The Hindu Business Line : RCI offers hotel `rentals' in cities

Speaking to Business Line here, Ms Radhika Shastry, General Manager (India Operations), RCI, said this would enhance the travel experience for members holidaying abroad. For instance, if people travelling to an RCI-affiliated holiday resort in the UK want to include London in their trip, RCI will now make it possible for them to rent hotel rooms in the city at specially-negotiated prices which would generally be lesser than when rented directly, she explained. This facility is not part of the holiday exchange scheme but is a service available in addition to that, she clarified.

There is a range of options available from two-star to five-star accommodation, Ms Shastry said, adding that "it is a huge value-addition." Rates may vary, however, depending on occupancy, the season and the location. RCI is also enabling houseboat rentals in Kumarakom, Kerala. Now there are over 20,000 hotel options to choose from. RCI can also arrange car rentals and book sightseeing tours in and around these cities, she said.

RCI expects its members to take to the Rentals facility in a big way, going by the response last month, when it was introduced. Some of the prime locations include Paris, London, Berlin, Istanbul, New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Kathmandu, Dubai, Phuket, Sydney, Melbourne and Cape Town.

RCI now has 65 resorts affiliated to it in India and hopes to add another eight this year. The vacation exchange (timeshare) business has huge domestic potential, Ms Shastry said, adding that 70 per cent of the members in India travel within the country. Most members travel once in two years and take a "long-haul" or foreign holiday once in three years, she said.

In 2005, RCI facilitated 18,000-odd exchanges as against 15,000 in 2004. It has 56,000 members in India. The industry is growing as travel is becoming easier with lower air fares, making for affordability, and heat-and-eat foods making it easy for people to stick to their own choices in places where their kind of food is not available, she said.