Sheraton Hotels and Resorts are rolling out a new $20 million marketing campaign created to help recharge the company’s brand. Called, “Rediscover Sheraton,” the marketing campaign is intended to inspire vacationers and travelers to take a fresh look at Sheraton properties.

Sheraton’s refreshed face includes 300 new lobbies; the new wifi wired lobby lounges called Link@Sheraton; some 70 thousand new guestrooms and 100,000 new beds.

With the intent of attracting both leisure travelers, vacationers, and the millions of people who combine the two, Sheraton Resort’s rebranding includes defining themselves as the brand that:

• “Brings business suits and bathing suits together…”
• “Brings power walks and power talks together…”
• “Brings bottom lines and bottom ups together…”

The marketing effort even makes use of the word: “bleisure” a blending of the words business and leisure.

Sheraton timeshares are part of the family of Starwood resorts, which also includes Westin timeshare and other popular properties worldwide. To find out more about outstanding opportunities in Sheraton timeshare resales, click on any of the links below:

• Sheraton Broadway Plantation (Myrtle Beach, South Carolina)
• Sheraton Desert Oasis (Scottsdale, Arizona)
• Sheraton Mountain Vista (Avon, Colorado)
• Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort (Port St. Lucie, Florida)
• Sheraton Vistana Resort (Orlando, Florida)
• Sheraton Vistana Villages (Orlando, Florida)

Recently, The Timeshare Authority blog learned about an exciting nonprofit organization. Known as “Clean the World,” this Orlando, Florida-based group works to bring the simple necessity of soap and shampoo to people in need.

And it makes sense that they would partner with hotels, motels, and timeshares in their efforts, after all, who has more unused or slightly used soap and shampoo than resorts do? But how do you hygienically recycle soap?

Clean the World has that all figured out. Using two different processes to sanitize the soap (depending on how used the soap bar is), the organization either cooks the soap to remove impurities and rebatches it into 2 oz bars, or sterilizes larger existing bars with a mix of steam and pressure.

Because Clean the World provides training materials to the hospitality industry, collection bins for the soap, and picks up the soap and shampoo bottles weekly, it soon becomes an easy habit for workers in hotels, motels, timeshares, and other resorts to become part of this recycling project.
Collecting those tiny bars of soap seems like a very small effort, doesn’t it? Yet because of Clean the World, thousands of lives can be changed as the simple dignity of cleanliness is restored; sanitation, healing, and disease control is improved; and millions of tons of waste products are kept out of landfills and waterways.

You and Your Timeshare Owners Association Can Help

If you have donations of cleaning, personal hygiene, or medical supplies to make to the Haiti relief efforts, the following resorts offer drop off centers:

If you are in the Orlando area and would like to donate soap or shampoo, you can take it (or send it) to the Orlando Recycling Center

• Clean The World
• 8026 Sunport Drive, Ste 306
• Orlando, FL. 32809

Hotels, motels, timeshares, resorts, and companies can donate soap and/or shampoo by contacting:

• Paul Till, Managing Director
• 407-404-0379
• ptill@cleantheworld.org.

To find out what other timeshares, resorts, and members of the hotel and hospitality industry are doing, check these recent posts on The Timeshare Authority blog:

Hospitality and Timeshare Industry Stepping Up to Help Haiti Part I
Hospitality and Timeshare Industry Stepping Up to Help Haiti Part II

TATOC, The Timeshare Association, has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2010 TATOC Conference, titled: “Working Together.”

The global event for the timeshare industry will be held at the Nottingham Belfry, Nottingham, England, on March 26 to March 28. Stephen J. Cloobeck, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Resorts International® has been announced as the keynote speaker for the event that is expected to draw timeshare sales and timeshare support industry representatives from around the world and to surpass previous conference records for attendance and sponsorship.

The preliminary TATOC Timeshare Association Conference schedule includes:

• Friday March 26, 2010
• Registration: 5 PM
• Reception: 7-8 PM
• Dinner: 8 PM
• Saturday March 27, 2010
• Breakfast: 7AM.
• Conference begins: 9 AM with usual coffee breaks and lunch
• Conference ends: Approximately 5 PM
• Reception: 7-8 PM
• Dinner and Speaker: 8 PM
• Sunday March 28, 2010
• Breakfast: 7AM.
• Conference begins: 9 AM
• Conference ends: Approximately 11 AM
• TATOC AGM: 11:30 AM
• Lunch: 1PM

Booking forms are now available to download at www.timeshareassociation.org.

Continue following The Timeshare Authority for more updates on the 2010 TATOC Conference, and all the timeshare news and information.

For more TATOC information:

Telephone 00 44 (0)161 237 3611

Fax 00 44 (0)161 237 3611

Previous The Timeshare Authority posts on TATOC events:

TATOC Announces Guest Speaker for Timeshare Conference
TATOC Announces More Info on 2010 Timeshare Conference

 

Topics: Diamond Resorts Timeshare, European Timeshare, Las Vegas Timeshare, Nevada Timeshare, Timeshare Blog, Timeshare News

This was the morning for ole’ Punxsutawney Phil to look for his shadow. No shadow, then spring is just around the corner. But if he sees his shadow, then the prognosticating groundhog promises at least six more weeks of winter.

The tradition of a weather-casting rodent (known in some cultures as a “whistling pig”) in Gobblers Knob dates back to at least 1887 in Pennsylvania. Based on the holiday of Candlemas, the event traces its early roots to traditions brought to the area by German settlers whose ancestors have perhaps celebrated similar traditions for thousands of years.

Each year the festivities surrounding the event seem to get better and better. And although you have already missed such community fun as the Oreo stacking contest, the ice carving on Mahoning Street, the groundhog beer dinner, hayrides, jogs, a groundhog wine dinner, and even Phil’s family picnic this year, it doesn’t mean that it is too early to start planning your pilgrimage to Pennsylvania for next year.

Opportunities in Pennsylvania Timeshare Resale and Timeshare Rental

From historic Philadelphia to Hershey to Lake Erie, the Poconos to the Alleghenies to the Pennsylvania Wilds, Pennsylvania is a diverse state both geographically and culturally. It is also, a state loaded with great timeshare vacation destinations, and for millions of Americans, excellent drive-to vacation opportunities.

If you already know this great state for vacations and family fun, then a Pennsylvania timeshare resale could be an ideal way for you to lock in the cost of a lifetime of vacations at an extremely competitive rate. And if you have yet to discover Pennsylvania’s mountains, theme parks, charming farm communities, and historic American heritage, then a Pennsylvania timeshare rental could be a excellent way to get started.

The Timeshare Authority Blog ran a two-part update last week on some of the many efforts being made by the hospitality and timeshare sales and timeshare resales industries to help the relief efforts in Haiti. If you missed them, you can find these timeshare blog posts here:

• Hospitality and Timeshare Industry Stepping Up to Help Haiti Part I
• Hospitality and Timeshare Industry Stepping Up to Help Haiti Part II

But help for Haiti is taking many creative directions. Here’s an interesting option that I learned about on the Mousekingdom Blog, one of the favorites you’ll find on The Timeshare Authority blogroll.

Disney Finds Unique Way to Help Haiti

Film director, Lee Unkrich is currently making Toy Story III from the popular Disney*Pixar movie series. As a way to help provide relief funds to Haiti while sharing a special opportunity with fans of Woody, Buzz Lightyear, Mr. Potato Head and the other Toy Story characters, Unkrich has set up an auction page through Ebay to benefit the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund. On this auction site, you will find select items of Pixar memorabilia. Included are autographed pieces, such as a Tom Hanks Woody Doll, items signed by Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger, and Tim Allen, as well as other original items from the movie crew.

This is just one more way to get involved in the global relief efforts to help the people of Haiti, and for Disney movie fans, a unique opportunity. It is also an ideal way to share more about the concepts of giving with your children or grandchildren, especially as part of your family plans for an Orlando vacation.

Your Orlando Disney Timeshare Vacation

There are more Orlando timeshares than timeshares in any other city in the world—meaning you can have your vacation choice. Whether you stay in a Disney Vacation Club timeshare or one of the many other popular Orlando timeshare resorts, you’ll no doubt plan time at the Disney theme parks. Be sure to include a ride on Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, a video game-based ride in the Magic Kingdom that recreates the magic of Buzz Lightyear and the Evil Emperor Zurg from Disney*Pixar’s film Toy Story II.

Thank you, Mousekingdom Blog for the update on this charitable auction.

The Wyndham Vacation Resorts at National Harbor, part of Wyndham Vacation Ownership Timeshares, will add 250 new timeshare units, including 42 presidential suites to its mixed-use resort on the banks of the Potomac River.

Scheduled to open the first week in February, Wyndham reports that nearly 75 percent of its rooms are sold-out though the Presidents Day Weekend. Lisa Burby, representative for Wyndham, says, “The National Harbor complex is tremendously important for us, since the new trend among our time-share holders is visiting urban areas. We’re excited to help out with the growth of the area.” (source: Gazette.net)

The National Harbor Wyndham timeshare is the first Wyndham timeshare in Maryland, with the company’s next resort being the Wyndham Old Town Alexandria in Virginia.

Wyndham Timeshare Helps Boost Local Economy

The resort will employ approximately 100 workers and is anticipated to generate $48.6 million in annual economic impact for the region. Burby describes the properties in the Wyndham Vacation Ownership chain as a “holistic” approach to vacationing, offering kitchens, spacious rooms, and a wide selection of amenities including an outdoor terrace with spa and wading pool, indoor and outdoor heated pools, and a health and fitness center.

Wyndham Timeshare Gives Back to the Community

One of the most powerful parts of the Wyndham timeshare story isn’t always told in the beautiful spaces they provide at their luxurious resorts. The Wyndham Vacation Resorts at National Harbor clearly recognizes the bigger picture—the part of business that goes past the spreadsheets and spills over from the heart.

The Wyndham Vacation Resorts Timeshare at National Harbor will be partnering with The Fishing School. Through this endeavor, the timeshare resort will provide $25,000 to help with this Washington, D.C. nonprofit family center’s after-school education and enrichment program. Each quarter, the Wyndham timeshare at National Harbor will also host selected students and their families for a three-night vacation at the resort to reward students who are top performers.

If you want to be uplifted by the true spirit of a community, please watch the video below.

Past The Timeshare Authority News on this Exciting New Wyndham Resort and Other National Harbor Timeshare

• Wyndham Timeshare Resales Opportunities at the NEW National Harbor Wyndham Timeshare
• Where Will the Next Disney Timeshare Be?

In Monday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, I shared my thoughts with you in a post titled: Timeshare Sales and the Great Reality Check. That timeshare blog post was written in response to an article that appeared in USA TODAY.

Timeshare owners need and deserve more good opportunities to resell timeshare. And I am not disputing that there are timeshare scam companies and timeshare fraud companies that promise everything and deliver little to nothing. These companies are an urgent problem that both legislators and the industry needs to address.

But the article was one-sided and that is frankly, never acceptable journalism. When you take on an industry so unfairly, you can do a great deal of damage to a lot of people. Not only does the timeshare industry contribute significantly to local tax bases through real estate and property tax, but it employs millions of workers worldwide, from sales to advertising, to resort staff, housekeeping, golf course maintenance … and the list goes on and on. And consider the secondary and tertiary impact of timeshares.

Timeshare vacationers spend money on travel, food, entertainment, and shopping. In so many ways, they boost an economy and contribute indirectly to the employment of others. As tourism has dipped and in some cases nose-dived across the country, occupancy rates at timeshares have outstripped those at hotels. And there are even more subtle ways that timeshare contributes to the economy, such as the proven productivity and health benefit for people who vacation regularly.

So with all of this in mind, I thought you might enjoy what others in the timeshare industry had to say in response to the same article that started my rant:

Lisa Ann Schreier, author of Timeshare for Dummies, and respected authority on the timeshare industry, wrote:

NTOA President, Ed Hastry, of the National Timeshare Owners Association, a consumer protection organization comprised of timeshare owners acting in the interest of timeshare owners, wrote:

Lisa and Ed, I couldn’t have said it better myself.

In Saturday’s timeshare blog post on Pirates, Timeshares, and Disney: Hawaii Excited to Host Them All, we looked at how the down economy has hurt Hawaii because tourism, one of the state’s primary sources of revenue, is quick to be cut when household budgets get tight. Additionally, Hawaii is just not a “drive-to” vacation destination for anyone and the rising cost of airline travel has added insult to injury.

But an article that appeared in The Honolulu Advertiser last week points out that in many ways, Hawaii timeshares have been a lifesaver to the state’s economy. Because Hawaii timeshare is prepaid, many timeshare owners have been able to enjoy a Hawaii vacation when other vacationers could not afford hotel travel. Industry officials describe Hawaii timeshares as more resilient than traditional hotels.

Earlier this month, Howard Nusbaum, president and chief executive officer of the Washington, D.C.-based ARDA timeshare association, met with lawmakers to explain how the Hawaii timeshare industry has held strong in many ways over the past two years, despite a slump both in tourism and in timeshare sales.

Here’s an overview of the interesting facts about Hawaii timeshare and timesharing in general that the article revealed:

• Hawaii timeshares make up about 10 percent of the state’s lodging industry.
• Based on ARDA statistics, Hawaii timeshares generate approximately $511 million in tax revenues to the state; 34,420 jobs; and some $4.5 billion in spending.
• Nationwide, timeshare owners report 85 percent satisfaction rate with timeshare ownership.
• Despite the economy, Hawaii timeshares have averaged an 88 percent occupancy rate, while hotels have averaged a little more than 75 percent.
• Although foreclosures have affected some timeshares, 9 out of 10 timeshare owners are current on their monthly payments.

Growth in Hawaii Timeshare

Construction of Hawaii timeshares is slower than in past years, yet there are still new properties under construction or in the planning stages. One of the most exciting properties is the Disney Vacation Club timeshare at the “Aulani” resort, scheduled to open in 2011 on Ko Olina. Another hub for Hawaii timeshare growth has been the Hilton Grand Waikikian and other Hilton Hawaii timeshare properties. Jerry Gibson, area vice president of Hilton says Hawaii timeshare is doing “extremely well.”

“At Hilton Hawaiian Village, 2,904 are hotel rooms and 639 are timeshare, which pencils out to 22 percent timeshare,” says Gibson, “while on the Big Island, the mix is 34 percent timeshare at Hilton Waikoloa Village, with 1,244 hotel and 426 timeshare.”

The chart that follows provides a statistical look at Hawaii timeshare sales and was originally published in the Business section of the Honolulu Advertiser under the article title, “Timeshares Weather the Storm,” see: http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/assets/gif/M1150255116.GIF

I am not sure any of us are truly ready for human bed warmers, but apparently, Holiday Inn, UK, thinks maybe we are.

Introduced at Holiday Inn London Kensington Forum, Holiday Inn Manchester Central Park, and Holiday Inn Kingston South, hotel guests can, (during a trial period) reserve a human bed warmer to raise the temperature of their bed sheets. This service provides for a member of the human bed warmer team, dressed in an all-in-one-sleeper suit, to climb under your covers and pre-warm your bed using body heat.

Jane Bednall, spokesperson for Holiday Inn explains: “People want to leave the cold outside and climb into a warm bed. The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed, warming it up before guests climb in to give them a great night’s sleep away from the cold. And of course they jump out before you jump in!”

I don’t know how I feel about this idea, but I do know there are some excellent cobranded Holiday Inn Orange Lake timeshare resorts in sunny Florida, where you could skip the need for this service all together.

Opportunities in Orange Lake Timeshare Resales and Rentals:

• Orange Lake’s West Village timeshare resales
• Orange Lake’s East Village timeshare resales
• Orange Lake’s North Village timeshare resales
• Orange Lake’s River Island timeshare resales