi che vende il Gruppo LCL. Le nostre visite sono divenute ormai un rito, la soddisfazione dei clienti è stata la parola chiave di questa tre giorni. Migliorare la flessibilità, l'operatività e lo scambio d'informazioni tra le due realtà (LCL-Assistance e Call-Center RCI) è in continua evoluzione... bene, alla prossima visita e grazie per l'ospitalità!!!

L'area relax del call-center RCI

Ambra e Alessandro con i ragazzi RCI Points

Holiday

Holiday è la rivista dei soci RCI, nel numero di maggio 2008 a pag. 14 sono presenti due articoli su due dei sei residence commercializzati dal Gruppo LCL.

Festa Toscana

Un ristorante di un residence RCI Silver Crown inserito in una delle più autorevoli guide gastronomiche italiane. Il Poggio (4182) ha ottenuto un punteggio del 77 percento nella guida Gambero Rosso 2008, che consiglia la sua cucina tradizionale, preparata con prodotti biologici coltivati nell’azienda agricola del residence, oltre ai raffinati vini e formaggi serviti al ristorante. Il Poggio, nei pressi del villaggio medioevale di San Casciano dei Bagni, è circondato da una splendida campagna ed è la base ideale per piacevoli escursioni. È inoltre presente un maneggio specializzato, adatto sia ai principianti che ai cavalieri più esperti. Gli ospiti del residence possono soggiornare in appartamenti ricavati da quelle che un tempo erano le scuderie, arredati in tipico stile rurale, oppure in suite. Tutte le unità abitative sono dotate di angolo cottura e di tutte le comodità moderne. A breve distanza da Il Poggio si trovano Siena, Pisa, Firenze,Volterra, Montepulciano, il Parco naturale dell’Uccellina, l’Isola del Giglio e le sorgenti termali di Chianciano Terme, tutte interessanti destinazioni per una gita di un giorno.

Relax sull’Adriatico

Sperimentate le delizie dell’Italia meridionale soggiornando presso il Residence Portoselvaggio (7643), vicino alla città di Nardò, Lecce. Questo residence RCI Silver Crown da 108 appartamenti è ubicato nei pressi del parco naturale di Porto Selvaggio — con 300 ettari di pineta e sette hilometri di splendido litorale — a meno di due km dalla spiaggia, affacciata sul mare Adriatico. Il residence è in grado di offrire alcune sistemazioni in hotel, oltre ad appartamenti bilocali e trilocali con angolo cottura, alcuni con forno a microonde. Sul posto troverete una piscina, una piscina per bambini,attrezzature ginniche, snack bar, parco giochi e animazione. Il centro benessere interno offre sauna e massaggi, con possibilità di acquistare olio da massaggio e altri prodotti di bellezza. La vicina città di Nardò offre molti esempi di architettura barocca, ad esempio la cattedrale, mentre la regione circostante, la penisola del Salento, vanta paesaggi considerati tra i più incantevoli in Italia.

(aprile 2008)  ARTICOLO VENTURES

Lo scorso aprile la rivista "Ventures", il magazine di riferimento del nostro settore più importante a carattere internazionale, ha dedicato un articolo al Gruppo LCL. Precisamente la pubblicazione riservata al mercato Europeo, Medio Oriente, Africa e India, a pag. 22 e seguenti sottolinea la qualità del servizio clienti LCL

leggi qui l'articolo

Ventures

Venture è la rivista internazionale per gli "addetti ai lavori", viene stampata in inglese e inviata in tutto il mondo, nel numero di aprile 2008 il Gruppo LCL è il protagonista del mercato italiano...

KATHERINE STEINER-DICKS discovers that Italy has much to offer the timeshare industry and those savvy enough to use its strengths to their business advantage.

Optimising opportunity

If each country had a checklist for its potential as a key timeshare or fractional ownership market, Italy would tick all the right boxes. A plethora of beach, city and ski hotel and resort options? Check. Countryside retreats? heck. Easy access for flights and transport? Check. Everyone’s favourite cuisine? Check. A new view One company to recognise this is Gruppo LCL, a family-owned marketing company that has been active in the business for the past 20 years and has been enjoying success in this arena. The company’s founder and sole administrator, Loris Cappelli, first experienced the timeshare market not as a salesman but as a customer. He bought a week for his family,with which they were all satisfied. Reinforcing his belief in the business model, he started to promote timeshares to relatives and friends. Gruppo LCL has taken an empathetic approach to their customers’ needs ever since. “For three generations the client has come first,” said Cappelli. “Our market has always been Italy and we’ve stuck with it through all its highs and lows. “We at Gruppo LCL pride ourselves on our transparency in sales – in both legal atters and in explaining how the exchange network actually works, with complete clarity on the trading power of the products and weeks being purchased.” In 2002 the company launched its ‘LCL-assistance’ brand to exclusively handle customer assistance. Cappelli said: “The new brand was a significant opportunity, being exclusive to LCL clients it was, and still is, an innovation in the Italian multiple ownership landscape.” Gruppo LCL now sells RCI Points. It markets six properties, all in Italy and in areas with a strong touristic appeal. LCL’s client resorts are all Group RCIaffiliated and comprise two in Salento-Puglia – Resort I Tramonti and Resort Portoselvaggio, one in Ischia – esort Ischia Uno, one in Sardinia – Resort Verde Mare, one in the Siena hills – Resort Il Poggio, and one in the Italian Alps – Resort Borgo al Sole. One of the latest properties to come into the group’s portfolio has set a new standard for future resorts. Opened in 2006, the Salento-Portoselvaggio comprises 108 rooms spread across several units, varying in size and style to cater to different palettes and pockets. The panoramic swimming pool comes with hydro-massage and nearby solarium. In addition to an amphitheatre, there are spa facilities and ample gardens. The 24-hour service is also a bonus, but simply part of the package you’d expect of this service-focused group. Cappelli says at times a hotel’s service level can outweigh the prestige factor. He explained: “Special features for a residential hotel are its services rather than the unit’s prestige. What is important is an understanding of the traditions and history of the location, and to use these to convey the right emotions to the clients.” Danilo Ferri, Group RCI account manager, Southern Italy, said: “Gruppo LCL is an attractive client for us because of the quality of its customer assistance, which supports purchasers with correct and useful information. As a result of this, its members are active in exchanges and satisfied with the product, which is what Group RCI wants for all its members.” Given the success of its timeshare sales, Gruppo LCL is now concentrating on a future in the industry. “Gruppo LCL wants to increase revenues, expand its resort portfolio and find new lead generation programmes,” Ferri added. “It is also interested in growing into new markets outside Italy.”

Italian timeshare and fractional ownership model to British and American investors is where new growth will take place in Italy over the next few years. Gruppo LCL’s Alessandro Cappelli believes that fractionals could be a strong market in Italy. He said: “Flexibility is without a doubt the fundamental characteristic for lasting business rowth. At this time Gruppo LCL is searching for new opportunities. Its main activity is multiple-ownership sales and we are ready and willing to add new products to our established offering. The fractional product is not just different, but it’s a new market. The approach to marketing and sales has to be different because we’re dealing with a new type of client.” Keeping all options open, Gruppo LCL is not ruling out the mid-market either. Loris Cappelli said: “There is great potential in Italy. As many as 15 million Italian families go on vacation every year. We’re convinced the multipleownership market in Italy will develop further. The convenience and benefits of the product are tangible and calculable.” The family believes the LCLassistance programme has helped to overcome the challenge of a decrease in consumer spending. Ambra Cappelli, LCL-assistance manager, said: “Our clients have a strong sense of ownership towards our brand and they introduce us to many new clients. Our customer-focused LCL-assistance means we have a constant presence at the marketed properties which is fundamental in giving a real feel of what we sell. We can state without a doubt that our brand is the driving force of our success.”

I vertici di RCI a Torino

Il 21 novembre ‘07, il Vice Presidente di RCI Europe, il greco, Dimitris Manikis, il Direttore Vendite, lo spagnolo Ovidio Zapico e i due Manager Italiani Valeria Dallora (centro Nord) e Danilo Ferri (Centro Sud) hanno visitato i nostri uffici di Torino incontrando i nostri vertici aziendali. Il meeting verteva sulle opportunità di business nel medio-lungo periodo, sui cambiamenti del mercato, sulle prossime opportunità e quindi cari clienti statene certi, il nostro sviluppo offrirà a voi maggiori opportunità in termini di vacanza e di investimento. Il Gruppo LCL è il primo riferimento per RCI sul mercato italiano “RCI Points”, sia in termini di numero di resort che di numero di iscrizioni e soprattutto per il rapporto con il cliente.

Dimitris Manikis (RCI), Loris Cappelli (LCL)	Valeria Dallora (RCI), Alessandro Cappelli (LCL), Danilo Ferri (RCI)
Ovidio Zapico (RCI), Loris Cappelli (LCL)

Visita al call-center di Cork

Il 25 Ottobre ‘07 una delegazione Gruppo LCL ha fatto visita al call - center di RCI a Cork in Irlanda scoprendo altre novità e opportunità riservate ai nostri Clienti !!! Ma lo sapevate che sulle prenotazioni RCI Points puoi risparmiare fino al 50% dei tuoi punti, che RCI Points prevede pacchetti Vacanze All-Inclusive in splendidi villaggi?... Fantastico!!! Inoltre RCI Points ha inserito nuove sistemazioni alternative, come castelli italiani, cottage nella campagna inglese, hotel boutique e parchi vacanze, aumentando le destinazioni in tutto il mondo… Londra, Parigi, Roma, i suoi Partners, con altre compagnie aeree, moltissimi hotel !!! Prossimamente verrà introdotto il servizio Holiday E-Lerts, attraverso il quale potrete comunicare la meta e il periodo, ricevendo nell’immediato informazioni sulle offerte!!!

Il team italiano (da sinistra a destra): Antonella (RCI), Francesco (RCI), Alessandro (LCL), Amedeo (RCI), Silvia (RCI), Gaia (team leader RCI), Ambra (LCL), Lorenzo (RCI)

da sinistra a destra: Alessandro Cappelli (LCL), Regina Scannell (Ops Manager RCI), Ambra Cappelli (LCL)

da sinistra a destra: Alessandro Cappelli (LCL), Viktoria Jeles (Manager RCI), Ambra Cappelli (LCL)

AZIENDA

AREA RCI

VACANZE LCL

ESSERE LCL