Vacation ownership now in Sri Lanka

From left: Ideal Group Advisor Corporate Strategy and New Business Development Nimisha Welgama, Ideal Retreats MD Richard de Zoysa, Ideal Group Deputy Chairman Aravinda de Silva, Ideal Group Chairman Nalin Welgama, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Chief Sales Officer Oneel Verma, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Head Customer Acquisition – International Business Pankaj Agarwal and Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Senior Manager International Channel Sales Ghazali Siddequi -Pix by Ruwan Walpola

Have you ever wanted to be the owner of your very own vacation program? What’s more not just for today, tomorrow or the next one year, but for 25 years?  Well Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd. and Ideal Retreats Ltd. have introduced Club Mahindra to Sri Lanka in order to make your dreams come true!

Meanwhile, 26 November witnessed the introduction to Sri Lanka of the largest vacation ownership company outside of the USA, namely Club Mahindra, which was introduced by Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India and Ideal Retreats.

Launched at a gala event which saw the crème de la crème of Sri Lanka’s corporate and social elite gathered together, Club Mahindra is bound to be a success amongst leisure loving Sri Lankans.

Speaking on the occasion, Ideal Group Chairman Nalin Welgama said: “Today Club Mahindra will join forces with the Ideal Group of Companies who are the sole agents for Mahindra & Mahindra automobiles in Sri Lanka, to bring to Sri Lankan holiday makers a host of superlative offers that are truly unbeatable in the leisure sector.”

As to why Ideal Motors which is primarily known as one of Sri Lanka’s major automotive players has ventured into the leisure industry, Welgama said: “If you look at the companies that are the cornerstones of the Ideal Group, you will find that its vision clearly identifies diversification into niche fields. Inbound tourism especially from India was foremost on our agenda when we incorporated Ideal Retreats. It is at this time that we were also negotiating an alliance with Club Mahindra Holidays to represent them in Sri Lanka and we succeededin partnering with them. Ideal Retreats will certainly expand its portfolio into numerous facets of hospitality and we aim to be the best and most innovative. In other words, we will be constantly turning a page.”

Founded in 1996, Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India Ltd. (MHRIL) is the leisure and hospitality arm of the Mahindra Group, a $ 19 billion multinational group based in Mumbai, India. Mahindra Holidays is the largest vacation ownership company, outside of the USA, and offers quality family holidays to its members. The company is committed to creating ‘Magical Moments’ for its members when they holiday at any of its resorts in India and abroad, as well as in their city of residence all year round. The company ensures its members take back memories which last them a lifetime; thus forging a long-lasting relationship. 

“When Club Mahindra was first introduced in India, it was a new concept and Mahindra was among the first few to identify the opportunity as worldwide the concept was backed by companies who were high on Trust, Transparency, and Credibility for which Mahindra was endorsed and known in the market,” said Pankaj Agarwal, Head Customer Acquisition – International Business, Mahindra Holidays and Resorts India Ltd., speaking on the occasion.

“Over the last 20 years, we have grown to be the largest vacation ownership company in the world, outside of the US. As of 30September, MHRIL has ~225,000 vacation ownership members and operates 53 resorts across India and abroad and its subsidiary, Holiday Club Resorts Oy, Finland, a leading vacation ownership company in Europe has ~50,000 members and 32 resorts across Finland, Sweden and Spain. We have focused on our customers from day one and our objective has been to provide unique and immersive family experiences to all our members across our resorts. Our focus on quality, customer delight and experiences, ensured that we were successful from the very beginning. Over the years, we have grown exponentially in terms of our global footprint and member additions and today we have affiliations with Resorts Condominium International (RCI), a global holiday exchange network of 4,500+ resorts in 100 countries which is the world’s largest exchange company.”

As to Club Mahindra’s future plans  both in Sri Lanka as well as internationally, Agarwal said: “We plan to start with our sales office through Ideal Retreats and look forward to having a Club Mahindra property in Sri Lanka in the coming months. We are already in touch with the OZO group of hotels to start the first tie up for our existing members.”

Ideal Retreats Ltd. MD Richard de Zoysaaddressing the gathering said: “We will be responsible for promoting membership of Club Mahindra to families, individuals and to the corporate sector. We will initially work in compliance with the strategies set by our principles with a few deviations of our own since we are more aware of the local market trends. We also benefit by the presence of a senior management representative of Club Mahindra who will sit in our offices permanently.”

As to whether the concept of Vacation Ownership is lucrative and sustainable, de Zoysa said: “It is being introduced to Sri Lanka for the first time and this certainly will generate a lot of enthusiasm. Club Mahindra is perpetually adding on to their 80 plus resorts, and this will no doubt sustain the growth in membership and we are confident of achieving a hundred plus membership in our first year.”

Taking into consideration the popularity of internet bookings amongst holiday makers, de Zoysa was confident that Club Mahindra could easily hold its own. “This concept is different to prevailing offers. You plan your holiday ahead and the benefits of your membership revolve around flexibility. Your holidays are prepaid for 25 years with an annual maintenance fee, therefore your cost of seven days of your annual holiday plan remains constant from the first year to the 25th year!”

A detailed presentation on the workings of Club Mahindra was made by Agarwal and Ghazali, followed by a question and answer session during which time those present were able to clarify for themselves the exact modus operandi of Club Mahindra.

Ideal GroupDeputy Chairmanlegendary cricketer Aravinda de Silvasaid that Club Mahindra’s focus was on families and promoting quality time amongst the immediate as well as extended families. “In today’s fast-paced corporate culture, quality family time is fast becoming a thing of the past. Ideal Retreats together with Club Mahindra intends to focus on what is the cornerstone of society, quality family time; hence we are sure that this will be an undoubted success in Sri Lanka.”

Music by a jazz band, a skit by master comedians Dominic Kellar and Gehan Block and an electrifying drum performance by ‘Beat Drummers’, not forgetting gourmet food and choice wines, made Club Mahindra’s debut in Sri Lanka an unforgettable event!