In Tuesday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, (Where Timeshare Sales Lead the Real Estate Market) we looked at the strong timeshare sales numbers from The Village at Steamboat, a Colorado timeshare condo being sold under the brands WorldMark by Wyndham and Wyndham Vacation Resorts. Wyndham timeshare has sold more than 650 Village at Steamboat timeshare units so far in 2010—and that’s robust timeshare sales performance, especially in view of the current economy.

So what makes these timeshares so popular?

1. Brand loyalty matters. Many consumers have a high comfort level when buying the Wyndham brand either as new timeshare or as a Wyndham timeshare resale. If they know and like Wyndham’s hotel properties then they expect to enjoy a Wyndham timeshare. World¬Mark by Wyndham Vice President of Sales Mountain Region Ray Mason indicates that Wyndham is very aware of the power of brand loyalty, and describes Wyndham timeshare properties as being “more appealing” than they were 10 years ago.
2. Location…location…location! Consumers might be able to afford a privately owned lakeside condo or cabin in many locations. But purchasing private property (sole ownership) of a vacation home just near the ski slopes at Steamboat Springs or any other popular ski resort is out of the question for many consumers. Even very wealthy individuals find the price points on such resort property (if it even becomes available to buy) is just too high to afford. If they are going to have vacation ownership at a destination this pricey, they have to buy timeshare or a fractional in order to afford it.

   Rich Folk, executive vice president of sales and marketing for WorldMark by Wyndham, describes Steamboat by saying, “People can’t go there and pay less (to vacation) than they can with us.”

3. And again, location… location… location. Many of the timeshare sales at The Village at Steamboat have been initiated at Wyndham locations other the Steamboat property. Yet the simple fact that the resort has a primo property location where there is a high volume of visitors who are skiers, take ski vacations, and presently have the money to already be vacationing in Steamboat Springs—well, that’s clearly exposure to your target market.
4. Attention to customer service pays off. According to Folk, Wyndham timeshare management prepared for the recessionary economy by focusing its marking efforts on an affluent consumer—people whom they believed who have discretionary income to buy timeshare, even during tough times. To go with this approach, The Village at Steamboat ramped up its attention level on all the little details that make a big difference in the appeal and desirability of a timeshare resort, such as touching up the paint in each timeshare unit after every vacation usage.

Four simple details that add up to a big success story for Wyndham timeshare and The Villages at Steamboat.

Sunday’s edition of Steamboat Today reported on the excellent sales at The Village at Steamboat, Colorado timeshare condominiums being sold under the popular Wyndham brands.

Wyndham Vacation Ownership timeshare sold over 650 timeshare units at The Village at Steamboat during the first eight months of 2010. These sales total more than $45 million. In the month of July, the total number of real estate transactions in Routt County, where this Colorado timeshare is located, was 986, which includes all residential and commercial real estate transactions, not just timeshare sales. And of this total, 520 of the transactions were timeshare sales at The Village at Steamboat, timeshare condominiums sold under the brands WorldMark by Wyndham and Wyndham Vacation Resorts. In dollar volume, with an average sales price of $69,250, this one Wyndham timeshare resort accounted for 15 percent of Routt County, Colorado’s total real estate transactions during July 2010.

Where Do These Timeshare Buyers Come From?

While many of these timeshare sales originate with a timeshare tour at The Village at Steamboat, Ray Mason, vice president of sales in the mountain region for WorldMark by Wyndham, explains, “We have a huge distribution base. People visiting a sales center in, Las Vegas, Orlando, Hawaii, San Diego or San Francisco all have access to (Steamboat). It’s not all walking through that door. It’s distribution and price point. What you see a lot is people who upgrade and buy additional points.”

Whatever Wyndham timeshare is doing, it is clearly working. The company reported that its gross sales of timeshare and vacation ownership totaled $371 million for the second quarter of 2010, which is an increase of 13 percent over the second quarter of 2009.

Catch The Timeshare Authority on Thursday, September 16, when we will have more details about what makes The Village at Steamboat timeshare such a popular Wyndham timeshare destination.

Wyndham Worldwide, parent company of Wyndham Vacation Club (Wyndham timeshare), thinks conversion to US and Caribbean timeshares is a viable solution for an estimated 5000 unsold condos and hotel units. Wyndham Worldwide’s CEO Steve Holmes not only believes it is do-able but feels that it can be profitable and beneficial for Wyndham.

Currently in a recovery period, (like much of the timeshare industry) Wyndham expects to generate around $1.8 billion in revenue this year from timeshare sales, financing, and property management fees, according to an article by Brad Berton on Forbes.com.

But Wyndham’s conversion-to-timeshare plan, it seems, has a second-hand element to it—or maybe that’s third-hand. Rather than put up the equity of fifteen to forty percent typically required in converting thousands of condos to timeshare units, Wyndham plans to do so on a third-party basis. The company will not be assuming the risk of being principal developer in this massive effort.

Wyndham timeshare currently includes approximately 820,000 timeshare owners and some 20,000 timeshare units at more than 150 resorts.

And following up on other recent attention-getting news by Wyndham timeshare is the observation that the referee involved in the ball-tossing altercation with Wyndham Vacation Club CEO, Franz Hanning, was, as predicted, suspended for one game by the NBA for his role in the incident. See: Would You Play Ball With Wyndham Timeshare CEO Franz Hanning?

Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of Hyatt Miami at The Blue. “The Blue” of course, refers to Doral’s most famous golf course, The Big Blue Monster, the nearby deep blue water of the Atlantic Ocean, and the endless blue skies of Miami weather. The17-acre property is also conveniently near the Miami International Airport meaning that your Miami vacation begins almost as soon as you step off the plane.

The resort includes 15 three-story villas, each housing 16 hotel suites. The suites range from 700 square foot studios, to one-bedroom units, and two-story, three bedroom units which are just over 2000 square feet each. All of the units include a terrace with a golf view, fully equipped kitchens, and relaxing rain showers in the marble baths.

ING Clarion Development Ventures II owns the hotel and Davidson Hotel Company is the hotel’s operator. The resort will fly the Hyatt flag.

Chuck Floyd, chief operating officer, North America, Hyatt Hotels Corporation, says, “We are thrilled to add Hyatt Miami at The Blue to our robust portfolio of hotels in the Southeast. The location and quality of the hotel will no doubt appeal to both group and leisure travelers.”

Condo Hotel Ownership of Condotel Units at The Hyatt Miami at The Blue

The Hyatt Miami at The Blue will offer condo hotel residences. Owners of condo hotel units there will be eligible to participate in the Hyatt Vacation Club, with timeshare exchange at fifteen Hyatt Vacation and Residence Clubs or at any of the timeshare resorts within the Interval International timeshare exchange program, which includes over 2200 timeshares worldwide.

Officially (as of last week) the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club is ten years old. Originally just called the Ritz-Carlton Club, this brand stands for some of the best in fractional elegance and luxury vacation living in the timeshare vacation market today.

Member owners at Ritz-Carlton Destination Club enjoy fractional ownership through their Home Club membership and deeded, points-based Portfolio Membership. Fractional properties at the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club are typically from one to four-bedrooms, with a living area, a fully equipped kitchen, and luxurious bathrooms. Most units include a washer and dryer; LCD TV and DVD; a fireplace, and Wi-Fi or high-speed Internet access.

Destinations include some of the choice vacation locations in the world such as the brand’s first two resorts in Aspen Highlands, Colorado and St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands. Other popular Ritz-Carlton vacation ownership resorts are Jupiter, Florida; Bachelor Gulch, Colorado; San Francisco, California; and Abaco in The Bahamas along with the newest locations, Kapalua Bay in Maui, Hawaii, and the newest Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, which is scheduled to open in Lake Tahoe, California by the end of the year.

And here’s the best news of all – Yes, you can buy Ritz-Carlton fractionals (Ritz-Carlton timeshare) on the resale market!

• Ritz-Carlton Club Kapalua Bay
• Ritz-Carlton Club, Aspen Highlands
• Ritz-Carlton Club St. Thomas
• Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter

The 2009 Robb Report’s 21st annual “Best of the Best” issue calls the Ritz-Carlton Destination Club the top “Fractional” vacation home in the world.

And just as you follow @jasontremblay_ and @VacationHotDeal for your timeshare resale, timeshare rental, and timeshare owner news, you may want to also follow @RitzCarltonClub.

Earlier this week CanadianBusiness.com published an article on timeshares and timeshare resales, written by D G Southen. I wasn’t familiar with Southen’s writing before, but he sure captured my attention with an article entitled, “Confessions of a Timeshare Junkie.”

Southen blames the bad reputation that sometimes haunts timeshare sales on, “…the dubious ways they’re sold. Developers entice you to presentations with come-ons such as ski-lift tickets, cheap accommodation, even cash — and once you’re seated, the developer’s sales staff put the hard sell on you.”

Then he goes on to explain how he has avoided the heavy-handed developer sales approach, and at the same time, avoided paying too much for timeshare. He buys timeshare resales! As Southen explains, “Instead of paying thousands for the rights to spend a week once a year in a resort condo, I’ve paid as little as $150. I have an annual March Break reservation in Grand Cayman where I bought into a gorgeous 110 sq m (1,200 sq. ft.), two-storey unit with full eat-in kitchen, three full baths, two bedrooms and a full balcony overlooking the ocean. I paid less than $2,000 for it — and I can use it every year for the rest of my life.”

I’m quoting the author’s words exactly, because I simply could not explain the opportunities for timeshare ownership and fabulous vacations that timeshare resales affords, any better myself. Southen writes about attending a timeshare presentation and turning down the $8000 timeshare week offered at a ski resort, only to buy the same thing shortly thereafter as a timeshare resale for the ‘whopping’ price of $865.

Valuable Insights for Buying Timeshare Resales

What makes this author such an authority? He’s owned 20 timeshares, and he admits that sometimes he has made buying mistakes. So here’s a summary of this self-proclaimed timeshare junkie’s do’s and don’ts:

Buy at a resort where you want to vacation. Southen’s says it’s easier than buying elsewhere and trying to exchange timeshare for the location you prefer.

If your heart is set on timeshare exchange, buy timeshare at a resort that has properties in different parts of the country or different parts of the world. That way, you’ll be exchanging within a brand’s own network of timeshare resorts.

Shop around. While Southen suggests eBay, I suggest a timeshare advertising and marketing company, like Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Research maintenance fees. Timeshare maintenance fees that are too high will keep coming around to bite you, making your good deal not so good. Fees that are too low suggest a timeshare resort is not keeping up with repairs and necessary updates to the property.

And lastly, the author advises you to be patient about timeshare closings. Expect them to take at least three months.

To learn more about safe and economical ways to buy timeshare, read “Timeshare Resale Buyers FAQ,” from Sell My Timeshare NOW.

When you want to sell timeshare and you put your vacation property on the market as a timeshare resale, it may surprise you which features make it most attractive to people looking to buy timeshare. The rule is the same for timeshare real estate, as it is for residential homes, commercial property, and vacation housing: location-location-location.

Timeshare at highly sought vacation destinations is attractive to people interested in timeshare condo resales and vacation club memberships. But timeshare resales have one huge advantage over other types of real estate when it comes to the subject of location because so many timeshare resorts offer exchange privileges at other resorts, or through timeshare exchange memberships like Interval International and RCI timeshare. In fact, frequently, when people buy timeshare, they look for properties – not at the destination they want – but at a destination where they think other people will want to make a timeshare exchange.

The second factor that strongly affects salability of timeshare resales is the dates or time of the year you own. Many people who buy timeshare must plan their travel and vacation dates around school calendars. However, despite the fact that timeshare sales are increasing rapidly among younger buyers, the largest market for the purchase of timeshare weeks is still among Baby Boomers – the demographic that is the least likely to be concerned about school holiday schedules.

Of course, the features and amenities that your timeshare resort offers, also makes a big difference with attracting people to buy your timeshare resale. Beachside access always attracts buyers, as does a location near popular ski sites. But also attractive are what is known as “drive to” destinations, which may not be on the beach or near the slopes, but do offer the advantage of being geographically located within easy driving distances for large populations of people.

At the resort, it has long been the standard that location at a golf course or with golf access makes timeshare resales more desirable. But according to recent information released by M.I.C.E, (an acronym for MEETING – INCENTIVE – CONFERENCE – EXHIBITION , a professional organization for meeting and event planners) interest in tennis between the years 2000 and 2005 increased by more than 12 percent. According to the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association, tennis is experiencing the highest growth rate of the 114 traditional sports tracked in the United States. So if your timeshare resale offers tennis courts on property or nearby, be sure to make that point known to potential buyers. In these tighter economic times, the cost of playing tennis as compared to the cost of playing golf, is bound to be a consideration by some vacationers.

For more information about the easiest and most effective way to sell timeshare, visit the timeshare resales experts at Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Because St. Maarten is a popular vacation destination and the location of many wonderful timeshare resorts, air travel there continues to expand. Air service from the US already included American, US Air, Continental, and Delta but the additions of Spirit Airlines flying out of Fort Lauderdale and more recently, JetBlue from New York, gives timeshare owners and vacationers a lot more options in budget friendly airfares for getting to St. Maarten timeshare resorts.

St. Maarten (or Sint Maarten) and St. Martin are the French and the Dutch sides of one of the Caribbean’s most desirable vacation destinations. The two bordering governments co-exist in harmony and there are no checkpoints when crossing the borderlines, so when you vacation there you can swim on a Dutch-side beach in the morning and have lunch at a French-side café without even a trip through customs.

The island is less than 40 square miles in size, but because of the mountainous elevations, the island “lives large” with many villages built on hillside slopes. St. Maarten is considered part of the Netherlands Antilles, which also includes the islands of Bonaire and Curacao, and is just off the coast of Venezuela. The other two islands of the Netherlands Antilles are St. Eustatius and Saba, which are both close to St. Maarten.

One of the largest resorts in St. Maarten will be the new Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Residences in St. Maarten, where an adjacent Westin resort will provide condo owners the amenities of a hotel guest experience. Like other condotel or condo hotel developments, this should prove to be a win-win, where condo owners enjoy up to 28 days per year in their properties while receiving a percentage of the rates for the other days the condo unit is rented. At the same time, Westin can develop the property, relying on money from condo owners to greatly offset the funds the developer must secure in its mortgage.

With more St. Maarten timeshare resort and condo properties from which to choose and more ways for getting to the island, what’s stopping you from planning a St. Maarten timeshare resort vacation? The opportunities in timeshare resales in the Netherlands Antilles are huge, and Sell My Timeshare NOW is the perfect place to start planning your tropical island vacation.

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