When Bluegreen Resorts timeshares wanted a presence in New Hampshire, they looked to InnSeason Resorts. Last summer, Bluegreen Corporation announced that it would take on the sales, marketing, and operations of the InnSeason Timeshare Resort, South Mountain timeshare in Lincoln, New Hampshire, as well as at the Soundings Seaside Resort in Dennis Port, (Cape Cod) Massachusetts; the Parkside Williamsburg Resort, Williamsburg, Virginia; and the Blue Water Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

While Bluegreen Corporation has dealt with the same types of challenges that have affected other timeshare and residential development companies this past year, timeshares and timeshare management services are looking like an anchor for the company.

In its third quarter report, Bluegreen reported a loss overall attributable to declining sales in its planned residential communities. However, the picture for timeshare sales was very different with Bluegreen Resort sales up 14 percent, to $149.1 million from $130.3 million. The company attributed the jump to a significant increase in timeshare sales to existing Bluegreen Vacation Club owners.

South Mountain Timeshare Resort

This time of year, Bluegreen Vacation Club owners aren’t picnicking or mountain biking at the beautiful resort located at the base of Loon Mountain. Instead, South Mountain Timeshare Resort is typically a winter wonderland, perfect for quiet retreats, taking advantage of the winter ski season, or just browsing the Village Shops in Lincoln.

Inn Season’s Chief Financial Officer Scott MacGregor calls the resort’s relationship with Bluegreen timeshare, “…a perfect fit.“

He explains that the arrangement afforded, “… them (Bluegreen timeshares) the opportunity to step into an established, successful resort and to enhance their portfolio of over 45 owned or managed resorts. For us, the timing was ideal. It allows us to expand in other areas of New England, so we can offer alternate destinations to members of the InnSeason Vacation Club.”

Under the agreements, Bluegreen is providing customized timeshare services and product offerings. Bluegreen timeshare typically manages the operations at each resort, as well as providing timeshare sales and marketing, risk management, timeshare title and escrow, and property management services.

The ever-popular InnSeason Resorts were created as a regional brand of family-oriented timeshare resorts under the development and operations expertise of Dennis M. Ducharme, RRP, president; and the marketing resources of Curran Management Services (CMS®), and its founder, William E. (Billy) Curran, chief executive officer and Sell My Timeshare NOW board member.

The Christmas tree is down (or will be soon), a new year beckons, and many people start to think about giving their homes or offices a facelift and a fresher look. Will the same thing be happening at timeshare and vacation ownership resorts that are part of the Interval International network of timeshare exchange?

Robb & Stucky Resorts, a division of the Ft. Myers, Florida-based Robb & Stucky Interiors, has a new alliance with Interval International, making its turnkey design services and one-stop shopping available to Interval International member timeshare resorts.

David Gilbert, Interval International’s executive vice preside of resort sales and marketing says, “The alliance with Robb & Stucky will give our developer clients and homeowners associations access to an exceptional level of service and value.”

What’s the Real Advantage to Timeshare Resort Developers and Timeshare HOA’s?

Co-branded alliances can work in many ways, but in the case of Interval International timeshare exchange and Robb & Stucky Resorts, the benefits look something like this:

Timeshare developers and HOA’s benefit because …

• Dealing with a respected furniture vendor, that offers a quality line, adds instant upgrade appeal when used in timeshare units, timeshare condos, and common areas of timeshare resorts.
• Robb & Stucky is a start-to-finish company, meaning that it manufactures, warehouses, delivers and installs all of its own products. The process of decorating or re-decorating timeshare resort properties is streamlined and simplified because the timeshare or Home Owners Association can deal with one vendor that offers a cohesive plan, décor themes with interchangeable parts, and the simplicity of one-stop shopping.

The furniture manufacturer benefits because its products are exposed to the many people who own timeshare or rent timeshare and make use of the timeshare resort each year. Not only is this a good market for the company’s residential line of furnishings, but as has already been demonstrated, consumers frequently want to add to their homes the same products they enjoyed during luxury resort vacations. (Think of the number of hotels that now retail their mattresses, bed sets, and toiletries to the public, purely in a response to consumer demand for these products.)

This alliance seems to be a win-win for the brands involved, meaning that it should also turn out to be a good thing for the timeshare owners and their guests who visit Interval International timeshare exchange resorts.

Planning a trip to New York any time soon? You may want to use your New York timeshare and schedule to be in NYC for the 2010 “Idiotarod.”

No, that is not a misspelling or major lapse in our understanding of geography. The New York City Idiotarod is not to be confused with the famous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race©, during which, early each March, mushers seek to drive their team of dogs from Anchorage to Nome, arriving ahead of their competitors.

Instead, the appropriately named Idiotarod is a comical urban answer to dogsled racing. The Idiotarod involves teams of five humans pulling modified shopping carts through the city streets. None of the carts may be motorized, although the carts can be decorated, embellished, or taken apart and put back together in unique and unusual ways.

The original Idiotarod shopping cart race was held in 1994 in San Francisco, with Toronto, Phoenix, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, Washington DC, and New York City all having served as event host cities in the past. While attending the Iditarod in Alaska is sure to be the adventure of a lifetime, being part (participant or spectator) of the 2010 Idiotarod should be tremendous fun as well. Plus, for this urban event, you won’t need to own a sled or trained team of sled dogs. Five friends and a shopping cart all your own (begged or borrowed) is all you need.

And at the end of a long shopping cart race day, there are few things you and your team will appreciate as much as the convenience and comfort of a Manhattan Club timeshare, New York timeshare resale or New York timeshare rental.

This year’s Idiotarod is scheduled for January 30, 2010.

One of the Disney Vacation Club’s most popular timeshare resorts, the Saratoga Springs Spa, has announced plans to renovate and refurbish its pool area. Planned for the Orlando timeshare is a new 3300 square foot, zero-entry access pool, plus a 146-foot water slide, a hot tub, and a 1600 square foot water play area for the kids.

This new pool will be triple the size of the one in the Paddock area of the Saratoga Springs Resort timeshare, while also affording a substantially larger pool deck with more chairs. New outside dining is planned with a ‘quick serve’ facility that will offer hamburgers and fries and may offer a refillable mug station, as well.

What Makes Saratoga Springs Such a Disney Timeshare Favorite

Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida (an Orlando timeshare), Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa was built to capture the charm of the New York resort town of Saratoga Springs, known for its famous horse racing and the charm of its genteel lifestyle.

The resort’s Victorian architecture, streams, lakes, and hiking and biking trails, lend a far-away, quaint feel to this busy Disney timeshare that—just past the lush greenery and calm—is at the hub of the Walt Disney World Vacation Resort.

Disney Vacation Club timeshare remains popular with Disney timeshare owners year-in and year-out, with overall member satisfaction consistently ranking around 90 percent.

Follow these links to learn more about Disney timeshare resales or Disney timeshare rentals at the Disney Vacation Club Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa timeshares.

Disney’s BoardWalk Villas timeshares are in the process of receiving a facelift and the Old Key West timeshare resort won’t be far behind.

Upgrades to the timeshare units at Disney’s Old Key West Resort have been announced during the Disney Condo Association annual meetings, and will include the refinishing of wood floors or replacing of carpets; timeshare units repainted, and blinds or drapery replaced.

Sofas and love seats are to be reupholstered and all one-bedroom and larger timeshare units at the Disney Old Key West Resort will receive the addition of a twin sleeper chair. Kitchens will gain new granite countertops and new hardware for the cabinetry; ceiling fans will be replaced throughout; and new lamps will be added in the living room and master bedrooms. Electronics will receive an upgrade as all televisions are replaced with flat panel units.

A Reason to Love Disney Vacation Club Timeshare

One of the many reasons people love Disney Vacation Club timeshares is Disney’s commitment to maintenance and ensuring that the timeshare you buy today is one you can love and enjoy for years to come.

The facelift for Disney’s Old Key West Resort is very similar in scope to what is already underway at BoardWalk Villas timeshares. The Old Key West Resort refurbishments are scheduled to begin in Spring 2010 and will run into Spring 2011.

White Christmas? Snow and mistletoe? Well it all depends on where you are celebrating the holiday this year. Timeshare owners often target the seasonal holidays as some of their favorite weeks for enjoying timeshare vacations and the benefits of timeshare exchange.

Holiday in Your Australian Timeshare

Australian timeshare let you spend Christmas “Down Under”. While Australians enjoy many of the same traditions of European and US Christmas holidays, Australia is a global community with residents from around the world, giving an Australian timeshare holiday an international feel. Some Australians even suggest that Santa gets some special help in Australia from a grungy (but welcomed) fellow called the Swag Man.

Reportedly, Swag Man lives under the Uluru (a famous rock formation in Central Australia), appearing only around Christmas time to lend Santa a hand. In true Outback style, he takes to a four-wheel drive vechicle with his merry dingoes, delivering presents to all.

Your Quebec Timeshare for a Canada Timeshare Christmas

How about celebrating Christmas in Quebec in your Canada timeshare? In the French-speaking communities of Quebec, Christmas celebrations often include Christmas dinner called “Reveillon” which means “waking up”. This is an appropriate name, since the festive meal is typically served at two o’clock in morning after people return from Christmas Midnight Mass. When you plan to holiday in a Quebec timeshare, you are almost guaranteed a white Christmas.

Christmas Comes Early in Your Spain Timeshare

You can begin your Christmas celebration early in your Spain timeshare where the Christmas season officially begins on December 8 with the feast of the Immaculate Conception. Each year, in a ceremony called “los Seises” or the “dance of six,” ten elaborately costumed boys dance in a traditional performance that goes back to the 16th century.

The List of Timeshare Vacation Destinations Goes On and On

Over and over, timeshare owners report that the opportunities of timeshare exchange play an important role in their decision to buy timeshare. While you may be celebrating the holidays this year close to home, it is never too soon to start planning an Adventure Christmas for next year.

With timeshares, timeshare resales, and timeshare rentals available in exciting destinations around the world, your holidays next year could easily become your family’s memory makers of a lifetime.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW and The Timeshare Authority.

It’s Christmas Eve. This traditional holiday may or may not be one you celebrate and you may be with the ones you love or far away from home. But no matter where you are or what you believe, we hope you are able to capture at least a little of the childlike joy that is so integral to the real meaning of Christmas.

All of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW hope you can, for at least today, set aside your worries, your challenges, and those pressing matters that can so easily zap your spirit and drain your strength.

• If you can find a way to make someone else’s life a little brighter,
• To reflect upon your blessings, and see the good that overshadows the bad,
• To lift up your chin with optimism for tomorrow,
• And to throw back your laugh like you did as a child…
• Then you will have found the very truest meaning of Christmas Eve.

Warmest wishes to you and your family, from our hearts to yours, at their very special time.

Jason Tremblay and All of Us at Sell My Timeshare NOW and The Timeshare Authority

If you keep track of the timeshares under development at Disney, you already know that the next Disney timeshare resort to open will be in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Kolina Resort Disney Vacation Club. The Disney timeshare resort in Oahu will offer 350 hotel rooms and 480 timeshare villas located on approximately 21 acres of oceanfront property.

But Mouse-watchers know that Disney seems to have more plans in store for the Disney Vacation Club. Last summer, Disney announced the purchase of fifteen acres overlooking the Potomac River in Maryland. The site, at the National Harbor development, was acquired for $11 million and is said to be the future home of a 500-room Disney resort.

Last week, Mouse Planet (one of our favorite blogs to follow) reported that in Disney’s 10K annual report filing with the Security and Exchange Commission, there was no mention of the property at the National Harbor. Here’s what Mouse Planet had to say, “…in the section of the 10K describing the Disney Vacation Club’s business, it lists all properties open or under construction, including the land that was purchased on the island of Oahu, Hawaii that will be the home of the Ko Olina Resort. However, it’s interesting that no mention was made of the land purchase at National Harbor in Maryland. While neither details nor a construction start date has been announced, it was presented as a location for a new Disney resort. Perhaps it is not necessary to report the holding until construction has actually begun.“

Everything about the National Harbor is exciting. As The Timeshare Authority has already reported, Wyndham timeshare and Wyndham timeshare resales are already available at the 300-acre harbor side community development and a Disney timeshare would be an excellent addition to project. Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, explains, “National Harbor offers an array of entertaining activities for regional visitors, but it is also a family-friendly base camp, from which visitors around the world can explore the stirring sights and inspirational stories of our nation’s capital. We bbelieve National Harbor has the unique opportunity to offer a new level of family-friendly hospitality.”

Links to current opportunities in Disney timeshare resales:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
• Disney’s Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
• Disney’s Villas at Wilderness Lodge
• Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel

Benidorm, Spain, a resort town on the Mediterranean Sea, is the site of an alleged timeshare scam which has resulted in nine arrests and possibly more to follow. Police investigators have discovered 130,000 € in funds defrauded through a timeshare scam, but say the amount may increase as the investigation continues.

The troubles for Spain timeshares continue, as it has been less than a month since some 22 people were arrested in a timeshare scam in Málaga and Tenerife. Accused of swindling timeshare owners out of money paid to cover the transfer of ownership, the timeshare sales transactions turned out to be fictitious offers to the timeshare owners.

Spain Timeshare and the Temptations to Buy Timeshare During a Vacation

Spain timeshares and Spanish timeshare resorts are some of the most beautiful in the world. Their desirability and the appeal of vacationing in coastal Spain draws millions of tourists and visitors annually from around the globe—many of whom apparently let their guard down when it comes to making sound timeshare buying or timeshare selling decisions.

I recently read a timeshare buying tip that advised people to never buy timeshare during a vacation. The advice makes sense. During a relaxing vacation, a consumer may not be in his or her best business and negotiating mindset and the luxury and relaxation of a great resort can go a long way towards luring a buyer into a purchase that may not be right for him in the end.

Buying timeshare on the resale market affords you the opportunity to think about your purchase, reflect on the bigger picture, even seek advice from other timeshare owners you know or your financial advisor, tax professional, or attorney before you make your big purchase.

Just because it has never snowed (in the history of National Weather Service recordkeeping) in the Florida Keys doesn’t mean this won’t be the year it happens—at least according to The Weather Channel.

If you tune in to The Weather Channel you know that they have been promising one viewer a “Guaranteed White Christmas.” And since snow-making assistance won’t be needed by much of the US this year, the honor was appropriately won by a Florida Keys resident.

Thanks to his winning video, Howard Livingston is assured that his front yard will be blanketed with tons of snow for Christmas. A Wisconsin-based special effects company will create the snow using shaved ice. Throughout the day, Christmas Day, The Weather Channel’s Adam Berg will be broadcasting live from the scene of the ‘snowfall’.

What did Livingston do to merit such an honor? He created a video explaining how much he would like to share a white Christmas with his grandson, demonstrating how in the past he has tried to create his own snow with a blender powered by a 1952 Johnson outboard motor, (which is really pretty difficult to imagine!)

Your Key West Timeshare Vacation

If you have a Key West timeshare vacation planned for Christmas, you might get to witness the first ‘snowfall’ in the Florida Keys. Otherwise, you will just have to make do with white sand, a sparkling aqua blue ocean, tropical flowers, and balmy breezes—the kind of pleasures that Key West timeshares and Florida Keys timeshares vacations are made of.