This week, in the Orlando Business Journal, staff writer Christopher Boyd, covers a new feature offered by the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, one that brings the already overlapping concepts of timeshare and fractionals even closer together.

As of April 28, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company has added a destination club option that allows buyers to purchase vacation ownership points; previously all Ritz-Carlton Destination Club membership purchased fractional ownership in a fixed property. The new ‘points ownership’ with Ritz-Carlton will give members access to Ritz’s properties worldwide.

According to the Orlando Business Journal article, the company believes that the new vacation property points ownership will increase the appeal of the high-end Ritz-Carlton fractionals, and will attract people who do not wish to be tied to a single piece of real estate. Quoting David Short, regional vice president for sales at Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, the article says, “Points give you much more flexibility. They allow people to customize each trip to their own needs.”

Points ownership pricing through Ritz-Carlton Destination Club ranges from $100,000 to $800,000.

Follow these Links to Learn More about Opportunities in Ritz-Carlton Timeshare and Fractionals at Timeshare Resale Prices:

• Ritz-Carlton Club Bachelor Gulch Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Club St. Thomas Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Club St. Thomas Rentals
• Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands Rentals
• Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter Rentals

Source: Orlando Business Journal

Owners Perspective Magazine is a successful publication directed to the needs and interests of timeshare owners. Launched online in July of 2008 and in print in January of this year, Owners Perspective Magazine provides both an information platform as well as a way for the timeshare industry to showcase services to timeshare owners and prospective owners.

In recent months, the editors of Owners Perspective Magazine have recognized a trend toward higher interest in articles about fractional ownership and an increasing response by readers seeking more information from advertisers about fractional properties. With this in mind, the new Fractional Property Guide from the publishers of Owners Perspective Magazine will officially launch on July 1, with a soft launch already in place. To see the new Fractional Property Guide during its test and evaluation phase go to:

http://www.ownersperspective.com/fractionalpropertyguide/

A Stand Out in the Timeshare Industry

Paul Mattimoe, CEO of Perspective International, (owners and publishers of both publications, as well as other timeshare industry magazines, websites, and directories) says, “Whilst there are several other excellent websites that provide property listings for fractional ownership, we have been compelled to produce ours through demand from our consumer magazine readership which reaches more than 42,000 prospective buyers each month.”

Instead of measuring the magazine’s outreach in terms of “hits” or “clicks”, Mattimoe points out that the publications uses a more targeted approach, providing readers with inquiry forms direct to the advertisers. “It is essential,” Mattimoe adds, “for us to continue to differentiate ourselves from competitors and our offline reach is the key ingredient here.”

In addition to using timeshare for memorable vacations, honeymoons, and get-away-from-it-all retreats, timeshares are often the setting for family reunions. Because of their spaciousness, larger timeshare units mean an extended or blended family, or perhaps several families, can often share one timeshare villa, with plenty of room for all. A family reunion at a timeshare resort typically means there will be activities and entertainment to suit family members of all ages.

But for all the family reunions that will happen this summer at timeshare resorts across the country and around the world, there will probably be none more touching than the reunion that took place recently at a popular Key West timeshare, the Galleon Resort and Marina.

A Happy Reunion at a Key West Timeshare Resort

When child protective services separated three little boys from their father, back in the late 1940’s, it meant each brother would grow up without knowing the other two. But last week, a lifetime of separation ended when the three men were reunited.

Jim Shultz, age 62; Mike Searcy, age 61; and Michael Lewis Locker, age 60, came together for the first time since being separated some sixty years ago. As babies and toddlers, they were split up and then sent to orphanages or foster parents, pending adoption.

All of the men were renamed in their new families, with two brothers being given the name “Michael”. Jim, who is now retired, previously worked in the security business while his brother Mike Locker, also retired, chose a similar career in law enforcement. Both Jim and Mike Locker grew up knowing they were adopted and as adults were able to find each other and build a relationship. But Mike Searcy did not know until 2007 that either of the other two existed.

Searcy, who regularly vacations in his Key West timeshare at the Galleon Resort and Marina, told The Key West Newspaper, “We have been building a long-distance relationship for the past six months, but we didn’t meet face-to-face until I picked them up at the airport here last Saturday.”

The Galleon Resort and Marina timeshare is an idyllic place to retreat for any reason. The five-star resort with its own 90-slip marina overlooks the Gulf of Mexico and the warm tranquil waters of Key West. Both the timeshare resort’s sparkling pool and its private, white sand beach no doubt provided these three brothers and their wives a serene setting to relax and get to know each other. As Mike Shultz summed up their week together, “Mike (Searcy) has been showing us around, but what we have been doing mostly is just telling each other about our lives.”

Plan Your Own Memorable Getaway at a Key West Timeshare

You may never plan a Florida timeshare vacation that is quite as dramatic as this story of three long lost siblings reunited. But the experiences you create today with your family are the memories you will treasure for a lifetime. As busy as your schedule is, why not streamline the vacation planning process with an affordable timeshare resale, and devote your free time to some memory making of your own?

Resources for Families

For family members separated through adoption, reconnecting can be challenging as state and local adoption and privacy laws vary greatly across the US. Here are four organizations that people sometimes turn to for help with their search:

• Adult Adoptees
• Adoption.com
• The International Soundex Reunion Registry
• Adoptions Crossroads

Director of Communications Steve Luba gives a wrap up of the latest in the timeshare industry