Part One in a Two-Part blog post.

The founder and CEO of Westgate timeshare and Westgate vacation villas, David Siegel was found guilty this week in Orlando, Florida federal court on charges of sexual harassment.

A jury awarded Dawn Georgette Myers over $5 million in damages, saying that she worked in a hostile environment at Westgate timeshare while she was employed by Siegel. The award, according to the Orlando Sentinel, was granted, “…at least in part, for an alleged battery Siegel subjected Myers to in which he pressed her up against a wall and touched her. Myers also claimed that Siegel offered her $1 million for sex.”

This case has been far from simple, and I suspect, is far from over. Plot twists have included the fact that originally Siegel filed a lawsuit against Myers. Siegel sought approximately $35,000 he said was owed him for repairs made to Myer’s home by Westgate timeshare carpenters and for the cost of Myers renting Siegel’s condominium while the work was being done. Other issues that have complicated the lawsuit include Siegel having publically stated he was at one time attracted to Myers and the fact that Ms. Myers was previously romantically involved with David Siegel’s son.

While that is a lot of intricacy, it is probably not even the whole story; David Siegel has a habit of living life large. Yet one way or the other, these charges and its outcome should not overshadow the historic and innovative impact David Siegel has had on the timeshare industry and the concept of timeshare real estate.

Visionary Who Helped Make Timeshare Sales What They Are Today

Always an entrepreneur at heart, David Siegel enrolled after high school in an electronics program to learn how to repair televisions and radios. He soon began bringing broken radios and televisions into class for his instructors to fix, while personally billing the owners of the equipment for the repair work. When the school caught on to David Siegel’s scheme, they gave him the choice of dropping out or giving up his sideline business. Siegel chose to quit school, focus his energy on his small business, and then hired his former teachers to work for him.

But electronics repair didn’t last for Siegel, who bounced around in numerous jobs before trying his hand selling land in Orlando. After somehow persuading a private investor to loan him money for several acres of Florida swampland, Siegel began quickly to parlay land deals into dollars. When a buyer came to him seeking land to use as timeshare real estate, David Siegel jumped at the concept of timesharing and built the project himself rather than sell to the developer.

By the 1970’s David Siegel had established the parent company of Westgate timeshare; it operated out of his garage. In 1982, he set up a tent as an auxiliary office and began timeshare sales for Westgate Resort Villas, to be located less than a mile from the front gates of Walt Disney World.

Westgate Timeshare and Westgate Vacation Villas Today

Since that time, Westgate timeshare has expanded to include multiple timeshare resort properties in the Orlando area, as well as timeshare real estate in Myrtle Beach, Miami Beach, Williamsburg, Gatlinburg, Branson, Tunica, Park City, Mesa, Las Vegas, and Anaheim. There are currently 28 Westgate timeshare resorts offering 10,000 timeshare condos with another 4500 timeshare condos under construction. Over 400,000 Westgate timeshare owners from all parts of the globe enjoy vacation property ownership thanks to Westgate vacation villas and David Siegel. Today Westgate timeshare is now the largest privately held timeshare company in the world and is the third largest timeshare company overall.

Westgate Timeshare Resales and Westgate Timeshare Rentals in Florida

Westgate timeshare owners report some of the highest satisfaction levels in the timeshare industry. If you want to buy Westgate timeshare resales or rent a Westgate timeshare condo, here are direct links to excellent opportunities in timeshare resales in Westgate Orlando timeshare resales:

• Westgate Lakes Resort and Spa - Orlando, Florida
• Westgate Leisure Resort - Orlando, Florida
• Westgate Palace - Orlando, Florida
• Westgate Blue Tree - Lake Buena Vista, Florida
• Westgate Towers - Kissimmee, Florida
• Westgate Town Center - Kissimmee, Florida
• Westgate Vacation Villas - Kissimmee, Florida
• Westgate Timeshare resales - Other US locations

Whatever happens next in David Siegel’s life, he will probably be making headlines. Here are links to other recent postings from the Timeshare Owners Blog, where we have looked at either Westgate timeshare resorts or David Siegel himself:

• Westgate Timeshares Serious About No-Smoking Rule
• Westgate Timeshare Employee Steps Up Big
• Planet Hollywood Timeshare Project Moving Forward

And be sure you read Monday’s Timeshare Owners Blog. After all the good things we’ve had to say about what David Siegel has done for timeshare real estate and timeshare sales, you may be interested in what he has to say about timeshare owners.
…continued on Monday, Feb 25

Sources for this blog post include: The Orlando Sentinel; Forbes Magazine; and the New York Times.