Breckenridge Grand Vacations timeshares finalizes land purchase

Breckenridge Grand Vacations timeshare has finalized the purchase of 2.1 acres of land located at the base of Breckenridge Ski Resort’s Peak 8. The reported purchase price of the land was $11.1 million and was made by the Colorado timeshare development company from Vail Resort Inc.

The purchased land includes the property formerly known as the Bergenhof Day Lodge. The lodge is scheduled to be demolished in upcoming weeks, with grading and utility work to start on the property shortly thereafter. Construction of the new resort will commence in the Spring of 2014.

Breckenridge Grand Vacations is the developer of other Colorado timeshare properties in Breckenridge, including the Grand Timber Lodge and Grand Lodge at Peak 7. The new Peak 8 Breckenridge Grand Vacations property will include an approximately 75-unit, ski-in/ski-out timeshare resort with a restaurant and a full-service spa.

The new resort will be the latest addition  to the master plan for developing base areas on Peaks 7 and 8 with the objective of establishing a strong connection to Breckenridge’s historic Main Street.

More News about the Newest Breckenridge Grand Vacations Timeshares:

• More News on Breckenridge Grand Vacations New Timeshare Resort
• Green Light for Breckenridge Grand Vacations Expansion at Peak 8
• Breckenridge Grand Vacations Timeshare Gets Needed Council Approval to Build

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Online timeshare rentals make so much sense for vacationing.

According to research from TravelClick North American Distribution Review, the growth segment in travel booking continues to be online travel agents, known as the OTAs. As consumer confidence in the online travel booking process increases, it inevitably carries over to confidence in booking online timeshare rentals.

In the first quarter 2013, online channels that include OTAs and hotel websites demonstrated the strongest growth in the travel-booking sector. Online Travel Agencies gained by almost 14 percent. Bookings of hotel rooms through walk-ins and phoned-in reservations directly to a hotel increased by 3.7 percent. In contrast, during this same period, bookings through travel agents and calls to hotels’ 800-reservation numbers decreased from last year, with a less than one percent decline in travel agent bookings and a more than 4 percent decline in 800-reservation use.

Why Online Works for Timeshare Rentals

Thanks to the growing success of online travel agents, such as Expedia, Travelocity, (and all the many, many others), everyone from computer-savvy young adults to grandparents have now grown highly accustomed to booking airline travel, hotel rooms, and rental cars online. The high comfort level in online booking and e-commerce makes timeshare rentals more attractive than ever.

As SellMyTimeshareNOW.com and VacationOwnership.com unroll new options for online timeshare rental booking, making the process easier than ever and comparable in user experience with that of booking hotel accommodations through the OTAs, you have to wonder why anyone would ever book another hotel vacation when they could be staying in the spacious resort accommodations of timeshare rentals.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Sell My Timeshare NOW congratulates Donna Hisel of Travel To Go

Sell My Timeshare NOW and VacationOwnership.com congratulate Donna Hisel of Travel To Go, recipient of C.A.R.E.’s prestigious Richard Gallardo Award. The award given to Hisel was presented to honor her outstanding volunteer service to C.A.R.E. (Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers).

Hisel, who is an eleven-year employee of Travel To Go, received the award during the 56th Semi-Annual C.A.R.E. Conference recently held in Myrtle Beach, S.C. This award has been presented only 15 times in the past to individuals who distinguished themselves with their selfless volunteer commitment. It is presented by the C.A.R.E. Board of Directors.

Debbie Sansom, Awards Chairperson says, “Donna gives selflessly with only the best interests of the organization in mind. She epitomizes all that the Richard Gallardo award stands for.”

Hisel has been a regular attendee of C.A.R.E. conferences for the past five years and an active participant within the organization. Starting as a receptionist at Travel To Go, Donna Hisel has also worked in administration, in sales, and is currently a fulfillment specialist. She explains, “I had not even considered that I would be receiving the award and when the award was announced, I was completely surprised. It is definitely an honor to receive the award since I was just doing what came naturally which is to help in any way that I can.”

Each year, members of the timeshare, travel, and vacation ownership industry actively participate in C.A.R.E.’s volunteer programs, donating hundreds of man-hours to projects and programs in need.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Resort Trades Timeshare and Vacation Ownership News Journal

Resort Trades, a true news journal of the timeshare and vacation ownership  industry, will publish a Special Edition August issue.

Resort Trades publisher Tim Wilson explains, “We are currently engaged in an enormous research project to identify and list every single company providing goods and services to the timeshare industry, today.”

In the publication’s August 2013 issue, Resort Trades will list the company name and anniversary date of every vendor, management company and other entity currently doing business with timeshare resorts.

Wilson says, “It’s a lot of work, but we think this will be one issue every reader will want to keep on their shelf all year long. Vendors will be listed according to categories, so if a resort professional has a specific need, they will be able to read a comprehensive list of every provider offering them a solution, regardless of whether they have ever been advertisers.”

In April of this year Resort Trades was redesigned to enhance its readability and user appeal as the timeshare and vacation ownership industry’s most widely-read news journal. Since 1987 has always been to provide current and relevant information directly to resort personnel.

“To ensure they are properly listed, vendors and suppliers should contact (931) 484-4136 or john@TheTrades.com,” says Resort Trades Sales Executive John Bunch. “Our goal is to fairly list every single company as accurately as possible. Of course, advertisers will be given additional recognition and space to discuss their specific goods and services.”

The publication was redesigned in April for greater readability as the industry’s most widely-read news journal. Resort Trades is published in a tabloid format because it is the Business News Journal of the timeshare industry.

The mission of the Resort Trades is: “Provide readers with unbiased and supportive information that will contribute to their knowledge and be of benefit to them as they seek to provide their owners and guests with perfect vacations.”

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Marriott’s Ocean Pointe, a Marriott Vacation Club timeshare

Marriott Vacation Club is raising its prices on Marriott timeshare. Starting on June 13, 2013, the price of Marriott timeshare points-based vacation ownership will increase when you buy directly through Marriott.

How do increases in the price of Marriott Vacation Club points (purchased from Marriott) impact the price of Marriott timeshare resales? Only time will reveal that answer for sure, but it’s likely that the answer will be, “not a lot.”

While Marriott Vacation Club points purchased through Marriott are priced to absorb Marriott Vacation Club’s overhead, marketing, and other costs of sales, Marriott timeshare resales always sell at true market value. This means, when you buy a Marriott timeshare resale, you aren’t paying for corporate profits, but instead, are dealing directly with the current owner. And you are buying a Marriott timeshare at a price that  is market driven—meaning that it is the price other buyers of Marriott timeshare resales are willing to pay for their vacation ownership.

In many ways, buying a timeshare resale via an online advertising website (SellMyTimeshareNOW.com) is peer-to-peer commerce. For existing owners who sell Marriott timeshare online this way, they pay to advertise their timeshare, but then keep all of the proceeds of the resale for themselves.

How is a Marriott Timeshare Resale Different from Marriott Timeshare Purchased through Marriott Vacation Club?

In almost every way, the only difference in a market-priced Marriott timeshare resale and a corporate-priced timeshare purchased directly from Marriott is the savings you realize when you buy a Marriott resale. But before you make the commitment to buy a timeshare on the resale market, you should know that originally Marriott owners who had purchased their property as timeshare resale were eligible to be part of Marriott Vacation Club Destinations. This is no longer true. Since 2010, Marriott has divided its timeshare benefits into ownership weeks and ownership points.

If you wish to own a Marriott Vacation club week, buying it as a timeshare resale is almost the only way to purchase a week. Marriott timeshare offers existing owners (owners who purchased Marriott timeshare before the change in 2010) the opportunity to pay a fee and enroll their weeks in the Destinations Exchange Program. Through this program, an owner gains the additional option of trading their week for an allotment of Destinations Points each year.

Initially, owners of resale weeks could also enroll in this program, with this stipulation: If you owned a week in a US or Caribbean resort, you needed to have purchased your resale week prior to June 10, 2010. For owners of weeks in European resorts, the resale week would have to have been purchased prior to June 18, 2012.

BUT this doesn’t mean that you can’t be a resale owner and become part of the Destinations Exchange Program. If this benefit is of value to you, can simply purchase Marriott resale Destination Points.

More about Marriott Timeshare Resales

Destination points are different from Marriott’s Rewards points. Only buyers of Marriott resales purchased through Marriott (at prices set by Marriott Vacation Club) are eligible to trade their weeks for Marriott Rewards points. However, joining the Marriott Rewards program is free and you can do so on your own and at any time, enabling you to take advantage of Marriott’s loyalty rewards program—you just will not be able to trade your Marriott resale vacation ownership week for Marriott Rewards points.

While it sounds confusing, it’s actually harder to read about (or write about!) than it is for someone to explain to you. You can learn more about Marriott timeshare resale weeks ownership here: Marriott Vacation Club Weeks 101. Or visit Marriott Timeshare Resale Information for more details about Marriott Destination points. But your best bet is to call us at 877-815-4227 and speak to a Marriott timeshare resales specialist.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Canadian Resort Development Association Vacation Ownership conference to take on new dimensions with Big Picture Conferences

The Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA) is partnering with Big Picture Conferences to produce VO-CON. VO-CON will be the largest and leading vacation ownership conference in Canada and the only Canadian event truly focused on resort development and timeshares. Orie Berlasso, Conference Producer says, “Big Picture Conferences events have become the ‘must attend’ annual events in their respective categories. Adding VO-CON to the line-up is a natural evolution of our mandate.”

Scheduled for October 22-24 at the Fairmont Waterfront Hotel Vancouver, VO-CON will commence with an opening reception, followed by educational and networking sessions on the second day. With a focus on all aspects of the timeshare industry, VO-CON will look at every sector of vacation ownership, fractional and shared ownership.

Focused on “the business of vacations” the CRDA Vacation Ownership conference will feature networking sessions and trending information, while attracting timeshare resort development, vacation exchange, shared-ownership sales and marketing, hospitality management, design, finance and legal professionals. Jon Zwickel, President and CEO of CRDA explains, “The industry spoke and we listened, keeping true to our mandate of producing an event that is relevant with topics that are timely.”

In conjunction with CRDA’s VO-CON starting on Western Canadian Hotel and Resort Investment Conference starting on October 23. The Western Canadian Hotel and Resort Investment Conference.is designed for hospitality executives and those involved in resort and hotel real estate.

Since 2007, Big Picture Conferences has produced over 28 events within the Canadian Hospitality Industry including the Hotel Association of Canada’s Annual Conference, Canadian Tourism Marketing Summit, Canadian Hotel Investment Conference, Canadian Restaurant Investment Summit, Western Canadian Hotel and Resort Investment Conference and now CRDA’s VO-CON.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Urban destinations popular for timeshare vacations.

The three most popular destinations for timeshare vacations this Memorial Day Weekend holiday may not be the places you would guess first. Orlando timeshares? Daytona Beach timeshares? Maybe Myrtle Beach timeshares in South Carolina?

Nope. Not if TripAdvisor’s recent Memorial Day Weekend travel survey translates accurately to the vacation ownership industry and timeshare vacations. Although beach vacations for summer rank number one at 51 percent, the single most-visited city will be New York City. The Big Apple is followed by Boston and Washington, D.C.

And while big city destinations may not come to mind first for timeshare vacations, the truth is, you can enjoy excellent (and affordable) timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in all three of these favorite urban vacation spots.

Consider this sampling of urban timeshare vacations resorts:

The Manhattan Club located at 200 West 56th Street in New York City, this New York timeshare vacation spot puts you at the heart of fine dining, Broadway shows, 5^th Avenue shopping, and all the big city fun that is uniquely New York.

Marriott’s Custom House in Boston  is another example of a vacation ownership resort that couldn’t be closer to the hub of all you want to see and do on your timeshare vacation.  In a historic property, (packed with modern day amenities) Marriott’s Custom House overlooks Boston Harbor and Cambridge and provides convenient access to the city’s historic Freedom Trail.

Wyndham Old Town Alexandria is only a short drive across the Potomac River into Washington, D.C. This select location makes it easy to enjoy the neighborhood charm of Old Town Alexandria, while still being convenient to the Washington D.C. transit system and all the nearby historic attractions of our nation’s capital.

And for millions and millions of vacationers in the US, all three of these vacation hot spots are located within a one day drive from home.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Stephen J. Cloobeck of Diamond Resorts International in Undercover Boss Season Finale

According to CBS Broadcasting, Stephen J. Cloobeck of Diamond Resorts International will be among the featured “bosses” shown in tonight’s season finale. As the show wraps up its fourth season, it will be taking a “Where are they now?” look at some of its most popular bosses.

The show’s finale will revisit Dina Dwyer-Owens, chairman and CEO of The Dwyer Group; Don Fertman, Subway’s chief development officer; Cinnabon president Kat Cole; Diamond Resorts International CEO Stephen Cloobeck; and Cincinnati mayor Mark Mallory.

Earlier this year, Cloobeck told the press, “It was not easy, sitting at a front desk, working, being trained by a nice, young 21-year-old woman and seeing my picture behind me and her looking at Jack Fisher, my character — who’s dead by the way. He died after the show. Had a heart attack. Will not be seen anymore.

“I was crept out. I was the one who was worried I was going to get busted.”

The popular show is expected to conclude for the season with some of its highest rating.

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Keith Trowbridge, author of annual timeshare report on compensation.

Keith W. Trowbridge, Ph.D., President and CEO of Executive Quest, Inc., has announced the publication of the 13th annual timeshare industry salary survey. This insightful timeshare report includes results from more than 27,000 contacts and takes a candid look at pay scale and benefits in today’s timeshare and vacation ownership industry.

Included in the timeshare report survey is information on:

• Timeshare executive salaries
• Timeshare sales or performance commissions
• Bonuses
• And perks, such as company automobile, health and life insurance, contributions to a 401(k), or housing for family-visitors.

Keith Trowbridge, sometimes described as the “father of timeshare,” has spent more than 35 years in the vacation ownership industry, first as a developer, and in the past 19 years as an Executive Header hunter for the company Trowbridge founded, Executive Quest, Incorporated. Says Trowbridge, “This salary information is a valuable tool for budgeting, hiring, promoting, and training objectives for the timeshare industry.”

Executive Quest provides a free monthly on-line newsletter that includes a calendar of upcoming industry conferences and events along with other timely industry articles. More information about the timeshare report survey results is available for purchase at http://www.execq.com/salarystudy.htm. To subscribe to the Executive Quest newsletter, go to http://www.execq.com and click on the green “Subscribe” button.

You can also reach Keith Trowbridge at 239-454-1100 or contact his partner, Jim Perkins (who serves Southwest United States, Mexico and the Caribbean) at 936-856-3983

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters

Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld for Hilton Timeshare Owners and Renters

Hilton Grand Vacations Club (Hilton timeshare) is a popular and much-loved vacation ownership option for many families and couples today. Not only are HGVC resorts beautiful and located at all the places you love to vacation, but for Hilton timeshare owners, vacation planning is flexible and designed to fit in easily with today’s busy world and busy lifestyles.

But what is it that truly makes Hilton timeshares so uniquely special?

Here are 5 reasons that Hilton timeshare owners love Hilton Grand Vacations Club (HFVC):

1. Luxury accommodations. Hilton timeshares are recognized for offering upscale, spacious accommodations backed by superior customer service.
2. HHonors. When you become a Hilton Grand Vacations Club owner, you automatically become part of the HHonors award program at the Silver Elite Level. This frequent traveler distinction provides Hilton timeshare owners with many benefits that make vacations easier and more fun.
3. Diversity. Hilton timeshare owners benefit from the many relationships established by Hilton Grand Vacations Club with others in the vacation industry, including travel industry partners Grand Pacific, Hilton Resorts of Scotland, Fiesta Americana Hotels, and Club Intrawest.
4. Guest Privileges. For Hilton timeshare owners, making vacation reservations for your guests couldn’t be easier. Family member guests stay at no additional charge. Also, there is no additional charge to reserve in a guest’s name during  your Home Week Season.
5. Flexibility: Hilton Grand Vacations Club is synonymous with flexibility. Book your vacation at a Hilton Grand Vacations Club resort, convert to HHonors points to book at one of the Hilton-affiliated luxury hotels, or book anywhere in the RCI timeshare exchange network.

Vacationing doesn’t get easier than this!

Please visit The Timeshare Authority - Timeshare news and information for owners, buyers and renters