As I reported in early June, when MVCI purchased the Radisson Suite Beach Resort in Marco Island, Florida, with plans to renovate the property as a timeshare, local ordinances stood in their way. Marriott’s intention was to convert the 233-room property into a 219-unit timeshare. But to do that, they’d need to build upward beyond the building’s present 125-foot height.

The timeshare/vacation club developer requested permission to build to a height of 175 feet. At the August 7, 2006, Marco Island city council meeting, a compromise was reached. MVCI will be permitted to build to a height of 150 feet.

According to an article by reporter Jennifer Brannock in The Naples News, (www.naplesnews.com) the president of the Marco Island Civic Association, Kathryn Sullivan, expressed disappointment with the decision. Sullivan was quoted as saying, “I think hotels are important to the economy of the island, and I think we lost a hotel tonight. The danger with this is that we’ll lose more hotels as the owners realize the advantages of going to timeshares.”

A recent survey of island residents showed that more than half are opposed to raising the height regulations for Collier Boulevard, the main thoroughfare on the island. The Naples News says, “Some residents and councilors said they were concerned that the allowance of more units will create traffic and congestion problems, because more people can occupy a two-bedroom time-share than a hotel room.”

And while it is easy to empathize with the local residents’ desire to protect their community from overgrowth, it is interesting to note they have identified some of the very same things we are always saying at SellMyTimeshareNOW.

1. When people realize the advantage of timeshares, it is hard to go back to hotels, and this applies to both vacationers and hoteliers.
2. The spaciousness of timeshares beats out a comparable hotel room every time.