Resort Management Advisors Offers New Management Alternatives For Timeshare, HOAs & Developers

Published October 28, 2009

Steven C. Hicks, one of the vacation ownership industry’s most respected senior property management professionals, has recently launched Resort Management Advisors (RMA) to provide a less expensive alternative for homeowners’ associations that prefer more control and involvement in the operation of their resorts. The company also works with lenders and business organizations in the vacation ownership industry as well as developers who do not have their own management division.

In describing his new company Hicks explained, “Most large management companies are owned and/or affiliated with timeshare developers or their spinoff and generally charge a management fee of 10% or more of an association’s annual budget, in addition to other fees. They also frequently present long-term management agreements and require considerable control over how the resorts are operated.  In today’s economy of rising operating costs and declining maintenance fee collections, the HOA has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the association members are receiving a good value for paid services and are not strapped with undue control by their management company. The relationship between the association or other clientele and their management company should be more of a genuine partnership.”

In addition to substantially smaller fees, RMA also provides an ala-cart menu that features  a more in-depth disclosure of where HOA funds are being spent. This includes independent, third party preparation of items like accounting, assessment billing and collections, etc. Also, RMA is committed to generating more net rental and other revenues to the associations and/or clients through a unique web-based, resort specific, rental platform. 

Recognized as one of the hospitality industry’s top resort management executives, for more than 28 years, Hicks has provided management leadership to some of the vacation ownership industry’s major developers. During his professional career, Hicks has managed more than 50 resorts, 60 owner associations with over 300 board members, and more than 3,000 employees, responsible for developer and owner association assets in excess of $1 billion. He was recently named an Advisory Partner for Trident Business Management. (www.tridentbusinessmanagement.com)

Prior to the formation of RMA, Hicks served for more than 25 years, as President of Shell Vacations Hospitality, building that company from three properties to more than 20 resorts in the US and Canada with over one thousand hospitality employees serving under his leadership. Hicks also served as Vice President of U.S. Resort Operations for Diamond Resorts International with 23 North American resorts and in the same capacity for ResortCom International, a resort management company located in San Diego, California.

 Hicks is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA), Registered Resort Professional (RRP) and is frequent speaker or moderator at national American Resort Development Asn. conventions. He has also served on ARDA's Property Management Committee, Meetings Committee, Awards Committee and Resort Management Council and has received numerous humanitarian and public service awards for his volunteer work.

For more information, visit  www.resortmanagementadvisors.com