After talking about timeshare golf on the east coast in yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority blog on the Wyndham Championship, it’s fun to look at a west coast timeshare that is also a great golf destination. Timeshare resort number 73 in the SellMyTimeshareNOW.com HOT 100 List is Marriott’s Shadow Ridge timeshare in Palm Desert, California.

Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Timeshare is Located in Golf County

You are in the heart of golf country when you vacation at a California timeshare at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge timeshare resort. Near to Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, and La Quinta, the great golf courses of Southern California host The Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, The Skins Game, and The Nabisco Championship, as well as numerous other PGA, Champions Tour, and LPGA events on the many championship golf courses in the region.

With golf schools in Marco Island and Orlando, FL and Palm Desert, CA, the Nick Faldo Golf Schools are some of the most prestigious places in the world to get your golf game in shape. Marriott’s Shadow Ridge is located adjacent to the Nick Faldo Golf School ® at Palm Desert, with its schools, clinics, private lessons, and excellent practice facilities.

Amenities at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge California Timeshare

The spacious timeshare villas at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge California timeshare include one and two-bedroom timeshare units, with 2 baths, separate living and dining areas, full kitchens, a washer and dryer, private balconies or terraces, and a large soaking tub for unwinding after a great day on the golf course. The Marriott timeshares at Shadow Ridge can comfortably accommodate up to 8 people and include use of a 24-hour fitness center, sauna, steam room, tennis courts and an activity center.

In addition to pools, restaurants, and beautiful mountain views, guests can enjoy nearby biking trails, casinos, shopping, horseback riding, the Moortens Botanical Garden, and Jeep excursions into the desert.

Buying a timeshare resale at Marriott’s Shadow Ridge timeshare resort could be excellent timing as the property is currently undergoing expansions and renovations, which will likely increase its demand and desirability in the future. Once completed, this California timeshare resort will include over 900 one and two-bedroom villas.

J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott hotels and Marriott timeshare, has joined other leaders in the travel, hotel, and timeshare resort industries in asking Congress and the Administration to build a bipartisan alliance and address the growing US energy crisis.

In an open letter to the President, Senators, and Representatives, tourism industry spokespeople called on lawmakers to stay in Washington DC throughout the summer in order to develop a comprehensive national energy policy.

MarketWatch quoted Bill Marriott as saying that the family budgets of Americans are being squeezed by higher gas prices at the pump and more expensive airline seats. Marriott pointed out that flights are being cut and that nine small or mid-sized air carriers have ceased operations in the past year alone creating a “huge ripple effect affecting the entire travel industry,” including hotels, car rentals companies, cruise lines, amusement parks, national parks, taxis, restaurants, travel agents, shops, and other types of retailers or travel related services.

As Bill Marriott, the patriarchal head of Marriott hotels and Marriott timeshares says of the lawmakers, “They shouldn’t be going home in August while travelers in America are finding it harder and harder to go anywhere.”

…Good point, why should your elected officials be on holiday during August when you can’t afford to be?

What would you give for a timeshare vacation right on the coast of southern Spain? How about a week of leisure at a Marriott timeshare resort, where you already trust that the quality will be reliable, and the amenities will be luxurious? Marriott’s Marbella Beach Resort is on the SellMyTimeshareNOW.com HOT 100 List as favorite resort number 83, and it is an ideal destination for your Costa del Sol vacation. As a timeshare owner, you could enjoy the perfect climate of Malaga, Spain, year after year, or perhaps exchange this desirable destination for time at other popular timeshare resorts worldwide.

Timeshare Villas with all the Amenities

Timeshare owners and guests rave about the beautiful timeshare villas at the Marbella Beach Resort timeshare and the amazing views of an azure ocean and golden beach. Plan to spend your days exploring the Moroccan influenced shops and galleries, including the Alhambra (in Grenada) and the Pablo Picasso Museum. At night, the Golden Mile of Costa del Sol offers a selection of high-energy, high-elegance clubs and discos, or you can savor the Spanish coastal cuisine at the Marbella Beach Resort’s restaurants and grilles.

Choose a 1, 2, or 3-bedroom timeshare villa, all with private balconies, jetted soaking tubs, and full kitchens. Your opportunity to vacation every year at this beautiful resort start at around $10,000 when you buy timeshare resales advertised on the SellMyTimeshareNOW.com website. And if you are not sure timeshare ownership at Marbella Beach Resort is right for you, you can always test the waters with a Marriott Marbella Beach timeshare rental. One-week and two-week timeshare rentals are available at prices that you probably never imagined would get you so much luxury and such spacious and safe accommodations in a dream destination.

Follow this link to learn more about the ancient beauty of The Alhambra, the Red Castle of Grenada.

If you have been following the countdown of Sell My Timeshare NOW’s HOT 100 List, then you know we are ready for property # 87 - another truly HOT timeshare resales property.

Marriott’s Canyon Villas at Desert Ridge timeshares is a wonderful mixed-use resort property that combines the services of a luxury hotel with the spacious amenities of a great timeshare resort. The Desert Ridge timeshare is adjacent to the Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa, in Phoenix, Arizona. Pamper yourself at this enormous spa, which offers over 40 treatment rooms and a diverse menu of services; relax on the golf course, linger by the pool, or just enjoy the fresh air and serenity of this quiet resort. There are four acres of waterways for relaxing, including a lazy river for floating into that state of perfect tranquility. Think of Canyon Villas timeshares as an oasis in the magical Sonoran Desert of southwestern Arizona.

Book a Tee Time during Your Canyon Villas Timeshare Vacation

The golf courses at Canyon Villas timeshare include the 6,846 yard, 18-hole Nick Faldo championship course and the 7,145 yard, 18-hole Arnold Palmer signature course. There is also an excellent practice facility, featuring two putting greens, a chipping and bunker practice green and an all-grass driving range. Just for the fun of it each golf cart is equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) and with CBS Sportsline Ticker, keeping you current on all the sports scores and news.

Your Canyon Villa Timeshare Resale

You can become a Marriott Canyon Villa at Desert Ridge timeshare owner by buying resale timeshare at prices that start around $12,000. Or enjoy the Canyon Villa timeshare experience with a timeshare rental. The opportunities for timeshare ownership, timeshare rentals, and timeshare exchange are incredible - and best of all, they are easy to enjoy and easy to own or rent.

HOT 100 timeshare property #89 is Marriott’s BeachPlace Towers in Fort Lauderdale, a beachside highrise that faces the Atlantic Ocean on the east and the Intercoastal Waterway to the west. Located only 8 miles from Fort Lauderdale airport, or some 25 miles from Miami International Airport, BeachPlace Towers offers the best of Florida fun and sun with entertainment to suit the entire family, from the Miami Metro Zoo, to upscale shopping, and even a sparkling nightlife.

This mixed-use Marriott timeshare resort has both hotel suites and vacation ownership villas, providing guests the amenities of a timeshare resort and the services of a luxurious hotel.

Marriott’s BeachPlace Towers timeshare units:

• Accommodate up to 8 guests
• Have kitchens and dining areas
• Offer use of the oceanfront owner’s lounge
• Have two oceanview spas
• Have an exercise facility with steam room
• Offer a children’s play area
• Include 3-stories of retail stores and restaurants

SellMyTimeshareNOW.com currently offers timeshare resales at Marriott’s BeachPlace, starting at less than $11,000 for a lifetime of vacation ownership as well as Marriott’s BeachPlace timeshare rentals at owner negotiable prices.

More about Fort Lauderdale, a Classic Vacation Destination

In the 1960 hit movie, Where the Boys Are, when 4 college coeds headed to the beach in search of young romance, Fort Lauderdale was their beach destination of choice. And if you remember Connie Francis and Yvette Mimieux playing college girls or George Hamilton portraying a heartthrob college boy, then you also remember that the success of Where the Boys Are, followed by Connie Francis’ hit song by the same name, gave the city international iconic status as the “hot” place to spend Spring Break.

Since the 1980’s, city officials in Fort Lauderdale have cracked down to protect their city by enforcing tougher laws and stricter policies. While Fort Lauderdale still entertains thousands of young people on school vacations each year, Mexico and the Caribbean have somewhat replaced it as a top Spring Break destination. And Fort Lauderdale does not miss the rowdy crowd at all. Instead, they roll out the red carpet for families on vacations, ensuring that their town is a fun, but safe place for visitors of all ages.

Play this YouTube and listen to Francis belt out her famous song. It will either bring back wonderful memories or create new appreciation for one of the most popular female vocalists of the ’50s and ’60s.

When financial analysts for Goldman Sachs looked at the timeshare industry recently, they may have overlooked something very important - the impact of timeshare resales.

In an article released last week, CNN.com reported that financial analyst Steven Kent, had observed that the timeshare industry would be one segment of the economy likely to see growth in 2008. Kent noted that the timeshare industry would probably see gains despite the real estate slump and the credit crunch. But he overlooked one other very important fact; he failed to give credit to timeshare resales for also slowing the sales of new timeshare.

While the lodging industry overall is feeling the crunch as consumers tighten their grasp on their dollars, timesharing is one segment of the hotel and lodging arena that continues to grow. But the timeshare industry isn’t escaping the weak economy totally unscathed; increases in the number of timeshares sold will be only slightly greater in 2008 than they were in 2007. In other words, timeshare sales are predicted to increase this year, but the percentage of growth will be less than it has been in the past.

The Associated Press article noted that Marriott International Inc, shares had fallen by 17 cents to $28.25 after hitting an earlier three-year low of $28.01. Similarly, Wyndham Worldwide Corp had gained 26 cents, but only after having already dropped to a low of $18.64 earlier that same day. While analysts may point their finger at the overall weak US economy, they are remiss in not addressing the effect timeshare resales have on the sale of new timeshares.

The Attraction of Timeshare Resales

Thanks to online timeshare advertising services like Sell My Timeshare NOW, it has become remarkably easy for timeshare owners to advertise their timeshare for sale, gaining global visibility on the World Wide Web. People interested in buying timeshare are turning to the resale marketplace to buy the same properties sold as new timeshare, but at a fraction of the price.

To quote James Carville, in advising former President Bill Clinton during his successful political campaign against former President George H. W. Bush, “…it’s the economy, stupid.”

But in this case, it’s also the value and ease of buying timeshare resales.

Economists, peering into their crystal balls, are negligent when they overlook the incredible impact that timeshare resales have on the sale of timeshares purchased from developers. As more and more people come to understand that the best values in vacation lodging today are in timeshare resales and timeshare rentals, bought or rented directly from the people who own them now, timeshare developers will continue to see changes in the timeshare marketplace.

…And that’s okay. The automobile industry can handle the co-existence of dealers that sell new cars, dealers that sell previously owned cars, dealers that sell both, and current car owners that resell their cars themselves…it works with cars…and it works with timeshares.

Earlier this month, Hilton Hotels announced their global commitment to a green initiative. By 2014, the company plans to:

• Reduce their worldwide energy consumption from direct operations by 20 percent.
• Reduce their worldwide CO2 emissions by 20 percent.
• Reduce their worldwide output of waste by 20 percent, and
• Reduce their worldwide water consumption by 10 percent.

The Hilton company includes the Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hampton Inn and Suites, Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton Grand Vacations (Hilton Timeshares), Homewood Suites by Hilton, and The Waldorf Astoria Collection.

Hilton is one of many timeshare and resort companies to publically step up and commit to doing their part to protect the environment.

What Are Other Environmentally Responsible Resorts and Timeshares Doing?

On our blog, The Timeshare Authority, we have already updated you about actions Marriott timeshare is taking to recycle more, decrease their carbon footprint, and use materials that are more eco-friendly.

• A Timeshare Sales Company Taking an Important Environmental Stand
• Marriott Timeshare Is Turning Green

Sell My Timeshare NOW recently attended the 2008 ARDA New England Regional Meeting in Portsmouth, NH, where Ray Sirois was the keynote speaker. Sirois, IT Director for Wright-Pierce, a civil engineering firm in Topsham, Maine, is one of approximately 2000 people worldwide trained to give the presentation about climate change that Al Gore gave in his documentary, “An Inconvenient Truth.” At the meeting, timeshare industry leaders discussed other green initiatives that many timeshare resorts have already started to implement.

Rauni Kew, director of marketing at the Inn by the Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine, explained the types of environmentally conscious programs they have put in place at their timeshare resort. Their efforts include:

• Changes in policies affecting water use, such as ’sheet and towel programs’ which some hotels and timeshare resorts have done on a limited basis for several years.
• Environmentally conscious use of chemicals on golf courses, other landscape areas, and for cleaning and laundry use.
• New policies regarding solid waste disposal.
• Changing plants/gardens at timeshare resorts to more drought tolerant and disease and insect resistant plants, thereby reducing the amount of water needed for irrigation and the volume of chemicals used to keep the plants vibrant and healthy.
• Using recycled sheetrock and studs in renovation and redevelopment at a timeshare resort.
• Installing aerators on faucets to conserve water.
• Providing soap bags for guests to take their soap home with them and reduce waste.
• Implementing guest programs such as tree planting classes and scarecrow-making contests which are family-friendly, keep children active and are educational, highlighting recycling through reuse of existing materials.

The timeshare industry is like every other industry in today’s world. We all have to step up and acknowledge that everyone - this means you, me, and the companies we work for - have to learn to reuse, recycle, and replenish. We have to lead by example and we have be individually accountable. And really, it is sad that it has taken gas rising to $4 plus a gallon to wake up so many people/companies/ and industries to their responsibility.

According to an article that appeared this week in Boston.com, Steve Shermoen plans to spend his retirement years traveling the world and staying in timeshare resorts. Shermoen, an attorney from International Falls, MN, says he owns about 100 timeshare weeks, bought with an eye on his retirement.

Tom Kelly, author of the article, explains, “A growing number of entrepreneurs with an exceptional grasp of timeshare purchasing, closing and selling have begun to acquire inexpensive weeks at upscale resorts via resale channels, which they then rent out weekly or on a per-night rate comparable to what a nice hotel would charge.”

Using some of his timeshares weeks as timeshare rentals is part of Shermoen’s plan. But he clearly understands the importance of buying timeshare resales rather than buying timeshare from the developer. Shermoen says, “You cannot make the rental concept work if you buy directly from the developer. You have to be sure of what you are buying and purchase only on the resale market. The cost from the developer simply is too high for it to become a rental that will pencil out.”

Here is the advice Shermoen offered for picking up great deals on timeshare resales:

• Look for timeshare owners who may be desperate to sell because of unexpected circumstances, such as job loss, divorce, or a death in the family.
• Stick to big name brands, such Marriott timeshare, Hyatt timeshare, and Hilton timeshare.
• Look for timeshare resales during the time of year when annual fees are announced for the next year.
• And for Shermoen, who happens to be an attorney, he offers to provide timeshare closing at a discounted fee.

Okay, but suppose you are not an attorney, you are not in the market for 100 timeshare weeks, and you want a good deal, but you are not willing to read the obituaries looking for desperate timeshare sellers?

The article, which is titled, “Despite Economy, Timeshares Drum Up Big Business,” suggests looking for points based timeshare ownership.

The Good Things about Timeshare Points

Points based timeshare, as the Boston.com article correctly points out, offers flexibility. While some interval based timeshare ownership allows you to break up your time into segments of less than one week, almost all points based timeshare lets you choose whether you use it one night at a time, or in blocks of consecutive days.

Once timeshare becomes lodging you can schedule as you would a hotel stay, it suddenly becomes something you use not just for vacations, but for family reunions, long weekends, weddings, and as a day by day rental.

On the other hand, the article also brings to light a downside about timeshare points. Points are like dollars, they represent a spending value that can be used for timeshare and other vacation related expenses, like air travel and cruises. But like the dollar, the value of your points can go down, depending upon how many timeshare points overall a resort issues.

If you are planning, like the attorney mentioned in this article, to use some of your timeshare weeks in future years (possibly renting the timeshare weeks you are not using), you need to understand how the fluctuation of timeshare points could affect you. The number of points it takes to “buy” a timeshare week today, may not be sufficient to “buy” a full week by the time you retire.

No choice is perfect. There are positives and negatives about buying a vacation home, buying timeshare, renting timeshare, or staying at home and never taking a vacation. But as Steve Shermoen figured out, buying timeshare the right way, at the right price, can turn out to be a very good plan. Just do your homework first!

Here’s what Australia’s SuperLiving Magazine had to say about timesharing in general, and specifically our company, Sell My Timeshare NOW, in their Monday, June 9 online issue. Overall, it is a very good article and we are sincerely appreciative of their coverage.

When You Buy Timeshare from the Developer

The article correctly points out that buying timeshare resort property and then not using it is as impractical as buying a car and leaving it in the garage. The author, Lynelle Johnson, also notes that the Australia timeshare industry is booming, particularly on the Sunshine and Gold Coasts, as well as booming worldwide.

Lynnelle explains the process of buying new timeshare (timeshare sold by the developer) like this: “Sales of timeshare are often done at ‘free’ resort weekends (beware, as extras are often priced to recoup the costs) where high pressure salesmen ply their trade. The result of these expensive sales techniques is high prices for buying into new timeshares.”

The article then goes on to warn that the cost of your new timeshare is not just the average $15,000 -$16,000 you may pay, but there are fees that typically run around $600 per timeshare unit, per year.

But here is where we get to the good part because at this point, the article starts talking about timeshare resales and about Sell My Timeshare NOW.

The Virtues of Buying Timeshare Resales

The SuperLiving Magazine article then asks the question we ask all the time on this timeshare blog, and at Sell My Timeshare NOW, “Why by new when you can buy used?”

Here’s how they describe our services and the timeshare resale marketplace:

So thank you to our friends down under at SuperLiving Magazine. No wonder they are interested in timeshare; Australia timeshare truly is a fast growing market, with many new places yet to build timeshare resorts and lots of vacationers to enjoy them.

Yesterday our timeshare blog announced the release of the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 list, revealing the top 100 properties to receive offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshare in 2007. For properties on the HOT 100 list, there were over 48,000 offers to buy or rent placed last year alone.

While we noted that Hawaii timeshares claimed 4 of the top 10 spots on the HOT 100 list, I didn’t go into detail about how strongly Hawaii dominates the top of the list.

Hawaii timeshares start with the HOT 100’s number one property, WorldMark by Wyndham, multi-destination resorts because four of WorldMark by Wyndham’s 60+ timeshare resorts are in Hawaii. There is the: WorldMark by Wyndham Kapaa Shore timeshare resort; the WorldMark by Wyndham Valley Isle in Lahaina timeshare resort; the WorldMark by Wyndham Kihei timeshare resort; and the WorldMark by Wyndham Kona in Kailua-Kona timeshare resort.

As I mentioned in our timeshare blog yesterday, Hawaii timeshares also claimed second place on the list with the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas; fifth place with Diamond Resorts Ka’anapali Beach Club; sixth with Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club timeshares; and tenth with the Ko Olina Beach Club timeshares.

But Hawaii timeshares accounts for over 27 percent all timeshare resorts among the top 33 properties on the list. The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas North timeshares, ranked 21; the Sands of Kahana Vacation Club timeshares, was number 24; Hilton Grand Vacations Club at Hilton Hawaiian Village was number 29; and Marriott’s OceanWatch Villas timeshares ranked number 33.

Why Hawaii Timeshare?

America’s fiftieth state may be small, but in terms of what you get for your vacation dollar, it packs a punch. A Hawaii timeshare vacation means you can enjoy your choice of tropical forests, mountains, beautiful beaches, a cosmopolitan (Hawaii-style) nightlife, or a chance to explore a fascinating culture.

The diverse islands of Hawaii cater to honeymooners, surfers, retirees, family vacations, and everyone seeking the peaceful, laidback style of the islands.

While many of the first timeshares in the US were built in Hawaii, it has never lost its place as a top demand timeshare vacation destination. But let’s face it, Hawaii is one of the more expensive places to live or to visit on holiday because it is a small cluster of beautiful but relatively isolated islands, where most goods must be imported. When you add to that the fact that limited geographic area keeps land values for development very high, the cost of that fabulous Hawaii vacation can be pricey.

While you can’t cut costs by driving there instead of flying or going by cruise ship, you can take advantage of Hawaii timeshare resales to help you control two other vacation costs - meals and accommodations. The kitchen and dining areas found in most timeshares will let you choose to eat in as much as you like and save your restaurant dining for those special luaus. And when you buy Hawaii timeshare resales, you lock the price of your Hawaii vacation lodging in for as long as you own your timeshare. When you do get ready to resell Hawaii timeshare, you can do so with confidence, using indicators like the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 list to affirm that there is a strong and consistent market for Hawaii timeshare resales.

Follow this link to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW HOT 100 press release about Hawaii timeshare.