It’s often the little things that matter most … and too often it’s the little things that slip through the cracks in business, ignored as companies focus on regulations, margins, and profitability.

So when Marriott Vacation Club timeshare asked its headquarters for a clever way for guests and timeshare owners to say, “Do Not Disturb,” they were giving attention to a little detail, that turned out to matter a lot. Their request yielded a series of door tags with twenty unique, appealing designs. The design shown in the photo here, complete with sheep, is “Still Counting,” which when you think about it, is a lot warmer and friendlier message than the traditional: Do Not Disturb.

Currently in use at 27 of Marriott Vacation Club’s North American timeshare resorts, the door tags are proving to be highly popular with vacationers. Marriott timeshare spokesperson James Woelbern says, “We found that our owners and rental guests like the signs so much, we end up replacing them often. We take it as a compliment.”

And it’s a well earned compliment, because for a miniscule cost difference between using a standardized door tag or creating charming customized tags, Marriott timeshare has created a way to differentiate itself  in a large, competitive marketplace.

If the tags make a guest smile then they are effective and beneficial. If they go home with guests and Marriott timeshare owners then they serve as a small bond between that person or family and a positive timeshare vacation experience. And if visitors see the tags in homes of Marriott owners, then the most powerful type of peer-to-peer marketing endorsement is inevitable as one friend shares with another, “Isn’t that cute? We brought it back from our last Marriott timeshare vacation. Did I tell you what a great time we had…”

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.

An independent study conducted by Penn Schoen Berland on behalf of Marriott International was released this past week. The study surveyed over a thousand world travelers and thought leaders from Germany, Spain, Brazil, China, France, India, the United Kingdom and the US.

The results showed:

77 percent felt “the more people experience other countries and cultures, the more peace will spread.”

Describing our times as a “Golden Age of Travel,” Arne Sorenson, Marriott International’s CEO-elect and current president, reflects, “Travel opens up your mind (and) your heart … This survey shows it is also a powerful form of soft diplomacy in the world today.” Adding that Marriott applauds President Obama’s announcement to reform US visa and entry systems to welcome more international visitors, Sorenson said he believes, “… opportunities to do business and travel abroad are opening up like never before.” (See: Obama in Orlando With Plans to Boost International Tourism).

Timeshares Make it Easier to Explore the World

When you own timeshare, travel planning gets easier. You’ve made the commitment that travel, vacationing, leisure and exploring the world are important in your life. You’ve picked timeshare ownership with timeshare exchange or perhaps membership in a timeshare exchange service to enhance your commitment.

Timeshare owners can explore the world knowing that they have preplanned for accommodations where they will feel safe and comfortable, which makes their international travel planning simpler. With timeshare ownership it becomes easier to focus on the trip ahead; your energy is not consumed by tracking down hotels or condo rentals. Even those who rent timeshare benefit because timeshare rentals, whether in the US or abroad, afford some of the most competitively priced vacation and travel accommodations in the world today.

As part of the vast tourism industry, timeshares provide jobs worldwide, enriching the lives of individuals and families, supporting local economies, and strengthening  local and regional tax revenues. But far beyond the contribution of timeshare to the world’s economic picture are the more important factors of enhancing and encouraging travel and exploration of cultures and countries—they make it easier for people to open their eyes and subsequently their hearts.
As Mark Penn, CEO of Penn Schoen Berland and CEO of Burson-Marsteller explains,  “International travelers advance people’s understanding of different cultures and reinforce all that we as humans have in common with each other.”

Timeshares can, in fact, make a big world seem a whole lot smaller.

The 2012 WIN Orlando Regional Conference will be held January 27-28, 2012, at The Fountains, a Bluegreen Resort and the Talent Experience Center at Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Resort timeshares in Orlando, Florida. This will be the third annual Orlando Regional Conference for Women in the Industry (WIN).

Women in the Industry (WIN) was established to advocate, educate and connect women in the timeshare and vacation industry, with the primary purpose of fostering the growth of women in the shared ownership and timeshare industry.

This year’s Orlando event will open with a networking reception on Friday night; and will include the WIN Boutique for shopping; and Saturday programs which will  feature an introduction to the WIN mentoring program, WIN program updates, presentations from the 2012 WIN philanthropic recipients, and informative educational sessions including Work-Life Balance Panel and the Career Advancement Panel.

You can learn more about WIN at: www.womenintheindustry.org, as well as finding out more about WIN meetings and events on the ARDA website at www.womenintheindustry.org

Note: Registration for the Orlando WIN Regional Conference is now sold out.

As 2011 nears its end and 2012 awaits, we thought we’d look back at the top 5 timeshare resales and rentals for the year.

These popular vacation resorts all earned their ranking in the top 5 based on the overall number of offers to buy or rent made through Timeshare Broker Services and SellMyTimeshareNOW.com listings and ads.

Four of the five top timeshares are coastal or island destinations although their beaches vary from the Caribbean to the Pacific. All five represent top names in vacation ownership, but it’s important to remember that there are thousands of other fabulous resorts that didn’t happen to make this year’s Top 5, but are just as ideal for your next vacation or getaway.

You are invited to view the Top 5 List revealed in the slides below and then to visit us at www.timesharebrokerservices.com or www.sellmytimesharenow.com to learn more about these 5 resorts as well as to peruse all the great vacation opportunities we offer.

Vacations matter. They clear our minds, restore our bodies, enhance our relationships and create lifelong memories to cherish. Along with your intent to lose weight, exercise more, save money, and clean the garage, how about adding a very positive intent to your 2012 Resolutions?

How about making this your year you finally start taking the vacation time you need, deserve and have so rightfully earned?

This past week, Marriott International completed its spinoff of its timeshare business, reinforcing the company’s message that it seeks to be fully focused on its core lodging management and franchise business. In a change that has taken nearly a year to complete, the new company, Marriott Vacations WorldWide Corp.,  (Marriott timeshare) is now an independent public company.

Arne Sorenson, Marriott International President and COO, told CNBC that timeshare is a great business and one that Marriott Vacations WorldWide has been in for roughly a quarter of a century, doing a great job.

Sorenson  also cited the ideas that (1.) timeshare is capital intensive and focused on developing real estate interests and (2) that it is solely focused on leisure, as the reasons timeshare is very different from the rest of Marriott’s business.

Referring to the timeshare business as a distraction to the company’s stock holders, Sorenson explained Marriott felt that both interests—its hotel business and its Marriott timeshare business—would be better served as separate corporations. He also noted that Marriott  intends to maintain a platform that will permit its loyalty programs to function and reward its patrons across both companies.

As a final step in the spinoff, equity shares of the new company, Marriott Vacations WorldWide Corporation, which as of this past Monday are now trading on the New York Stock Exchange as VAC, have been distributed tax-free to Marriott International shareholders.



Earlier this fall we published our lists of the most in-demand timeshare resales and the most in-demand timeshare rentals.

Once again, Hawaii timeshares dominated both lists. As you will see in the slides below, part of the reason Hawaii timeshares are so popular as timeshare resales and timeshare rentals is because of the beauty and wonder of Hawaii itself.

But just as importantly is the fact that resorts in Hawaii are vacation destinations within themselves offering you beautiful beaches, mountain vistas, amazing serenity, and yes, even a chance to hula.

Of all the great vacation destinations and all the fantastic resorts in the world, three of the top ten most in-demand timeshare rentals are Hawaii timeshares while three of the top ten most in-demand timeshare resales are also Hawaii timeshares.

Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club in Oahu ranked as the number 2 most in-demand timeshare rental and the number 9 most in-demand timeshare resale. The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui took the number 3 spot in rentals and the number 5 spot in resales while Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club was number 6 in popularity for timeshare rentals and number 3 among the top timeshare resales.

To obtain the complete Hot 100 Timeshare Resales report, go to: here: www.sellmytimesharenow.com/media/pdf/HOT-TIMESHARE-RESALES-2011.pdf

For the complete Hot 100 Timeshare Rentals, go to: here: www.sellmytimesharenow.com/media/pdf/HOT-TIMESHARE-RENTALS-2011.pdf

Last week the Associate Press issued over 6 pages of guidelines for retweeting … 6 pages outlining how journalists should write or retweet the 140-character messages that Twitter carries. Had it been a tweet itself, the new AP Guidelines for Retweets would have run over the Twitter character limit by some 13,000 characters!

With the AP’s release, a hailstorm of Twitter-fire immediately ensued.

You see, the Associated Press was not only trying to coach journalists on how to appropriately include their opinions in their Tweets, it was also attempting to rewrite Twitter’s style protocol, saying:

“Retweets, like tweets, should not be written in a way that looks like you’re expressing a personal opinion on the issues of the day. A retweet with no comment of your own can easily be seen as a sign of approval of what you’re relaying.”

The new AP Twitter Guidelines for Retweets recommends that journalists separate the tag “RT” from the name of the account they are retweeting by including their own comments in between the two. The report uses the following example:

Instead of: RT @jonescampaign smith’s policies would destroy our schools

The new AP Guidelines call for: RT Jones campaign now denouncing smith on education:  @jonescampaign smith’s policies would destroy our schools

Critics of the guidelines pointed out that Twitter’s style protocol is Twitter’s to define and is not up to the Associated Press to rewrite or dictate.

The AP report then goes on to say, “Everyone who works for AP must be mindful that opinions he or she expresses may damage the AP’s reputation as an unbiased source of news.”

One can respect what the new AP Guidelines are attempting to do. Yet in a skeptical world, perhaps only the media itself still clings to the ideal of an unbiased media. Others have long ago lost any notion that journalists or the agencies they represent can present content that is free from a reflection of their personal experiences, opinions, and interpretations.

Timeshare and the Tools of Twitter

Search Twitter for “timeshare” or “#timeshare” and it is clear that how the industry and consumers are treating timesharing in the Twitterscape takes many different forms.

Some timeshare companies, including @BluegreenTweets @WelkResorts and @Innseason (to name only a few), do a wonderful job of tweeting a steady stream of event updates at or near Bluegreen timeshare resorts; Welk Resorts, and InnSeason Resorts. Ironically, they rarely if ever include the word “timeshare” in their tweets.

Other notable timeshare tweeters include @marriottvacclub, that mixes Marriott Vacation Club resort news, events, and customer service responses via their Twitter communications and @hiclubvacations that tweets about Holiday Inn Club Vacations, resort news, consumer service, and generally uses their twitter account as a well-rounded social media tool.

As an industry, timeshares and vacation ownership clearly don’t have all the fine points of twitter worked out. Sadly, the twitter stream is awash with spammy tweets about timeshare and promises to rescue, save, salvage, heal, and liberate timeshare owners from their timeshares.

But the timeshare industry, much like the Associated Press, can’t issue an ultimatum saying: “Everyone affiliated with timeshares must be mindful that opinions he or she expresses may damage the reputation of vacation ownership as a great option for memorable family vacations.”

Timeshare Companies are not Helpless; We have Options

As recently spearheaded by ARDA and VacationBetter.org, the reliable, legitimate, and dedicated companies of the timeshare industry have to make Twitter and other social media platforms “awash” with the true and positive message of timesharing. We have to encourage and inspire timeshare owners and renters to communicate their message as happy owners and happy renters.

We have to post the positive statistics of our industry, which have an immensely high owner satisfaction rate. We have to tell how timeshares make a vacation lifestyle possible for millions and share the positive impact our industry has on economies at  many levels.

The real truth of timeshares won’t be unbiased, because those who love it, often do so with great passion, but it will be sincere and it is a message that desperately needs to be told, retold, tweeted, posted, retweeted and shared.

You’ll find our tweets at @vacationhotdeal, @Jasontremblay_ and @renttimeshares

In Marriott’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, a mounted and framed Marriott flag hangs in the lobby.

This is not just any red and white Marriott logoed flag; this is the precise flag that was flying on September 11, 2001, at the Marriott hotel located at Number 3, World Trade Center. As the world knows, the 22-story hotel was part of the complex, connected by passageways to both Tower 1 and Tower 2.

In the massive cleanup that followed the 9-11 attack, this Marriott flag was removed from the rubble. Currently it is on display with a plaque beside it that reads:

Our Spirit to Serve

From sacrifice … honor

From adversity … resolve

From grief … remembrance

In the future the flag will be displayed at the New York Marriott Downtown Hotel, which is located only a block from the 9/11 Memorial. When the 9/11 Museum opens on the site of Ground Zero, the Marriott flag will likely be displayed there as part of the permanent exhibit.

Honor. Resolve. Remembrance.

American strength and fortitude in the face of global tragedy.

The beautiful Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, which includes the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes Timeshare boasts an added benefit that guests and timeshare owners may easily find themselves ‘stuck’ on.

An on-site apiary (a bee yard) at Grande Lakes Orlando provides fresh, quality controlled honey for both the restaurants and spa. Grande Lakes chefs use citrus honey in ketchups, barbeque sauce, spice rubs, preserves and pickles, allowing JW Marriott Orlando to cultivate a “farm-to-fork” fresh experience for guests.

Executive chef Chris Brown explains, “Harvesting honey on-site has given the JW Marriott Orlando culinary team another opportunity to show how passionate we are in sharing the best local flavors with guests. Knowing where the product comes from is important to us.”

Currently Grande Lakes Orlando has two beehives, but plans to double their number of hives and quantity of production by next year. The next batch of honey will be harvested this month, and plans for it include the production of mead, a beverage also called honeywine.

Guests at The Ritz-Carlton Spa can enjoy a signature Grande Lakes Honey Treatment, the Bee Pampered Pedicure or the Harvest Glow Hot Honey Treatment. Honey is rich in Vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3, adds to hydration, and has both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.