Jim Hunter is Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Marriott Vacations Worldwide, where he oversees the company’s legal affairs– from the continual operation of the business to the development of new resorts, new products, and new programs.  

Jim’s venture into the vacation ownership industry started when he was an associate at a corporate law firm in Washington, D.C. “I kept getting calls from a headhunter about joining other law firms,” Jim said. “I told them I wasn’t interested in that, but if they could find an in-house position that was transactional, international, and at a good company, I would take it. That’s when they found a position with Marriott International.”

After joining Marriott International in 1994, Jim spent time on the lodging side of the business, working on projects in Latin America and Europe before being transferred to Hong Kong to work on the Asia business. After five years in Asia, Jim returned with Marriott International to D.C. In 2006, he was asked to lead the legal team at Marriott Vacation Club International, where he later assisted with the spin-off to help the vacation ownership business become its own company – Marriott Vacations Worldwide.

Thirty years into his career with Marriott, Jim still enjoys the challenges that come with his role. “No two days are alike,” he said. “The landscape is changing all the time — sometimes because we’re trying to change it, and other times because we’re keeping up with changes that are beyond our control. There’s a lot of complexity. It’s not rocket science, but it’s close!”

Jim also notes that this is an exciting time to be in the timeshare industry, as Marriott Vacations Worldwide (and other leading developers) continue to move away from the traditional timeshare model and into a dynamic travel product that lets people travel all over the world. It’s the nature of the product, and being in a business that brings family and friends together to create memories, that Jim notes as one of the things he loves the most about his job.

“When I visit our resorts as a guest, I always look around at other guests and try to notice the magical moments happening with multiple generations of a family,” Jim said. “One time, I saw a grandfather with his granddaughter dancing by the pool — she was dancing on his feet and the sun was setting behind them. Those types of moments are what our industry helps to create.”

The people Jim works with are another reason he loves the timeshare industry. “Everyone in our industry is a pleasure to work with,” he said. “They’re creative, respectful, fun — and that’s across the whole industry. It’s very different than other industries where competitors don’t speak to each other. We have to collaborate because of the nature of the product, but it’s so nice because the folks at the other developer companies are just so great.”
Jim also noted that the resort teams that make vacations possible are another source of inspiration for him: “When I get out in the field, and I see the team that’s making the magic happen, it’s so inspiring. They spread so much joy and clearly love what they do.”

When it comes to offering advice to team members who are newer to the industry, Jim says the best way to get acclimated to the nuances of vacation ownership is to try to get exposed to as many areas of the business as possible. “Sometimes, people find themselves in a discipline and they become an expert in that, but they’re missing the broader experience of what makes the company work,” said Jim. “In order to really get a grasp on any activity in the industry, you have to get as much experience as you can. When opportunities present 
themselves in other parts of the organization, take them. It’ll give you a better understanding of how the whole process works together.”

Jim also encourages members to get involved in industry meetings and events. It’s the importance of networking with fellow timeshare peers that led to Jim proposing the idea for the upcoming ARDA/University of Florida Legal Symposium. “I attended a similar event in D.C. that was a hotel-focused legal conference, and I thought we should have something like this for timeshare. And now we do!”

The ARDA/University of Florida Legal Symposium will bring together the best and brightest to discuss the legal trends impacting the vacation ownership industry today. Registration is now open for the event, which will be held June 13-14, 2024 at The Ritz-Carlton Grande Lakes in Orlando, Florida.

Outside of work, Jim and his wife are avid travelers. “We’ve been to six continents together and are looking at a trip to Antarctica in the next few years to visit our seventh,” said Jim. “We are pretty adventurous. We’ve lived in other parts of the world and traveled quite a bit when we lived in Hong Kong. Thailand is one of our favorite spots. The Maldives is also very special. Domestically, we go skiing every year in either Utah, Montana or Colorado.”