From Vacation Ownership to Experience Access

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Skift From Vacation Ownership to Experience Access

What It Says

At the Skift Global Forum, industry leaders Jason Gamel (President & CEO of the American Resort Development Association - ARDA) and Gordon Gurnik (Senior Executive VP & COO of Hilton Grand Vacations - HGV) discussed the structural shift from traditional timeshares to experience-led vacation ownership.

Key insights from the discussion include:

Demographic Shift: Over 75% of new vacation ownership buyers are Millennials and Gen Z.
Scale of Programming: Hilton Grand Vacations hosts approximately 3,800 experiential events annually for its 725,000 owners, ranging from private concerts to high-profile sporting events like Formula 1 and the LPGA.
Ecosystem Integration: Modern ownership models succeed by linking timeshare assets to broader loyalty programs, such as converting HGV ownership into Hilton Honors points.

Why It Matters

For years, the short-term rental (STR) and vacation ownership sectors operated in parallel silos. However, as younger demographics delay traditional homeownership to prioritize travel, their expectations are reshaping lodging.

Millennials and Gen Z do not just want a place to stay; they want exclusive access. This shift is forcing vacation ownership brands—and increasingly, STR operators—to transition from property managers to experience curators. Companies like Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Westgate Resorts, and Travel + Leisure are already scaling experiential platforms to secure long-term customer retention.

Useful Signals

The "Experience-Over-Equity" Trend: Younger buyers are "foregoing buying a home so they can spend money on vacations," according to Gamel.
Exclusivity Drives Loyalty: Standard discounts are no longer enough. High-value retention is driven by providing "access customers can’t easily get on their own," such as closed-door events or curated local activities.
Continuous Feedback Loops: Gurnik emphasized that maintaining high engagement requires constantly surveying members and refreshing event programming annually to prevent fatigue.

STR Tech Report Take

This evolution presents a massive opportunity for STR technology vendors and hospitality operators. While enterprise vacation ownership brands have the capital to host F1 clubhouses, independent STR operators and mid-sized property management companies (PMCs) must rely on technology to scale similar "experience access."

To compete, the STR ecosystem needs:

Upsell and Guest Experience Software: Platforms that seamlessly connect guests with local, vetted, and exclusive experiences (e.g., private chefs, chartered tours, or hyper-local events) directly through the guest app.
Loyalty Infrastructure for STRs: Tech solutions that allow independent PMCs to band together or integrate with broader travel loyalty networks, mimicking the HGV-to-Hilton Honors conversion pipeline.
Data-Driven Personalization: Tools that help operators survey guest preferences pre-arrival to dynamically suggest tailored activities, ensuring the stay feels bespoke rather than transactional.

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