Gruppo LCL wins inaugural RCI Ambassador Award
Leading Italian timeshare operator Gruppo LCL has been named the first winner of the RCI Ambassador Award.
The award is part of the exchange company’s newly-launched RCI Partnership Awards, which are designed to recognise hard work and dedication of its affiliate community.
Replacing the previous RADA Awards, the refreshed programme now features nine award categories, ranging from green programmes to innovation.
The RCI Ambassador Award is designed to acknowledge and reward long-term engagement with both RCI and its members, and is nominated by the RCI team. The first recipient is Gruppo LCL, which has been affiliated to RCI for more than 30 years and became the first operator to sell RCI Points from an Italian resort in 2001.
RCI's Robin Mills (left) presents the award to Loris Cappelli of Gruppo LCL
Loris Cappelli, the company’s CEO, said the award was a source of great pride for the company.
“We are honoured as well as more motivated – receiving an international recognition that rewards partnership has a very high symbolic value, which goes beyond any financial result,” he said.
“Being the first to receive the Ambassador Award in Europe is a sign of trust on the part of RCI in our work and in our humble professional contribution. For Gruppo LCL this is also the recognition of a long-term alliance, beyond a simple partnership, as members of a family that support each other.
“This award has filled us with joy and means for us continuous commitment and future together.”
Cappelli said working with RCI – Gruppo LCI first affiliated to the exchange company in 1988 – had been a path of growth.
“Having the opportunity to work with the world leader in timeshare, makes us feel lucky,” he explained.
“We have worked together all these years always following a common objective – customer satisfaction, which has been achieved by exceeding expectations, facilitating the enjoyment of the holiday and encouraging the customer’s desire to travel.
RCI’s Robin Mills (left) and Enrique Gutierrez, affiliate manager, Italy (second from right) celebrate with Gruppo LCL’s Eva Marasà, Monica Caretto, Loris Cappelli and Alessandro Cappelli
“It’s always been a ‘work in progress’, and there have been important innovations over the years, not least RCI’s development of a truly global Points system, which dramatically improved the possibilities of exchange, and Gruppo LCL continues to be a huge supporter.
“We have evolved side-by-side with RCI and hope we’ll continue for a long time to come. In our case, being a family business, it was extremely important to work with RCI, which has taught us a lot and continues to do so.”
Robin Mills, vice president, Business Development, for Europe, Middle East and Africa – RCI Exchanges, said: “There can be no better first recipient of the RCI Ambassador Award than Gruppo LCL, which has been a key partner for more than three decades and a great example of a company that truly puts the customer – and customer satisfaction – first.
“We are delighted to have worked with them for so long, and for their support and dedication to the RCI Points system, which they helped to pioneer in Italy.
“I’d also like to congratulate all winners of our new RCI Partnership Awards, which are aligned even more closely with RCI’s strategy to support our affiliates, acknowledge our team approach and appreciation of their continued loyalty to RCI and the shared-holiday ownership industry.”
Other winners of the RCI Partnership Awards are:
