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| Robb & Stucky introduces its distinctive style to shared ownership industry |
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by Marge Lennon
Owner
Lennon Communications Group
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With maintenance fees paid annually by timeshare owners, the interiors of resorts have retained their “like new” appearance as furnishings have been replaced over the years. Many resorts developed and sold in the 1980s have enjoyed multiple interior refurbishments, courtesy of the maintenance fee income stream. Some resorts actually look as good today as they did when they were first developed. This sustained longevity is a testament to the founding fathers of the vacation ownership industry, responsible for initially crafting the concept. Although the mention of maintenance fees are sometimes perceived as a negative during the selling process, without them, our industry would not have survived and grown in popularity for nearly four decades. This story will show how a portion of those maintenance fees can be spent.
For many years, the process that involves the selection, manufacturing, purchasing and installation of furnishings for these resorts has been accomplished by using specialists in multiple fields. But what if you could obtain ALL of these services from a single source – including manufacturing? One company – Robb & Stucky – is helping its hospitality, timeshare and fractional developer clients make smart refurbishing decisions by providing all of these services.
Since their beginnings in 1915 as a single-store general merchandise emporium in Fort Myers, Florida, Robb & Stucky has evolved to become one of the largest high-end furniture retailers in the United States. Although the world around them has dramatically changed in the past 93 years, quality, service and total customer satisfaction have remained the hallmarks of the company’s distinctive style.
Much of Robb & Stucky’s success in the past 30 years has been in the Florida residential market. “We had always furnished Florida hotels and timeshare resorts, including South Seas Plantation and the Southwest Florida properties that are now a part of Hilton Grand Vacations Company,” said Dan Lubner, President Resorts Division, “so we were comfortable with providing design services to the vacation ownership market. About four years ago, we decided to increase our capabilities by manufacturing what we design, creating specific product lines that are required for each commercial and hospitality application.”
During the past several years, Robb & Stucky has expanded, both domestically and internationally, sharing their knowledge with increasing commercial design clients, including timeshare and fractional properties. With their corporate headquarters in the center of Florida’s timeshare and tourism mecca, their expansion into this industry was a natural evolution.
Today, Robb & Stucky has 30 showrooms in four states and Costa Rica as well as nine Robb & Stucky patio stores and one of the nation’s largest team of licensed interior designers. The size and buying power of such a large retailer and their bundling of services enables the company to provide furnishings and design work at highly competitive prices.
As a result of continuing requests, Robb & Stucky is becoming more involved with the timeshare and fractional industries. Adds Lubner, “By providing true ‘turn-key’ solutions to design issues, we handle all facets of the work without the need for outsourcing or paying the middleman’s markup or designers’ commissions. This allows for the maximum percentage of the developers’ FF&E budget to actually be spent on FF&E.”
Robb & Stucky handles design, product development, manufacturing, purchasing, delivery, installation and servicing. With their immense warehousing capabilities, they also provide storage for extra pieces of furniture, carrying “attic stock” and delivering it within days, eliminating the concern for discontinued pieces of furniture. If someone breaks a chair in a unit, it won’t take six months to receive a new one. The resort manager is happy to obtain a quick replacement and the developer can convert their storage space into a revenue-generating facility.
With so many requests for quality bedding, the company also manufactures its own line of high-end bedding and related accessories and also supplies appliances and televisions at most competitive prices. After units have been installed, the company offers what it calls “triage services” by providing five service calls during the first year to repair any minor scratches on legs and tops or spruce up the furniture.
In comparing the services of Robb & Stucky to those of a designer or purchasing agent, Mary Turschmann, Director of Business Development explains, “In the typical developer-designer relationship, a major portion of the budget goes toward design, installation, warehousing of furniture and coordination fees. When given a ‘key rate’ or total budget, we put all of our efforts into the creation of the product and not for commissionable services, providing these ancillary services without charge. The customer pays only for the actual products they purchase.”
She added that purchasing agents are generally remunerated based on the total dollar volume of items purchased and often this is not in the client’s best interest. “Instead,” she says, “we take the existing project and offer the best possible solution, creating the perfect piece for that location. We like to feel that we are an integral part of every project we take on and don’t have to rely on what someone has put into their catalog.”
Adds Turschmann, “Our extremely large staff of interior designers, many with extensive hospitality experience, understands that there can be dramatic differences in furnishings and styles from one community to another. This ability to regionalize designs, along with our buying power and comfort level in the timeshare industry has enabled us to provide interiors that please both the developer and the owners.”
With a total staff of 1,400 employees, Lubner says the company’s design professionals can be mobilized from any part of the globe. They have served clients from Miami to Manhattan to Mexico as well as Costa Rica where four properties are in various phases of receiving the Robb & Stucky touch. Concludes Lubner, “We understand the importance of interior design and quality furnishings in today’s shared-use property and strive to become a significant partner with our developer clients, working diligently to play a key role in their sales success.”
To reach Dan Lubner, call 239-292-3717 or write to Dan.Lubner@RobbStucky.net
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