Bluegreen timeshares is the blog topic again today here at The Timeshare Authority. Last week, Bluegreen Corporation settled a pending lawsuit with Orlando timeshare magnate, David Siegel, another timeshare industry name who makes our timeshare blog from time to time.

David Siegel founded Central Florida Investments, the parent of the Orlando timeshare company, Westgate Resorts. In recent months, Siegel had acquired 2.3 million shares of Bluegreen timeshare’s common stock. He also had options that would have given him nearly 10 million shares, or about 32 percent of the company’s stock, if he exercised those options.

But this was already in the pipeline when Westgate Resorts timeshares announced budget cutbacks and massive layoffs in response to the credit freeze. A Sept 29, Orlando Sentinel article, said this of Siegel, “He blamed the national financial meltdown and said until the situation in Washington straightens out, Westgate and all other time-share companies likely are in for very hard time.”

Bluegreen’s board had voted and approved bylaws to allow them to dilute the value of Siegel’s holdings, but not the value of other existing shares held primarily by those Bluegreen shares held through the Levitt Corp.

Under the terms of the new settlement, Siegel and his associates must reduce their Bluegreen holdings by at least 5.4 million shares within a year and within two years, have disposed of all of them. Additionally, pending the sale, Siegel’s shares must be voted in accordance with the recommendations of the Board of Directors of Bluegreen. David Siegel has agreed to not pursue any takeover of Bluegreen nor seek to influence Bluegreen’s management.

The Timeshare Authority will continue to keep you abreast of the changes, shake ups, and shake downs in the timeshare industry … interesting times we are living in, to say the least

Other recent posts about Westgate Resorts Timeshares:

• Hotels, Timeshares, and the Bailout
• Layoffs Coming at Westgate Timeshare

Other recent posts about Bluegreen Resorts Timeshares:

• Credit Crisis May Change the Deal for Bluegreen Timeshare Resorts
• Bad News for Bluegreen Timeshares

According to information released Friday in the South Florida Business Journal, and other sources, the planned acquisition of Bluegreen Resorts and timeshares is on hold. For some time, Bluegreen timeshare resorts and Diamond Resorts have been in negotiation over Diamond Resorts’ bid to buy Bluegreen for $500 million.

The credit crunch seems to be gnawing away at this buyout deal, but whether it chews it up or spits it out may not be known for a few weeks. Bluegreen timeshare has given Diamond Resorts until November 15, with exclusive right of negotiation in Bluegreen’s acquisition. After that date, Bluegreen is free to shop other investors for a better price.

There has been a lot going on at Bluegreen timeshares lately with continued news about the buyout as well as company problems with allegedly improper timeshare sales tactics used in Pennsylvania timeshare sales. But none of what is going on takes away from the satisfaction many Bluegreen timeshare owners feel about their vacation ownership properties. Bluegreen has been a respected brand in the timeshare industry for many years, with thousands of timeshare buyers and renters enjoying quality vacations at Bluegreen resorts.

Read more Bluegreen timeshare news from The Timeshare Authority:

• HOT List Timeshare Number 55 - The Bluegreen Resorts
• Bad News for Bluegreen Timeshares

Earlier this week, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett filed lawsuits against Bluegreen Resorts, Bluegreen Corporation, Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited Inc. and Great Vacations Destinations Inc., charging the use of marketing practices that are illegal in the state of Pennsylvania. All four companies are Florida timeshare and vacation companies.

The charges specifically accuse Bluegreen timeshare of marketing vacation packages with aggressive and deceptive timeshare sales presentations and offering airline tickets and other prizes, which the AG’s Office describes as “worthless”. The charges include advertising, real estate, and telemarketing violations.

According to the statement to the press released by Corbett’s office, prospective timeshare buyers were identified in malls, by phone, and at festivals and fairs. Bluegreen timeshare also operates full-time sales facilities in Hershey and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.

“Virtually any consumer with a checkbook and a pulse allegedly qualified as a ‘winner’ in these promotions,” according to the Attorney General. “Unsuspecting consumers who believed they were contest winners were actually drawn into a high pressure bait-and-switch campaign designed to push timeshare vacation packages costing thousands of dollars.”

Prizes Promised in Timeshare Scam Not What they Seemed

The routine used was one that is all too familiar. People signed up in a contest to win a prize, such as a car, a vacation, or cash. They were then contacted with the news that they had not won the grand prize but had won a secondary prize, such as free airline tickets. Even people who did not sign up for the contest were sometimes told they were eligible for a prize.

‘Prize winners’ were told they would receive a free meal and free gas when they collected their prize if they attended a 90-minute timeshare sales presentation. Consumers who did attend the timeshare sales presentation found that the 90 minutes often stretched into as much as 5.5 hours. They also found that claiming the prizes they did win was fraught with caveats - receiving the promised airline tickets called for you first to pay for as many as ten nights in a pricey hotel in a limited number of cities. Free gas translated to coupons tied up with many restrictions; and in general, what was touted as free turned out to be ‘free’ but heavily wrapped in red tape.

Other charges involve Bluegreen timeshare’s alleged failure to properly inform consumers of their right to cancel their purchase as well as numerous violations of Pennsylvania’s Do Not Call List. Over 5700 Pennsylvania residents have purchased Bluegreen timeshare at prices that averaged between $20,000 and $40,000. Pennsylvania residents who have had problems with Bluegreen timeshare or any other timeshare company are urged to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or online at www.attorneygeneral.gov

Criticism of Bluegreen Timeshare Sales Practices, Not of Timeshare Ownership

One last and very important thought about Bluegreen timeshares. These allegations all relate to the actions and practices of timeshare sales. There is not one mention that Bluegreen timeshare is anything less than a great vacation resort, nor do any of the charges relate in any way to problems or dissatisfaction with being an owner of Bluegreen timeshare. You always have an excellent way to bypass the ups and downs of new timeshare sales, by purchasing Bluegreen timeshare on the timeshare resale market where you skip the high pressure sales tactics and deal directly with the current timeshare owner.

Bluegreen Resorts Vacation Club timeshares rank number 55 on this year’s Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 Property List. Bluegreen Resorts are a unique timeshare development company that unlike many other big timeshare developers is not a part of the hotel industry. Instead, the people at Bluegreen have built their company around the design, construction, and management of outstanding residential and recreational communities. Bluegreen describes their business as, “Colorful Places to Live and Play®”

The Bluegreen company was founded in 1966 for the purpose of developing and reselling recreational land. Since 1985, Bluegreen Communities (the residential portion of the company) has sold over 55,000 home sites in planned residential and golf communities in 32 states. Bluegreen timeshare resorts offer timeshares that they describe as “real estate based” vacation ownership with access to as many as 40 resorts and potential exchange privileges at over 3,700 resorts.

Timeshare Resale Opportunities at Bluegreen Resorts

You will find Bluegreen vacation homes throughout the US and in Aruba. Sell My Timeshare NOW’s inventory includes Bluegreen timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at exciting locations, including the La Cabana Beach and Racquet Club timeshares in Oranjestad, Aruba. Other beachside destinations for Bluegreen timeshare resorts are:

The Shoreline Towers and the Paradise Isle Resort in Gulf Shores, Alabama; Pono Kai Resort in Kauai, Hawaii; Harbour Lights, Shore Crest Vacation Villas I and Shore Crest Vacation Villas II in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; the Player’s Club in Hilton Head Island; and 18 timeshare destinations from shore to shore in sunny Florida.

In addition to your choices at the beach, there are many Bluegreen timeshare destinations at mountain and lakeside venues. Sell My Timeshare NOW can help you find timeshare resales and timeshare rentals at nearly a dozen choice locations.

Changes at Bluegreen Timeshares

Currently Bluegreen timeshare resorts are engaged in discussions with Diamond Resorts International. According to Hospitality Net, Alan B. Levan, Chairman of the Board of Bluegreen has said, “Diamond Resorts has advised us that it is continuing to move forward with the acquisition of the Company at a price of $15 per share, but needs the additional period to finalize due diligence and its financing arrangements. Diamond Resorts has also agreed to pay us an amount approximating Bluegreen’s expenses in connection with the transaction.”

While this foretells a transition in ownership at Bluegreen timeshares, there is every reason to expect that the traditions, quality, and excellence that have made Bluegreen such popular resorts in the past, will continue long into the future.

The Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting that Bluegreen Corporation intends to sell to Las Vegas-based timeshare developer and manager, Diamond Resorts LLC. The reported sales price will be $15 per share, or about $500 million excluding outstanding debt owed by Bluegreen.

Alan B. Levan, who is Bluegreen’s chairman, says the offer was unsolicited, but admitted that Bluegreen timeshare has been considering its options. A statement released by Bluegreen timeshare quoted Levan as saying, “When Diamond presented our board with this unsolicited, attractive offer, we believed that it was in the best interest of our shareholders to pursue this transaction at this time.”

In April 2007, Diamond Resorts timeshare bought Sunterra timeshare for approximately $750 million. Diamond Resorts is well on its way to becoming one of the world’s largest timeshare companies, with 110 branded or affiliated resorts in 14 countries and over 360,000 owners. Their timeshare resort locations include North and South America (and Hawaii), and Europe.

A nonbinding letter of intent has been signed by Bluegreen timeshare. The company’s stock dipped to $6.44 a share with the news, coming off a 52-week high of $11.85. Bluegreen’s business focuses heavily on their residential community development, golf communities, and home sales. One has to wonder how much the weak real estate market has affected the Bluegreen corporation and if the impact of declining home prices on part of their business made the offer from Diamond Resorts look even more attractive.

What a great time to spend Canadian dollars on US timeshare! I know I have mentioned this before, but with the value of Canada’s loonie strong to the US dollar, Canadians have never been better positioned to buy timeshare or rent timeshare in the United States.

And since Canadians are quickly realizing this, there have been a number of articles on timeshares and vacation ownership in the Canadian press lately with good advice for anyone who wants to buy timeshare or buy timeshare resales. But, I was particularly impressed with an article I read in Canada.com, titled, “No such thing as a free lunch“. Reporter Sandy Fife has done an excellent job of defining the pitfalls (many) and the benefits (a few) of attending timeshare promotions in order to enjoy a reduced rate vacation.

Notwithstanding the fact that a timeshare promotion deal may enable you to take a vacation with free or deeply discounted rates, and provides you an excellent chance to try before you buy timeshare, the high-pressure tactics of some salespeople may offset the value of what would have otherwise been a relaxing vacation.

If You Attend a Timeshare Presentation…

Fife offers the following good suggestions for surviving a timeshare promotion:

• Choose a reputable name in the hotel and/or timeshare resort industry for your free (or reduced) getaway.
• Be very careful if you choose to respond to a timeshare promotion that contacts you only by email or phone solicitation.
• And lastly, she says, don’t even think about going if you are susceptible to high-pressure sales pitches.

As one seasoned veteran of enjoying timeshare promotions was quoted as saying, “You should never buy at a presentation, because time-shares cost much less on resale.” I couldn’t have said that better myself.

If you have ever considered going on a timeshare promotion vacation, just to enjoy the perks that come with it, take a few minutes and read the Canada.com article first. And if you want to sidestep the sales rush and developer prices, go straight to shopping timeshare resales.

When you visit the website for Sell My Timeshare NOW, we don’t give you free tickets to theme parks, or a coupon good for breakfast, but you can browse and peruse our huge inventory of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals as much, and as often as you like. You can show up in your pajamas or your favorite sweats, and from the comfort and convenience of your personal computer, you can take your time selecting the timeshare vacation option that is right for you. Best of all, what you save when you buy timeshare resales instead of paying developer prices, will help you pay for future vacations—vacations that don’t involve sitting through sales presentations.

Here are links to a few of the timeshare resorts from which you can choose at Sell My Timeshare NOW.

• Bluegreen Timeshare
• Marriott Timeshare
• Shell Vacations Club Timeshare
• Starwood (including Westin and Sheraton) Timeshare
• Fairfield, WorldMark / Trendwest Timeshare
• Hilton Grand Vacation Club Timeshare
• Westgate Timeshare
• Mayan Palace Timeshare
• Orange Lake Timeshare

Last week Wyndham Worldwide Resorts announced the opening of Wyndham Vacation Resorts at Glacier Canyon in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin.

Hotel News Resource quoted Franz Hanning, president & CEO, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, as saying, “With this new resort we have the opportunity to offer our owners another fantastic destination experience.”

It’s true. Wyndham resorts are very special and Wyndham timeshares are always in high demand by people who want to buy timeshare or rent timeshare vacation properties.

The new Glacier Canyon timeshare resort is designed with a rustic lodge theme. It offers one, two, and three-bedroom deluxe timeshare units, and two, three, and four-bedroom high-end timeshare units, called Presidential suites.

Guests at the timeshare resort will have access to the year-round indoor and outdoor activities the resort offers. The indoor water park covers the equivalent of seven-plus football fields and there are outdoor water parks, a golf course, skiing, and a full range of winter sports.

Wyndham Vacation Ownership is the world’s largest timeshare company with more than 135 timeshare resorts worldwide. Satisfaction with Wyndham timeshares is high and interest in Wyndham timeshares in Wisconsin Dells is so great that construction has already begun to expand Glacier Canyon from 102 timeshare units to 201.

There are excellent opportunities for you to become a Wyndham timeshare owner with the right-priced timeshare resales available through Sell My Timeshare Now.

Last December the Timeshare Owners Blog told you about Bluegreen timeshare’s expansion plans for land adjoining the Treasure Island Water and Theme Park in Wisconsin Dells.

With millions of tourists annually visiting the area, billed as “The Water Park Capital of the World,” there are outstanding timeshare resales and timeshare rentals available in Wisconsin Dells. Here are a few of the opportunities you’ll find:

• Christmas Mountain Village Timeshare Resales at Wisconsin Dells
• Peppertree at Tamarack and Mirror Lake Resort
• Bluegreen Timeshare Resorts
• Wyndham Vacation Resorts at Glacier Canyon

And here’s a fun You Tube video from a family who obviously had a great time on their Wisconsin Dells vacation.

In November 2006, the Bluegreen Corporation announced the purchase of seven acres of land that adjoins the Treasure Island Water and Theme Park in the resort and entertainment community of Wisconsin Dells. Additionally, Bluegreen purchased 24 unsold existing timeshare units at the Treasure Island Park.

Representatives of the Bluegreen timeshare company say their development plans include approximately 75 two and three-bedroom interval timeshare units, which they estimate will be available starting in 2008, with some units not completed until 2009. Additionally, the Bluegreen timeshare company plans to reconfigure and update the existing 24 units at the location, with a target occupancy date of the third quarter 2007.

The Bluegreen Corporation also bought the property management rights for the original 24 units and established a marketing partnership with the resort’s owner and operator, Treasure Island, LLC.

Wisconsin Dells is a unique community located along the Wisconsin River in the central portion of the state. The area bills itself as “The Water Park Capital of the World” and attracts millions of tourists each year for both the indoor and outdoor recreation and entertainment.

The word “branding” used to conjure up visions of a cattle drive and a sizzling imprint stamped on bovine buttocks. But somewhere along the way, the business concept of a company’s “brand” or market image evolved from a noun to a verb, and “branding” became an industry buzzword for the process of spreading one’s corporate image to other goods or services.

Many experts today say that the hospitality industry changed when major hotel brands got into the business of selling vacation ownership and interval timeshare. It is true that big names including Hilton timeshare, Hyatt timeshare, Disney timeshare, along with Marriott, Four Seasons, Starwood and others have had an enormous impact on the timeshare industry as a whole.

The presence of these cornerstone hoteliers made the idea of owning interval timeshare more familiar and more comfortable to many consumers. When big names aggressively entered the timeshare business, a struggling or less reputable timeshare company was certain to be forced out of it. And there is no disputing that a company as large and powerful as Disney timeshare or Marriott timeshare has strong lobbying power on matters of regulating and improving timeshare ownership across the board. But when it truly comes to buying a timeshare vacation property to use and enjoy, remember that there are as many opportunities to buy a fabulous resale timeshare from a company whose name you may not know as there to are to purchase a timeshare owned and branded by a famous hotelier.

Consider the timeshare company known as Bluegreen timeshare. Bluegreen is a leader in developing quality timeshare resorts and vacation ownership properties, yet their name is not necessarily a household word. As a corporation, Bluegreen is a respected builder of residential communities, along with fabulous timeshare condos and timeshare vacation resorts. Yet, many buyers new to timesharing, may not know Bluegreen’s name or realize that this successful company has sold over 54,000 residential and golf community homes in 32 states and is on Forbes’ list of “The 200 Best Small Companies” and FORTUNE’S list of “America’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies”.

Brand loyalty is wonderful. Brand loyalty often allows you to trade perks from one aspect of a company’s services to another, such as loyalty points awarded for hotel stays that can also be used at a timeshare condo. And, if you enjoy one particular hotel chain more than you do others, then automatically booking with that chain takes the guesswork out of travel planning. But when you shop for a timeshare vacation property, whether new or resale, it is a good idea to consider both brand names you know AND those names with which you might not be familiar.

Whether or not you go with a hotel branded timeshare, now is a good time to buy. There are excellent deals available in all types of timeshares and vacation clubs.