One of our timeshare rental features is a service called “Last Minute Timeshare Rental Deals.”

Last Minute Timeshare Rental Deals afford owners a way to rent their timeshare and recoup some or all of their annual fees and/or taxes. This means even if the timeshare owner didn’t plan on renting his or her timeshare, there’s still a high visibility opportunity to do so through our website and with the assistance of our licensed timeshare brokers.

For vacationers, Last Minute Timeshare Rental Deals mean a chance to vacation, even if you haven’t planned ahead or booked a resort. It also means a chance to explore timeshare resorts across the country (or around the world), and to learn more about a particular resort, brand or about timesharing in general. And best of all, it means vacationing at an extraordinary price for your accommodations.

How Last Minute Timeshare Rentals Work

Taking advantage of a last minute rental is easy. Pick your vacation, reserve your week, pack and go! It’s that simple.

If you don’t have the luxury of enjoying 7 days of vacation, ask about the possibility of renting the timeshare for fewer days and nights. Many timeshare owners are quite receptive to a partial week’s rental, especially if their use date is rapidly approaching.

So go ahead and peruse our last minute timeshare rental deals.

Each and every rental listed as a Last Minute Timeshare Rental Deal has been verified for accuracy of description and terms to ensure that the information provided is 100 percent accurate. And even though the clock is ticking, when you book a Last Minute Rental Deal, your reservation is guaranteed the minute you sign and return to us your rental agreement.

With jobs and the economy remaining a personal issue for many and a global issue for all, the strength and stability of jobs in the timeshare, fractional, and vacation ownership sectors is a subject of importance. In terms of employment, travel and tourism is the second largest job creator in the US (education tops the list), directly employing 98 million people in 2011. According to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), counting both indirect and induced employment in travel and tourism, the field sustained 255 million jobs in 2011, which is 1 in 12 of all jobs in the world.

Preparing for a Career in Timeshare and Vacation Ownership

When timeshares were just getting started in the United States, more than 40 years ago, there were no college programs that specifically addressed the timeshare business. The founders of the industry came into timeshares with training in business, marketing, and a variety of hospitality industry backgrounds.

Today’s young candidate for jobs in timeshare and vacation ownership may enter the industry with the same types of skills and training or may be a graduate of one of the many excellent higher education programs in hospitality management that includes specific coursework to prepare him or her for a successful career in timeshare sales, management, marketing or other aspect of our industry.

Among the many universities offering top hospitality management programs are:

• Cornell School of Hotel Administration, the country’s oldest college of hospitality management and is rated number one in the world.
• University of Nevada at Las Vegas Harrah Hotel College
• Michigan State University School of Hospitality Business
• Pennsylvania State School of Hospitality Management
• University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management

And while we are on the topic of jobs in timeshare sector, this is an appropriate time to mention Executive Quest Inc., a leading timeshare industry job search provider. It’s time for Executive Quest, Inc.’s Salary Study for 2012. Your participation in this confidential salary study provides valuable information for profiling careers in the timeshare, fractional, and vacation ownership industries. Find out more here:  Executive Quest Salary Study or contact Keith Trowbridge here: keith@execq.com

Here’s what Dictionary.com has to say about the word “investment”:

in·vest·ment:

1. The action or process of investing money for profit or material result.
2. A thing that is worth buying because it may be profitable or useful in the future.
3. An act of devoting time, effort, or energy to a particular undertaking with the expectation of a worthwhile result.

A timeshare is not an investment for financial return. In a world that once assumed all real estate purchases yielded  profit when resold, the economic decline of recent years has served as a wakeup call that even some seemingly sound ‘investments’ such as the homes we buy don’t always return us a profit when resold. This simple fact alone  knocks definitions 1 and 2 off the list in terms of timeshares.

But what about definition number 3? Is a timeshare an investment in the sense that it brings you a worthwhile result? 

According to research  conducted by Ernst & Young LLP and published in the State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry Study 2011, there are more than 8 million timeshare owners in the United States, among whom there is a satisfaction rate of 85 percent.

Some of the reasons timeshare owners use and enjoy their timeshares include the facts that they find the accommodations spacious; they know what to expect from their resort (or one they exchange for) so vacation planning is easy; and they know that timeshare resorts typically offer amenities to entertain and engage family members of all ages.

But perhaps one of the most important ways that timeshares yield “worthwhile results” is that they create a pattern of vacation commitment. Both research and our instincts tell us that vacations are good for our mental and physical well-being, they recharge our creativity, help us build stronger bonds with family and friends, and allow us time to restore, recoup, and recharge. And when the commitment is made, and the vacation is paid for in advance, it’s amazing how motivated we become to take that much needed time off.

Vacations are, in fact, an investment in yourself. Whether you stay in a hotel room, a tent, or you buy or rent timeshare, you won’t see a financial return. But the ways in which you will benefit by taking that vacation may turn out to be worth far more than the money you spend.

It’s been nearly a year since Island One Resorts and its Island One Resorts Hospitality Group (IORHG) management affiliate successfully emerged from a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

During the process, the company retained operations of its eight Florida timeshare resorts, while divesting some inventory and assets, including Chenay Bay Beach Resort in St. Croix. Additionally during this time, Island One Resorts expanded its reach, partnering with Diamond Resorts on a fee-for-service basis in the sales of Club Navigo and Island One memberships.

Island One Timeshare Owners: always the Focus

Perhaps the single most important aspect of this period of restructuring for the thirty-plus year old Florida timeshare company is that Island One timeshare owners and timeshare renters have continued  receiving quality customer service and enjoying outstanding vacation experiences as the company has undergone both reorganization and growth. Of additional importance is that communication and interaction with resort homeowner associations (HOAs) has remained strong and effective.

Island One CEO  Sterling Stoudenmire attributes the company’s success during this past year in part to its commitment to communication with its vacation owners, pointing out, “Nothing has changed with regards to their (Island One timeshare owners) being able to enjoy their vacations and Island One Resorts’ excellent services and amenities.”

Island One Florida Timeshare Resorts

Island One Resorts operates eight Florida timeshare resorts:

• Miami Beach - The Crescent Resort on South Beach
• Naples - Charter Club Resort Of Naples Bay
• Orlando - Bryan’s Spanish Cove
• Ormond Beach - The Cove On Ormond Beach
• Kissimmee - Barefoot’n Resort
• Kissimmee - Liki Tiki Village
• Kissimmee - Orbit One Vacation Villas
• Kissimmee - Parkway International Resort

ARDA World 2012 was a successful and effective week for Holiday Inn Club Vacations, with high visibility and strong participation at all levels of the conference as well as ten awards received for being the timeshare industry’s “Best in Class”.

Receiving the highest honor in the timeshare industry, the ARDA Gold, were:

Mike Campbell, Sales Management Executive - Nominated for his ability to continue to lead his team and produce top results for the brand’s first sales expansion out of the company’s corporate headquarters in Orlando, Fla.

Rosana Monteiro, Salesperson – Traditional Line – Nominated for her outstanding performance as the top front line sales performer.

Adam Smith, Salesperson – In-House – Nominated for his outstanding performance as the top in-house sales consultant.

Jill Keener, Sales Operational Support Team Member – Nominated for resolving more than 600 escalated or outstanding owner inquiries in 2011.

Brooke Doucha, Communications/Public Relations Professional – Nominated for leading the efforts behind the brand’s more than 370 million media impressions in 2011 alongside public relations colleagues at IHG and for heading up the successful launch of the brand’s social media program.

Michael Sitnik, Maintenance Manager - Nominated for seeking and implementing innovations in maintenance and upkeep for the resort that has saved the Condominium Association nearly $85,000.

Rick Koloski (True North Solutions, Inc.), Vendor/Supplier Team Member - Nominated for being a key contributor for the Holiday Inn Club member website and functionality related to online booking for members.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare also took home ARDA Gold for three Advertising and Promotions products created by their in-house brand services team.

“Call to Action: The Pay Off for Reputation Building through Social Media”

At this year’s American Resort Development Association annual convention, ARDA World 2012, one of the forums that generated the  most buzz (appropriately) was the Social Media Forum, of which I was privileged to be a part.

The forum leaders discussed a great deal about what their companies are doing to utilize the tools of social media but some of the most important concepts that I personally felt came out of the session were:

• You don’t have to have the biggest presence on the web or have the most followers or friends to benefit from the messaging power of social media.
• Social media is one of the simplest, most readily accessible and least expensive ways to communicate with your timeshare owners, buyers, renters, sellers and prospects.
• You don’t need an outside agency to make this work, but you do need to be consistent in your approach and your efforts.
• The timeshare industry could benefit tremendously from the positive messaging power of social media.
• And most importantly of all... social media only works if you use it.

My takeaway from the ARDA World 2012 Social Media Forum:

The following article by Jason Tremblay was originally published in the April 2012 issue of The Resort Trades magazine. It is reprinted here with permission from The Resort Trades. You will find this article and other informative information about the vacation ownership, timeshare and fractional resort industry in print and online at www.theresorttrades.com.

Timeshare Sale and Marketing Measured by the Inch

Hollywood was in its heyday. Having mastered the addition of sound and later color in the moviemaking process, the industry felt confident, almost untouchable, in its capability to be the world’s primary format for filmed entertainment, documentaries, and news. Even when the next decade ushered in the mass production of tube TVs, the innovation of television did not, at first, feel like a threat to moviemakers. Who would choose to watch a small, black and white box when they could have the big screen experience of movie going?

Yet by the mid-1960s, technology had changed even more dramatically. With color television sets taking over living rooms around the world, the film industry realized that not only was the innovation of television challenging the traditions of moviemaking, it was rewriting the rules. Moviemaking would still be important, but movies would have no choice but to assume a redefined role.

For businesses, including timeshare sales, resales and rentals, the World Wide Web has been a dramatic silver screen that has permitted the industry into the homes of current timeshare owners and potential buyers and renters. But mobile Web access from phones, notebooks, tablets, and other portable devices is quickly becoming today’s equivalent of life moving from the big screen to a vastly smaller one – one that now measures roughly only 4 inches on the diagonal.

STAY THIRSTY MY FRIENDS
Tim Berners-Lee (knighted in 2003 and properly known as Sir Timothy John Berners-Lee), is credited as being the man who “invented” the World Wide Web. Berners-Lee is a British computer scientist and MIT professor who in 1989, proposed an information management system, and in 1990, implemented the first successful communication between a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) client and server via the Internet.

Berners-Lee is one of today’s strongest advocates for net-neutrality, the practice of keeping the content, sites, platform, information, and communication of the Web open and accessible to all. In an often-quoted speech he delivered in 2007 on the subject of ever-evolving disruptive technologies, Berners-Lee said, “It isn’t just about making the Web you know today work on mobile phones. We are talking about innovation. The innovations which will really count are the things which I can’t imagine now…”

When viewed in the big picture, you have to ask: In a world that once couldn’t imagine television or fathom the concept of the World Wide Web, how do we as timeshare business people wrap our minds around a vision for the future of our industry?

One answer comes from the “most interesting man in the world,” best known through the television commercials in which he advises, “Stay thirsty, my friends.” Sales and marketing have never been a more fluid process than they are right now. Change is the new stability and our willingness as an industry to stay fluid, be receptive, and to stay thirsty for change, will ultimately determine whether timeshares and vacation ownership moves forward in fresh and vigorous ways or is relegated to being a product with a shelf life rapidly approaching expiration.

SHORT TERM STRATEGIES

If the inevitable evolutionary path the Internet will lead us on is difficult even for those who conceived it to predict, how do the rest of us deal with it? We deal with it by understanding that we cannot permit the apprehensions of impending change to hold us back from making the adjustments necessary to be an effective vacation resource today.

Although change is inevitable, here are short-term strategies timeshare companies can address in order to compete better in the rapidly growing mobile marketplace:

1. Acknowledge that your existing Website may not be adaptable for your mobile users. Companies face the decision of whether it is better to rebuild their Website in a way that supports m-commerce and t-commerce, or whether they should simply build a mobile site.

2. Simplify because speed matters. Creative techniques such as the use of Flash make our Websites more interesting. But many functions do not translate well to mobile devices, and the slower your load time, the more you risk Web users simply moving on to another site. Mobile Web users have shown an even lower tolerance to wait for a site to load than that of Web users accessing your site via a desktop computer.

3. Houseclean because looks matter. Google’s Instant Preview feature shows Web users (from any type of device) a visual sample of their search results. Pay attention to how your site looks in this preview because a cluttered or uninviting preview may stop a potential client from ever reaching your site. Website cleanup goes beyond having effective title tags and meta descriptions, and speaks directly to the quality of your visual design. Simplify your content and consider using a single column layout for your mobile site visitors.

4. Pay attention to navigation. Don’t expect people to type in lengthy search terms or responses. Abridge options and convert as many components of the question-and-response or search process to yes or no format or multiple-choice answers.

5. Take down barriers. Surprisingly, many corporate executives don’t visit their company’s websites regularly, don’t try using their own forms and site options, and haven’t tried accessing their sites via a variety of devices. Take your website for a test drive on a regular basis. View it from the eyes of your consumers who are often individuals who do not know your corporate lingo, your resort properties, or your ownership structure. As you explore your website, look for barricades you can eliminate.

Lastly, don’t give up. Your website functionality and design probably fall short of where you know they should be; most businesses feel this way. In 2011, a Google survey revealed that 79 percent of Google’s largest advertisers do not have mobile-friendly sites. But within the greatest challenges are found the greatest opportunities. The ephemeral natural of business marketing today yields abundant potential for vacation ownership to shake off its problems of the past and rise to become a product that is desired, purchased, and sought after by the mainstream marketplace.

Interval International, one of the largest and best-known names in timeshare exchange and vacation services, has expanded its selection for resort exchange. Now affiliated with Interval International are:

• The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
• Heraclea Hotel Residence on southern Italy’s Ionian Coast
• and the currently under construction, La Gran Reserva Anapoima in Colombia

Each of these luxurious properties offers (or will offer when completed) Interval International members the opportunity to exchange their timeshare points or interval ownership for a vacation destination resort that is distinctive and memorable.

The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

This Mediterranean-style resort offers one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, ranging in size from 550 to 1,680 square feet, all with spacious interiors, vaulted ceilings,  fully equipped kitchens, state-of-the-art electronics floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies offering expansive views.

“The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club offers our members the opportunity to vacation in St. John, one of the most desirable destinations in the Caribbean. They will be able to enjoy the unspoiled natural beauty and wealth of recreational activities of this exclusive locale, which is the least populated and most secluded of the U.S. Virgin Islands,” says David Gilbert, Interval International’s executive vice president of resort sales and marketing.

Heraclea Hotel Residence

Located just outside Policoro, Italy, the Heraclea Hotel Residence is a serene getaway overlooking the Ionian Sea, and offers one-bedroom apartments with kitchenettes and large verandas.

Darren Ettridge, Interval’s senior vice president of resort sales and business development for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, explains, “Heraclea Hotel Residence is an undiscovered jewel our members will love. The town of Policoro was founded on the ruins of the ancient town of Herakleia and is within easy reach of a number of significant natural and cultural sights and attractions.”

La Gran Reserva Anapoima

Under construction on the outskirts of Anapoima, southwest of Bogota, when completed the master-planned community of La Gran Reserva Anapoima will feature 69 fractional villas. The resort is being built by Constructora Bolívar S.A. that owns and operates Zuana Beach Resort. Carlos Arango, president, Constructora Bolívar S.A. says, “This project is the beginning of a new chapter in our business and continues the successful relationship with Interval that began more than a decade ago. We look forward to introducing our existing owners, new buyers, and Interval members to this unique development and its upscale amenities in the spectacular Andes Mountains.”

To learn more about these beautiful resorts and other opportunities in timeshare exchange through Interval International, visit http://www.resortdeveloper.com

Westgate Resorts timeshare, along with other companies in the Central Florida area, are working to help the homeless in ways that are not only deeply appreciated but should enable many struggling families to turn their lives around.

The assistance received by Amy Larson and her family, recently featured by WFTV Orlando, is typical of the type of help select families are receiving. When Amy’s husband became too ill to work, and Amy could not find a job, the couple found themselves homeless.

As Amy explains, “It’s the worst thing in the world when you don’t know what you are going to do next, so it’s a big weight off my shoulders.”

Westgate Resorts Timeshare Steps Up

Amy  has recently been hired as a lead hostess at a restaurant owned by Westgate Resorts timeshare. Mark Waltrip, Chief Operating Officer with Westgate Resorts says, “We may never solve the problem, but we will at least create an avenue for those who want to take control of their lives and have an opportunity to succeed.”

Concord Management is now providing Amy and her family with discounted housing for a year. Westgate timeshare has provided furniture for the couple’s apartment, courtesy of timeshare furnishing the company was replacing. Other companies, including SeaWorld, are also helping, working to assist the program’s pre-screened applicants with jobs and homes.

Next month, Westgate and Concord Properties will help sponsor a community-wide event intended to get more companies and organizations involved with this program.

The following article by Michael Freeman was published online by Freeline Media, April 12, 2012. Freeline Productions LLC, founded in 2008, expanded in 2010 to include the publication of the online magazine, Freeline Media, and covers local, regional, and state news of interest to the residents of Orlando and the Central Florida area. The following article is reprinted here with permission of Freeline Media. Follow this link to read the original article and to learn more about Freeline Media. 

Timeshare Resale Firm Experiences Solid Growth and Expands into Orlando

ORLANDO – Relocating from New Hampshire to Orlando was an easy sell for Jason Tremblay, but not just because it was a happy break from a state that still gets snow in April.

Instead, what he finds so appealing about living in the City Beautiful is the sense of optimism expressed by those in an industry that’s suffered some hard times, but now appears poised for a healthy rebound.

“Orlando is such a big hospitality town,” Tremblay said.  “At least half the time, if I walk into a restaurant for lunch or for dinner near my office, almost inevitably I’ll bump into someone I know and they work in the industry. There’s this spirit of optimism in Orlando. Even with all the gloom and doom in a lot of the media, when you talk to people who work in the industry, there’s a great deal of optimism. And it’s not that they’re delusional. They see this is a temporary thing we’re going through, and they know that people who do understand the industry, they love it. That’s significant. We still think the future is bright.”

Tremblay runs Timeshare Broker Services, which provides timeshare brokerage, Internet advertising and marketing solutions for timeshare owners or developers looking to sell or rent their unit. Although the firm’s corporate headquarters is in Dover, N.H., they grew so quickly that they opened offices in Orlando, a city that’s considered one of the prime locations for the timeshare industry worldwide.

Tremblay acknowledges the timeshare industry has experienced a couple of rocky years. “The industry as a whole peaked in 2007 and 2008,” he said. “Last year it was off significantly, almost 40 percent. It wasn’t because of a lack of demand, but a lack of financing. A lot of financing that has been available to developers to finance the consumers purchasing these timeshares, a lot of that financing dried up. The banks just froze. It wasn’t that the developers couldn’t have kept up the pace of sales, but they didn’t have the financial backing to do that. What I’m hearing is that is beginning to loosen up.”

The industry has also been hurt by a spate of negative publicity about timeshare resale scams – scam artists who target people trying to sell their timeshare, and offering to hook them up with a buyer as long as they first pay an up-front fee. The resale firm typically disappears once they get that fee.

“There has been a lot of fraud,” he said. “There’s a general lack of trust in the timeshare market. People think the resale market is all fraud, and that’s not the case. You just need to use some common sense. One question is, all of them do cold calling. If you own a timeshare and out of the blue you get a call and in that same phone call they’re asking for money, it’s just common sense – hang up. The other common thread is none of these companies have actual exposure to buyers.

“This industry is growing,” he added. “It is still splintered and fragmented. Be realistic about pricing. A timeshare is a used product. Just like if you bought a Cadillac eight years ago, you’re not going to get the same price for it today.”

But while the industry suffered some in recent years, Tremblay said it remains healthy and is likely getting stronger. In the past few years, he said, Timeshare Broker helped to facilitate thousands of for-sale-by-owner timeshare transactions –1,756 timeshare or fractional ownership sales in 2011 alone.

That growth enabled Timeshare Brokers to expand its new office space, which is at 8680 Commodity Circle in Orlando, which also houses the corporate headquarters of Island One Resorts.

“We opened the Orlando office mainly because we really wanted licensed real estate agents who also understood the timeshare product, and there is no other place on the planet that has as many experienced people as in Orlando,” he said. “I now live here in Orlando, and the area of our business that we focus on is our brokered business. We only charge a commission and get paid upon the successful sale of the timeshare.”

Tremblay started the business in 2003 in New Hampshire.

“It was an online business,” he said. “We launched the web site in 2003. I saw a real void with regards to people needing to sell their timeshare. There was no clear marketplace online, where people who wanted to sell and people who wanted to buy were connecting. In the early days for the Web site, we were purely a For Sale by Owner site. If you owned a site and wanted to sell or rent it out, you could list it. Individual owners could advertise their timeshares with us. About 2006, we saw that there was a real opportunity in not just providing that platform, but also brokering the transaction. The resale market is very splintered. We felt like there was a real opportunity there, and we didn’t charge anything until we actually sold the property. We felt there was definitely a market for that.”

Tremblay thinks there will always be a healthy market among the vacationing public for the timeshare industry, with the numerous perks and benefits it offers to families.

“With regard to Florida, I have so many friends and family who know that I’m in this business, and who come to Orlando,” Tremblay said. “If you’ve got kids, you go to Orlando. Many of these friends and family would come stay at a hotel online, and go to Expedia and find the best deal they can. But the experience of sharing a hotel with the kids means dinner is a pizza on the bed, and that is very different from staying in a timeshare villa where you can cook in the room and you have a full living room, and you have separate bedrooms for the kids. The on site amenities are far more than what you can find at a hotel. It’s just the difference in vacation experiences. It’s night and day. It’s almost like your own little village. There’s this stress factor that’s gone when you stay there.”
He also thinks the industry will make some changes in the next few years to reflect what customers want.

“I think the product is going to have to evolve,” Tremblay said. “When timeshare was first sold, it was sold as a fixed week at a fixed unit. It was a specific unit and a specific week. If your week was the first week of January every year, that’s when you went to that unit. Then it evolved into a floating product, and now it’s evolved into a points system, where rather than buying a week, you can build points that decide how many nights you can stay, and where you can go.

“The one flaw in the product,” he added, “is very often it’s sold as a deeded product. The challenge with that is going to Orlando every year can be great when your kids are 8 and 12, but when your kids are 30 and 34, you may not want to go there anymore. I think over time, rather than buying a deed in perpetuity, you’ll get 10 years of use rights. That gives you the rights over 10 years to use that product, and then you’re done, and maybe at the end of those 10 years you’ll want to renew — or walk away.”

To learn more about Timeshare Broker Services, call 603-833-3238. www.timesharebrokerservices.com