Meet the Fam: The Story Behind JKW Vacation Club Pt. 1
Pack your bags, folks! This chat with Kevin Duran, the mastermind behind JKW Vacation Club, is all about snatching up some exclusive travel experiences that'll make your jaw drop. Kevin spills the beans on how his family-run business dodges those pesky service fees and hooks you up with everything from airport shuttles to private chefs. Seriously, who wouldn’t want a gourmet meal whipped up right in their vacation digs? We dive into the heartwarming story of how his mom’s journey from Guatemala to entrepreneur extraordinaire inspired this whole venture. So, buckle up as we zoom through the world of travel and family business, because this is a ride you don’t wanna miss!
Takeaways:
- JKW Vacation Club is all about family vibes, focusing on unique travel experiences.
- Kevin Duran shares how personal connections enhance the vacation planning experience.
- Direct bookings with JKW help save big bucks by skipping service fees and hidden costs.
- The heartwarming story of how Kevin's mom inspired the entrepreneurial spirit in his family.
- Expect tailored experiences like private chefs and personalized services during your stay.
Companies mentioned in this episode:
- JKW Vacation Club
- Marriott
Transcript
Pack your bags. Let's take a ride. 5 minutes fly and we'll explore the wide with Forrest Kelly, it's travel time. It's The Best 5 Minute Travel Podcast Let's go.
Kevin Duran:Hi, my name is Kevin Duran and I'm the founder of JKW Vacation Club.
Forrest Kelly:JKW Vacation Club. Now, JKW means what?
Kevin Duran:Yeah, so JKW means Jamie, Kevin and Wally. It's my mom, Wally, my dad and me, we're a family business.
Forrest Kelly:Gotcha. Okay, so you're in the middle there. So Jay is who?
Kevin Duran:Jamie. That's my mom.
Forrest Kelly:That's your mom. Okay, so mom gets to go first.
Kevin Duran:Yep, yep, yep. She leads the pack.
Forrest Kelly:Right on. And then your dad is, is trailing there. So the JKW Vacation Club emphasizes exclusive experiences, correct?
Kevin Duran:Yep.
Forrest Kelly:Okay, so absolutely. Can you share an unexpected destination or experience that you've curated with somebody from using your website?
Kevin Duran:Yeah, absolutely. So a lot of our renters and members, they book directly with us. Main fact is just the direct booking savings. We're avoiding the service fees.
But at any of our locations, we provide a variety of member benefits.
So from shuttle transportation to and from the airport, grocery delivery service, massage therapist service, private chef experiences, you name it, pretty much you just contact me and then I set it up to during your stay.
Forrest Kelly:Okay, so it's very personalized then.
Kevin Duran:Yep. So all our renters and members work directly with me.
Forrest Kelly:Gotcha. Okay. Have you put something together for somebody and they've said, wow, I wouldn't have expected this. And I'm really impressed.
Kevin Duran:Yeah, absolutely. We've done that time and time and over again. It's kind of just part of our cycle process.
Now that we've done now we've also partnered with influencers to give us some of our social proof. So if you check on our socials, you'll see the tons of experiences that we do for our renters and members.
Forrest Kelly:We'll get into your background a little bit later, but right now, what inspired you to start JKW Vacation Club?
Kevin Duran:Jkw. We're just a family of entrepreneurs. It's me, my mom and dad.
You know, most families, their arguments and disagreements are about, you know, you didn't do the dishes or something like that. But you know, when you're business with your parents, you know, these conversations go pretty often all over the place, I guess.
But you know what really inspired me was building a household name for us, jkw. A little background story of my mother. She emigrated from Guatemala. The status for women there was, you know, you cook you clean and that's it.
My mom sought out a better life for her and for myself. And so she came to the States and three months later met my dad, and they got married.
And two years later, I was born, and I got to watch my mom, you know, build her American dream, you know, immigrating from nothing from Guatemala to ultimately being a general manager of an auto dealership, making millions for this company. And, yeah, just going back to. What inspired me was that pursuit of the American dream and the entrepreneur spirit that my mom's handed down to me.
Forrest Kelly:So your dad does what in the company?
Kevin Duran:Yeah, my dad's kind of the backbone. He holds me and my mom together. My dad worked in the vacation realm for quite some time working for Marriott. So that's what kind of brought in the.
He kind of brings in that expert liberties.
He's on the operations side, so mostly coordinating with our cleaning crews, our vendors, while I kind of take over the realm of managing the listings and marketing and sales.
Forrest Kelly:The customer, that's who they see when they come in. And you're dealing with them as they see you.
Kevin Duran:Yep.
Forrest Kelly:Did you go to school?
Kevin Duran:I did. I did. I went to Weber State University. I got a bachelor's degree in business admin, a bachelor's degree in marketing, an associate's degree in sales.
But what got me to Weber State was I got a collegiate rugby scholarship and a snowboard scholarship. So it was cool to go to school and do my passion.
Forrest Kelly:We've touched down and landed. The episode's done with five quick minutes of travel and fun.
Forrest Kelly:This is your chef speaking. We have Touchdown. That completes this episode.
Forrest Kelly:Join Forrest Kelly for the next big show The Best 5 Minute Travel Podcast. Let's go.
