NextGreatPlace Launches Vacation Benefit Program for Companies Focused on Total Employee Well-Being

DENVER, Oct. 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- NextGreatPlace, Inc. (www.nextgreatplace.com) today officially announced "Work Vacation Balance" (www.workvacationbalance.com), an innovative corporate benefit program that improves employees' satisfaction, loyalty, retention and performance by optimizing their vacation time.  NextGreatPlace is a private membership network that orchestrates vacations for families, couples and groups to favorite and unfamiliar places using innovative online technologies, personalized service, and deep vacation expertise. By participating in the vacation benefit program, employers can provide employees with access to NextGreatPlace's suite of benefits to make the most of their time away from the office.

"Employees who vacation well are happier, more innovative and better employees, which is why this program has been so well received by our business clients," explains Tom Filippini, CEO and Founder of NextGreatPlace.  "Companies who attract and retain the best talent are the winners.  They know that an investment in their employees is an investment in their company."

While American workers value their vacation experiences and are proven to perform better on the job after quality vacation time, they take less than half the vacation time of their European counterparts and collectively forfeit nearly 500 million vacation days each year, according to Expedia's Vacation Deprivation Study in 2011. This comes at huge cost to American companies -- as employee performance suffers, healthcare costs rise, burnout increases, and the potential financial payout liability of accrued, unused vacation time balloons.

T3Media, Inc., a leading global provider of cloud-based video management and licensing services is one of several leading businesses participating in NextGreatPlace's Work Vacation Balance program.

"As a company, we are always looking for ways to recognize our employees for their hard work and dedication so we were immediately intrigued by the NextGreatPlace vacation benefit program,"  said Steve Joanis, President of T3Media.  "While I've seen many programs focused on physical health and wellness, this was the first I've seen that addresses the importance of vacation time, which we have found to be a key contributor to satisfaction and results, so we immediately signed on. The response from our employees has been overwhelmingly positive."

There are multiple benefits to both employees and employers through the vacation benefit program. 

Company benefits include:

• Differentiated Benefits Package Improves Recruiting and Retention. Business clients of NextGreatPlace are able to offer their employees unrestricted memberships – a $500/year value per employee – for a significantly reduced annual fee. This sets companies apart in attracting and retaining the best talent.
• Direct Financial Return on Investment. Clients benefit financially by reducing the on-the-job vacation planning of key employees and the payout liability of unused vacation time. NextGreatPlace estimates that the average employee spends over 40 hours per year planning vacations while at work.
• Corporate Goodwill. Each employee is "gifted" a membership to NextGreatPlace by their employer. By underscoring the importance of vacations with friends and family, companies are able to express to employees that their time away from the office truly matters.

Employee benefits include:

• Company-Sponsored Membership in NextGreatPlace. Each employee is provided an unrestricted membership in NextGreatPlace – a $500 value per year.
• Access to a Personal Vacation Assistant.   Each employee has a personal vacation assistant that gets to know their family's travel preferences and dreams. The assistant shoulders the burden of vacation research and planning to help maximize time away from the office.
• Private, Exclusive Vacation Pricing & Value. Employees gain access to special pricing and offers through the NextGreatPlace network of vacation suppliers that they simply couldn't find on their own.

NextGreatPlace is an innovative membership-based vacation network that matches members to places and experiences that create life's most memorable vacations. Anyone can become a member of NextGreatPlace for an annual flat fee of $500 and the company will then orchestrate an unlimited number of vacations within an exclusive, ever-expanding collection of expert-certified properties and vacation experiences across the globe.  Ideal for families, couples and groups, members of NextGreatPlace enjoy an alternative to the uncertainty and burden of do-it-yourself online planning as well as an escape from the expense of high-end vacation clubs and the legacy travel agency model. 

About NextGreatPlace

NextGreatPlace is a "curated vacation network" that combines innovative online technologies with personalized service and deep vacation expertise to orchestrate vacations for families, couples and groups, often to unfamiliar places, that are too important to risk anything but perfection. Each vacation arranged by NextGreatPlace has been hand-selected and individually approved using proprietary evaluation criteria to create an ever-growing global portfolio of fabulous vacation experiences that exceed the expectations of members. The Company's team of personal PlaceMakers (expert travel planners) oversees all aspects of trip research and planning so that members' focus is always on dreaming up and enjoying vacations of a lifetime. For additional information, visit www.nextgreatplace.com, or call (888)800-8850.

SOURCE NextGreatPlace