Reading the travel blog that Kitty Bean Yancey writes for USA Today always gives me new insights about travel, and particularly hotel accommodations. Her blog, the Hotel Hotsheet, cites Smith Travel Research showing that in November 2007, occupancy rates at luxury hotels were 68.9 percent compared to 51.8 percent at economy lodgings, but down overall from the same month last year.

Across the US, room rates are up 6 percent, bringing luxury hotel rooms in at $300 per night and economy rooms at $52 per night. According to figures from the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the average daily hotel rate is now over $100 per night.

Comparing Hotel Accommodations with Timeshare Condos

The average hotel room in America provides comfortable sleeping accommodations for one or two people in a queen size bed and rather cramped accommodations for 4 in two standard beds. It won’t have an in-room washer and dryer; is not likely to have a patio or balcony, and at that price, probably won’t have a separate living area.

Your $100+ per night room will not afford you multiple televisions and DVD players and the odds are very high it won’t have a full kitchen with dining area. In fact, for $100 per night, your hotel room will be little more than a bedroom, bathroom, and maybe a mini-fridge and an overpriced mini-bar.

Timeshare resales on the other hand, frequently feature all the amenities the hotel room lacks, as well as having many other perks that make your stay more comfortable in far more spacious accommodations. And the prices? Well, they just don’t compare.

For starters, your hotel room at $100 is subject to sales tax. In many areas, it is also subject to tourist or resort tax, sometimes known as a bed tax. In Orlando, Florida, for example, the tourist tax is an additional 6 percent on top of the 6.5 percent sales tax. Boom! Your $100 per night room, suddenly became – in reality – $112 and change each night.

With timeshare condos, you actually own your timeshare. You may in fact pay property tax outright or property tax as part of your annual maintenance fee, but you won’t pay sales tax or bed tax each time you vacation in your timeshare.

If you finance your timeshare condo, you may also be able to write off part or all of your mortgage interest as a deduction on your federal income taxes. Don’t expect to write off any part of your hotel room on your taxes unless of course, you are claiming it as a business expense, in which case you can make the same claim about the nightly cost of your timeshare condo.

Lastly, and this is the most important part of all, the money you spend on your hotel room is money gone for good and these days, those words are particularly hard to hear.

The money you spend on a timeshare condo pays for vacation ownership. A timeshare condo becomes a lifestyle that you own, can enjoy for years to come, and that actually becomes cheaper and cheaper the more often you use it and the longer you own it.

Hotel rooms are great for some types of overnight stays and travel. But in the big picture, money you throw out the window forever for a hotel room simply never compares to owning timeshares – especially timeshare you buy smart as timeshare resales.

To learn more about the opportunities in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW on the web or call us at 877-815-4227.

These days, when every evening’s nightly news seems to always bring us new warnings of unrest, terrorism, and political disruption around the world, you might think people who buy timeshare abroad risk being stuck with timeshare condos or condo resales that they cannot use and cannot rent or sell – but that is generally not the case.

First, as a timeshare owner, you may have the option to bank your timeshare weeks for future use, or to turn them over to a timeshare exchange. Many timeshare exchange programs do not require your timeshare weeks to be picked up by someone else in order for you to enjoy a timeshare vacation at a different resort.

The next thing to remember is that many times, while it may not be safe for people of your particular nationality to travel to a foreign country, people who live in that country may be able to travel freely and vacation without incident. Although this is not currently the case in Kenya, as I wrote about in yesterday’s Timeshare Owners Blog, when this does apply, you may want to use your timeshare weeks as a timeshare rental. To successfully rent timeshare to people from other countries you must advertise and market it through a timeshare company like Sell My Timeshare NOW that has a global marketplace and the expertise to bring timeshare rentals to the attention of interested renters or even buyers around the world.

The problems in one part of a country do not always affect vacationing and timeshare resorts in other areas of the same country. Don’t immediately assume that an entire region or country is dangerous just because you hear about one incident, in one location. In fact, isolated events in one part of a country can sometimes have an upside for travelers in other areas, making tourist dollars especially appreciated in an area where other parts of the country have recently received bad publicity. Attractions, restaurants, and other tourist areas are less crowded and sometimes offer discounted prices in efforts to attract business once again.

Kenya Timeshare Resales, In the Future

I am not in any way making light of recent tragic events in Kenya or any other part of the world that has suffered adversity. But I am suggesting that if you own timeshare weeks in a locale that has experienced problems, whether it is weather-related, incidences of terrorism, or other types of crime or civil unrest, don’t immediately assume that all is lost for utilizing your timeshare unit or timeshare weeks. You have options and Sell My Timeshare NOW can help you assess those options and make the choice that is right for you.

Here’s a You-Tube video that reminds us of the natural beauty of Kenya.

You don’t often hear me say that you should put your timeshare vacation plans on hold. But if you own timeshare weeks in Kenya, now is probably not the time to plan a Kenya timeshare holiday. Over the past two years, I have written several timeshare blogs about the fact that Africa timeshare is really beginning to come into its own. South Africa in particular is an up and coming market for timeshare resort development, timeshare resales, and condo resales. While Africa, from mysterious Morocco all the way to cosmopolitan Cape Town, has always attracted adventure seekers, I have to think that reality TV shows like Survivor, The Amazing Race, Survivorman and perhaps even Meerkat Manor have inspired people to pick up a camera and a pith helmet and plan a safari vacation.

But before you make your travel plans for an Africa timeshare vacation, keep in mind current political and civil unrest in some parts of the continent. In October, the US Department of State issued a warning about the risks of travel to Kenya, stating, “American citizens in Kenya should remain vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners such as clubs, hotels, resorts, upscale shopping centers, restaurants, and places of worship. Americans should also remain vigilant in residential areas, schools, and at outdoor recreational events, and should avoid demonstrations and large crowds.”

Since that time, the Department of State has updated that warning twice, most recently on January 11, adding, “US citizens should strongly consider the risks of travel to Kenya at this time and defer non-essential travel to the three provinces of Nyanza, Western, and Rift Valley…Although widespread violence, demonstrations, and looting in Nairobi and throughout Kenya have subsided, there is a potential for spontaneous violence in the current political climate…Road travel in western Kenya remains unsafe.”

Likewise, the British Foreign Office is advising against all but essential travel to Kenya. The British Federation of Tour Operators continues the suspension of travel and tours to Kenya that began last month and urges all travel and tour agents to either rebook travelers to other destinations or refund their money. Previously scheduled tour flights from the United Kingdom to Kenya continue, but only for the purpose of providing travelers already there with a way to leave the county.

In tomorrow’s Timeshare Owners Blog, I am going to talk about strategies for timeshare owners if your timeshare resort is located in an area that is experiencing crime or unrest, and the important role Sell My Timeshare NOW can play in assisting you.

Remember that for US citizens, the Consular Information Program provides the most accurate and up to date information about security conditions for travel in all parts of the world. You can visit their website or contact them by calling 888-407-4747 from the U.S. and Canada or 202-501-4444 from outside the U.S. and Canada as a regular toll call. British citizens should check the website for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office at www.fco.gov.uk

The US State Department’s Travel Advisory for Kenya will be reevaluated on February 12.

Kenya Timeshare Resales and Timeshare Rentals

• Mnarani Club
• Royal Reserve Safari & Beach Club

Yesterday, here at the Dover, NH offices of Sell My Timeshare NOW, it was our privilege to host a visit from Senator John Sununu. Senator Sununu has a long history of working hard to advance internet technology and has been instrumental in effecting the passage of the 2007 Internet Tax Freedom Act.

As I have written in the Timeshare Owners Blog, so many times, affordable access to the internet is critical. Layering taxes on top of taxes on the use of the internet, including email and wireless devices like Blackberries, could put this vital lifeline out of the reach of many people. Internet based businesses, like Sell My Timeshare NOW’s timeshare resale advertising and marketing services and many other companies, would be seriously impacted by internet taxation.

Because of the efforts of Senator Sununu, and other dedicated lawmakers, the ban on internet access taxation has been extended until November 2014. In keeping with our niche as an internet marketing company, Sell My Timeshare NOW thought it appropriate that the award we gave Senator Sununu be an inscribed silver plated computer mouse.

Senator Sununu’s has said this of past efforts to levy taxes on internet access, “This seven-year ban nearly doubles the House proposal and further strengthens tax protections for e-mails and instant messaging. I will continue to fight for a permanent ban on access taxes, but this is a strong step forward. Taxing the Internet is wrong for consumers and wrong for the economy.”

The Internet Tax Freedom Act passed the House by a vote of 402 to 0. It passed the Senate in a unanimous voice vote, and was then signed into law by President George W. Bush.