RCI timeshare, part of Wyndham Worldwide and Wyndham timeshares, used the high-visibility platform of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) 2011 Convention and Exposition as the ideal time to announce that they have added more than 100 newly affiliated resorts to their network in 2010.

Included in the new RCI family additions are InnSeason Resorts and AMResorts, as well as properties from current affiliates including Holiday Club Resorts, Hoteles Decameron Colombia, Fiesta Hotel Group, and Mahindra Holidays and Resorts. RCI timeshare exchange also renewed its relationship with select ongoing affiliates such as Hilton Grand Vacations, Bluegreen Corporation, and Disney Vacation Club.

RCI Timeshare CEO Praises Employees

Geoff Ballotti, CEO of RCI, explains, “The success we had in 2010 was a result of the efforts of our hard-working associates and the great relationships we have forged with our clients. We are going to continue to focus on the things that have made RCI the leading vacation exchange company in the world — developing great innovations, delivering incomparable service to our affiliates, and sending their owners and our members on the vacations of their dreams.”

He adds, “We are extremely proud to have added over 100 newly affiliated properties to our expansive network of high-quality timeshare resort. These fantastic resorts are in some of the world’s most sought-after destinations. Their addition is a testament not only to the innovative and value-added services we can offer new affiliates but the tremendous support our global team provides to help all of our affiliates thrive and grow.”

Congratulations RCI!

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.

Select Westin and Hyatt Resorts are improving the experience for anyone who would like to incorporate a good run as part of their resort stay.

At Westin Resorts in 30 cities, a “running” concierge is available three mornings each week to lead guests on a three-mile jog. And more than 100 Hyatt Hotels and Resorts are now providing their guests with running route maps and GPS armbands. At both Westin and Hyatt, the services are free.

While many timeshare vacationers look forward to putting their feet up by the pool, others are enthusiastic about getting involved in the sports and recreation activities that are available at most timeshare resorts. Jogging trails, biking trails, and even on-property or nearby by hiking and horseback riding are frequently available at many timeshare resorts.

Runners, not already familiar with MapMyRun.com, will find the website to be a valuable tool whether jogging at home or during travels. MapMyRun offers some 775,000 US jogging routes, which you can save to your GPS. Besides introducing you to a vast online community of runners, this website helps you track your training and even count the calories you have burned. And while all of these benefits for runners are free, City Running Tours is an excellent paid service you may want to learn more about.

The Timeshare Authority told you about City Running Tours last year in a post we did on New York City timeshares. City Running Tours offers you longer runs and run tailored to your specific requests, as well as runs along preset routes designed to maximize the experience for you both as a runner and as a sightseer.

Whether you are vacationing at a Hyatt timeshare, a Westin timeshare, or any of the many beautiful timeshare resort worldwide, don’t forget to pack your running shoes.

It’s hard to say with certainty that tweeting or ‘twittering’ could resolve issues you are having with travel as you head off to your timeshare, but it seems it might be worth a try. Michelle Higgins recently wrote an article that appeared in both The New York Times and in Hotels Magazine. She pointed out her own newfound respect for the power of twittering as a way to get attention when you are confronted with travel challenges.

Here’s one of the examples Michelle Higgins wrote about:

• Tony Wagner, his wife, and 2-year-old child were flying JetBlue from Washington DC to San Francisco. When he learned that the three family members were not seated together he first contacted JetBlue customer service and was told to take the matter up at the gate.
• So he tweeted. “@jetblue Advice to get both parents and 2 yr old seated next to each other on flight later today? Right now only one parent. Full flight.”
• In less than 20 minutes, Tony had received a direct message from JetBlue asking him to contact them; his ticket problem was soon resolved.

Does this tell us that your voice resonates louder with companies when they know it is being magnified exponentially by the power of social media? Who knows for sure; right now it is a changing business world where even the models for customer service are being redefined dramatically by everything from the economy, to the internet, to our personal perspectives.

So who is tweeting and, more importantly, paying attention to what you tweet?

Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, and Starwood, to name a few of the hotel and timeshare resort companies that are now on Twitter. Several airlines, restaurants, and online travel services can be found there as well. And you’ll also find Sell My Timeshare NOW on Twitter: @JasonTremblay_; @VacationHotDeal; and @SteveLuba … because we are paying attention to what matters to you.

Retirees and Baby Boomers are redefining the opportunities of vacation ownership and timeshare sales. According to HotelsMagazine.com, approximately 78 million Baby Boomers will be retiring in the next 15 years, and as the article points out, with their retirement comes a new release of wealth by a strong and financially comfortable demographic.

With all the news about dwindling retirement accounts and a struggling, strangling economy, it is easy enough to forget that some segments of the population are still quite financially sound. John Cottrill, senior vice president for The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences says, “Baby boomers have revolutionized the term ‘retirement’. Many work well into their golden years, while increasing leisure time and activities such as traveling, spending time with their families and seeking new and one-of-a-kind experiences. Their incomes and expectations lead them to seek the lifestyle and amenities that can only be offered by The Ritz-Carlton.”

Ritz-Carlton Club timeshares are among the many timeshare companies today that are aggressively marketing to the 50+ and soon to be 50+ segments of the population. As Hotels Magazine points out, “Once the economy turns around, hopefully in late 2009 or early 2010, companies will be salivating at the chance to pitch Boomers on the benefits of fractional ownership, as well as timeshare and vacation clubs.”

John Burlingame, executive vice president of Hyatt Vacation Ownership (Hyatt timeshare) Inc. explains, “The Baby Boomers are at the age where they’re thinking about how they’re going to spend quality time with extended family, and this product appeals to them because if they own something like a timeshare or a fractional, they’ll have a vacation opportunity that their children or grandchildren would want to experience.”

What do Baby Boomers Want from Timeshare Resorts?

At timeshare resorts, today’s Baby Boomer tends to seek hi-tech entertainment and communication; multi-generational amenities so they can enjoy traveling with their children and grandchildren; and cosmopolitan sophistication so they can enjoy traveling without them!

According to Franz Hanning, CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, “People are telling us they love to go to the cities. They tell us when they go to these urban areas that they don’t necessarily need a two-bedroom, two-bath condo – they’re more interested in being connected and having high-end electronics.”

For both the economy as well as for the timeshare industry, this is all good news!

Today is the day things really get rolling at the American Resort Development Association Convention 2009 in Orlando, Florida.

The Sell My Timeshare NOW team and I will be reporting to you all week from the ARDA 2009 Convention and Exposition in sunny Orlando. We will also be providing you podcasts of interviews and other convention updates.

At 4 PM today, we will have the opportunity to hear the keynote address from Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig, who is the director of the Global Perspectives Program at the Goizueta Business School of Emory University. Dr. Rosensweig specializes in financial, macroeconomic, and business estimations and predictions and is a professor of international business and finance. I know there will be valuable insights from him and I’ll be sharing them with you in a blog later this week.

So here’s the schedule for what to expect today, and keep reading The Timeshare Authority, where we will be filling you in on all the details.

Highlights for Monday March 30 at the ARDA Timeshare Convention

12:00 PM-3:30 PM
Industry Think Tank
Sponsored by Greenberg Traurig, LLP

4:00 PM-5:00 PM
Opening Keynote Speaker Dr. Jeffrey Rosensweig
Sponsored by Group RCI

5:00 PM-8:00 PM
Welcome Reception in Exhibit Hall
Sponsored by  Disney Vacation Club, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Hyatt Vacation Ownership, Marriott Vacation Club International & Starwood Vacation Ownership

8:30 PM
ICE Breaker Party
Sponsored by International Cruise & Excursions, Inc. (ICE)

Following on the heels of Tuesday’s The Timeshare Authority blog post about layoffs at Hyatt timeshare comes this interesting item pointed out by Orlando’s WFTV Channel 9.

Hilton Grand Vacations (Hilton Timeshare) is headquartered in Orlando. Over approximately the past 6 months, Hilton has laid off some 187 of its 3500 employees. Yet, according to information confirmed by Channel 9 reporters, Hilton timeshare is actually expanding in Orlando by launching the first phase of Club Parc Soleil (a 7-phase project in the tourist area of Orlando); building a new Hilton hotel on International Drive in Orlando; and continuing construction on the 1400 Orlando Hilton set to open later this year.

When reporters pursued the question of why the employee layoffs at a time the company was expanding, they did not receive answers from the spokesperson for Hilton timeshares. There is no information on whether any of the employees who had been let go were offered the opportunity to relocate to other positions at Hilton.

As inauguration day dawns cold and clear in Washington DC, the US economy has many timeshare sales employees across the company – even those in sunny Key West – feeling the chill.

Last week The Hyatt Vacation Club in Key West implemented corporate-mandated layoffs in their sales and marketing departments. The resort, known as Windward Pointe, is operated by Hyatt timeshare and owned by the Key West-based Spottswood Companies. Spottswood also owns the Marriot Beachside Hotel, the Coconut Beach Resort, the Holiday Inn, and the Comfort Inn, all in Key West.

Built in 2001, this Key West timeshare has 104 two-bedroom, two-bath timeshare units, that Hyatt sells from just under $10,000; to about $30,000, for the highest demand season, which in Key West is during Christmas and during Fantasy Fest, always scheduled near Halloween.

According to KeysNet.com, Larry Shulman, a senior vice president at Hyatt’s Beverly Hills office said, “We don’t typically comment a lot on these types of things … different than any business across the country … we’ve had to revisit our business model and downsize.” Shulman did mention that cuts were happening across the board at many Hyatt properties, primarily hitting the timeshare sales and marketing departments the hardest.

Sales information at the Monroe County Property Appraiser’s office shows that timeshare sales at Windward Pointe in 2008 were less than half of what they were in 2007, even though the average sale price had increased to $21,551.

Currently there are more than 40 Windward Pointe timeshare resales or timeshare rentals available at Sell My Timeshare NOW, starting at just under $10,000.

We’ve been updating you all year on what Marriott International and Marriot Vacation Club timeshare is doing to protect and preserve the environment. In February, The Timeshare Authority brought you an update on Marriott Vacation Club employees in Orlando, FL who made the switch from plastic eating utensils and Styrofoam serve ware in their cafeterias. They even switched to SpudWare ™, which are eating utensils that are made from potato starch and that completely biodegrade in 100 days after disposal.

Marriott has also taken steps to make their greens environmentally greener on golf courses at Marriott Hotels and Marriott timeshares, by using more eco-friendly methods of golf course maintenance, including reducing their use of chemicals on the greens and fairways.

Last week in Salt Lake City, Utah, Marriott Vacation Club International expanded their efforts to go green by conducting the Green Fair, involving more than 18 businesses and non-profit organizations. The idea behind the Green Fair is to educate and inform employees and associations about actions they can personally take to recycle and reduce energy consumption.

Over 900 Marriott Vacation Club International associates received reusable eco-friendly mugs and shopping bags. They were also given the opportunity to calculate their individual carbon footprint. Ron Essig, vice president of global owner products and services for Marriott Vacation Club International said, “This is just one step toward Marriott International’s efforts to preserve the environment, acting both locally here in Salt Lake City and across the Marriott Vacation Club International division. With more than 900 associates at the Salt Lake City Marriott Customer Service Center, if we all do our part, we can definitely make a difference-both at the office and at home.”

Marriott vacation club estimates that the immediate result of their effort to go green will be a reduction of nearly 100,000 pieces of plastic ware that would have wound up in landfills.

Sell My Timeshare NOW and Marriott Timeshare

Sell My Timeshare NOW works to reduce, reuse, and recycle in our own work environment. We are proud that our website, www.sellmytimesharenow.com not only advertises and markets right-priced timeshare resales and timeshare rentals, but that our inventory includes Marriott timeshare, a company that is proving their commitment to the environment through their actions.

With timeshare resales from Disney Vacation Club, Westgate timeshare, Hyatt Vacation Club timeshare, and Hilton timeshare, to name only a few, Sell My Timeshare NOW offers you the opportunities of vacation ownership with timeshare companies that are environmentally responsible, at prices that are realistic and affordable in today’s economy.

Related posts on The Timeshare Authority:

• Marriott Hotel and Timeshare CEO Speaks Out for Energy Cost Cuts
• A Timeshare Sales Company Taking an Important Environmental Stand

The Hyatt Beach House Resort Timeshare is number 65 on the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 List of timeshares that received the most offers to buy or rent.

Key West, Florida has been an ‘escape-to’ destination for generations, and the Hyatt Beach House Resort timeshare gives you plenty of reasons to choose it for your own great escape. This Key West timeshare offers a relaxed and slightly reclusive hideaway that is perfect for vacations now, and for many years to come.

Spanish Kings first laid claim to Key West real estate. Explorers came, seeking the fountain of youth. Generations later, artists, writers, visionaries, and even expatriates called it their home, including John Audubon, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Edison, and Tennessee Williams.

Getting to Your Key West Timeshare Vacation

While many travelers think that Key West is just beyond Miami, Key West is actually more than 150 miles south and west of metropolitan Miami. If you are headed to your Key West timeshare by car, don’t expect to clip along US Highway 1 (an official Florida Scenic Highway) at 70 miles an hour. Schedule time to allow you to stop and enjoy the sights along the way from Key Largo to Marathon to Big Pine Key.

Another fun way to arrive at Key West is via the Key West Express, which operates high-speed passenger ferries from Ft. Myers Beach and Marco Island to the Key West Bight Ferry Terminal, located in the city’s historic Seaport District. Plan about 3.5 hours to make the trip by ferry or you can schedule your air travel directly into the Key West International Airport.

Key West Timeshares Will Have You Living on Island Time

When you vacation in Key West, you are truly living on island time. While the island’s roads accommodate automobiles, there are also trolleys, bicycles, and walking paths for leisurely touring the shops and restaurants.

The timeshare units at the Hyatt Beach House timeshare resort are 2 bedroom and 2 bath units with approximately 1000 square feet of living space that is designed to accommodate 6 to 8 people comfortably. Each timeshare unit offers a screened balcony, with a television, VCR/DVD/and CD player.

Bedrooms have a King bed and whirlpool tub, and there is a Queen sleeper sofa in the living area. Kitchens are fully equipped with a microwave/convection oven and a dishwasher. Washers and dryers, data ports, and high-speed internet are also available.

While there’s a pool for relaxing and a beach to enjoy, don’t expect your Hyatt Beach House Resort timeshare vacation to be high energy and a whirl of activities—that’s just not the way things are done in Key West.

Hyatt Beach House Resort Timeshare

So the next time your job, your commitments, and your daily grind start feeling like the weight of the world, remember what you’ve read about days spent in the Florida Keys. With excellent options to buy Hyatt Beach House Resort timeshare resales or rent Hyatt Beach House Resort timeshares, what’s standing between you and a Key West timeshare vacation?

Somewhere, in the very southern tip of the US, there’s a slice of key lime pie, a tall frosty drink, and a shaded beach chair just waiting for you.