Europe’s TATOC, The Timeshare Association, (Timeshare Owners and Committees), is a highly respected consumer advocacy and support organization for timeshare owners. This week, TATOC released their comments on a new, comprehensive timeshare owners study by The Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute, at the Business School in the University of Nottingham. The study was commissioned by the Resort Development Organisation.

TATOC endorsed the findings of the timeshare owners study, noting that it marks a changing public perception about the timeshare industry. Harry Taylor, TATOC chief executive, called the survey the most comprehensive and detailed in a decade, and notes that it, “… reflects the widespread recognition of timeshare as a viable and valued holiday product.”

The Remarkable Findings of the New Timeshare Study

Subjects of the study included over 33,000 respondents in 12 countries, all completing a detailed questionnaire. Results showed that 87 percent of timeshare owners are satisfied with their timeshare. (87 percent! When’s the last time 87 percent of any group were unified on any topic?)

With more than a million and a half Europe timeshare owners (as of 2007), the largest numbers are in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where there are roughly 600,000 timeshare owners. Germany and Italy rank next for the greatest number of timeshare owners.

Using the 2007 figures, there are 1,312 Europe timeshare resorts, with over 350 of those resorts being Spain timeshare. The UK, Italy, and Portugal each have more than 100 timeshare resorts. As of 2008, approximately 300,000 timeshare owners are members of TATOC, marking a 20 percent increase in membership for that timeshare organization.

TATOC’s Conclusions about the Timeshare Study

It makes sense that TATOC would see the results of this new timeshare study as a ” …a powerful, credible and ringing endorsement of the growing popularity of holiday ownership,” and that they would point to timeshare ownership as clearly being an integral part of the global travel and tourism industry.

As Harry Taylor explains, “Timeshare is an affordable way of having a shared ownership in a holiday home. I am confident the UK will continue to lead the way in boosting its expansion and popularity in Europe.”

To learn more about TATOC and this growing Timeshare Association, contact:

Today in Part III we wrap up our look at the three Florida Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Marriott timeshare (Marriott Vacation Club International) announced this week that three Florida timeshare resorts meet all of the requirements for a Florida Green Lodging Program Designation. Of the three Marriott timeshares, two are Orlando timeshares, and the third, is Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast near Naples.

Green Lodging at Florida Timeshares and Hotels

The Florida Green Lodging Program is a state initiative through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The program was created to assist the lodging industry by providing free technical assistance regarding cost-saving, environmentally green practices that conserve natural resources and reduce waste. Furthering the state’s commitment to supporting the Green Lodging initiative, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed an executive order in 2007, requiring that state agencies and departments, meeting in hotel, timeshare, or lodging facilities, must choose only those properties with a Florida Green Lodging Program designation, whenever possible.

As Marriott Vacation Club International continues its dedication to environmental responsibility, all eleven Marriott Vacation Club International Florida timeshare resorts are on track to receive a “One Palm” designation from the Florida Green Lodging Program. Two Marriott Florida timeshares, Marriott’s Oceana Palms -The Palm Beaches and Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes in Orlando are currently under development and are not presently eligible for the certification until they are operational.

Marriott’s Timeshare’s Newest Florida Resort, a Design Showplace

The beautiful, beachside resort, Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island timeshare resort is the newest Marriott timeshare property in Florida, opening in March of 2009. At build-out, this Florida timeshare will feature approximately 219 timeshare villas. The resort is a showcase of Marriott’s newest architectural and interior design direction. At the time of opening, Stephen P. Weisz, president of Marriott Vacation Club International explained, “After more than 17 years of searching for just the right location on Marco Island, we couldn’t be more pleased to see this resort come to fruition on this prime beachfront setting.”

Marriott timeshare deserves a round of applause from all of us as well as our gratitude. They have taken significant steps to improve the environmental consciousness of their timeshare resorts and the administrative offices of Marriott Vacation Club International. They set an excellent example of corporate America showing true responsibility for the environment and the future of generations to come.

Click below to read Parts I and II in this series on Marriott timeshare:

• Three Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation as Environmentally Conscious Resorts
• Part II: Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation from State of Florida

And click here to learn more about the opportunities available for you to become a Marriott timeshare resale owner or to rent Marriott timeshare for your next vacation:

• Marriott Timeshare Resales
• Marriott Timeshare Rentals (including many vacation properties)

The always-popular timeshare vacation destination, Massanutten Resort, is in the process of expanding. This past week the Rockingham County (Virginia) board of supervisors approved a request by the resort to expand with more timeshare units.

The original master plan called for 27 buildings of timeshare units with 12 timeshare units per building. The newly approved plan allows for as many as 76 lockout timeshare units, designed as one-and-a-half story paired homes.

Attorney Henry Clark, speaking on behalf of the timeshare resort, says the upgrades are vital, not just for the resort, but for the tax base of the community. Clark told WHSV TV, “The continued modification of the facilities at Massanutten Village is of extreme importance to the entire county both from a tax basis, an employment basis, and the general welfare of the county’s basis.”

The Long-Term Popularity of Massanutten Resort Timeshare

Vacation ownership and timeshares have been strong at the Massanutten Resort since the 1970’s. Located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, Massanutten, this timeshare vacation destination offers summer visitors great options for mountain biking, hiking, picnicking, fishing, golfing, and enjoying the 5,000+ acres the resort offers.

Pools, hot tubs, a massive indoor water park, spas, and a skate park for skateboarders and in-line skaters, adds to the resort’s appeal and multi-season appeal.

If you are interested in learning more about the popular and growing Massanutten Resort, check out the opportunities in Massanutten Mountainside Villas timeshare resales and Massanutten Shenandoah timeshare resales, both part of this beautiful resort.

• Massanutten Mountainside Villas
• Massanutten Shenandoah Villas

A new report highlights opportunities for the Canadian timeshare industry, as Steve Luba explains.

 

 Timeshare Factoids for the week [3:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Part II in a three-part report on outstanding Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Recognizing that Marriott has always been a leader in vacation ownership, and was one of the first branded hotel companies to offer timeshares, it is really no surprise that Marriott timeshare is now a pacesetter in creating environmentally responsible lodging.

This week, three popular Florida timeshares, all Marriott resorts, received the Green Lodging Program Designation, from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Marriott’s Grande Vista (the subject of yesterday’s post on The Timeshare Authority); Marriott’s Cypress Harbour; and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island each received this special designation because of their efforts to recycle, reduce, preserve, and educate others about issues of environmental awareness.

In 2008, Marriott Vacation Club International launched the MVCI Green Initiatives, starting at their corporate headquarters and branching out their efforts to include their corporate offices and timeshare resorts worldwide. In so doing, they eliminated over a quarter million pieces of Styrofoam and plastic waste that would have annually wound up in the nation’s landfills.

Deas Bohn, director Florida Department of Environmental Protection Sustainable Initiatives, said, “It is wonderful to see businesses implement green practices such as water conservation, recycling and energy reduction because they are not only good for business, they are good for Florida’s environment.”

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Timeshares Combine Vacation Comfort with Environmental Consciousness

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare is an Orlando, Florida timeshare resort, which instantly means vacation fun and a convenient location to all your favorite Central Florida attractions and theme parks. Offering a 15-acre lake for boating and fishing, three sparkling swimming pools, and an 18-hole golf course, Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare is a vacation destination certain to please vacationers of all ages and interests.

With an “Old Florida” ambiance, the resort is a relaxing oasis of green, where stately live oaks and tropical palms create a relaxing atmosphere. The resort is built on both sides of the lake with a walking bridge across the water.

Boats, fishing gear, and bicycle rentals are all available on property, as is a convenience store, the Galley Grill for lakeside lunches, a 24-hour a day fitness center, and enough other amenities that guests and timeshare owners may be tempted to spend their entire vacation without ever leaving the property at this beautiful Florida timeshare resort.

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare resort… Another very special Marriott timeshare property that is clearly forward thinking and socially aware of what it means to all of us to protect and restore our environment.

Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority looks at Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, in Part III in this series.

Link to Part I:

Three Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation as Environmentally Conscious Resorts

This is a three-part report on outstanding Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Part I:

This week, Marriott Vacation Club International announced that three Marriott timeshare properties have achieved the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation. The resorts, Marriott’s Grande Vista, Marriott’s Cypress Harbour, and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, are the first Marriott timeshare properties to gain this distinctive recognition.

As Troy Asche, regional vice president of operations for the Florida-Caribbean region of Marriott Vacation Club International said (source: Marriott’s media release of June 23, 2009), “Now, more than ever, environmental stewardship is a critical part of delivering unforgettable vacation experiences to our Owners and guests and vital to the future of travel and tourism. By taking strategic steps to ‘green’ our resort operations, our collective efforts can make a huge impact on preserving our beautiful Florida environment.”

Florida Timeshares that Earn the Green Lodging Award

The Green Lodging Program is part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This intuitive was launched in 2004, establishing the environmental guidelines for guest lodging facilities to conserve natural resources and prevent pollution. In order to receive the award, a hotel, motel, timeshare resort, or other lodging facility must demonstrate a successful commitment to protecting Florida’s resources, an ecosystem that is totally unique in all of the United States.

Resorts that qualify as Green Lodging properties have taken steps such as: implementing recycling in timeshare villas, commons areas, and food service areas; installing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) throughout the property; using low flow toilets, showerheads and faucets; asking guests to reuse linens and towels when possible; switching to the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products, and using Energy Star rated electronics and appliances. Other environmentally responsible actions may also contribute to a timeshare resort receiving this award.

Marriott’s Grande Vista Orlando Timeshare

In upcoming The Timeshare Authority blog posts, we will look at all of these three outstanding Marriott timeshare resorts to receive the Green Lodging Designation this year, starting with Marriott’s Grande Vista, an Orlando timeshare.

Grande Vista timeshare is an Interval International Premier rated timeshare resort, offering four sparkling pool complexes, a serene lake for boating and water sports, the Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott, a 9-hole executive course, a 35-acre practice area, and access to Marriott’s Grande Pines Golf Club. Both golf facilities are members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.

Located in the heart of the attractions area of Orlando, a Marriott’s Grande Vista timeshare vacation puts you conveniently close to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and all the fun of a central Florida vacation. Yet with 164 acres, the Grande Vista timeshare is an oasis of green, amidst pines, oaks and tropical palms, and well deserves recognition as a noteworthy environmentally conscious resort.

Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at Marriott’s Cypress Harbour and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island and how they have also earned the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Guests and timeshare owners at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort timeshare have the opportunity to participate in a very special way with the annual march to the sea of hatchling baby turtles. Sea turtles have been on earth, essentially unchanged, for more than 100 million years. Each summer, in a dramatic demonstration of genetic imprinting, thousands of baby sea turtles of the green and the loggerhead species hatch on the beaches of Florida’s coasts, many on the beaches near Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, a Florida timeshare just south-east of Orlando.

Because as few as 1000 hatchling turtles will make it through the trek from hatching on the beach to returning to the ocean, (that’s one hatchling surviving out of every 1000 eggs) conservationists take extreme measures to protect the baby turtles, attempting to ensure that as many as possible survive. There are very strict laws in many coastal cities regarding lighting that is visible from the beach as it disorients the baby turtles, sometimes causing them to believe they are walking toward moonlight reflecting off the ocean, when in reality they are headed in exactly the wrong direction.

Disney’s Vero Beach Timeshare for Very Special Vacation Memories

To help their timeshare guests and timeshare owners at Disney’s Vero Beach Resort share in the annual turtle migration, Disney Vacation Club offers a program called Adopt-a-Nest. Partnering with the Caribbean Conservation Corporations and the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund, timeshare owners and other guests who donate $50 per nest receive a special package of Disney mementos, and the certificate for the nest number and the nest location, of their “adopted” turtles. If their turtle adoptees hatch during the participant’s vacation, then they may get to experience the event firsthand, but if not, they can track online the activities at the turtle nest site by going to this website: Disney Conservation.

Imagine how special it would be to watch the tiny turtles in their moonlit march to the sea; think of the memories your whole family will enjoy. Being part of such a momentous event, takes the magic of a Disney timeshare or Disney timeshare resale vacation to a whole new level.

David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa timeshare in Genoa, Nevada has plans to construct more than one hundred new timeshare units.

Back in 1997, when this Nevada timeshare was originally permitted, construction plans allowed for up to 150 timeshare units. Originally, 112 timeshare units were constructed at David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa timeshare, but recently approved plans call for 228 more timeshare units at the resort.

Because the timeshare development will have timeshare units constructed on both sides of a busy highway, a local governmental agency, the Genoa Town Board, has proposed that an underground tunnel for pedestrian traffic be constructed below the highway.

David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa Nevada timeshare estimates the cost of the tunnel at $300,000, and plan to make the tunnel large enough to permit use by golf carts. The Nevada Community Development Commission has agreed to cover thirty percent of the cost, up to $90,000.

You may not recognize the name “David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa,” but you probably are familiar with Celebrity Resorts, the company that owns this timeshare. With timeshare resorts located across the US in Florida, Nevada, the Poconos, Colorado, Atlantic City, Hawaii, and California timeshare, Celebrity Resorts offers more than a dozen popular vacation locations.

Nevada Timeshare Offers Unique Ways to Relax

While all the Celebrity Resorts timeshares are outstanding destinations, David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa Nevada timeshare is a standout, with relaxing mineral hot tubs, heated pools, steam rooms, a sauna, six mineral pools, and a menu of spa treatments.

And if you aren’t too relaxed from your hot mineral soaks to do nothing more than peacefully gaze at the serene mountain vistas, there are three championship golf courses just minutes away; water sports at Lake Tahoe; gaming; and of course winter skiing.

Buy a David Walley’s Hot Springs Resort and Spa Nevada timeshare resale or book a timeshare rental vacation there and you could be soaking your cares away before you know it.

For the seventh year in a row, IDG’s Computerworld has selected Marriott International, Inc., as one of the “Best Places to Work in IT”.

Marriott’s media release quoted Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld, as saying, “The organizations that made this year’s Best Places to Work list sustain a dynamic work environment in which IT professionals keep their hands on the latest technologies and work on projects that are business critical. In the months and years ahead, IT is going to become a key accelerator of business growth.”

Award of the honor is based on numerous factors including company benefits, career development, training, diversity, and retention. This is the second time this week the Marriott Corporation has made an announcement regarding the receipt of an award honoring Marriott as an outstanding work environment.

Congratulations Marriott on another noteworthy workplace award; your contributions to the hospitality and timeshare industries are enormous.

The Royal LePage 2009 Recreational Property Report was released this week revealing some interesting trends and vacation ownership preferences among Canadians.

According to the report, the dream of many Canadians to own recreational property has not diminished, despite the downturn economy. A media release from Royal LePage Real Estate Services showed that Canadians see vacation property ownership as both an investment and as a source of vacation enjoyment. The feeling is so strong, they are willing to make a variety of different sacrifices in order to own a cottage, cabin, or chalet.

Phil Soper, president and CEO of Royal LePage Real Estate notes that increasing traffic, overcrowding, and congestion in cities seems to be driving the intense desire of many Canadians to own recreational property, particularly lakeside property, for which the survey respondents showed a 68 percent preference above all other vacation destinations.

Among the survey respondents living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, while fifty percent would prefer to individually own a cottage on a lake as their first choice, twenty-two percent would like to buy Canada timeshare.

The Attraction of Canada Timeshare and Why Timeshare Makes So Much Sense

Globally, many people must share the feelings of these Canadians. Work environments grow more hectic and pressured. The daily commute is increasingly stressful and time consuming. We are worried about our jobs, our futures, and our families, and at a time many people feel they can least afford a vacation; they actually need it the most.

Canada timeshares are some of the more outstanding in the world offering lakeside retreats, spectacular ski resorts, and to the surprise of many, some of the best golf destinations in North America. While owning a cabin in the Canadian woods may seem ideal for many people, once they have fully considered their responsibilities that go with property ownership, they realize that to buy Canada timeshare affords them all the pleasures of vacation ownership, without the hassle of handling maintenance and upkeep themselves. Canada timeshares are an ideal solution to pay for only the days and nights you actual use your vacation property.

Popular Canada Timeshare Resales

• WorldMark The Canadian Timeshare
• WorldMark Sundance Timeshare
• WorldMark Cascade Lodge Timeshare
• Whistler Resort & Club Timeshare
• Shell Vacations Club At Mountainside Lodge Timeshare
• Shell Vacations Club At Carriage Hills Resort Timeshare