Today in Part III we wrap up our look at the three Florida Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Marriott timeshare (Marriott Vacation Club International) announced this week that three Florida timeshare resorts meet all of the requirements for a Florida Green Lodging Program Designation. Of the three Marriott timeshares, two are Orlando timeshares, and the third, is Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, located on Florida’s Gulf Coast near Naples.

Green Lodging at Florida Timeshares and Hotels

The Florida Green Lodging Program is a state initiative through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. The program was created to assist the lodging industry by providing free technical assistance regarding cost-saving, environmentally green practices that conserve natural resources and reduce waste. Furthering the state’s commitment to supporting the Green Lodging initiative, Florida Governor Charlie Crist signed an executive order in 2007, requiring that state agencies and departments, meeting in hotel, timeshare, or lodging facilities, must choose only those properties with a Florida Green Lodging Program designation, whenever possible.

As Marriott Vacation Club International continues its dedication to environmental responsibility, all eleven Marriott Vacation Club International Florida timeshare resorts are on track to receive a “One Palm” designation from the Florida Green Lodging Program. Two Marriott Florida timeshares, Marriott’s Oceana Palms -The Palm Beaches and Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes in Orlando are currently under development and are not presently eligible for the certification until they are operational.

Marriott’s Timeshare’s Newest Florida Resort, a Design Showplace

The beautiful, beachside resort, Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island timeshare resort is the newest Marriott timeshare property in Florida, opening in March of 2009. At build-out, this Florida timeshare will feature approximately 219 timeshare villas. The resort is a showcase of Marriott’s newest architectural and interior design direction. At the time of opening, Stephen P. Weisz, president of Marriott Vacation Club International explained, “After more than 17 years of searching for just the right location on Marco Island, we couldn’t be more pleased to see this resort come to fruition on this prime beachfront setting.”

Marriott timeshare deserves a round of applause from all of us as well as our gratitude. They have taken significant steps to improve the environmental consciousness of their timeshare resorts and the administrative offices of Marriott Vacation Club International. They set an excellent example of corporate America showing true responsibility for the environment and the future of generations to come.

Click below to read Parts I and II in this series on Marriott timeshare:

• Three Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation as Environmentally Conscious Resorts
• Part II: Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation from State of Florida

And click here to learn more about the opportunities available for you to become a Marriott timeshare resale owner or to rent Marriott timeshare for your next vacation:

• Marriott Timeshare Resales
• Marriott Timeshare Rentals (including many vacation properties)

A new report highlights opportunities for the Canadian timeshare industry, as Steve Luba explains.

 

 Timeshare Factoids for the week [3:40m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

This is Part II in a three-part report on outstanding Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Recognizing that Marriott has always been a leader in vacation ownership, and was one of the first branded hotel companies to offer timeshares, it is really no surprise that Marriott timeshare is now a pacesetter in creating environmentally responsible lodging.

This week, three popular Florida timeshares, all Marriott resorts, received the Green Lodging Program Designation, from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Marriott’s Grande Vista (the subject of yesterday’s post on The Timeshare Authority); Marriott’s Cypress Harbour; and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island each received this special designation because of their efforts to recycle, reduce, preserve, and educate others about issues of environmental awareness.

In 2008, Marriott Vacation Club International launched the MVCI Green Initiatives, starting at their corporate headquarters and branching out their efforts to include their corporate offices and timeshare resorts worldwide. In so doing, they eliminated over a quarter million pieces of Styrofoam and plastic waste that would have annually wound up in the nation’s landfills.

Deas Bohn, director Florida Department of Environmental Protection Sustainable Initiatives, said, “It is wonderful to see businesses implement green practices such as water conservation, recycling and energy reduction because they are not only good for business, they are good for Florida’s environment.”

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour Timeshares Combine Vacation Comfort with Environmental Consciousness

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare is an Orlando, Florida timeshare resort, which instantly means vacation fun and a convenient location to all your favorite Central Florida attractions and theme parks. Offering a 15-acre lake for boating and fishing, three sparkling swimming pools, and an 18-hole golf course, Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare is a vacation destination certain to please vacationers of all ages and interests.

With an “Old Florida” ambiance, the resort is a relaxing oasis of green, where stately live oaks and tropical palms create a relaxing atmosphere. The resort is built on both sides of the lake with a walking bridge across the water.

Boats, fishing gear, and bicycle rentals are all available on property, as is a convenience store, the Galley Grill for lakeside lunches, a 24-hour a day fitness center, and enough other amenities that guests and timeshare owners may be tempted to spend their entire vacation without ever leaving the property at this beautiful Florida timeshare resort.

Marriott’s Cypress Harbour timeshare resort… Another very special Marriott timeshare property that is clearly forward thinking and socially aware of what it means to all of us to protect and restore our environment.

Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority looks at Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, in Part III in this series.

Link to Part I:

Three Marriott Timeshare Resorts Earn Special ‘Green’ Designation as Environmentally Conscious Resorts

This is a three-part report on outstanding Marriott timeshares that have recently received the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

Part I:

This week, Marriott Vacation Club International announced that three Marriott timeshare properties have achieved the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation. The resorts, Marriott’s Grande Vista, Marriott’s Cypress Harbour, and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island, are the first Marriott timeshare properties to gain this distinctive recognition.

As Troy Asche, regional vice president of operations for the Florida-Caribbean region of Marriott Vacation Club International said (source: Marriott’s media release of June 23, 2009), “Now, more than ever, environmental stewardship is a critical part of delivering unforgettable vacation experiences to our Owners and guests and vital to the future of travel and tourism. By taking strategic steps to ‘green’ our resort operations, our collective efforts can make a huge impact on preserving our beautiful Florida environment.”

Florida Timeshares that Earn the Green Lodging Award

The Green Lodging Program is part of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. This intuitive was launched in 2004, establishing the environmental guidelines for guest lodging facilities to conserve natural resources and prevent pollution. In order to receive the award, a hotel, motel, timeshare resort, or other lodging facility must demonstrate a successful commitment to protecting Florida’s resources, an ecosystem that is totally unique in all of the United States.

Resorts that qualify as Green Lodging properties have taken steps such as: implementing recycling in timeshare villas, commons areas, and food service areas; installing compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFL’s) throughout the property; using low flow toilets, showerheads and faucets; asking guests to reuse linens and towels when possible; switching to the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products, and using Energy Star rated electronics and appliances. Other environmentally responsible actions may also contribute to a timeshare resort receiving this award.

Marriott’s Grande Vista Orlando Timeshare

In upcoming The Timeshare Authority blog posts, we will look at all of these three outstanding Marriott timeshare resorts to receive the Green Lodging Designation this year, starting with Marriott’s Grande Vista, an Orlando timeshare.

Grande Vista timeshare is an Interval International Premier rated timeshare resort, offering four sparkling pool complexes, a serene lake for boating and water sports, the Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott, a 9-hole executive course, a 35-acre practice area, and access to Marriott’s Grande Pines Golf Club. Both golf facilities are members of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.

Located in the heart of the attractions area of Orlando, a Marriott’s Grande Vista timeshare vacation puts you conveniently close to Disney, Universal, SeaWorld, and all the fun of a central Florida vacation. Yet with 164 acres, the Grande Vista timeshare is an oasis of green, amidst pines, oaks and tropical palms, and well deserves recognition as a noteworthy environmentally conscious resort.

Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at Marriott’s Cypress Harbour and Marriott’s Crystal Shores on Marco Island and how they have also earned the Florida Green Lodging Program Designation.

For the seventh year in a row, IDG’s Computerworld has selected Marriott International, Inc., as one of the “Best Places to Work in IT”.

Marriott’s media release quoted Scot Finnie, editor in chief of Computerworld, as saying, “The organizations that made this year’s Best Places to Work list sustain a dynamic work environment in which IT professionals keep their hands on the latest technologies and work on projects that are business critical. In the months and years ahead, IT is going to become a key accelerator of business growth.”

Award of the honor is based on numerous factors including company benefits, career development, training, diversity, and retention. This is the second time this week the Marriott Corporation has made an announcement regarding the receipt of an award honoring Marriott as an outstanding work environment.

Congratulations Marriott on another noteworthy workplace award; your contributions to the hospitality and timeshare industries are enormous.

The Utah Department of Workforce Services has recognized Marriott Vacation Club International Owners Services (Marriott Timeshare) as a 2009 winner of the “Utah’s Best Places to Work™ Work/Life Award.

Good Job Marriott Vacation Club International

This high recognition as one of Utah’s best places to work tells you, as a vacation property owner, that Marriott Vacation Club International values the people on the ‘front lines’ who provide timeshare owners with customer service, reservations, and Marriott Rewards assistance. When you interact with the staff and employees at Marriott Vacation Club, you are dealing with people who have lots of reasons to like their jobs. A positive, supportive workplace environment translates to workers who feel valued and respected, feelings they then share by being friendly, patient, and respectful with the nearly 395,000 Marriott timeshare owners they serve.

Ron Essig, vice president, global owner products and services for Marriott Vacation Club International, was quoted by The FINANCIAL as saying, “Being recognized as one of Utah’s “Best Places to Work” is a great honor for our division and continued affirmation of our outstanding Owner Services Associates. The foundation of Marriott Vacation Club International’s corporate culture and success is and always will be people first.”

The intent of the Utah Work/Life Award is to recognize and honor companies that create exceptional workplaces and businesses while effectively addressing employee work and life needs, and creating and maintaining a workplace culture of equity and opportunity.

Sell My Timeshare NOW, and The Timeshare Authority blog congratulate Marriott Vacation Club International for its exemplary efforts to maintain a great work environment for timeshare owner services employees. And we say “thank you Marriott timeshare” for all you have always done throughout the years to enhance and improve timesharing for timeshare owners, and everyone who is a part of the timeshare industry. Marriott timeshare employs over 450 people worldwide in Owner Services. Sell My Timeshare NOW, and The Timeshare Authority blog congratulate Marriott Vacation Club International for its exemplary efforts to maintain a great work environment for timeshare owner services employees. And we say “thank you Marriott timeshare” for all you have always done throughout the years to enhance and improve timesharing for timeshare owners, and everyone who is a part of the timeshare industry.

Hawaii tourism has a new reason to celebrate with the recent opening of the Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay on Maui. Hawaii timeshare has been an important part of the timeshare and vacation ownership industry for a long time, and candidly, tourism in Hawaii has taken a hit with the depressed economy. So it is especially good news that this $355 million Hawaii timeshare resort and condo complex is open and operational. The Honolulu Advertiser quoted Ryan Churchill, senior vice president and lead project investor of Maui Land & Pineapple Company as saying, “We are delighted to welcome this stunning new property to Kapalua Resort’s portfolio of luxury living.”

The new Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay is the first resort in Hawaii to introduce a fractional ownership condo development on such a large scale. The resort is built on 24 acres and it encompasses nine buildings, each three to six stories high. Included are 84 fee-simple condos and 62 timeshare units. The timeshare units are being sold as fractional ownership condos, in which 12 co-owners share ownership of a unit, each owning a minimum of three weeks apiece.

The Hawaii Timeshare Real Estate Market

Offsetting the challenge of selling timeshare real estate in this price range is the fact that many presales occurred as early as June 2006, before the Hawaii timeshare real estate market felt the worst of the current economic situation.

Jenny Ochtera, who is in charge of sales and marketing at the resort, notes that these are challenging times economically, but that the resort has been, “incredibly fortunate.” The Maui Land Company and Ritz-Carlton corporate say that the property continues to attract an impressive number of buyers.

Presently, 267 units of fractional ownership have sold for prices between $350,000 to $850,000. Twenty-five of those sales occurred in the first quarter of 2009. The resort plans for the sale of 744 timeshare intervals total, reserving 16 weeks per year for use at an additional cost by the member-owners.

The timeshare units (fractionals) are spacious, ranging in size from 1,912 square feet to 2,257 square feet, and offering a choice of two or three bedroom units. On-site amenities include a lagoon-style pool with a bar and grill and a private beach club. There is a second bar near the water’s edge. By late June of this year, a 30,000 square-foot spa is scheduled to open, followed by a Maui-themed general store.

The Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences at Kapalua Bay was developed by Kapalua Bay LLC, which is 51 percent owned by Maui Land; 34 percent owned by Ritz-Carlton: (a unit of Marriott International); and 15 percent owned by Exclusive Resorts.

Opportunities in Timeshare Resales at Ritz Carlton Timeshare or Fractional Resorts

• Ritz-Carlton Club and Residences, San Francisco Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Club Bachelor Gulch Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Club St. Thomas Resales
• Ritz-Carlton Golf Club & Spa, Jupiter Resales

Last week, Sell My Timeshare NOW released the HOT 100 List for timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. Let’s take a closer look at some of the trends the report reveals, especially about the HOTTEST 10 timeshare resorts – those popular ten at the very top of the list.

For the second consecutive year, WorldMark by Wyndham timeshares rank number 1 in the number of offers received to buy or rent. These timeshares are multi-destination ownership, meaning that your WorldMark by Wyndham timeshare gives you a choice of nearly 60 luxurious timeshare resorts in the US (including Hawaii), Mexico, Canada, and Fiji.

Marriott timeshare (Marriott Vacation Club International) claimed four spots on the HOTTEST 10 list. Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club in Palm Beach, Aruba was number 2; Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas, Newport Coast, California was number 3; Marriott’s Grande Vista, Orlando, Florida was number 8; and Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, Maui, Hawaii was number 9.

One of the few changes in the HOT 100 List, this year over last year, is that Marriott’s Grande Vista in Orlando is new to the HOTTEST 10, while Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club in Oahu, Hawaii, was number 10 on last year’s list but slipped to number 11 on this year’s list.

By geographic destination, Orlando timeshare dominated, including the Marriott property already mentioned, and two other popular Orlando timeshare resorts: Orange Lake’s West Village, which ranked number 6, and Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld International Centerdo, new to the list at number 10.

Rounding out the HOTTEST 10 timeshare resales are: the Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas in Maui, Hawaii, number 4 on the list, the Harborside Resort at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas, number 5 on the list, and the always popular Manhattan Club, in New York City, moving up from last year’s number 9, to be number 7 on this year’s list.

For the ten resorts making the HOTTEST 10 List, Sell My Timeshare NOW received 23,317 offers to buy or rent in 2008.

Click here to view the entire HOT 100 List for Sell My Timeshare NOW timeshare resales and timeshare rentals.

And if you are interested in comparisons, this link will take you to information about last year’s HOT 100 List: Sell My Timeshare NOW Releases HOT 100 List for 2008.

Sell My Timeshare NOW has released its annual HOT 100 List, which shows the top 100 timeshare resales and timeshare rentals advertised on www.sellmytimesharenow.com. The list is based on the number of inbound offers to buy or rent timeshare.

This year’s HOT 100 List reveals some interesting trends, most notably a 56 percent increase in the number of offers to buy or rent timeshare on the HOT 100 List, compared to the previous year. The total number of offers for the HOT 100 List was 70,700.

The report also shows remarkable consistency from last year to this year in the timeshare resale and timeshare rental resort properties that make the top of the HOT 100 List — those on the Top 10. The timeshare resorts that made the Top 10 received 23,317 offers to buy or rent.

Here’s the HOTTEST Timeshares of the HOT 100, the Top 10:

• WorldMark by Wyndham, Multi-Destination Resorts (Number 1 for the second year in a row.)
• Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, Palm Beach, Aruba
• Marriott’s Newport Coast Villas, Newport Coast, California
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas, Maui, Hawaii
• Harborside Resort at Atlantis, Paradise Island, Bahamas
• Orange Lake’s West Village, Orlando, Florida
• Manhattan Club, New York, New York.
• Marriott’s Grande Vista, Orlando, Florida
• Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club, Maui, Hawaii
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club at SeaWorld International Center, Orlando, Florida

The full report on all 100 HOT timeshare resales and timeshare rentals is available here: Sell MyTimeshare NOW HOT 100 List, and our official press release is available here: Timeshare Resales Offers up 56 Percent on HOT 100 List as Americans Seek Vacation Savings

Starting July 16, 2009, the Marriott Vacation Club timeshare program will change its timeshare points system by integrating Marriott Vacation Club properties into Marriott Rewards Categories.

The good news for Marriott timeshare owners is that as part of this change, their timeshare stays will now be eligible for Marriott’s Fifth Night Free program, which Marriott describes as follows, “Guests must reserve a stay for a minimum of 5 redemption nights at one hotel to receive the fifth night for free. The fifth night free will be automatically applied when guests reserve for a minimum 5-night redemption stay.”

Marriott Vacation Club Timeshare Assigned New Rankings

According to Marriott Vacation Club, the strategy behind the change involves assigning hotel category levels to the Marriott Vacation Club timeshare resorts. Most timeshare properties will be ranked as a category 5, 6, or 7, in the Marriott Rewards system. This means that a one-night stay will require 25,000 points; 30,000; or 35,000 points respectively, based upon a deluxe guestroom, and depending upon whether the resort is a category 5, 6, or 7 property.

Upgrading from a deluxe guestroom to a one-bedroom timeshare will require an additional 5,000 points per night; a two-bedroom timeshare will call for 10,000 more timeshare points; and a three-bedroom timeshare will be 15,000 more points per night, all above the base points requirement for that resort.

One simple way to look at this is that at a category 5 resort, the cost in points will be 210,000 points for 7 nights in a two-bedroom timeshare. That rate increases to 240,000 points for the same number of nights, and the same size timeshare unit at a category 6 resort, and 270,000 points at a category 7 resort. These numbers include the benefit of using your one free night that is available to you when booking five or more consecutive nights.

Receiving Your Marriott Rewards Credit for Marriott Timeshare Stays

Remember that in order for a Marriott Vacation Club International owner to ensure receiving Marriott Rewards credit for Marriott Vacation Club International nights, he or she should present his Marriott Rewards member ID at either the time of check-in or check-out. The option for Marriott timeshare owners to count timeshare nights towards qualifying for the next level of Marriott Rewards Elite status, went into effect last June 30 (2008) but still comes as a surprise to many Marriott timeshare owners.

The new timeshare points system applies to reservations booked on or after the July 16 effective date. If you have already scheduled to use your timeshare points after the effective date the timeshare rates at the time of booking will prevail.

You may wish to also visit Marriott Vacation Club Rewards FAQs, if you have additional questions.