(Hat Tip to Sharon Drechsler of Resort Trades for finding this timeshare industry good news item)

Interested in some timeshare industry good news? It’s out there, it just doesn’t always make the headlines, like this update for example:

Keith Trowbridge is a name well known in the timeshare industry. A pioneer of the timeshare industry, he is CEO of Executive Quest, an executive placement company that specializes in the timeshare, fractional and vacation ownership industries. He’s also the author of How You Can Invest In Inflation-Proof Vacations For Life (Simon and Schuster) and co-author with Richard J. Lynge of Real Estate Broker’s Guide to Resort Timesharing (Real Estate Education Company). Clearly a voice of experience about timeshares, and when he talks, we all listen.

So it was good news to hear Dr. Keith Trowbridge say the following, “We are now witnessing clear signs of a modest recovery. Companies across the glove are beginning to replenish their inventories. Global GDP and global trade are strengthening and job losses are declining. And, we are beginning to see incremental increases in leasing, and sales activity across the board, and absorption, while still negative in many markets, is moving toward positive territory.”

Thanks again to Sharon for sharing this in the most recent issue of Resort Trades.

Liberty Bank has established a new lending relationship with Breckenridge Grand Vacations timeshare providing an initial loan of $10 million. Bank spokesperson, Denise Brewer, Vice President, says, “We were very impressed by the company’s track record and well-respected position in their community.”

President of Wellington Financial, (the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Banks) Ron Goldberg says, “the Breckenridge Grand Vacations team has demonstrated a fantastic track record in developing, marketing, selling and managing Gold Point Resort, Grand Timber Lodge and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7, as well as being a great asset to the community.”

Rob Millisor, resort operator adds, “Over the last 25 years, we’ve (Breckenridge resort) developed a business philosophy to serve investors, owners-and-guests, employees and our community. This attitude governs everything we do and has allowed us to provide family after family with excellent vacations for many years. We strongly believe that our dedication to ensuring the satisfaction of all four of these constituents has given us the focus for our success in the vacation ownership business in Breckenridge.”

Sell My Timeshare NOW is the only authorized reseller for Grand Timeshare Lodge resales. Grand Timber Lodge is a 5-star, year-round resort located at the base of Colorado’s Breckenridge ski resort and within minutes of the shops, restaurants, and entertainment in downtown Breckenridge.

More information about Breckenridge timeshares on The Timeshare Authority Blog:

• Timeshare Sales Good News for Grand Lodge Timeshares in Breckenridge, CO
• Grand Timber Lodge Timeshare Resort

The office of the Maryland Attorney General, Douglas F. Gansler, has published its latest edition of The Consumer’s Edge, focusing this issue on good advice for buying timeshare. The article, titled, “Timeshares: a Break from Reality?” takes timeshare buyers and prospective buyers through points they should consider before making the decision to become a timeshare owner.

The two-page report is easy-to-read and packed with clear, concise definitions and insights written to help consumers better understand the product they are buying. Here are some of the points made by the Attorney General’s report:

1. Do your homework so that you know what you are buying and that the timeshare or vacation ownership product you select is truly the right one to meet your needs.
2. Look at the total cost of your timeshare purchase, including mortgage payments, travel costs, maintenance fees (that are likely to increase over time) your finance cost, and your taxes if they are not included with your other fees.
3. Visit the timeshare resort where you plan to buy.
4. Learn the differences in timeshare intervals and deeded timeshare. Become knowledgeable about fixed or floating timeshare, timeshare points, vacation clubs, biennial timeshare, fractionals, and lock-offs.
5. And perhaps most important of all, don’t expect your timeshare to appreciate in values, or even to hold its value. Timeshare –like a resale automobile— consistently sells for less on the resale market than when purchased as new timeshare. As Attorney General Gansler, explains, “Timeshares are an expensive purchase and should not be considered an investment. Consumers need to do their homework before signing any contract.”

“Timeshares: a Break from Reality?” is a strong, informative report that is bound to be helpful to any consumer who is considering buying timeshare and even to many timeshare owners who don’t fully understand the product they have purchased. Best of all, the Attorney General’s report doesn’t represent that timeshares themselves are inherently a bad buy nor does it attempt to paint the entire industry with a single brush, declaring timeshare scam and timeshare fraud.

The acclaimed Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, known for some of Europe’s most popular resorts, is breaking into the Florida timeshare market. The hotel and timeshare company has acquired the current Encantada Resort, which is located just outside Orlando, in the Kissimmee-Orlando vacation area, in close proximity to all your favorite Orlando theme parks and recreation destinations.

Club La Costa is renowned worldwide for its mixed-use resorts, which include both whole ownership homes and timeshare, and the famous Club La Costa Yacht Club. Founded more than twenty years ago, by South African entrepreneur, Roy Peires, Club La Costa resorts can be found in Spain, Tenerife, Turkey, the US, England, Austria, and Scotland.

Peires explains, “The announcement of our new resort has already caused a lot of excitement among our members who can look forward to a resort exhibiting Club La Costa high standards in this sought after destination.”

There are currently over 50,000 Club La Costa member-owners and the company employs approximately 2,000 people. Club La Costa Resorts are a member of the RCI.

At Sell My Timeshare NOW, we are excited about our acquisition of the clients and primary assets of the Canada timeshare website, Rapid Resale, Ltd. Their customer base is loyal; the website, established in September of 2004, has a proven track record of helping Canadian owners buy and sell timeshare in the secondary market. This move strengthens our position in the Canada timeshare market by expanding our brand and visibility. And as Jay Bade, Vice President, Business Development for Sell My Timeshare NOW, stated to the media, “We are honored that April Cummins entrusted her customers to Sell My Timeshare NOW and excited to be able to expand visibility, marketing, and timeshare sales services for her clients.”

Now if only the mainstream media will share this positive, timeshare industry business growth and development with its audience. Will the story be buried behind accounts of shady timeshare resellers and sluggish quarterly profit reports from timeshare developers and resort companies?

Perhaps the timeshare industry story that gets “buried” most of all is the simple and astounding fact that a high percentage (consistently year-in-and-year out greater than 80 percent) of timeshare owners report that they use and enjoy their timeshare and are satisfied with timeshare ownership. 23.5 percent of timeshare owners rank their ownership experience as excellent; 37.4 percent rank it as very good; and 23.9 percent rank it as good … which adds up to a whopping 84.8 percent ranking it good or better than good. (Source: Vacation Timeshare Owners Report, 2008 edition. Prepared by Synovate for AIF in a study that surveyed a national sample of 4009 current timeshare owners between May 30 and June 10, 2008.)

Timeshare really is a good news story, even though that is not always the message consumers hear. If you would like to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s “good news” media release, click here: Sell My Timeshare NOW Acquires Top Canadian Timeshare Resales Website

Sell My Timeshare NOW, announced yesterday, the acquisition of the primary assets and customers of the Canadian timeshare website, Rapid Resale. (Read the full media release at: http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/media/index/content/release08-05-10/)

RapidResale.ca is the domain name for Secondary Solutions Group, an Ontario-based Canadian timeshare resales company with an excellent reputation for customer service, satisfaction, and timeshare resales success. When April Cummins, founder of the six-year-old Canadian timeshare company, began looking to change the direction of her demanding career, her first priority was what she would do to ensure that her current clients continued to receive the top-quality levels of service that Rapid Resale had always provided.

April Cummings found her solution in Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services. Ross Perlmutter, President/CEO of the Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA) sees this as a win-win, saying, “With more than 180 shared ownership resorts and nearly 350,000 owners in Canada, we welcome the expanded presence of SellMyTimeshareNow. They are a leading international timeshare reseller that can potentially bring great benefits to timeshare buyers and sellers on both sides of the border.”

Canada Timeshare Opportunities

For current clients of Rapid Resale, this change means greater exposure through the powerful, targeted websites of Sell My Timeshare. And for current and future clients of Sell My Timeshare NOW, it means the company’s brand and websites will have a stronger than ever presence in the Canada timeshare market.

And for everyone who has so enjoyed working with April, the news here is good too. April is not leaving the timeshare industry; instead, she will be working for Canada timeshare developers in sales and marketing.

Taking a similar path to timeshare sales and timeshare resales legislation being negotiated by concerned governments worldwide, Alberta Canada timeshare laws are getting more stringent. In an effort to offer Canada timeshare owners more protection, the government of Alberta is revising its current timeshare laws and regulations that originally were enacted more than a decade ago.

Effective November 2010, the new regulations will require everyone in the timeshare industry in Alberta to obtain a license from the provincial government and to disclose their business terms and conditions. Amending the Time Share Contracts and Points-based Regulation, under the Fair Trading Act, all timeshare sales and timeshare related businesses will be required to pay $200 to obtain a license and also to post security. The terms of the security are still under negotiation.

Chris Wein, President of multifamily operations at Calgary’s UBG says the government in Alberta Canada is playing “catch-up in terms of business and legal trends.” He adds that he sees this effort as providing greater protections for Canada timeshare owners, buyers, and sellers.

Buying trends in Canada timeshare have recently indicated increasing popularity in fractional ownership real estate, away from consumer purchases of traditional timeshare. If this pattern sustains, it could result in greater numbers of timeshare sales on the secondary market as owners transition from timeshares to longer-term fractional ownership.

Follow this link to find current Canada Time Share regulations

In the past 12 months, internet patterns have changed dramatically in China. Where travel destinations were once only researched online, a growing percentage of today’s residents of mainland China both research and buy travel online.

Until recently, Chinese internet technology made e-commerce for travel difficult for Chinese web surfers, plus cultural traditions lingered, creating a preference for face-to-face interactions. But China is presently experiencing the same phenomena that has occurred in North America and Europe… once people begin to gain even the slightest comfort level with booking hotels, timeshare rentals, and air travel online, use escalates rapidly.

The Chinese Powder Keg for Buying Travel, Timeshares, and Timeshare Rentals Online

China already has over 400 million internet users, and many believe the numbers are far higher claiming that young adults relying solely on cell phones (and one of the strongest demographics for internet use) are overlooked in this headcount. With this in mind, the numbers quickly begin to add up to a powdered keg ready for explosion:

1. The Chinese yuan has recent seen substantial appreciation again the US dollar.
2. Chinese travel visas are becoming easier and easier to obtain worldwide.
3. Online search and ecommerce technology in China are quickly catching up with other parts of the world.
4. The Beijing Olympics exposed many Chinese to the global face of travel in a new and exciting way.
5. The China National Tourism Administration expects year-over-year to see an increase in outbound travel of not less than 7 percent.
6. Between January and May of 2010, China’s number of tourists for outbound travel already has increased by 19 percent over the same period in 2009.
7. iResearch estimates that revenue from the online travel service market (in China) will more than triple between 2009 and 2013.

We’ve seen it happen here in the US. As a culture of people become internet savvy and internet confident to book travel services online, comfort spreads by osmosis to buying timeshare resales and booking of timeshare rentals from a web-based resource. And for timeshare owners looking to resell timeshare, these changes ultimately add up to a larger—vastly larger—pool of potential timeshare buyers and renters.

More insight on travel in China from the National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China.

The Timeshare Authority blog has been tweeting, twittering, and blogging about the HOT 100 List of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals for nearly two months. We’ve worked our way up through the HOTTEST 10 timeshares on the list and now we are finally down to the timeshare resorts that ranked number one and number two on the HOT List.

Coming in as the number 2 timeshare of the 100 properties ranked is Harborside Resort At Atlantis on Paradise Island, in the Bahamas. This Caribbean timeshare resort is known as one of the most amazing properties anywhere in the world and it is no surprise that it makes the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT List year after year.

Harborside Resort At Atlantis Timeshare is part of the Starwood Vacation Network and is one of six properties that make up the Atlantis resort Paradise Island complex. When you vacation at Harborside Resort At Atlantis, you have complementary access to all of the facilities and attractions, including the six-story Mayan Temple water slide that drops you—where else—but seemingly into a pool of live sharks.

Whether you choose to swim with the dolphins, snorkel with the marine life, test your luck at the casinos, or indulge yourself at the spa, there is practically nothing you can imagine in a Caribbean timeshare vacation that isn’t available in grand scale at Harborside Resort At Atlantis.

The Number 1 Timeshare on Everyone’s List

Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is located on the sparkly white sands of Palm Beach, Aruba, looking out at the beautiful Caribbean Sea. This popular Marriott timeshare affords timeshare owners and timeshare guests access to the on-site Stellaris Casino and the Aruba Marriott Resort, as well as the Mandara Spa, waterfall pool and Las Vegas-style entertainment.

With your choice of one, two, or three-bedroom timeshare units, all with separate living and dining areas, plus fully equipped kitchens, Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club is a fantasy destination for family vacations, honeymoons, or just that special escape you’ve been promising yourself. Best of all as a Marriott timeshare owner, the Aruba Surf Club doesn’t have to be a once in a lifetime event; instead you can choose to vacation here year after year, taking advantage of the quality and dependability that is recognized in Marriott timeshare.

As August rolls in, many people see this month as their last opportunity to take a “summer vacation.” August also means that it’s time for The Timeshare Authority to post the last updates on the 2010 HOT 100 List of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. Remember, these timeshares received the greatest number of offers to buy or rent at Sell My Timeshare NOW. They are the “HOTTEST” timeshares on the consumer list to purchase or rent on the secondary market.

Orange Lake’s West Village Timeshare, a Popular Orlando Timeshare

Ranking as number 5 on the HOTTEST 10 list is Orange Lake’s West Village, an Orlando, Florida timeshare resort. Providing you easy access to all the amenities at Orange Lake, West Village timeshare units are the most centrally located at the resort. You’ll be nearby the Disney Planning Center, the RCI timeshare exchange desk, the Connections Business Center & Internet Cafe, (all located in the West Village Clubhouse) as well as close to the Gary McCord Golf Academy, the movie theater, game arcade, and the resort’s pools and hub of water sports.

Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Timeshare, in Demand in Maui

The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas is one of two Hawaii timeshares to make the top five on the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOTTEST 10 list. Located on a pristine stretch of north Ka’anapali Beach in Lahaina, Maui, this beautiful Hawaii timeshare resort has an all-villa design, with each unit including luxurious jetted spa tubs and fully equipped kitchens complete with marble countertops. From the beautiful beach to the lagoon pools, the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas promise you an elegant island holiday at the property ranked number 4 on the list of the HOTTEST 10 timeshares.

Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club Timeshare in Oahu, Hawaii

Coming in as number 3 on the list is Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club, located in Oahu, Hawaii. Outstanding Marriot timeshares have dominated the HOTTEST 10 List again this year, and the Ko Olina Beach Club is no exception, from the lush tropical foliage, to the coral reefs, to the 18-hole championship golf course. Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club is only thirty minutes from the shopping and entertainment of Honolulu, but tucked in a tropical hideaway, it is worlds apart from the demands of daily life.

And although these three hot timeshare properties all offer you endless reasons to finally get around to that vacation you have been promising yourself, don’t decide just yet, because tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at the timeshare resorts that made the list as number 1 and 2!