International Cruise and Excursions membership model

New to this year’s Power List, at No. 22, is International Cruise Excursions (ICE), reporting an impressive $630 million in sales for 2013 — and not a dollar of that directly from consumers. 

The company started, according to Lisa Bauer, executive vice president of global operations and COO, when the founders, John and Marcia Rowley, could not exchange their timeshare for a cruise.

John Rowley had a software development background, and the initial premise was to enable travelers to exchange timeshare weeks for cruises.

From there, the company grew on a membership basis, all involving points and alternative currencies.

With an increasing number of partners in and out of the travel industry, ICE became a full-service agency providing lodging, car rental, etc.

Travel is provided for consumers with some kind of affiliation for instance with USAA (which offers insurance and financial services for members of the military).

“They would have to log in as members, and then we can offer travel benefits,” Bauer said. “We are not a traditional retailer. We do not sell openly to the public in a retail environment but more frequently as part of a benefit package.

“We also aim to be creative in our products,” she said. “For instance, if a consumer can’t decide on a cruise or resort when redeeming their points, they could buy a certificate from us for a certain amount and later trade that certificate for a resort or cruise at a later date but at a great value.”

ICE enjoyed extensive news coverage last year when it beta-tested travel stores at five Sears locations, an initiative that is being rolled out to 300 Sears locations nationally.

“It’s nice to be different,” Bauer said. “We can provide proprietary programs in a variety of ways — sometimes points, sometimes timeshare exchange — because one size does not fit all.”

Most recently, ICE rolled out its ICE Lifestyle Collection of products designed for a comprehensive approach to client lifestyles, encompassing travel and other leisure activities, including wine tastings, golf and theater.

“It’s all about member value; they can even do layaway with us for their vacations,” Bauer said. “This is a unique opportunity for suppliers because we have the ability to talk specifically to members and can segment their market. We present offers only to those specific members they select. We bring higher-yield customers and people who will upgrade because they are already getting value out of their members and are willing to spend over and above that.”