The following article by Michael Freeman was published online by Freeline Media, April 12, 2012. Freeline Productions LLC, founded in 2008, expanded in 2010 to include the publication of the online magazine, Freeline Media, and covers local, regional, and state news of interest to the residents of Orlando and the Central Florida area. The following article is reprinted here with permission of Freeline Media. Follow this link to read the original article and to learn more about Freeline Media. 

Timeshare Resale Firm Experiences Solid Growth and Expands into Orlando

ORLANDO – Relocating from New Hampshire to Orlando was an easy sell for Jason Tremblay, but not just because it was a happy break from a state that still gets snow in April.

Instead, what he finds so appealing about living in the City Beautiful is the sense of optimism expressed by those in an industry that’s suffered some hard times, but now appears poised for a healthy rebound.

“Orlando is such a big hospitality town,” Tremblay said.  “At least half the time, if I walk into a restaurant for lunch or for dinner near my office, almost inevitably I’ll bump into someone I know and they work in the industry. There’s this spirit of optimism in Orlando. Even with all the gloom and doom in a lot of the media, when you talk to people who work in the industry, there’s a great deal of optimism. And it’s not that they’re delusional. They see this is a temporary thing we’re going through, and they know that people who do understand the industry, they love it. That’s significant. We still think the future is bright.”

Tremblay runs Timeshare Broker Services, which provides timeshare brokerage, Internet advertising and marketing solutions for timeshare owners or developers looking to sell or rent their unit. Although the firm’s corporate headquarters is in Dover, N.H., they grew so quickly that they opened offices in Orlando, a city that’s considered one of the prime locations for the timeshare industry worldwide.

Tremblay acknowledges the timeshare industry has experienced a couple of rocky years. “The industry as a whole peaked in 2007 and 2008,” he said. “Last year it was off significantly, almost 40 percent. It wasn’t because of a lack of demand, but a lack of financing. A lot of financing that has been available to developers to finance the consumers purchasing these timeshares, a lot of that financing dried up. The banks just froze. It wasn’t that the developers couldn’t have kept up the pace of sales, but they didn’t have the financial backing to do that. What I’m hearing is that is beginning to loosen up.”

The industry has also been hurt by a spate of negative publicity about timeshare resale scams – scam artists who target people trying to sell their timeshare, and offering to hook them up with a buyer as long as they first pay an up-front fee. The resale firm typically disappears once they get that fee.

“There has been a lot of fraud,” he said. “There’s a general lack of trust in the timeshare market. People think the resale market is all fraud, and that’s not the case. You just need to use some common sense. One question is, all of them do cold calling. If you own a timeshare and out of the blue you get a call and in that same phone call they’re asking for money, it’s just common sense – hang up. The other common thread is none of these companies have actual exposure to buyers.

“This industry is growing,” he added. “It is still splintered and fragmented. Be realistic about pricing. A timeshare is a used product. Just like if you bought a Cadillac eight years ago, you’re not going to get the same price for it today.”

But while the industry suffered some in recent years, Tremblay said it remains healthy and is likely getting stronger. In the past few years, he said, Timeshare Broker helped to facilitate thousands of for-sale-by-owner timeshare transactions –1,756 timeshare or fractional ownership sales in 2011 alone.

That growth enabled Timeshare Brokers to expand its new office space, which is at 8680 Commodity Circle in Orlando, which also houses the corporate headquarters of Island One Resorts.

“We opened the Orlando office mainly because we really wanted licensed real estate agents who also understood the timeshare product, and there is no other place on the planet that has as many experienced people as in Orlando,” he said. “I now live here in Orlando, and the area of our business that we focus on is our brokered business. We only charge a commission and get paid upon the successful sale of the timeshare.”

Tremblay started the business in 2003 in New Hampshire.

“It was an online business,” he said. “We launched the web site in 2003. I saw a real void with regards to people needing to sell their timeshare. There was no clear marketplace online, where people who wanted to sell and people who wanted to buy were connecting. In the early days for the Web site, we were purely a For Sale by Owner site. If you owned a site and wanted to sell or rent it out, you could list it. Individual owners could advertise their timeshares with us. About 2006, we saw that there was a real opportunity in not just providing that platform, but also brokering the transaction. The resale market is very splintered. We felt like there was a real opportunity there, and we didn’t charge anything until we actually sold the property. We felt there was definitely a market for that.”

Tremblay thinks there will always be a healthy market among the vacationing public for the timeshare industry, with the numerous perks and benefits it offers to families.

“With regard to Florida, I have so many friends and family who know that I’m in this business, and who come to Orlando,” Tremblay said. “If you’ve got kids, you go to Orlando. Many of these friends and family would come stay at a hotel online, and go to Expedia and find the best deal they can. But the experience of sharing a hotel with the kids means dinner is a pizza on the bed, and that is very different from staying in a timeshare villa where you can cook in the room and you have a full living room, and you have separate bedrooms for the kids. The on site amenities are far more than what you can find at a hotel. It’s just the difference in vacation experiences. It’s night and day. It’s almost like your own little village. There’s this stress factor that’s gone when you stay there.”
He also thinks the industry will make some changes in the next few years to reflect what customers want.

“I think the product is going to have to evolve,” Tremblay said. “When timeshare was first sold, it was sold as a fixed week at a fixed unit. It was a specific unit and a specific week. If your week was the first week of January every year, that’s when you went to that unit. Then it evolved into a floating product, and now it’s evolved into a points system, where rather than buying a week, you can build points that decide how many nights you can stay, and where you can go.

“The one flaw in the product,” he added, “is very often it’s sold as a deeded product. The challenge with that is going to Orlando every year can be great when your kids are 8 and 12, but when your kids are 30 and 34, you may not want to go there anymore. I think over time, rather than buying a deed in perpetuity, you’ll get 10 years of use rights. That gives you the rights over 10 years to use that product, and then you’re done, and maybe at the end of those 10 years you’ll want to renew — or walk away.”

To learn more about Timeshare Broker Services, call 603-833-3238. www.timesharebrokerservices.com 

Last month, Joshua Gans, a contributing author to Forbes Magazine wrote an article called, “Why Disney would like you to subscribe to vacations.”

On a recent Disney World vacation with his family, Gans agreed to attend a Disney Vacation Club sales presentation in return for free “Fast Passes.” Fast Passes are the Disney’s handy equivalent of Mickey holding your place in line and then letting you cut in front of others; they move you to the front of the queue, even on the most popular rides in the park.

As the article’s author admits, “It didn’t take me long to work out that that would save us a couple of hours in queuing. So I’d happily trade-off hearing a sales pitch on the Disney Vacation Club for that any day.”

However, as it turned out, what author Joshua Gans heard was far from what he expected. In his own words, “… Disney has set up an organized market … that allows you to vacation at some 200 possible locations (near as I can count) at any time of the year you want.”

Gans goes on to explain, “… the demonstration of the costs and benefits was crystal clear in the pitch and stood up to my probing questions. If you are the sort of person who pays full price for vacations, you can, indeed, save 70 percent on accommodation but probably only if being a Club member turns you into the person who would plan for vacations and take advantage of discounts. Instead, for us, I believed it would have saved us 50 percent on what we paid for this year. That means that the Disney Vacation Club would pay for itself in 7 to 9 visits. Although it also would save me the days of planning for a vacation and researching options. Once you bought it, there’d be no reason to stress over that anymore.”

If you have ever thought about buying vacation ownership, wanted to know more about Disney Vacation Club, or thought there is no way you would ever want to own timeshare, you should read this article.

Disney Vacation Club Timeshare

Gan has nothing to gain (except the Fast Passes he was getting anyway for attending the sales presentation) in sharing the benefits of becoming a Disney Vacation Club owner. And he isn’t reporting through rose colored glasses. He identifies potential negatives or downsides to owning Disney timeshare, yet reports on his finding of far more positives than negatives.

Author Joshua Gans is to be commended on writing “Why Disney would like you to subscribe to vacations.” It is  a candid and factual look at Disney timeshare. And in a time when many in the media seem to like the idea of piling on as timeshare critics, (whether their commentary is accurate or not) Forbes is exemplary for telling the truth about timeshares in this informative article.

Jason Tremblay, Jerome Bocquet, Kevin Curran, Frank LaRoche in front of Timeshare Broker Services' new Orlando offices.

Today Timeshare Broker Services and Sell My Timeshare NOW announce significant growth in timeshare brokerage. Although we facilitate thousands of by owner (FSBO) timeshare sales and rentals each year through our Sell My Timeshare NOW website, our timeshare brokerage services and assisted timeshare rentals are also seeing dramatic gains.

In fact, business has been so strong, and our growth pattern is so strong that we have expanded our Orlando Timeshare Broker Services office, moving into our new location at 8680 Commodity Circle, Orlando, FL 32819. This is a great location for us, situated just off the intersection of Sand Lake Road and John Young Parkway. It’s a spot many in the timeshare industry recognize, since it also houses the Corporate Headquarters of Island One Resorts®.

We’ve just about doubled our work area, which supports our continued growth and will make it easier for our team of licensed real estate agents and timeshare industry professionals to better serve the needs of timeshare buyers, renters, sellers and the timeshare industry.

You can read our full press release about our expansion here: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/Timeshare-Broker-Services-of-Florida-Announces-Brokerage-Growth-and-Office-Expansion-1636052.htm

If the beautiful beaches of the Gulf Coast of Florida aren’t calling to you these days, then perhaps it is only because your life is too caught up in the daily grind to hear the soft sounds of waves on the shore and wind in the palms.

Recently, Arthur Frommer announced that Sanibel Island, Florida is his favorite vacation destination in all the world. And we have to agree, whether you are planning a romantic getaway or a family reunion, there are few more beautiful and relaxing destinations on earth than a Sanibel Island timeshare.

The following article about Sanibel Island appeared in the vacation owners news letter for Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel. We are very appreciative to them for permitting us to share it with you. www.casaybelresort.com

We think that as you read this article you may begin to hear that relaxing sound– it’s the waves, the gulls, balmy breeze. And it might be worth planning a Sanibel Island timeshare vacation and bringing home a few seashells, just so any time you wanted to, you hold one of those shells up to your ear and, for a moment, recapture the magic.

Sanibel Stoop Shellers Seek Record

Shell seeking is so revered on shell-laden Sanibel Island, there’s a socially correct posture for carrying it out. It’s called the Sanibel Stoop. While the angles may vary, the body is generally bent from the waist to retrieve shell treasures with the posterior up in the air.

In promoting this year’s 75^th anniversary of the Sanibel Shell Show & Fair (the longest running event of its kind in the country), the Sanibel Community Association enlisted participants in a competition to beat the Guinness World Record for group shelling. To break the “largest treasure hunt” record set by 250 schoolchildren in Bucharest, Romania, over 251 participants were needed. But once the word was out and tee shirts promised to the first 500 attendees, over 800 showed up!

The group-stoop enlisted islanders and visitors for a short “treasure hunt” at Bowman’s Beach on Feb 17, followed by an aerial photo of the shell-bent crowd to secure aerial evidence with images of hovering hineys reaching to the sky. The photos and participant registrations have been submitted to Guinness World Record for consideration with a response expected in about two months.

Shell-mania has run wild on Sanibel since the early 1900s, when guests at Casa Ybel Resort and The Matthews (now the Island Inn) engaged in friendly competition. Long considered one of the most spectacular shelling beaches in the world, the island’s shallow water shoreline and occasional storms and cold fronts trigger prolongs winds that push shells onto the beach. Sanibel’s curved “upside-down boomerang shape” and west-to-east orientation also helps to act like a trap for the 300-350 shallow water shell species that can be found here.

By the way, the Sanibel Library offers more than 350 shell-related books for your reading and research convenience.

Sanibel Ranked #1 In World by Frommer

Arthur Frommer has ranked Sanibel Island as his #1 favorite travel destination in the world – beating places like Bali and Paris (ranked #2 and #3)!!! The travel guru is the mastermind behind Frommer’s guidebooks and budget travel magazine.

Sanibel has won much recognition over the years, but being the personal favorite of such a renowned travel expert is high praise. Frommer calls Sanibel an “idyllic haven of white-sand beaches, condos whose sea-front apartments are available for weekly rentals, excellent restaurants, good shopping.” He then singles out for special praise, J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, “visited by thousands of birds of every species, who bask in the sun after diving for fish and are one of the great natural sights of wildlife in America.”

We love Sanibel, not only for the reasons Arthur Frommer lists.

Photo credit: Lee County Visitor and Convention Bureau

Barely a week and a half into the month and already March has come roaring in like a lion for the timeshare industry. Here are actions and updates on what State lawmakers are doing across the country to improve timeshare ownership and strengthen the timeshare industry.

Hawaii Timeshare: On March 5, Senator Rosalyn H. Baker (Roz Baker) introduced Hawaii SB 2632 into the Hawaii legislature. The intent of the bill is to expedite the process of moving all timeshare interests into public records by automatically deregistering those timeshare interests that currently reside in Land Court. The bill passed its three assigned Senate committees and will now move to the Senate floor. It is scheduled to be heard by TOU (Committee on Tourism) today, Monday, 3-12-2012. (Read SB 2632)

Florida Timeshare: On March 9, the Florida Timeshare Resale Accountability Act, sponsored by Florida State Senator Andy Gardiner and Florida State Representative Eric Eisnaugle, and supported by Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, received final approvals and is now awaiting approval by Governor Rick Scott. This Bill provides greater consumer protection against fraudulent and deceptive business practices and is expected to have substantial influence on the guidelines lawmakers use regarding timeshare sales and timeshare resales in many other states. (Read CS/CS/CS HB 1001)

Virginia Timeshare: On March 6, Virginia HB 233 and HB 234 passed both Houses. HB 233 requires any reseller of a timeshare in Virginia to be registered with the Common Interest Community Board, making the timeshare reseller subject to the regulatory authority of the Board. The bill also requires timeshare resellers to make written disclosures to the timeshare buyer about the timeshare, along with other acknowledgments that must become part of the timeshare resale transaction. HB 234 specifically deals with timeshare resale by HOAs. (Read HB 233 and HB 234)

Arizona Timeshare: On March 7, Arizona HB 219, sponsored by Rep. Jim Weiers,  passed the Senate Commerce and Energy Committee and was approved by the Senate in a 5-0 vote. The bill permits permit timeshare developers to use an expedited filing process for amendments to their Arizona registrations; 15 business days for most amendments and 30 calendar days for adding six or more component sites. This bill was previously amended and passed the House on February 9. (Read HB 2195 and its accompanying clarifying amendment)

Utah Timeshare: On March 7, HB 191, the Utah Timeshare Act, was approved by both the Utah Senate and House and been sent to Governor Gary R. Herbert for his approval. The bill revises the outdated Utah Timeshare and Camp Resort Act, which was originally passed in 1987, but no longer reflects the state of the timeshare industry or address the products now offered. The bill will also improve protection for the personal information of timeshare owners. (Read HB 191)

ARDA and The ARDA-Resort Owners’ Coalition (ARDA-ROC) have been proactively involved in the development and advancement of these Bills. Learn more at:  ARDA Government Affairs

And to learn more about timeshare opportunities in these state go to: Hawaii timeshare; Florida timeshare; Virginia timeshare; Arizona timeshare and Utah timeshare.

Marriott Vacation Club has marked the structural completion of the final 19-story tower of its resort, Oceana Palms, located on Singer Island, Florida, with a topping out ceremony. This construction milestone makes way for the build-out of 78 more two-bedroom/two-bath timeshare villas, which will combine for a resort total 159 villas at this Florida timeshare.

Since its opening, the beachfront timeshare, has experienced, on average, a rate of ninety plus percent occupancy, which has generated the need for the second tower.

Lee Cunningham, Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation executive vice president and chief operating officer-North America and Caribbean, explains, “Our Oceana Palms resort is truly spectacular and offers a very appealing and unique high-rise, beachfront resort experience for our Owners and guests to enjoy. We’re very pleased with the progress on the second phase and upon completion look forward to welcoming more of our Owners to vacation at this beautiful resort and destination.”

When completed, the second phase of timeshare at Marriott’s Oceana Palms will offer amazing coastal views from 1,100 square foot villas. Décor will be Florida vibrant yet contemporary, a perfect complement to the Palm Beach lifestyle. Villa amenities will include fully equipped gourmet kitchens, living and dining areas, flat panel televisions with DVD players, as well as in-unit washers and dryers.

This second phase of build out at this Marriott timeshare is expected to be completed by early next year.

Related posts from The Timeshare Authority blog:

New Florida Timeshare Means 50 Marriott Timeshare Resorts Worldwide
Marriott Timeshare Makes Singer Island Resort Official
Marriott’s Ocean Pointe Timeshare, a HOT 100 List Florida Timeshare (this blog post offers an interesting look at the history of Singer Island, as founded by sewing machine magnate, Paris Singer.)

We all know why people vacation in Orlando. Theme parks, family fun, and plenty of sunshine make Orlando not only one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world today, but home to more timeshare resorts and more timeshare units than in any other place on the planet.

But this weekend, Orlando timeshare owners can be enjoying more than the mouse, a playful whale and lots of themed rides and attractions. February 26-27, 2012 brings a superfluity of sports fun and entertainment to the Orlando and Central Florida vacation destination area.

Here’s a sampling of what you could be enjoying if you owned Orlando timeshare and had scheduled this weekend to be there:

• Orlando, home to the NBA’s Orlando Magic is host to this year’s NBA All Stars Weekend, where basketball’s best from NBA legends to fast-rising rookies, come together for a weekend of activities, entertainment, and of course, some serious competition, including the Fan Jam, and multiple open practice sessions.

• Disney’s Princess Half Marathon Weekend Run which includes the Disney Tangled Royal Family 5K and the Disney Royal Family Kids’ Races, all hosted at ESPN’s Wideworld of Sports and other Disney properties.

• Shaquille O’ Neal’s All-Star Comedy Weekend means plenty of laughs at the Hard Rock Live Orlando.

• Offering more than fun and games, Rollins College hosts the 77th Annual Bach Festival while the  Bob Carr Performing Arts Centre features Stravinsky’s “The Rite of Spring” and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 “Pastorale”.

• ArtsFest 2012 is a month-long celebration featuring more than 300 free arts and cultural events in 87 locations throughout Central Florida.

• And in nearby Daytona, this weekend marks the Daytona 500, when 43 of the top drivers in the world compete in “The Great American Race,” NASCAR’s biggest, richest and most prestigious motorsports event.

The best thing about an Orlando timeshare vacation is that this list taps into only a sampling of what the area has to offer, making it an ideal vacation destination you will want to return to again and again.

One of the best resources for trip planning and staying on top of what’s upcoming in Central Florida is VisitOrlando.com. And your best resource for the hottest deals on Orlando timeshare resales and Orlando timeshare rentals is always Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services.

(The Crescent Resort on South Beach in Miami, Island One Resorts)

Island One Resorts timeshare, an Orlando, Florida-based resort developer, has selected Orange Enterprise Suite from SPI Software.

Island One Resorts CEO Sterling Stoudenmire says, “We selected SPI as best-in-class to handle all aspects of existing operations including sales and marketing, central reservations, PMS, resort operations, and web-based access to reservations and account management for our owners. We believe SPI Orange is the platform to support our forthcoming products and services, as it has the flexibility and full range of functionality required to enable our strategy. It was very important to us to purchase enterprise-wide software designed specifically for timeshare resorts, but with the flexibility necessary to drive continuing innovation.”

Island One Resorts operates Club Navigo and manages eight Florida timeshare resorts including:

Miami Timeshare

The Crescent Resort on South Beach

Orlando Timeshare

Barefoot’n Resort

Bryan’s Spanish Cove

Liki Tiki Village

Orbit One Vacation Villas

Parkway International Resort

Ormond Beach Timeshare

The Cove on Ormond Beach

Naples Timeshare

Charter Club Resort of Naples Bay

Matt Brosious, SPI VP of Sales, says, “Island One includes eight resorts throughout Florida, plus relationships with a number of other developments outside the area. SPI’s enterprise suite of software was the clear choice in that it is capable of handling multiple demands and is highly extensible.”

Publicist and writer Marge Lennon and her company Lennon Communications have been honored by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) for the production of the SandScript newsletter for the Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island, Florida. Selected as a finalist in the Printed Newsletter category, Lennon Communications’ SandScript newsletter was chosen from a field of international entries.

The six-page SandScript newsletter is printed and direct mailed to the owners at the Casa Ybel Resort. Collectively, these 2,500 timeshare owners own approximately 4,000 traditional unit weeks at the resort. Some of the owners represent three and even four generations of family members who have enjoyed the tradition of Casa Ybel Resort vacations.

In the high-stakes environment of business-to-consumer communications, relationships between companies and their marketing or public relations partners are often fragile and short term. Yet Marge and the creative team at Lennon Communications have successfully designed, written, and produced the Casa Ybel Resort newsletter for a remarkable, quarter of a century. Three times yearly, Marge & Co have turned out an informational product that owners at the resort say they often pass on to other family members or save as a keepsake from the resort that has helped inspire so many of their happy vacation memories.

Marge Lennon, Respected Throughout the Timeshare Industry

If you are part of the timeshare industry, you know Marge. You’ve seen her at all the meetings and conventions (and applauded her on the dance floor) and you’ve read the articles and media releases she writes to support and promote her clients. Marge’s work authoring and producing SandScript is only a small piece of her history and legacy that includes work for many, if not most, of the biggest names in vacation ownership and branded hospitality resorts.

On April 4, at the ARDA 2012 Convention’s Black Tie Gala, the top award winner in Marge’s category will be announced. Congratulations Marge; regardless of the final tally, your many clients, friends, peers, and fans in timeshare, already know you are a winner!

Other Timeshare Authority blog news about Lennon Communications:

Sell My Timeshare NOW and Lennon Communications Team Up

To learn more about Lennon Communications, go to: Lennon Communications Group

Florida International University has announced that its hospitality school has been named the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, in honor of Harvey R. Chaplin and the Chaplain family. (See: http://hospitality.fiu.edu/)

Harvey R. Chaplin is the chair and CEO of Southern Wine & Spirits of America, a company known by many for hosting the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets. Included at FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management  is the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center, a 4,500 square-foot facility, built in 1999, that affords the latest technology for beverage tasting and analysis. The Center serves the needs of both FIU students and industry professionals including winemakers and distillers.

The Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management provides top rated learning opportunities for students pursuing careers in the hotel, timeshare, and food service industries, and all aspects of tourism. FIU’s School of Hospitality and Tourism is particularly distinguished by its campus locations, expert faculty, and fast-track career advantages in the international areas of the tourism industry. The Marriott Tianjin China Program, established in 2006, is FIU’s largest international program, with a capacity for up to 2,000 students.

FIU is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools(SACS). The Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management offers a number of Bachelors and Masters degree programs as well as non-degree certifications.