Marriott official says decision was as a result of the economic downturn and making the sales mechanism more efficient

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – ALMOST thirty (30) employees of the Marriott Vacation Club International (St. Kitts) will be sent packing by the end of the year as the international company has announced its intention to shut down the local sales office.

Employees in this office were informed of this decision in a very brief meeting on Wednesday (Nov. 18) and were handed letters, informing that their employment will terminate effective January 1, 2010.

The 29 employees, seven management and 22 non-management positions, included administrators, contract processing staff and sales and marketing support, many of whom expressed their surprise at the decision.

One distraught associate told this media house, “We were called into a meeting and the boss said that he wasn’t going to beat around the bush. So he quickly told us that we will all be terminated, about thirty of us in the department. So, Christmas will not be so sweet this time around.”

As the ongoing economic crisis continues to cripple businesses across the region, MVCI Vice President of Corporate Affairs Ed Kinney told SKNVibes that the company has not been immune to the adverse effects. He explained that the decision to terminate the 29 employees was based on two reasons: the bleak outlook as a result of recession in larger countries and the need to make the sales mechanism more efficient. 

“The reason for closing the gallery is in part due to the economic downturn, but it is also in part because we can sell our product through other effective channels. We found greater efficiencies in certain channels, such as selling to current owners and their referrals and using our telesales group that is also web-based, providing greater global exposure,” Kinney explained.

According to Kinney, the company conducts about 50% of its business selling to current customers or from customer referrals. At the same time, the sales office at the site was not achieving the most favourable yields.

Since then, the timeshare company has made moves to review its operations in the area of sales. Kinney informed that similar decisions were made in other properties to gain efficiency and “adjust our methods of sales and marketing”.

In mid-April of this year, 100 employees at the Marriott St. Kitts Resort were terminated abruptly and escorted from the premises by police. VP Kinney quickly made it clear that the MVCI is not part of the resort, reaffirming that the decision was “completely independent of the hotel”.

In the letter, dated November 20, associates were informed that the MVCI’s notification to the Labour Commissioner “should hopefully expedite your receipt of such severance payment”.

Kinney thanked the associates for their hard work, describing them as “valued associates”. He added that there are options for the terminated associates to travel to another location or to apply for a position in the adjacent Marriott resort.

“We have jobs posted throughout our system and we certainly counsel the associates to make them aware of those different opportunities.” Kinney noted, adding that they would be first considered for such opportunities.

The Marriott Vacation Club International (Marriott’s St. Kitts Beach Club) has seen the completion of 66 of the planned 88 units and boasts lavish villas for owners and rental guests. Each villa houses state-of-the-art kitchen and bathroom facilities, living and dining areas, and master and guest bedrooms offering spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean.