With Signature Sponsors committed for the 2012 ARDA World Convention, excitement for the event continues to grow. Already over 3,000 attendees from some 35 countries worldwide are scheduled to attend, including international development organizations from around the world.

This year’s Signature Sponsors include: Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Interval International, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Hilton Grand Vacations Company, Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corp., Capital One, HSI (Holiday Systems International), ICE, RCI, ResortCom International, TimeShareWare, and Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO says, “We are grateful for the support we receive from our Signature Sponsors. These companies enable us to offer high-quality speakers and events, educational sessions, and networking opportunities at the largest timeshare event in the world.”

Scheduled for the Venetian Resort Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, April 1-5, the 2012 ARDA World Convention and Exposition will bring a new, more globally focused outreach to the timeshare, fractional, and vacation ownership industry’s signature conference.

The schedule will feature several events that have become a tradition at the annual ARDA Conference, including:

• The RCI/AIF Open Golf Tournament at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, featuring the longest course in Nevada.
• Interval International’s annual “Party with a Cause” from which all ticket proceeds benefit the ARDA International Foundation, supporting and promoting the industry with research, education, and outreach.
• The ARDA Awards Gala, sponsored by Holiday Systems International (HSI), with formal dinner, presentation of the annual ARDA Awards, and live entertainment by comedian Tom Papa.

Visit this link to learn more about the 2012 ARDA World Convention and Exposition.

Each month for the past three months, ARDA, through its Vacation Better website has turned the spotlight on the most powerful message the timeshare industry can share: the testimonial of happy owners.

The timeshare owner spotlight for November focused on happy Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare owners, while in December it was turned to shine on timeshare owners at Hilton Grand Vacations. Now, the New Year begins with the focus on Wyndham Vacation Ownership, where as one Wyndham owner says, “We have never regretted a single minute of it; it has been the best investment we’ve made in our lives, to spend time with each other.”

Included on the Vacation Better website is another great story of a happy Wyndham timeshare owner who spent this past Thanksgiving, with 38 family members at Wyndham’s beautiful Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando. Be sure you visit the site (www.vacationbetter.org) to find out how a timeshare turned out to be the ideal choice for one family’s holiday-family reunion combo event. You’ll even find their  Thanksgiving menu and one of the family newsletters this Wyndham timeshare owner created when they started making their plans last July.

The bottom line is this: Nobody explains why timeshares are such an ideal way to vacation better than the owners themselves who love and enjoy their timeshare vacation ownership.

Previous Vacation Better Videos from Happy Timeshare Owners:

VacationBetter.Org Unveils New Look for Timeshare Vacations Website

Raging Fans and the Truth about Timeshare

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) created its VacationBetter.org website for the purpose of providing information about timeshare and vacation ownership, the value of vacationing in general and insights on why a timeshare vacation is so appealing to the world’s 8 million timeshare owners. Among the many effective ways VacationBetter.org accomplishes these objectives is to turn the messaging over to timeshare owners themselves.

This month, in VacationBetter.org’s timeshare owners spotlight, you’ll find Ohioans, Bill and Phyllis Hopkins, sharing their enthusiasm for their membership in Hilton Grand Vacations Club. As the Hopkins’ explain, for them, “…membership resolved the potential “beach house dilemma” of vacationing in the same place year after year. Our passion, after all, was to explore new places and discover new cultures.”

Peer-to-Peer Reviews, Raging Fans, and the Timeshare Story

The travel industry overall has already discovered that peer-to-peer reviews of accommodations, transportation, restaurants, and other travel related goods and services is a powerful communication and marketing tool.

And while the timeshare industry explores new and effective ways to share the truth about timeshares, we may find that the most powerful communication about timeshare is delivered by the owners who use and love the product.

We encourage you to visit www.vacationbetter.org and read the Hopkins’s story along with stories from other timeshare owners. And take 4 minutes and watch the video below … you will never look at timeshare in the same way again.

Learn more about the opportunities of Hilton Grand Vacations Club timeshare resales and timeshare rentals.

Once intended to be Westgate Resorts timeshare’s most extravagant venue, PH Towers Westgate at Planet Hollywood is now under the controlling interest of Resort Finance America LLC.

The 1201 timeshare-unit property opened in late 2009, at what was perhaps the timeshare industry’s most uncertain point in the current US economic recession/depression.

Westgate Resorts CEO David Siegel has reiterated in recent days the same message he has delivered throughout the past two years, that the recession has hurt his timeshare company because banks have been so reluctant to loan money.

Changes Planned for this Las Vegas Timeshare Resort

Resort Finance America has set Hilton Grand Vacations (Hilton Timeshare) to become the new brand for the PH Towers Westgate at Planet Hollywood. Lantern Asset Management of Dallas will provide management services while Hilton timeshare will provide the timeshare sales and marketing services.

Rebranding of this Las Vegas timeshare as a Hilton timeshare, means Hilton Grand Vacations will now have four Las Vegas timeshare resorts, including the:

Hilton Grand Vacations at the Flamingo

Hilton Grand Vacations Las Vegas Hilton

Hilton Grand Vacations Las Vegas Strip

Be sure to read The Timeshare Authority blog on Monday, November 28, 2011, when we will look at the changing dynamic at Westgate Resorts.

Tucker Carlson, speaking at ARDA Fall Conference

The final day of the ARDA Fall timeshare conference is highlighted by the Chairman’s League Breakfast Keynote Speaker, Tucker Carlson.

Tucker Carlson is a contributor to FOX News, the editor-in-chief of the Daily Caller news site and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute. Known internationally as a witty and acerbic commentator,  Carlson will take an irreverent but insightful  look at Washington, the divided Congress, President Barack Obama’s administration and the upcoming 2012 elections.

Fans of Carlson know him from hosting varying network news and news-talk shows including CNN’s Crossfire, and several shows on MSNBC and PBS.

As an excellent ARDA Fall Conference winds to a close today, Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services would like to thank the event sponsors and supporters,  including:

ARDA-ROC, RCI, Interval International, Trooval, Wells Fargo, Ballard Spahr LLP, Chicago Title, First American Title, CustomerCount, Kees Vacation Rentals, Preston Arza LLP, TimeShareWare, The Trades Publishing Company, Vacation Storebuilder, American Express, Diamond Resorts International, Equiant Financial Services, Hilton Grand Vacations, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, HSI (Holiday Systems International), ICE Enterprise, Interval International, RCI, ResortCom International, Starwood Vacation Ownership, TimeShareWare, and Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

The American Resort Development Association of Hawaii (ARDA-Hawaii) has launched if first annual Timeshare with Aloha Awards.

Seeking to find the most outstanding Hawaii timeshare and resort industry employee from each of the islands of Hawaii, Kauai, Maui and Oahu, ARDA-Hawaii is accepting nominees now through October 31, 2011.

The goal of this contest is to find those Hawaii timeshare employees who exemplify service and excellence as part of the thriving Hawaii timeshare industry. Candidates will be judged on their dedication in the workplace, relationship with coworkers, extraordinary customer service, and community volunteerism.

ARDA-Hawaii Chair Daniel Dinell, Regional Vice President of Sales & Marketing Programs at Hilton Grand Vacations, explains, “We want to recognize those who make Hawaii such a special place to visit, beyond what we have to offer in terms of sand, sun and surf. By truly embodying and living the aloha spirit in what they do each day, contenders for the Timeshare with Aloha Award create an unforgettable experience for visitors to our islands.”

There is no application fee to nominate a Hawaii timeshare  industry employee and nominations may be made either by companies or by individuals. A narrative of fewer than 250 words should accompany each nomination application, explaining why this nominee should be considered.

Nomination forms are available at http://www.arda.org/alohaawards or by contacting timeshare@brightlightmarketing.com.

Each of the winners will receive a two-night stay at a Hawaii timeshare resort and $1,000 in cash.

ARDA-Hawaii

If only you had been at your Waikiki Beach timeshare last week, you could have joined the Hawaii Five-O season premier party on Sunset Beach. You would already know what is going on with Wo Fat killing the Governor and framing McGarrett for it. Instead, you will have to wait until this Monday night, and watch CBS for the season premier episode along with the rest of the show’s fans.

But this winter, instead of watching McGarrett, Danno, and Kono in the warm Hawaiian sunshine while you shiver in your sweatshirt and the snow piles up outside, why not get in on some of that fun with your own Hawaii timeshare vacation? Go, enjoy the sun and the sand as well as all that Waikiki is known for, like the surfing at Diamond Head, the Honolulu Zoo and the Waikiki Aquarium. Take in the sights at nearby Pearl Harbor and the Iolani Palace.

Although once considered the recreational playground for Hawaiian royalty, today Waikiki is the most popular hotel, timeshare and resort area on the island of Ohau. And you could be vacationing there instead of just watching it on TV.

Here are only a few of the choices you have for a Waikiki Hawaii timeshare resale or rental vacation. Why not explore them now, pick the one that appeals to you most and then tell the timeshare resale and rental specialists at Sell My Timeshare NOW to: “Book ‘em Danno!”

• Sweetwater at Waikiki timeshare
• Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai Shell
• The Wyland Waikiki timeshare
• Wyndham at Waikiki Beach Walk timeshare
• Wyndham Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach
• Wyndham Royal Garden at Waikiki timeshare
• Ohana Islander Waikiki timeshare
• Outrigger Luana Waikiki timeshare
• Hawaiian Sun Holidays at the Waikiki Banyan timeshare
• Hilton Grand Waikikian
• Legacy Vacation Club Waikiki
• Royal Aloha Waikiki Aloha Sky Towers

Here is a list of various updates and information available at this time:

Timeshare and Hotel News

Coastal North Carolina timeshares with updated information include:

A Place at the Beach resort in Atlantic Beach, which is open to owners and guests. Contact them at (252) 247-0906.

Barrier Island Station-Duck and Ocean Pines resorts remain closed to owners and guests at this time. The staff is onsite assessing the properties and making any necessary repairs. These resorts both anticipate being open for check-ins by Wednesday, August 31 at noon. Call the SPM Resorts corporate office with any questions at (843) 238-5000.

Outer Banks Beach Clubs I & II are still cleaning up from the storm. The resort hopes to be back up and running by Tuesday, August 30 at noon. The power and phone lines are out at the main office, so if you have any questions, please call the SPM Resorts corporate office at (843) 238-5000.

The Ocean Club on Smuggler’s Beach is open to owners and guests. Should you have any questions regarding this resort, contact them at (508) 398-6955.

In New York City, most guests or timeshare owners at West 57th Street by Hilton Club and The Hilton Club left the city prior to Hurricane Irene reaching the area. Hilton Vacation Club is instructing club members with upcoming August reservations to contact a Club Counselor if they need to arrange cancellation details.

Marriott Hotels and Marriott Vacation Club International announced that its properties along the Eastern Seaboard prepared for the storm, except in areas where evacuation was ordered, in which case, Marriott complied. Marriott posted notice on its website stating that generally, cancellation fees were being waived “for guests holding confirmed reservations at the hotels that are or will be affected by the storm. However, hotels reserve the right to make this decision on a case-by-case basis.”

Travel News

AirTran, American, Continental, US Airways, United, Delta, JetBlue, and Southwest have suspended ticket-change fees for passengers scheduled to fly to or from many cities along the East Coast over the weekend and early next week.

If your travel plans involve any form of public transportation, use of ferries, bridges, toll roads, tunnels, etc. along the eastern seaboard and south into Virginia and North Carolina, assume you should call first to confirm that the systems are operable and travel routes are open.

Above all else … remember to call ahead before you travel and be patient with the weary individuals on the other end of the line, knowing they are likely serving many callers and answering endless numbers of questions.

In a joint venture project between Marriott’s Courtyard and Residence Inn brands, Marriott has announced plans to build New York City’s tallest standalone hotel.

To be located at 1717 Broadway at 54th Street, the hotel will be over 752 feet tall and will become the tallest standalone hotel building (meaning a hotel that does not also contain office or residential space) in New York City. The building is planned to include only Marriott accommodations and amenities, restaurants and shopping.

The property does not call for any Marriott Vacation Club timeshares, a separate company under the Marriott brand. It will include some 378 Courtyard by Marriott hotel rooms on floors 6 through 32 and another 261 Residence Inn by Marriott suites on floors 36 through 64. Additionally there will be floors designated to amenities such as exercise areas, lounges and business centers for each of the two Marriott brands.

New York City Timeshare

Competitive properties for both overnight and extended stays in New York City include urban timeshare at the Manhattan Club, Hilton Club New York, and the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, West 57^th Street.

Currently the new Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn Manhattan/Central Park is scheduled to open late in 2013.

ARDA Hawaii, (American Resort Development Association) has awarded two Maui students Steve Hirano Memorial Scholarship Awards of $1,000 each. Bronson Maulupe-Kanae and Chassidy Sakamoto are both Travel Industry Management students at Hawaii Pacific University.

Daniel Dinell, Regional Vice President of Sales & Marketing Programs for Hilton Grand Vacations Club’s Asia/Pacific region and ARDA Hawaii Chair, said, “Bronson and Chassidy exemplify the kind of driven and ardent students and young professionals Hawaii needs in timeshare and travel industry management. The generosity of the donors and sponsors who support the scholarship fund make it possible for us to continue helping students pursuing careers in our state’s most prominent industry.”

Each year ARDA Hawaii raises money for the scholarships through its annual golf tournament, which helps underwrite the Steve Hirano Memorial Scholarship fund. Hirano was a long-time supporter of the Hawaii timeshare industry. Over the past 7 years, the program has raised more than $70,000 for the scholarship fund.

About the Student Winners of the ARDA Timeshare Association Scholarship

To be considered for this scholarship award, student must be enrolled as fulltime students at the TIM (Travel Industry Management) program at HPU; be either a Junior or Senior class member and have a minimum GPA of 3.2.

Bronson Maulupe-Kanae, of Kahului, is a 2009 graduate of Maui High School. He is scheduled to graduate from HPU with a bachelor’s degree in spring 2013. Chassidy Sakamoto is a 2010 graduate of H.P. Baldwin High School, a resident of Kahului, and is scheduled to graduate from HPU in the spring of 2014.