Perspective Magazine has announced it has opened online voting to timeshare and fractional industry professionals for its 2012 awards. You can cast your vote by going to http://perspectivemagazine.com as a registered site member and then clicking on the Awards icon to begin the process.

The Perspective Magazine Awards Program is sponsored by Holiday Systems International and allows thousands from the timeshare industry to vote for these awards. The unique system totals the results of the industry peer votes into one wildcard vote, which is then considered along with the votes of four timeshare and fractional industry judges, with each of the five votes accounting for equal weight (20 percent) in the decision process.

This year’s awards categories include “Best Timeshare Unit” and “Best Fractional Resort” among others. The category of “Best Developer Partner” has been expanded to include nominees from companies with more than 50 employees and also timeshare companies with less than 50 employees.

Voting ends January 27, 2012. Award winners will be announced at the Gala dinner at the Hacienda Tres Rios Resort on February 2, 2012. This a part of the January 31 – February 2, 2012 GNEX 2012 Global Event being held at the Ritz Carlton Cancun in Cancun, Mexico. Sell My Timeshare NOW will be the Lunch sponsor during Day Two of GNEX 2012

This past week, Walt Disney World Orlando, Florida, officially broke ground on its new partnership property Four Seasons Hotel and Resort.

Planned as a 444 room hotel, the upscale resort will feature a rooftop restaurant, spacious spa, three pools and a lazy river, and meeting and event areas. When complete, it will include 40 Four Seasons Residence Club units and approximately 90 Four Seasons Private Residences.

This is the first Four Seasons Resort to be built in Orlando and the first partnership project between the Walt Disney Company and Four Seasons.

Four Seasons President and Chief Executive Officer Kathleen Taylor issued a statement, saying, “Each of us is dedicated to creating a product of the highest quality and standards, something that will become a landmark here in Orlando and a destination unto itself for travelers from all over the world.”

Meg Crofton, president Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Operations US & France says, “Travelers around the world know and trust Four Seasons, and Walt Disney World is the world’s premiere family vacation destination. Together, our two companies offer a brand-new reason to visit and experience Central Florida.”

Scheduled to open in 2012, the new Disney Four Seasons Hotel and Resort is part of Disney World’s high-end Golden Oak residential subdivision.

The Annual Fractional Interest Conference, sponsored each year by Ragatz Associates, is widening  its outreach this year.

The 2012 conference, scheduled for March 12-13 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, will again focus on fractionals, private residence clubs, and destination clubs, but will now also look at issues of resort condominiums, single-family detached vacation homes, master-planned destination resort communities and vacation rentals. Reflecting this broader scope, this, the 12^th annual event, is being renamed: the Ragatz Fractional & Resort Real Estate Conference.

Richard Ragatz, Ph.D., President of Ragatz Associates, says, “During our global consulting work, we find that developers are active in more than a single resort real estate product. Today, more than ever, it is critical to understand how many components can blend together to create developments that are most appealing to today’s multi-motivated consumers.”

Look for the 2012 Ragatz Conference to include sessions on:

• consumer trends
• changes in decision-making patterns
• which resort real estate products make most sense to various buyers
• marketing and selling to today’s consumers
• consumer use patterns and purchase motivations
• and many other topics of vital interest to the changing vacation and resort real estate marketplace

More than 50 speakers are scheduled, including some 25 new experts at the conference presentations. You can learn more at: www.ragatzconference.com

What will you (or did you) do for your 50th birthday?

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have made a commitment to plant 10 million trees worldwide in recognition of the company’s 50th birthday.

According to Kathleen Taylor, Four Seasons president and CEO, trees symbolically represent longevity, growth, and life, all of which are reflected in the iconic Four Seasons logo. She sees the Four Seasons 50th birthday pledge to plant 10 Million Trees worldwide as a commitment that “will have a lasting and positive impact for generations to come.”

Four Seasons Resorts are Global and Distinctive

The types of trees planted as part of the initiative have varied greatly from one Four Seasons resort location to another. For example, the Four Seasons Resort Hualalai at Historic Ka‘upulehu on Hawaii Island has partnered with Hawaiian Legacy Hardwoods to plant up to 500,000 “legacy” koa trees. These trees will never be harvested and will live and grow on 2700 acres of sustainable forest that was once home to the koa forest of King Kamehameha I.

Employees from the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui planted coconut trees at their resort. At the Regent Singapore, Four seasons employees planted a golden rain tree, while employees at Four Seasons Hotel Riyadh planted a tree in the Thumama Desert. So far, over 35,000 Four Seasons employees in 34 countries have participated to help meet this goal.

Why Trees Matter at Our Timeshare Resorts, Fractionals, and in Our Lives

Four Seasons recognizes that beyond their beauty, and services as a home and habitat to birds and wildlife, trees are critical to our environment.

Research from Trees Ontario helps show us how very important trees are:

• Trees act as a “carbon sink,” removing the carbon from our environment, storing it as cellulose in their trunk, branches, leaves and roots, and releasing oxygen back into the air.
• Every year, an acre of trees has the capacity to absorb 2.6 tons of carbon dioxide, which is roughly the same amount that a car produces when driven 26,000 miles.
• Shade from trees reduces air conditioning use by up to 30 percent when trees are planted near homes and buildings.

As co-habitants of Planet Earth, maintaining and restoring our environment is a responsibility we all share. Thank you, Four Seasons Resorts for 10 million trees returned to our environment.

To learn more about Four Seasons 10 Million Trees Initiative, visit: http://livingvalues.fourseasons.com/2011/04/18/10milliontrees/

And to learn more about enjoying great vacations and spa holidays at a Four Seasons Resort or Four Seasons Fractional, visit these links:

• Four Seasons Residence Club Aviara
• Four Seasons Punta Mita Villas
• Four Seasons Residence Club Scottsdale At Troon North
• Four Seasons Residence Club Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo

Much that is positive, exciting, and invigorating for the timeshare industry has been discussed these last two days at the VOIC Shared Ownership Investment Conference in Orlando, Florida, which is hosted by Interval International. And frank talk has gone on about all the challenges of the industry, the economy, and the ways (both good and bad) that the industry has engaged with consumers in the past.

But some of the most interesting insights about timeshare and fractionals comes from a simple look at the numbers. Very often in business, the numbers speak louder than the words.

Here is a look at some recent research about Interval International member/owners:

• US resident members of II own approximately 1.9 weeks of shared ownership vacation time or its equivalent and travel an estimated 22 nights per year solely for leisure purposes.
• They report household income of approximately $121,175 per year.
• Twenty percent expect to buy additional vacation time in the future.
• Timeshare owners are attracted to warm-weather locations (Florida, California, Hawaii, Arizona, South Carolina timeshares and Caribbean timeshares) and family-style accommodations.
• Most are interested in, or have a preference for, two-bedroom timeshare units. Just under ten percent prefer three-bedroom timeshares.

And this may be the most industry-relevant factor of all: 83 percent of Interval International’s US members say they are satisfied with their timeshare ownership.

As David Gilbert, Interval International, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing, says, “Even in challenging economic times, it is very encouraging to see that the appeal of vacation ownership remains strong among our members.”

The theme of this year’s Shared Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC) on timeshare and fractionals is: “A New Perspective.” Well underway today at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida, one of today’s highlights will be the 12:30 PM to 2:15 PM, luncheon speaker, Peter C. Yesawich, Ph.D.

At our luncheon, noted marketing strategist and trend-spotter Peter Yesawich will speak on: Why and how do people decide to vacation? He will share findings from his agency’s 2011 Portrait of American Travelers ™ and will look at how leisure travelers plan and purchase their vacations, and share information with others. His presentation will include a focus on affluent travelers.

Besides many great opportunities for networking, learning and sharing, some of the other topics that will be covered today in sessions include:

• Capital Markets; a firsthand look at today’s capital markets. Learn how projects are getting off the ground and how partnering with an established timeshare company can impact funding. Discover the critical components that prepare a project for lender review.
• Fractionals and Private Residence Clubs; See how these properties differ from traditional timeshare. Learn from those who have been successful in this segment. Discover what elements must be included, techniques to control costs, and how to maximize the bottom line.
• Emerging Opportunities in Latin America and the Caribbean; Find out where shared ownership has quickly become a hospitality mainstay in the region. See what’s driving growth, who are the consumers, and if it is complementary to hotel and resort development.
• Timeshare and Fractional Finance; Walk through the cash-flow process and explore the similarities and differences between these two sectors. Learn how development can be structured to limit financing needs and more.
• Timeshare 101; Learn the basics of timeshare ownership and understand the nature of prepaid vacations and their appeal to consumers. Topics include tactics for profitability, cost-effective sales and marketing techniques, and new trends in finance.
• Fractional 101; Aimed at the affluent market, fractional resorts have proven  an appealing alternative to second-home whole ownership. Usually sold in increments of two weeks or more, fractional resorts typically feature larger and more luxurious units, with high-end furnishings and upscale amenities. Design and programmatic elements differ from those of traditional timeshare.

The 13th Annual VOIC Conference is proving to be a great learning and regrouping opportunity in the vacation ownership industry with much more still ahead.

Today begins the VOIC regional conference in Orlando, Florida at the Peabody Hotel.

VOIC (Vacation Ownership Investment Conference) is hosted by Interval International and targets:

• Timeshare resort developers
• Developer looking to become involved in shared ownership products
• Lenders and those who want to network with lenders
• Those already in the timeshare industry who are looking for capital, new development ideas and opportunities
• Everyone who wants to learn about the latest trends in shared ownership and vacation ownership

This is the 13^th Annual VOIC Conference. Every year the event attracts timeshare resort developers, timeshare and fractional executives, condominium developer, hoteliers, hospitality investors, lenders, investment bankers, shared ownership consultants, builders, architects, designers, law firms, media and government tourism officials affiliated with or interested in the opportunities of shared ownership. It affords a time of idea exchange, networking, and learning for all who participate.

Timeshare Conference Schedule

The conference starts this afternoon with the opening delivered by David C. Gilbert, Executive Vice President, Resort Sales and Marketing, Americas, Interval International.

At 2:00, Industry experts, including representatives of STR and ARDA, the American Resort Development Association, will present a snapshot of today’s shared ownership and lodging markets in the State of the Industry Presentation.

This link will take you to the informational flyer for the event, for a full schedule of activities: https://www.regonline.com/custImages/239071/Mailer2-Domestic.pdf

For more on the conference, check The Timeshare Authority blog this week and be sure to follow @JasonTremblay_ on Twitter.

VOIC Conference for Timeshare

Sell My Timeshare NOW not only rents and resales timeshare, we resell the longer-term vacation property known as Fractionals.

It is not a market we started out purposefully to be in, but we found our company, advertising and marketing more and more fractionals for owners who wanted a way to resell their fractional ownership vacation home. Soon we found that our “accidental” business, was a strong and successful niche and that we were able to help more and more fractional owners sell their property on the secondary market.

Fractionals are an exciting part of the vacation and real estate markets. And they are a business about which we have become very purpose driven.

Fractional Summit USA 2011

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at the Fractional Summit USA 2011, in Miami, Florida. I am sharing with you my presentation, in case you wondered, as the presentation points out, “What’s a timeshare resale guy doing at a fractional conference?”

Please view this presentation to learn more about why the fractional industry needs a plan and how Sell My Timeshare NOW is perfectly positioned to help with that plan.

On Tuesday, August 30, at the Fractional Summit USA, held in Miami, Florida, Sell My Timeshare NOW was pleased to sponsor the evening’s Tikki Beach Boat Cruise.

The Tikki Beach is a floating party boat that allowed Fractional Summit USA attendees to cruise along the Miami coastline, relax, interact, forge new business relationships, and enjoys a party atmosphere. The unique boat accommodates 150 guests and includes two large bars, a DJ booth, cabana beds, a dance floor, seating for over 100, cabana beds, palm trees, along with faux grass and real sand.

We embarked on our cruise around 7PM. Attire for the evening was “Your best tropical wear,” which mean we all looked cruise-ready.

Fractional Summit USA event manager Tracey Carter explained, “We are always looking for value-added experiences to make our conferences special, and to ensure our delegates remember them.”

In general, the Tikki Beach Cruises offered a great way for people to relax, get to know each other better, and for fractional and timeshare real estate professionals to make new contacts and build new relationships.

After all, work doesn’t always have to feel like, “work,” does it?

Special Monday Afternoon edition of The Timeshare Authority Blog

For anyone considering attending the Fractional Summit USA 2011 in Miami this week, don’t let Hurricane Irene’s disruption interfere with your plans!

The event organizers have announced that they will make tickets to the Fractional Summit USA available at the door at no extra cost. Your registration can be as simple as emailing info@fractionalsummitusa.com to let them know you’re planning to attend.

Make the trip; lack of preplanning doesn’t have to stop you from being part of the informational sessions and powerful networking opportunities that are inherent in the Fractional Summit USA.

Miami was unaffected by Hurricane Irene. I am headed there myself, and I invite you to join in; this is a fractional and timeshare industry event you do not want to miss. But you have to act now because the conference gets started tomorrow, Tuesday, August 30 and runs through Wednesday, August 31 at the InterContinental Hotel in downtown Miami.

Follow this link for full conference information about the Fractional Summit USA

Countries that will have delegate representation at the Fractional Summit USA include: Brazil, Costa Rica, Turks & Caicos, St Lucia, Mexico, Barbados, Bahamas, Bermuda, United States, Europe and more.What about you??

Be part of the Fractional Summit USA 2011!