The state of Florida’s marketing agency, Visit Florida, has reported that tourism in the sunshine state was up five percent for the third quarter of 2011. More than 20 million vacationers visited Florida between July and September of this year.

Visit Florida President and CEO Chris Thompson, says, “I think we’re to a point where people can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I think that’s helping travel. Travel held up even through the toughest part of the last three or four years. But now we’re starting to see some pent-up demand that’s really turning things around.”

Travel, Tourism, and Florida Timeshares

Over one million Floridians are employed in the travel, tourism, hospitality and timeshare industry. Florida travel and related job sectors have added over 50,000 jobs this year and this growth is part of 16 consecutive months of job gains in Florida tourism.

Whether or not you vacation in Florida, the news of improving travel and tourism in the state is important. Overall, it is a great reflection on the national and even international economy.

As people regain confidence in the economy, we see it reflected in what they spend for trips, holidays, timeshare vacations, and even in the fact that they are taking vacations at all. And with more timeshares located in the state of Florida than anywhere else in the country, tourism returning to the Florida is especially significant.

Other significant markets for Florida tourism and Florida timeshares include international travelers from the United Kingdom and most importantly, from Brazil. More than a million Brazilian tourists have vacationed in Florida this past year and have spent over a billion and half dollars doing so… money that is important in helping to revive the state’s economic picture.

And in case  you may have forgotten, this look at Sanibel Island is a great reminder why we all love Florida vacations.

According to a survey by TripAdvisor, 43 percent of Americans will be traveling this holiday season, saying the economy has not impacted their December travel plans.

• 59 percent of travelers will visit family or friends
• 18 percent are headed for someplace warm and sunny
• And 11 percent are seeking a bright-lights, big-city destination

Although we all flew less and drove more over the Thanksgiving holidays, air travel is projected to be up for the Christmas, Hanukah, and New Year’s holiday season by some 3 percent over last year’s holidays.

Who Needs a Timeshare?

Forget the idea that timeshares are just for summer vacations. Holiday travel is a great time to enjoy a timeshare or timeshare rental.

• 14 percent of this season’s travelers are paying for their room accommodations rather than staying with family and friends
• 17 percent are planning to do laundry at their destination to avoid luggage fees by the airlines
• And 100 percent want this to be an easy, relaxed holiday

…these travelers would all benefit from a timeshare resale or timeshare rental!

Timeshares easily accommodate small families, large and extended families, or friends traveling together. In a timeshare, you can enjoy the comforts of home, including kitchens; extra bathrooms; private bedrooms; multiple TV’s, gaming units, and DVD players; washers and dryers; even maid service.

Whether you are going to be the guest or you are expecting guests, timeshare accommodations are an ideal solution to overcrowding and too much holiday togetherness.

Why sleep on Grandma’s couch or spend Christmas in your brother-in-law’s spare room when you and your family could spread out and relax in a timeshare?

Note from The Timeshare Authority blog: While the following news item is of potential interest to New England residents and those who enjoy ski vacations in the Nutmeg Alps of Connecticut, it is also of broader interest because it indicates one of the many ways that timeshares can strengthen the economy and benefit communities.

According to the East Hampton-Portland Patch, the Town of Middlefield, Connecticut, seems to have lost the interest of at least one investor who was considering Powder Ridge ski area—that is, unless the deal includes a timeshare real estate component.

Rick Sabatino, a former consultant to Alpine Ridge LLC, and his business partner Dave Perry, have been trying to determine if the current agreement between Middlefield and Alpine would permit the development of timeshare units at Powder Ridge.

Sabatino was quoted as saying, “The investor would take another look at it if there were timeshares available.”

The Town’s First Selectman, Jon Brayshaw, has reportedly expressed concern over the Town appearing to work exclusively with any one group who might be expressing interest in the property, saying that there are, “other people in the mix.”

A visit to the Powder Ridge Ski Area website found the following message:

The Powder Ridge Ski Area also includes the following email address as its contact information for anyone with questions:  admin@powderridgect.com

NOTE: This ski area should not be confused with the popular Utah ski destination, also called Powder Ridge. Powder Ridge Village Timeshare (Utah)

When the staff at Bluegreen’s Harbour Lights Resort in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina looks back at 2010, no doubt they will rank as one of their most significant accomplishments the week they hosted some twenty wounded US warriors and their families.

Many of these special guests of Bluegreen timeshare were wounded soldiers who had spent months, and in some cases years, in the hospital. As the soldiers arrived from Walter Reed Medical Hospital in Washington, DC, the Bluegreen timeshare staff at Harbour Lights Resort, along with over one hundred people from the community and from the media, turned out to welcome the soldiers.

As Kathleen Palmer, general manager of the timeshare resort, explained to Management Operations Magazine, “What began as a donation of a few rooms quickly mushroomed into an amazing effort by the resort’s team and local area business to show their appreciation and support for the visiting and wounded warriors.”

The staff and community came together donating and collecting snacks and souvenirs for the soldiers and their families, hosting the welcome reception, and even baking individual cakes that were placed in the soldier’s timeshare units the day they arrived.

More about Bluegreen’s Harbour Lights Resort Myrtle Beach Timeshare

Located less than five miles from the activities and entertainment of Myrtle Beach, on the Intracoastal Waterway, Harbour Lights timeshare is a family-friendly resort destination. Bluegreen timeshare owners love Harbour Lights for its relaxing amenities and easy-going style.

Whether they spend their days at the beach, shopping in the six nearby outlet malls, enjoying live entertainment, golfing, biking, or at the resort’s pools (both indoors and outdoors), or tubing along in the lazy river water feature, vacationers find themselves returning again and again to the laid-back charms of a Harbour Lights holiday.

Once intended to be Westgate Resorts timeshare’s most extravagant venue, PH Towers Westgate at Planet Hollywood is now under the controlling interest of Resort Finance America LLC.

The 1201 timeshare-unit property opened in late 2009, at what was perhaps the timeshare industry’s most uncertain point in the current US economic recession/depression.

Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel has reiterated in recent days the same message he has delivered throughout the past two years, that the recession has hurt his timeshare company because banks have been so reluctant to loan money.

Changes Planned for this Las Vegas Timeshare Resort

Resort Finance America has set Hilton Grand Vacations (Hilton Timeshare) to become the new brand for the PH Towers Westgate at Planet Hollywood. Lantern Asset Management of Dallas will provide management services while Hilton timeshare will provide the timeshare sales and marketing services.

Rebranding of this Las Vegas timeshare as a Hilton timeshare, means Hilton Grand Vacations will now have four Las Vegas timeshare resorts, including the:

Hilton Grand Vacations at the Flamingo

Hilton Grand Vacations Las Vegas Hilton

Hilton Grand Vacations Las Vegas Strip

Be sure to read The Timeshare Authority blog on Monday, November 28, 2011, when we will look at the changing dynamic at Westgate Resorts.

It’s been said that if you focus on what you don’t have, you will never, ever feel as if you have enough.

And so on this day set aside for giving thanks, perhaps we can all focus more on what we have, rather than on what we have not.

• Living with an attitude of gratitude has been proven to reduce stress and anxiety. It can lead to lower blood pressure and enhanced levels of health and well-being.
• Expressing gratitude to others can result in closer relationships with friends, family, coworkers, all those special people you value in your life, and even those you think you can live without. An attitude of gratitude could, in fact, strengthen your marriage, heal wounded relationships, and build bridges of understanding.
• Conducting your life by the principles of gratitude releases you from many distracting burdens. Modeling gratitude not only inspires others, but ironically can open the door for the opportunities, connections, focus, and clarity that enables you to actually achieve abundance.

From all of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services, we wish you and your family a safe, peaceful, and happy Thanksgiving holiday. We are grateful for your patronage, your friendship, your support and your interest and we wish you an attitude of gratitude and all the rewards that it brings.

This past week, Marriott International completed its spinoff of its timeshare business, reinforcing the company’s message that it seeks to be fully focused on its core lodging management and franchise business. In a change that has taken nearly a year to complete, the new company, Marriott Vacations WorldWide Corp.,  (Marriott timeshare) is now an independent public company.

Arne Sorenson, Marriott International President and COO, told CNBC that timeshare is a great business and one that Marriott Vacations WorldWide has been in for roughly a quarter of a century, doing a great job.

Sorenson  also cited the ideas that (1.) timeshare is capital intensive and focused on developing real estate interests and (2) that it is solely focused on leisure, as the reasons timeshare is very different from the rest of Marriott’s business.

Referring to the timeshare business as a distraction to the company’s stock holders, Sorenson explained Marriott felt that both interests—its hotel business and its Marriott timeshare business—would be better served as separate corporations. He also noted that Marriott  intends to maintain a platform that will permit its loyalty programs to function and reward its patrons across both companies.

As a final step in the spinoff, equity shares of the new company, Marriott Vacations WorldWide Corporation, which as of this past Monday are now trading on the New York Stock Exchange as VAC, have been distributed tax-free to Marriott International shareholders.



You may be preparing to eat your Thanksgiving turkey around your dining table this year and then take in a few hours of sports on your big screen TV. Sounds pretty good, but what if you were spending Thanksgiving somewhere warm and sunny, and the sports you were watching were courtside?

Many people will be doing exactly this, enjoying early season collegiate tournaments in NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball while soaking up some sun at a relaxing timeshare resort destination.

For example, fans of Chaminade, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee, or UCLA can be taking in the fun of Hawaii timeshare and enjoying the EA Sports Maui Invitational.

Fans who root for Arizona State, Dayton, DePaul, Fairfield, Indian State, Minnesota, Texas Tech or Wake Forest can enjoy the Old Spice Classic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports as well as all the amenities of Orlando timeshares, perhaps choosing Disney Vacation Club timeshares to be close to the sports action as well as the theme part fun.

UConn, Harvard, UMass, Charleston, UCF, FSU, UNC Ashville and Utah fans have the option to enjoy basketball at Harborside Resort during the Battle 4 Atlantis College Basketball Tournament, held for the second year at the amazing Atlantis Resort in Nassau, Bahamas.

Although the Maui Invitational has been a staple of college basketball’s Thanksgiving tournaments for more than 20 years, it’s only been in recent years that Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas and other popular resort destinations have begun hosting collegiate tournaments. But based on the success of these events so far, maybe it’s time to start thinking about which fabulous timeshare resort you’d like to be roasting your turkey at next year.

Vacation Villas at Fantasy World in Kissimmee, (Orlando) is already a popular Florida timeshare resort. But they are sure to become even more of a vacation favorite with the recent $6 million addition to their resort amenity area, a construction project that was handled by Winter Park Construction (WPC) also of Florida.

The new project includes a 14,000 square-foot activity building, with an owner’s lounge, business center, family activities center, workout facility with sauna and steam room, and a  game room. Spacious new banquet facilities will make it possible for the resort to host large groups and events.

But these amenities are only part of the fun at this Florida timeshare. The new design and construction also includes:

• A zero-entry pool with two 35-foot waterslides
• A 750-foot lazy river with a bridge
• An interactive kiddy splash pad
• Renovation and enlarging of the pool bar paired with two spas
• An outdoor double-sided fireplace
• 10 cabanas
• An indoor golf simulator
• And a spectacular fountain designed to add to an ambiance of total relaxation

Jeff Forrest, president of WPC, says, “With over three decades of construction and general contracting services, our experience has enabled us to build just about anything imaginable. Creating innovative amenities has provided added value to our clients and is a nice compliment to our extensive experience in the resort industry.”

These fun and engaging new features at the resort are a perfect addition to Fantasy Surf at the Vacation Villas at Fantasy World Resort, which was constructed for the resort by Winter Park Construction in 2010. Fantasy Surf is a unique surfing experience that makes it possible for timeshare guests to “surf” the pipeline of Hawaii or “hang ten” as they feel the rush of riding and surfing waves.

The Orlando Business Journal has ranked Winter Park Construction one of Central Florida’s largest local construction/general contractor companies. With revenues exceeding $200 million, Winter Park Construction has completed over one billion square feet of construction work.

Related news from The Timeshare Authority blog:

Your Timeshare Was Getting a Make Over While You Were on Staycation

Yesterday’s edition of The Timeshare Authority blog looked at Interval International, 35 Years of Serving Timeshare Owners Plus New Features All the Time, specifically at the program Club Interval Gold, launched last spring.

Today we explore Interval Platinum, the program Interval International considers is its most prestigious level of membership. If you missed yesterday’s post, you will probably want to read it too, to make it easier to compare these two elite levels of timeshare exchange that Interval International now offers.

Interval Platinum, More than Timeshare Exchange

Interval Platinum was developed for timeshare owners who want high-end travel experiences and very personalized attention. This membership level offers all of the benefits and services of Interval Gold membership plus many travel-related products, an expanded level of exchange and Getaway perks, and always, very personalized service.

While some Interval Platinum benefits may vary by geographic region, generally some of the most available and most popular include:

• Platinum Service, which affords members specially trained advisers to assist with their vacation planning.
• Complimentary Exchange and Getaway Guest Certificates making it easy to gift travel to friends or family.
• Getaway Discounts of an extra $50 off already reduced Getaway vacation rentals.
• Interval Options, making it easy to exchange timeshare intervals or points for golf, cruise and spa vacations.
• Special Rates on companion airline tickets when members book two round-trip tickets to participating cities.
• Membership in Hertz# 1 Club Gold.
• ShortStay Exchange for trading weeks or points for multiple stays of less than 7 nights.
• Priority Getaway Access, providing priority viewing and booking of Getaway vacation rentals.
• Platinum Escapes, which are deeply discounted vacation rentals offered via email invitations.
• Personal Concierge assistance for purchasing concert tickets, dinner reservations, tee times and more.
• Discounts on hotels, dining, and other leisure activities.
• Airport Lounge Membership in the Priority Pass program at more than 600 airports.

Many Interval International timeshare exchange members see Interval Platinum is pretty special. As David Mier, Interval’s vice president, products and services explained to Perspective Magazine: “Within the first three months, (since launching Interval Platinum) we exceeded our annual forecast … it’s been very strong in Latin America and extremely strong in particular markets in Europe; Italy for instance, upgrades at twice the forecasted rate.”

Interval International Timeshare Exchange, 35 Years Young

Recognizing that no one way to vacation and no single membership option is ever right for all its members, Interval International continues to refine its products and services to its members. Today, with some 2600 timeshare resort destinations in more than 75 countries, Interval International is a powerful and most importantly—flexible—timeshare and vacation services option, providing value-added benefits for it members.

Related timeshare news:

Interval International Timeshare Exchange Platinum