The American Resort Development Association, (ARDA) announced this week that Don Harrill, president and CEO of Orange Lake Resorts, home to Holiday Inn Club Vacations, has been elected Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The announcement was released during this year’s 2011 ARDA Convention and Exposition, currently being held in Orlando, Fl.

Howard Nusbaum, RRP, ARDA’s president and CEO, says, “I couldn’t be more pleased with having Don as our industry leader especially at this unique moment for vacation ownership. Don has been a long-time advocate and tireless voice for our industry, as well as someone I’ve learned so much from during these challenging economic times. With his strong business, financial, and management skills, he is poised to be a truly effective leader for ARDA.”

Holiday Inn Club Vacations is part of the resort brand Holiday Inn, and includes six Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare resorts. The vcation ownership brand is a result of a strategic linking between IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group), one of the world’s largest hotel groups, and Orange Lake Resorts timeshares.

Don Harrill says, “I’m ecstatic and honored to take on this role with ARDA.As America emerges from an economic crisis, it’s a great time for us, as an industry, to have pride in our product and integrity in the process by which we share our product with consumers.”

Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club timeshare is the past Chairman of ARDA. Other ARDA officers includey Wyndham Vacation Ownership president and CEO, Franz Hanning (chair-elect) and Baker Hostetler law partner Robert J. Webb, Esq., RRP (treasurer).

Follow this link to read the ARDA media announcement.

More on the history of the Orange Lake Resorts timeshare alliance with IHG:

More Orange Lake Timeshare Resorts Join the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Brand

Holiday Inn Timeshare Unveils New Orlando Timeshare Resort

Another Major Hotelier Entering the Timeshare Resort Industry

The Orlando Sentinel’s Sara Clarke has been at this week’s ARDA timeshare convention, and she came away with a very upbeat take on the future of the timeshare industry.

Yes, the credit freeze has hurt the industry. But financing is flowing again. (Not to mention the new, industry-revolutionary option to finance timeshare resales. See: Sell My Timeshare NOW and Prosper.com Partner, Bringing Timeshare Financing to the Resale Market).

As Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Club timeshares and ARDA’s outgoing chairman says, “We survived, we’re beginning to thrive. We might not be there yet — we’re clearly not all the way there — but there are some encouraging signs.”

In 2007, timeshare sales from developers (not including the resale market) hit $10 billion. In 2009, that number dropped to $6.3 billion.

Full 2010 numbers aren’t in but they are expected to have either stabilized or show an upturn.

The market is returning domestically and internationally, with international looking to play a stronger than ever role in future business.

“As an industry, we’re back in a growth mode,” says Don Harrill, ARDA’s incoming chairperson and the president and chief executive officer of Holiday Inn Club Vacations.

And the Timeshare Authority blog adds to that sentiment, because growth mode in the industry means lives are stabilizing, families are regaining financial confidence, and good things are ahead for all!

Be sure you check out the full Sentinel article here: Time-share industry sees growth ahead

The 2011 ARDA (American Resort Development Association) Conference is in full swing in Orlando, Florida this week. Here is just a tiny peek at what you are missing:

Delaina Probus-Stanley of Triton:

ARDA 2011 Interview with Dan Lubner, Lubner Group:

RCI timeshare, part of Wyndham Worldwide and Wyndham timeshares, used the high-visibility platform of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) 2011 Convention and Exposition as the ideal time to announce that they have added more than 100 newly affiliated resorts to their network in 2010.

Included in the new RCI family additions are InnSeason Resorts and AMResorts, as well as properties from current affiliates including Holiday Club Resorts, Hoteles Decameron Colombia, Fiesta Hotel Group, and Mahindra Holidays and Resorts. RCI timeshare exchange also renewed its relationship with select ongoing affiliates such as Hilton Grand Vacations, Bluegreen Corporation, and Disney Vacation Club.

RCI Timeshare CEO Praises Employees

Geoff Ballotti, CEO of RCI, explains, “The success we had in 2010 was a result of the efforts of our hard-working associates and the great relationships we have forged with our clients. We are going to continue to focus on the things that have made RCI the leading vacation exchange company in the world — developing great innovations, delivering incomparable service to our affiliates, and sending their owners and our members on the vacations of their dreams.”

He adds, “We are extremely proud to have added over 100 newly affiliated properties to our expansive network of high-quality timeshare resort. These fantastic resorts are in some of the world’s most sought-after destinations. Their addition is a testament not only to the innovative and value-added services we can offer new affiliates but the tremendous support our global team provides to help all of our affiliates thrive and grow.”

Congratulations RCI!

The facts:

Every day at SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, buyers outnumber sellers with 75 percent of our website traffic being buyers and renters, not sellers.

We offer both full-service, no-upfront fee timeshare resales and by-owner timeshare resales.

Sell My Timeshare NOW offers industry-first, consumer financing for timeshare resales.

Through our Resort Services Division, Vacation Property Solutions, we offer a strong rental channel for excess resort inventory as well as effective resale options.

Established in 2003, Sell My Timeshare NOW has a proven history as a reliable and ethical resale and rental resource within the industry.

Edison Venture Fund, known for its stringent due diligence and conservative funding practices, is Sell My Timeshare NOW’s sole institutional investor.

The business practices of Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services, the company’s timeshare brokerage affiliate, are in full compliance with Florida real estate brokerage laws, as confirmed by Baker & Hostetler LLP.

Sell My Timeshare NOW, the facts speak for themselves.

TATOC, The Timeshare Association has announced key changes among executives. During TATOC’s Annual General Meeting, March 13, 2011, the TATOC Board of Directors approved Harry Taylor, the current Chief Executive Officer of TATOC, as the new Executive Chairman, replacing David Eastburn.

Harry Taylor, says, “We would like to thank David for his hard work and efforts over the past years. TATOC has grown as an organisation both in the number of members and in prestige during his time on the board.”

Also, the TATOC Timeshare Association board approved the appointment of Richard Coles to join the TATOC Board of Directors. He is a retired capital accountant and is chairman of the owners committee at Cameron House, a De Vere resort located on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland.

The Timeshare Association (Timeshare Owners and Committees)

TATOC was formed in 1989 and is the only elected consumer association representing the interests of European timeshare owners. TATOC works to safeguard and strengthen the timeshare holiday or timeshare vacation experience for both existing timeshare owners and prospective owners. TATOC is recognized as a voice of the timeshare consumer in Europe and an informed point of contact.

Congratulations to Bluegreen timeshare, already a winner, because they have been named as a finalist in 16 categories in the 2011 ARDA Awards.

Each year, this competition honors businesses and organizations that excel in the timeshare and resort industry. Ellen Devine, Executive Assistant to Bluegreen’s President and CEO, John Maloney, explains, “To have been selected as finalists in sixteen categories is a significant honor for Bluegreen Corporation and its associates who work hard every day to stay on the forefront of the timeshare and resort industry.”

Among the categories in with Bluegreen has been recognized are: Special Events, Resort Architecture, Company Magazine and Website, Interior Design, Resort Amenities, Food & Beverage Programs, Green Sustainable Programs, Video Production, Administrative Staff Members and more.

Finding out who takes home the awards is just part of the excitement each year at the 2011 ARDA Annual Convention & Exposition that begins tomorrow at the Marriott World Center, Orlando. Florida. With seven new awards categories for 2011, this year’s awards promise to be more exciting than ever.

Sell My Timeshare NOW released some exciting news earlier this week, announcing that it has partnered with Prosper.com to offer consumer financing for timeshare resales.

This is truly an industry first and will no doubt change the options of vacation ownership in a great number of ways. Best of all, the timeshare resale financing will not only be offered at great rates but the application process will be simple and user friendly. Consumers interested in timeshare resale financing will be able to go to a dedicated landing page (webpage), complete a short list of questions online and receive an instant conditional loan approval.

Propser’s founder and CEO, Chris Larsen, previously co-founded and built E-LOAN. Prosper is backed by financial and technology luminaries including, Jim Breyer of Accel Partners; Bob Kagle of Benchmark Capital; CompuCredit; Omidyar Network; Capital One Co-founder Nigel Morris of QED Investors; Court Coursey of TomorrowVentures; and Larry Cheng of Volition Capital.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be unrolling all the exciting details of this program, sharing a lot more news about how the financing will work and the very affordable terms that it will offer. As Chris Larsen says,”SellMyTimeshareNow.com is the leader in the worldwide timeshare reseller market, estimated at nearly a billion dollars. We are pleased to be able to bring the affordable financing of our peer-to-peer marketplace to the timeshare reseller industry through our partnership with SellMyTimeshareNow.com and Timeshare Broker Services.”

As if yesterday’s announcement at Sell My Timeshare NOW wasn’t enough excitement, (see: Sell My Timeshare NOW and Prosper.com Partner, Bringing Timeshare Financing to the Resale Market) today we are unrolling more news.

John Locher, RRP of Locher & Associates, and formerly of RedWeek is aligning with Sell My Timeshare NOW, sharing his promotional and strategic online experience.

John is a true veteran of the timeshare industry, widely known and respected as the co-founder and VP of Marketing and Sales at RedWeek.com. He helped grown RedWeek to 1.5 million registered users and brought RedWeek into the American Resort Development Association in 2002.

Today John remains active in ARDA, serving on influential committees. Before joining RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, known as the original social networking site. He is a Registered Resort Professional (RRP), ARDA’s highest level of recognition.

Welcome John! John and I share a long-standing, mutual professional respect. Sell My Timeshare NOW looks forward to what John Locher will bring to his work with our company.

Please follow this link to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s media release.

Sell My Timeshare NOW announces it is partnering with Prosper.com to offer an industry-first consumer financing program for the purchase of a timeshare on the secondary market. Soon, consumers will be able to apply online for financing when buying a timeshare resale at SellMyTimeshareNOW.com or Timeshare Broker Services.

This is big news for vacationers, big news for families that want to take advantage of great deals on timeshare resales through affordable financing, and huge news for the timeshare industry.

Together with Prosper.com, Sell My Timeshare NOW will offer a dedicated webpage where you can complete a short application form online and then obtain an instant conditional loan approval to use for buying a timeshare resale. Prosper, the largest per-to-peer marketplace with over 1,050,000 members and over $223,000,000 in funded loans, was co-founded by Chris Larsen, co-founder of E-LOAN. Prosper is backed by financial and technology luminaries including, Jim Breyer of Accel Partners; Bob Kagle of Benchmark Capital; CompuCredit; Omidyar Network; Capital One Co-founder Nigel Morris of QED Investors; Court Coursey of TomorrowVentures; and Larry Cheng of Volition Capital.

Over the next few weeks, we will be unrolling all the details of this exciting new dimension in timeshare resales. Click on the Sell My Timeshare NOW media release for more information.