David Siegel, founder of Westgate timeshare, will reportedly attempt to sell some $350 million in assets. On the “for sale” list is the former Grenelefe Resort, near Haines City, Florida, which includes 432 condominium units, two golf courses, a marina, and 277 acres of undeveloped land.

Grenelefe Golf and Tennis Resort was, not so many years ago, as a popular Florida vacation destination. With a 50,000 square foot conference center, Grenelefe was a favorite site for smaller convention and meeting groups, boasted golf courses of such quality that they were frequently early stage qualifying sites for the PGA and Champions Tour events, and offered a tennis venue where Martina Navratilova and Andrea Jaeger both competed.

But time has not been kind to the resort since it was purchased by Westgate Resorts in a 2002 U.S. Bankruptcy Court proceeding from Sports Shinko, a Japanese company, for $12.75 million. During Westgate timeshare resort’ ownership there have been buyers interested in purchasing the property, but none has been able to gain sufficient backing and close the deal. As if to add insult to injury, Grenelefe Resort was hit by tornado-like winds last week, damaging 28 condo units and leaving 5 uninhabitable.

Westgate Resorts to Focus on Timeshare

Among other properties and assets scheduled to be sold by Westgate timeshares are River Ranch, which is a 1,700-acre dude ranch on the Kissimmee River (south of Orlando); real estate in Nevada, Missouri and Tennessee; a 500-room Ramada hotel in Kissimmee, FL; two private aircraft; and the rights to develop lodging on land near the entrance to Disneyland, Anaheim, California.

David Siegel was quoted by the Orlando Sentinel as saying, “We’re selling our non-time-share assets to raise cash for our time-share operations. We’re selling anything that we don’t currently need for our time-share [business].”

Adding to all the excitement about this coming week’s TATOC (The Timeshare Association) Conference in Nottingham Belfry, England, is this week’s release that Ramy Filo the President of the Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council, will be attending and speaking at the conference.

Filo is the CEO of Classic Group, which includes Classic Holidays; a timeshare resort management and timeshare sales company in Australia and Dial an Exchange, which is the third largest timeshare exchange company in the world.

Ramy Filo is also President of the Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC) representing the timeshare industry in Australia, and is Chairman of the Global Alliance for Timeshare Excellence (GATE), an alliance created by leaders of trade associations in Canada, the United States, Latin America, Europe, Argentina, the Middle East, South Africa, and Australia.

Harry Taylor, CEO of TATOC, says, “The response for the conference has been overwhelming and we are delighted that Ramy had seen able to find the time to come and be able to inform the delegates about the industry in Australia”.

To learn more about The Timeshare Association (TATOC) contact: [email protected] or telephone: 00 44 (0)161 237 3611

Other recent The Timeshare Authority news on the TATOC Conference:

TATOC Announces Guest Speaker for Timeshare Conference

In the midst of all our blogging recently about the ARDA Convention wrapping up this week in Las Vegas, we can’t overlook another important event for timeshare owners.

The National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA) will meet on Sunday, March 21, 2010 from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM in Orange County, California.

Although the meeting is open to all NTOA members who pre-register to attend, the event offers a particularly outstanding opportunity for California timeshare owners and Nevada timeshare owners to meet face-to-face with industry experts.

You’ll hear firsthand insider information about buying timeshares, selling timeshare, timeshare exchange, and how to fully enjoy and maximize the rewards of being a timeshare owner.

When you join the NTOA, you not only gain access to their regional educational events, but you earn other benefits including:

• Discounted costs and liability protection for timeshare rental.
• Serious discounts when you are ready to buy timeshare.
• Legal assistance for dealing with timeshare as a charitable donation, in your will, during a divorce, and more.
• Lower interest fees for financing timeshare or refinancing timeshare.
• Monthly news and tips from timeshare owners and experts.
• Timeshare exchange opportunities without the membership fee, and at the lowest timeshare exchange rates.
• Reduced closing costs for direct timeshare transfers.
• Security and members-only discounts when you sell timeshare.
• The only comprehensive “bible” on timesharing available exclusively through NTOA.

To learn more about the NTOA or to plan to attend the California timeshare event or future educational events for timeshare owners, contact the National Timeshare Owners Association, by emailing [email protected] or calling (410) 719-0064.

You can also download an NTOA membership form by clicking the link below:

Membership Application 2010

Many timeshare owners don’t understand what ARDA (The American Resort Development Association) is all about. ARDA really is the voice of timeshare in the US. This Washington DC-based professional association was established in 1969. It represents timeshare companies, both publicly traded and privately owned, national and international, from every aspect of timeshare, fractionals, and shared ownership. The more than 1000 ARDA members include not only timeshare sales and timeshare resales companies, but timeshare HOA’s, timeshare resort management companies and timeshare owners through ARDA-ROC, the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition.

So of course, we are excited when ARDA’s annual convention and exposition rolls around. It marks a time of innovative idea exchange, networking, and the sharing of new visions and business models among everyone who is dedicated making timeshare the best vacation product possible.

Here’s a look at what Wednesday’s agenda at the 2010 ARDA timeshare convention included:

• Registration
• State Regulators Breakfast
• Private Meetings in Exhibit Hall
• Educational Session Wave 4
• The Opening of the Exhibit Hall
• Committee Meetings
• Educational Session Wave 5
• Educational Session Wave 6
• Resale Forum
• International Marketplace
• Educational Session Wave 7
• International Reception
• Awards Gala Celebration of Excellence
• Awards Gala Dinner and Entertainment

Busy day? You bet!

Rewarding and inspiring day? Absolutely!

And just to show that it’s not all work and no play at an ARDA Convention, here’s a video from one of the ARDA Convention RCI/AIF Open Golf Tournaments: