RCI (formerly Group RCI and, before that, Resort Condominiums International) is a

timeshare A timeshare (sometimes called vacation ownership) is a property with a divided form of ownership or use rights. These properties are typically resort condominium units, in which multiple parties hold rights to use the property, and each owne ...

exchange company with over 4,300 affiliated resorts in 100 countries. Founded in

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in 1974 by Jon and

Christel DeHaan Christel DeHaan ( Stark, October 20, 1942 – June 6, 2020) was a German-American businesswoman and philanthropist who was the owner of Resort Condominiums International and the founder of Christel House International. Early life DeHaan was bo ...

, RCI is one of the two main timeshare exchange businesses, along with Interval International (II). RCI is part of Wyndham Destination Network and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands.

Corporate structure

RCI's president is Olivier Chavy. RCI's corporate headquarters is in Parsippany, New Jersey. ln India, RCI's corporate office is in Bangalore, India. Its North American membership office is in

Carmel, Indiana Carmel is a suburban city in Indiana immediately north of Indianapolis. With a population of 100,777, the city spans across Clay Township in Hamilton County, Indiana, and is bordered by the White River to the east; the Hamilton-Boone county l ...

, and its European membership office is in

Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of ...

, England, with several satellite servicing offices around the world. Its Asia Pacific membership office is in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, bor ...

. In July 2007, RCI was merged with Holiday Cottages Group, another of Wyndham Worldwide's subsidiaries. The two would still retain their individual names but operated under the parent name Group RCI until 2010, when the two companies changed the name to Wyndham Exchange and Rentals. In 2018 RCI became part of the split off of Wyndham Worldwide into Wyndham Destinations.

Business model

RCI is a timeshare exchange company. It does not develop or sell timeshares (this falls within the province of RCI's sister subsidiary Wyndham Vacation Clubs). A customer who buys a timeshare with an RCI-affiliated developer (whether Wyndham or another entity) has the option to become a member of RCI. Such membership entitles the individual to exchange their timeshare with other members; RCI facilitates and fulfills the exchange. Alternatively, a timeshare owner with an RCI-affiliated developer under a points-based system can book reservations through RCI with another RCI affiliate.

Litigation

A class action lawsuit against RCI was pursued by Green Welling LLP on behalf of RCI Weeks Program members in New Jersey of 2006. The Plaintiff alleged that RCI actually rents out the most desirable and highly demanded vacation weeks from the spacebank, thus depleting the most desirable options available to Weeks Program members who seek exchanges. The lawsuit was settled in favor of the plaintiff. Benefits for RCI members would have begun on January 11, 2010 but one or more appeals of the entry of the final judgment were filed. Thus the Effective Date began July 28, 2010 when all appeals were resolved.Green Welling files a nationwide class action in New Jersey on behalf of RCI Weeks Program members.
In 2012, RCI, whilst not admitting any wrong-doing, settled the class action concerning its time-share renting tactics in favour of claimants in the US and agreed to compensate those who had suffered. It might be noted that each person was only paid 12.00 for the lawsuit.

Philanthropy

RCI co-founder

has opened eight schools — known as

Christel House International Christel DeHaan ( Stark, October 20, 1942 – June 6, 2020) was a German-American businesswoman and philanthropist who was the owner of Resort Condominiums International and the founder of Christel House International. Early life DeHaan was bo ...

— in

Bangalore, India Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...

; Naya Raipur,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

; Mexico City, Mexico; Cape Town, South Africa; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The schools are designed to provide an education to poor children around the world. Christel House announced in July, 2017 that a ninth school will open in Jamaica, August 2019.Starbuck, Dane
"Christel DeHaan."
In ''Immigrant Entrepreneurship: German-American Business Biographies, 1720 to the Present'', vol. 5, edited by R. Daniel Wadhwani. German Historical Institute. Last modified March 24, 2014.

Awards

* In 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009, RCI was named one of the Best Places to Work in Indiana by the Indiana Chamber of Commerce.2011 Best Places to Work in Indiana
2010 Best Places to Work in Indiana
2009 Best Places to Work in Indiana
* In 2009, RCI (Grupo RCI Mexico) was named to the 2009 List of Best Companies to Work for in Latin America.
/ref> * In 2009, RCI (Grupo RCI Mexico) was named to the 2009 Best Places to Work for in Mexico.Great Place to Work Institute Mexico
/ref>

References

External links

RCI Members website

RCI Affiliates website
{{Timeshare chains Hospitality companies established in 1974 Companies based in Morris County, New Jersey Companies based in Indianapolis Wyndham Destinations Timeshare chains 1974 establishments in Indiana