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

Last week, when a popular newspaper ran an article bemoaning timeshare ownership, they told the stories of unhappy timeshare owners. First, there was a woman who bought a timeshare four years ago and has yet to use it. Then came the timeshare owners whose job loss, compounded by the decision to start their own business, left them wishing they could get the timeshare company to “take the contract back.” And don’t forget the couple going through a divorce, who could no longer afford their timeshare.

These are very real stories, each valid, stressful, and sad. Worst of all, they are situations that are multiplied many times over, especially in light of today’s unstable economy and dwindling job market.

…But with that said, let’s get real.

How many products or services do you purchase and count on being able to quickly and easily find a buyer for, if you change your mind?

How often do people, when confronted with job loss, divorce, illness, or any of a number of other life events wish they hadn’t bought their home or hadn’t purchased that new car? How typical is it that any of us in a tough economic situation would regret the big entertainment system, the boat, the travel trailer, or any other luxury expenditure that left us wishing we had saved more, spent less, and done something differently in the past to have put us on better financial footing today?

When timeshares are criticized for having “iron clad” contracts, you have to wonder what type of contract one proposes they have instead? If you buy a home, buy or lease a vehicle, rent an apartment, or even just have a credit card, you deal with some pretty “iron clad” contracts. Good fences make good neighbors and typically, good contracts protect you in far more ways than they restrict you.

Two Sides to the Story of Timeshare Ownership and Timeshare Resale

Why single out one industry and look for unhappy consumers as if that tells the whole story? Yes, there are many timeshares for sale on the secondary market and this probably won’t be a record-breaking year for the sale of new timeshares, either.

There are also too many homes for sale in most neighborhoods, too many used luxury cars for resale on most car lots, and far too many diamond engagement rings hocked at the end of a broken marriage. Does that make owning a home, buying a car, or getting married all negative things?

Let’s back off painting timeshares with the “bad guy” brush. Solid industry research confirms that there are millions—millions—of timeshare owners who are satisfied with their purchase and use and enjoy it regularly. There are also rock solid timeshare developers as well as some reliable timeshare resale companies working to serve the needs of the secondary market.

One of the best things about Hawaii vacations is that you can, “get away from it all.” Blue skies, bluer water, beautiful beaches and far from the responsibilities of work and your daily grind.

Unfortunately, this “best thing” has also proven to be a challenge to Hawaii tourism this past year as budget conscious travelers opt for drive-to destinations or the dreaded, “staycation”. This leaves Hawaii rolling out the red carpet more than ever for travel, tourism, events, and attractions that refocus the world on Hawaii as a favorite place for a honeymoon, family vacation, or timeshare holiday.

Hawaii Welcomes Captain Jack Sparrow and Disney Vacation Club Timeshare

The fourth installment of the popular Disney movie, “Pirates of the Caribbean” series is scheduled for filming in Hawaii during the summer of 2010. Johnny Depp will return to his role as Captain Jack Sparrow in “On Stranger Tides.” The film, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, is estimated to mean roughly $85 million to the economy of Hawaii.

But Disney’s commitment to Hawaii, does not stop with Captain Jack. The fabulous Disney timeshare resort and hotel, “Aulani” will open in 2011. This luxurious Hawaii timeshare resort will offer 480 timeshare villas plus 350 hotel rooms, all located on 21 acres of beautiful oceanfront property.

The Timeshare Authority has been following the Disney timeshare project for a Hawaii timeshare since it was first planned. (Read more here: Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina; Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Moving Forward with New Hawaii Timeshare). Just this week Disney announced “Aulani” as the official name of what up until now, has been called the Ko Olina Resort.

Walt Disney Imagineering Creative Senior Vice President Joe Rohde explains, “We want this resort destination to reflect the vibrant culture that surrounds it. The name ‘Aulani’ expresses a connection to tradition and deep story-telling — and its roots are here in this land”

The word, “aulani”, according to Disney, means, “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages.” I’d say the message is both great and deep when it comes to the wonder of Hawaii timeshares at a Disney timeshare resort … it would be enough to make even Captain Jack give up the Black Pearl.

Representatives of timeshare and vacation ownership companies met this week in Orlando, Florida for ARDA’s Timeshare Social Media Symposium.

In a full-day session titled, “What’s the Big Deal?” timeshare industry leaders looked at ways to put social media to work to better outreach to their market. Scheduled speakers included Howard C. Nusbaum, President and CEO ARDA; Peter C Yesawich, Chairman and CEO Y Partnership; Professor Sree Sreenivasan, Dean of Student Affairs and Digital Media Professor Columbia Graduate School of Journalism; Rob Tappan, President Weber Merritt; and other industry leaders.

How important is it that the timeshare and vacation ownership industries step up to social media?

Answer: Critical!

Just this week, the cover story for NewMediaAge is that both Coca-Cola and Unilever corporations are, “…moving away from sites created on a campaign-by-campaign basis in favour of investment in existing communities. While both companies will continue to create campaign sites for certain brands in the immediate future, they have said the long-term future lies with social media on platforms populated by their target consumers. Coca-Cola will position its official Facebook and YouTube pages as the lead online channels for upcoming international activity for its Coke Zero and Fanta brands, new media age understands.”

These two industry giants are among the many companies of all sizes and all types that are turning more and more to social media to build relationships. The bottom line is that social media enables companies to go where their consumers and potential consumers already are, rather than looking for ways to draw their market to them at their existing websites.

Here’s the critical message for all of us involved in timeshare development, timeshare sales, timeshare resales, management, and every other aspect of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry: You can lead or you can be left behind

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Sometimes at Sell My Timeshare NOW and The Timeshare Authority, we talk too much about what we do, and what we can do for you, and we forget to tell you who we are. Over the next few months, I am going to change that, telling you about some of the very special people who work extremely hard, every day, to make it easier for you to buy, rent, or sell timeshare.

And the beautiful smiling face, and warm personality of Angela Cantanzaro, Customer Care Manager for Sell My Timeshare NOW, seems like a great place to start. Here is Angela’s story, in her own words:

Stephen J. Cloobeck, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Diamond Resorts International®, will be the keynote speaker at the 2010 Timeshare Association conference.

Cloobeck has more than 25 years of experience in development, management, construction, operations, marketing and sales of real estate including hotels, vacation ownership resorts, timeshares, retail shopping centers, and office and apartment buildings. Diamond Resorts International timeshare is one of the world’s largest timeshare brands with 160 branded or affiliated timeshare resorts throughout the US and in 26 countries worldwide.

As the TATOC Conference organizers explain, “Mr. Cloobeck is widely recognized as one of the most innovative, successful and accomplished entrepreneurs in the global vacation ownership industry and under his leadership, annually, nearly 1.4 million owners, members and guests enjoy the simplicity, choice and comfort Diamond Resorts International® offers through its branded hospitality experience”.

The 2010 TATOC Timeshare Conference will be held March 26 to March 28 and hosted at the Nottingham Belfry, Nottingham, England.

Learn more at: www.timeshareassociation.org and continue following The Timeshare Authority for details about the 2010 TATOC Conference, and all the timeshare news and updates.

For more TATOC information, please contact harry.taylor@timeshareassociation.org

Telephone 00 44 (0)161 237 3611

Fax 00 44 (0)161 237 3611