Geoff Ballotti has been busy since he was named president and CEO of Group RCI in March. The former Starwood executive is charting the future of the vacation ownership giant as he gets familiar with the company and the industry. So far, he's visited about a third of the 70-plus offices in RCI's far-flung empire.

Ballotti brought nearly 20 years of diverse hotel experience to his new position. Before being named to his last job at Starwood, president of the North America division, Ballotti held executive positions in the company's development, distribution, marketing and operations divisions.

“Hotels and vacation ownership are a perfect complement,” says Ballotti. “It's most obvious in mixed-used developments, especially in sales and marketing but also in the sourcing of development deals.”

While RCI enjoys its role as a leader in vacation ownership (key innovations including its global points-based exchange system and the development of the upscale Registry Collection), Ballotti has his eyes on the future.

“Of course, we want to grow in size, customer and developer satisfaction and market share, but we also intend to lead in technology, where we're spending tens of millions of dollars, especially on search technologies.”

Ballotti believes there are plenty of growth opportunities for the vacation ownership business, both in North America and around the world. While he's still bullish on the predictable U.S. timeshare markets like Orlando and Las Vegas, he also sees a great future in major urban markets such as New York, San Francisco and Boston.

“Outside of the U.S., both Mexico and the Mideast are on fire,” he says. The company recently announced several affiliate deals in Dubai and more are on the way.