It’s the largest resort of its kind in Orlando, FL and it’s expanding to become the largest time-share property in the world. The Marriott Grande Vista Resort in Orlando sits on 68-acres and has 1,300 individual units with plans for an additional 400. “The property is very spread out,” according to Doug Hickfang, Director of Hospitality at Jani-King International. “The logistics of cleaning the units and staffing are obvious challenges. About 100 people per day will be employed by the Jani-King franchise owner.”
Jani-King has been awarded the contract and will be responsible for cleaning a portion of the 1,300 units. “The property is simply too big for one cleaning company to manage,” says Hickfang. “Staffing is also based on a three-day schedule, so there’s no way that Marriott could maintain a part-time staff that large.” Each unit is approximately 1,700 square feet and has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas, a full kitchen, and a balcony. Jani-King will staff the units from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays and will be responsible for all cleaning in units including the dishes. “We will provide a houseman, room attendants, and supervision for 150 to 200 units three days per week. Each unit is scheduled to be cleaned in two hours.”
Training for an account of this size was another challenge Jani-King had to overcome. “We had two translators who spoke five languages,” says Hickfang. “Orlando has more time share properties than any other city and people from all over the world have moved to that area. Our written material is currently provided in English and Spanish. We are working on translating the material into Portuguese as well.”
Although a property this size does present challenges, it also provides an opportunity to establish Jani-King’s name in the time-share market, according to Paul Allen, Regional Director, Jani-King of Orlando. “We’ve been looking to get into this market for a while,” says Allen. “This will not only increase our region’s bottom line but also help us attract more hotels and timeshare properties.”
The Marriott Grande Vista is the first of three time-share resorts that Marriott has asked Jani-King of Orlando to service including another 1,200 unit hotel complex. The Grande Vista property is part of Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI). MVCI has time-share properties located around the world.
