New York City Gets First Newly Constructed Timeshare Property

Hilton Grand Vacations Company LLC, owned by Hilton Hotels Corporation, has begun construction on NYC’s first-ever newly constructed timeshare property. The groundbreaking event will take place on West 57 th Street near in Midtown Manhattan.
President & CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, Antoine Dagot said, “We’re very excited to bring the next generation of residential shared ownership to New York City. Ownership at West 57 th Street offers the most flexible way to own a pied-a-terre in the city without the concerns of second home ownership.”
Construction is expected to be completed sometime in 2009. . . . [read article]

More Visitors To Hawaii Find Alternatives To Hotels

Report: Timeshare Use On the Rise
The Associated Press
Published: July 8, 2007

HONOLULU: More and more tourists to Hawaii are bypassing hotels and finding alternate accommodations such as timeshare units, bed-and-breakfast inns or simply a couch at a friend’s house.

Despite record arrivals in May, hotel occupancy fell 6.5 percentage points to 69 percent because of increased use of non-hotel accommodations, according to the latest report by Hospitality Advisors LLC.

For the first five months of the year, hotel occupancy has dipped 6 percentage points to 74.4 percent.

Meanwhile, the numbers of visitors who stayed in vacation condominiums, timeshares, cruise ships or with friends and relatives have all increased, according to the state. [read article]

Study: New U.S. Timeshare Sales Top $10 Billion in 2006

Sales climb 81% over five years; 4.4 million households own timeshare.
(Washington) Timeshare sales climbed 16 percent during 2006 to $10 billion over 2005 sales of $8.6 billion, according to a study of the U.S. vacation ownership industry conducted by Ernst & Young, LLP and released today by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF). The survey of 625 timeshare resorts throughout the country shows robust growth over a five-year period, with sales up 81 percent and average resort size growth of 32 percent.
As of January 1, 2007, there were 1,615 vacation ownership resorts operating in the U.S. There are a total of 4.4 million U.S. timeshare owners, up from 4.1 million in 2005, 3.87 million in 2005, 3.4 million in 2003, and three million in 2002.

“The steady, impressive growth in the timeshare sector is a direct indication of strong consumer satisfaction and demand, underscoring that vacation ownership is fast becoming the preferred travel choice of today and in the future,” said Howard Nusbaum, president and chief executive officer of ARDA. [more]

Holiday Resales Introduces ‘Timeshare Scoop’ Page

Holiday Resales is introducing a new “timeshare scoop” Web page that invites owners to submit personal stories about how timeshare has improved their vacations.

Seattle, WA (PRWEB) June 11, 2007 — Holiday Resales, one of America’s premier resale timeshare vendors, is introducing a new “timeshare scoop” Web page that invites owners to submit personal stories about how timeshare has added spice to their vacation lifestyles.

While recent independent studies show that 80% of owners are satisfied with timeshare, many non-owners remain skeptical, often due to a bad experience at a timeshare presentation, or from something negative they may have heard secondhand.

“The fact is, timeshare is a great vacation product,” said Holiday’s Marketing Director, Geoff Klein, “but it’s hard for people who don’t understand how it works to recognize its benefits. This page will help generate interest in how vacation ownership can improve the quality of our leisure time.”

Each month, Holiday will award a prize to the submission that best captures the excitement or benefits of timesharing.

“We’re looking for descriptive stories about how people have used their timeshares, where they most enjoy going, or how timesharing has helped to improve their vacations,” said Klein.

Other “scoop” ideas include great timeshare exchanges owners have made, tips on how to obtain the best exchanges, favorite golf or entertainment destinations, most memorable vacations, or creative ways owners have used their weeks, such as for anniversary or birthday gifts. Photos are encouraged.

Winners of the monthly “scoop” contest will receive a free RCI exchange week. Please visit Holiday’s new Timeshare Story Page at http://www.holidaygroup.com/timesharestory for more information.

About Holiday: Holiday’s online timeshare business connects thousands of vacation buyers with discount timeshares every year. Founded in 1992, Holiday was one of the first timeshare companies to host a comprehensive Web site. Holiday is headquartered in sunny Seattle. Visit http://www.holidaygroup.com for more information.

Holiday Resales Celebrates 15 Years in the Timeshare Industry

SEATTLE, May 9 /PRNewswire/ — Holiday Resales, a timeshare resale company, celebrates its 15th anniversary this month. Starting with just two employees in 1992, Holiday today employs over 100 people in offices in Seattle and Las Vegas. During that time, Holiday has grown into one of the largest and most respected timeshare resale companies in the U.S.
“It seems simplistic today to say, ‘We saw a need and filled it,’ but that is exactly what we did. We just had no idea that the need was so very large,” said David Skinner, founder and President of Holiday.“Holiday’s growth mirrors that of the entire timeshare industry,” said C.O.O. Alan Renberger, “but as retail prices increase, more people are discovering the bargains in resale timeshares, and that is one reason we’ve been so successful.”

In its 15 years in business, Holiday has sold over 30,000 timeshares representing over 1,600 resorts. Customers credit Holiday’s competitive pricing (60% to 80% below retail), consumer-friendly focus, and innovative marketing approaches such as its comprehensive Web site and informative webinars as reasons they buy — and continue to buy — from Holiday.

“Many of our customers have told us that what sets us apart is the honesty and caring service of our salespeople,” said Gail Bennet, Holiday’s Director of Sales. “We are also the only resellers in the industry that offer a complete satisfaction guarantee.”

Holiday’s customer commitment is evidenced by the fact that 25 percent of its business comes from repeat buyers. “I think the fact that we concentrate on building personal relationships with our customers rather than merely selling them a product that they might not be able to use is probably one of the biggest reasons our customers keep coming back to us,” said Marketing Director, Geoff Klein.

“We take the time to determine what our customers’ vacation goals are and help them research if timeshare is going to meet their vacation lifestyle,” said Klein. “If we merely sold them products they couldn’t use, we wouldn’t still be doing business after 15 years.”

Noting that Holiday was one of the first timeshare companies to host a comprehensive Web site, David Skinner acknowledged the role that the Internet has played in his company’s success. “The Internet was a pivotal point in the company’s as well as the whole industry’s growth,” said Skinner. “One can only wonder what the future will bring.”

Related Links:

Holiday’s Webinars

Customer Testimonials

About Holiday:

Holiday’s online timeshare business connects thousands of vacation buyers with discount timeshares every year. Founded in 1992, Holiday is headquartered in sunny Seattle. For more information, please visit Holiday’s Web site at http://www.holidaygroup.com/

Link

Interest in timeshare ownership on the upswing

May 7, 2007
By: Christine Blank
Hotel & Motel Management

ORLANDO—The news about timeshare keeps getting better.

Not only is it a profitable industry, but consumers are more interested in owning timeshare properties than before, according to new research released at the American Resort Development Assn.’s 2007 Conference & Expo, held here in March.

The U.S. timeshare industry contributed an estimated $92 billion to the country’s economy in 2005, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’ latest research. Timeshare owners took about 5.7 million timeshare vacations in 2005, contributing $410 billion in local spending.

“The economic benefits the timeshare industry conveys to communities surrounding resorts and the nation as a whole are documented and substantial,” said Rip Gellein, ARDA chairman and president, global development group, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide.

In addition, the industry achieved significant growth of 24 percent over the past three years in salaries, wages and related income for its employees, and timeshare employment increased 11.5 percent from 2002 to 2005. [more]

Company starts “timeshare” for pets

Um . . . well . . . OK. Why not?
By CONNIE BLOOM
McCLATCHY NEWS SERVICE

Delaware company Flexpetz has introduced its Flexible Dog Ownership program in Los Angeles and San Diego.

Now, the company says, people can time-share a pooch, a small dog for a pocketbook shopping trip or a luxurious Afghan hound for an afternoon at the park.

“Our members realize that their busy work, family or travel schedules make full-time ownership unfair to a dog,” said Marlena Cervantes, company president and innovator. “A Flexpetz membership enables them to become part of each Flexpetz dog’s extended family.” [more]

Holiday Group Timeshare Webinar Gains Recognition

Earns American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Award Nomination
By: PR Newswire
Apr. 24, 2007 12:00 PM
SEATTLE, April 24 /PRNewswire/ — Holiday Group is pleased to announce that its historic Timeshare Basics Webinar (http://www.holidaygroup.com/webinar) earned a 2007 ARDA (http://www.arda.org/) finalist award nomination for Interactive Internet Advertising.

Webinars are virtual seminars that can be accessed from anywhere via the Internet. In its ongoing efforts to educate consumers about timesharing, Holiday’s webinar addressed such topics as online research, selecting the best family timeshares, getting the best exchange value, and the benefits of buying resale versus retail.

Gail Bennet, a ten-year professional in the timesharing industry and Holiday’s Director of Sales, conducted the seminar. “The turnout was phenomenal,” Bennett said. “It was refreshing to see so many people being proactive in their desire to learn about timesharing. People are savvier today about doing their own research, and webinars allow them to do so on their own terms.”

On Wednesday, March 28, leaders in the timeshare industry met at the annual ARDA convention in Orlando, Florida to recognize companies that have demonstrated excellence in the timeshare and vacation industry. Holiday’s webinar received a finalist nomination for “Interactive Internet Advertising.”

“This year’s awards program was very competitive,” said Holiday President, David Skinner, “and just being nominated was an honor in and of itself. To be considered a finalist was even better.”

As a result of the success of the webinar, Holiday is planning future webinars that will include other members of the timesharing industry, including Lisa Schreier, author of “Timesharing for Dummies,” the Timeshare User’s Group (TUG), and Timesharing Today magazine. Future webinars will provide virtual, interactive seminars to educate and inform consumers about timesharing. Participants will be able to login from their computers, at home or otherwise. The webinars will be open to both current timeshare owners as well as prospective owners.

For more information on Holiday’s webinar, please visit http://www.holidaygroup.com/webinar .

Contact: Geoff Klein (800) 597-9345 geoff@holidaygroup.com

About Holiday Group: Holiday’s online timeshare business connects thousands of vacation buyers with discount timeshares every year. Founded in 1992, Holiday was one of the first timeshare companies to host a comprehensive Web site. Holiday is headquartered in sunny Seattle. For more information, please visit http://www.holidaygroup.com/.
Source: http://www.sys-con.com/read/365933.htm

Interval International Announces New Resort Recognition Program

From the StreetTalkBlog:
MIAMI: Interval International has announced the introduction of its new resort recognition program designed to showcase the quality of vacation properties in its network. The multi-tiered program incorporates refined recognition criteria and takes into account recent trends in vacation ownership products.

PricewaterhouseCoopers’ U.S. Hospitality & Leisure Practice was engaged to assist Interval in the development of the program, which has occurred over the past 18 months. [more]

Hotels Shake Up Time-Share Act

LIKE many other potential time-share owners, Candace Gilbert was hooked first by the freebie. On regular visits to a Hilton hotel in Hawaii, Mrs. Gilbert and her husband, Jim, were offered resort credits for attending sales presentations to buy a stake at a Hilton time-share property.

“We started doing that in 2000, just for the free meal,” Mrs. Gilbert said.

At the time, the couple, who are from Austin, Tex., were considering buying a vacation home in Hawaii. But after looking for a while, Mr. Gilbert, who is 65 and retired, decided he didn’t want the headaches of maintaining a second home, and Mrs. Gilbert didn’t want to be stuck vacationing in the same place every year. What’s more, said Mrs. Gilbert, 53, “the houses we were looking at were a million-plus and they weren’t even on the beach.”

So last June, armed with knowledge gleaned from attending numerous time-share pitches over the years, the Gilberts bought a two-week share at a Hilton property on the Big Island of Hawaii. A few weeks ago, they bought another week at a yet-to-be-completed Hilton resort on Oahu.

As the prices of second homes move out of reach for many Americans, older couples like the Gilberts are buying time shares as an alternative. Baby boomers account for about half of time-share buyers, according to the American Resort Development Association, a trade group in Washington. [more]
(Hat Tip: ARDA Newsbriefs)

Have a question about timeshare? Visit our Timeshare FAQ page. 

Also, if you’d like to hear about how the baby boomers will soon revolutionize the travel and leisure industries, don’t miss Holiday President David Skinner’s groundbreaking presentation, “Dawn of a New Age.” You can view it here.

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