European Industry Association

 

The Resort Development Organisation (RDO)

RDO (Resort Development Organisation) is the trade association for vacation ownership across Europe, encompassing a number of usage types including timeshare, fractional interests, private residence clubs, condo hotels, destination clubs etc, all aimed at providing holidaymakers with quality holiday accommodation through various concepts of use.

RDO members claim to represent the best in European vacation ownership and high service standards and integrity. Members are bound by a code of conduct and an independent arbitration scheme, providing levels of protection beyond those required by law.

RDO claim they are important to consumers, as its members are committed to high service standards and must sign up to a code of conduct. They investigate fraudulent activity and work with the authorities to have companies closed down. They offer a free complaint handling service to customers regarding their members and work with governments to bring in legislation that’s fair to both the industry and consumers.

The RDO inform the media about the difference the claim to have established between vacation ownership and holiday clubs and why the RDO important to operators in the industry?

Its purpose is to help its members to grow their businesses successfully and sustainably and does this through: promotion of the industry, Europe-wide lobbying, national representation, networking, annual conference, education, news, enforcement, research, statistics, working with owners; and mediation for members and consumers.

The mission of the Resort Development Organisation (RDO) is to be the recognised voice for the timeshare and shared ownership industry and it aims to become the kite mark for quality and trust for consumers, whilst promoting and demanding industry best practice from its members. The primary goal is for consumers to enjoy their ownership and have great holidays, now and in the future.

RDO is committed to supporting members in delivering the highest quality experiences and in acting as a mark of trust and assurance for consumers.
To achieve this RDO claims to

  • Demand adherence to ethical practices (from members).

  • Build confidence by providing practical, transparent and effective assistance when called upon.

  • Highlight and promote the excellence of service and products provided by members.

  • Work with enforcement agencies across Europe to maximise protection for consumers.

RDO Values

  • Enforcing strong business ethics.

  • Promoting transparent company practices.

  • Fostering rigorous adherence to legislation.

  • Respecting members, affiliates and consumers.

The RDO Code of Ethics was introduced in 1999 and over the years has been regularly updated to reflect best practices within the timeshare industry.

On 1st January 2010 RDO’s new Code of Conduct came into force. The new code reflects changes in the industry and legislation such as the EU Timeshare Directive, Rome 1, and the Unfair Commercial Practices Legislation which made certain aspects of the old code obsolete. The new code is accompanied by an Alternative Dispute Resolution Scheme (ADR) which allows consumers to have a cost effective alternative form of redress, in addition to RDO’s free-of-charge complaint handling service.

Compliance with best practice standards set by the code is still governed by so-called administrative procedures. RDO members have an excellent track record in complying with the code.

The new RDO code attributes additional rights to consumers when dealing with RDO members, which do not apply when consumers purchase from non-members.

From time to time the RDO Board approves additional Guidance Notes, which form part of the Code of Conduct. The current Guidance Notes that have been approved by the RDO Board cover the following:

  • Exit Options

  • Resale

  • Trade-Ins & Transfers

The current Code of Conduct can be downloaded here.

The current Guidance Notes can be downloaded here.

 

Contact Details

RDO Central Office

4th Floor
45 Monmouth Street
London
WC2H 9DG

Phone: + 44 (0) 1624 653153
Email: info@rdo.org

Web: www.rdo.org

Please note that consumers should not call the main number as consumer enquiries and complaints cannot be handled via telephone.