Orange Lake Country Club

America (and the world) has been in love with the Holiday Inn brand for generations. For many of today’s baby boomers, memories of childhood vacations and road trips included at least a few nights spent at a Holiday Inn—and if you were lucky, you stayed in a room close to the pool. Distinguished for decades as a family friendly vacation brand, it is no surprise that today, Holiday Inn Club Vacations is among the fastest-growing brands in the vacation ownership industry.

While other businesses have felt the challenges of the economy, Holiday Inn Club Vacations has been steadily expanding to serve its members, providing more resort options at favorite vacation destinations across the country. Last week, during the IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) Investors Conference held in Orlando, Florida, Holiday Inn Club Vacations announced the expansion of its portfolio to include two more destinations by the end of the calendar year.

Timeshare Growth Even in a Challenging Economy

Holiday Inn Club Vacations was launched in 2008, when IHG partnered with timeshare resort developer Orange Lake Resorts in a strategic alliance to create the Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand of timeshare and vacation ownership. Growing from four resort destinations in 2008, to nine, with a tenth resort joining the brand in late 2012, Holiday Inn timeshares now offers 3,788 rooms.

Don Harrill, president and CEO of Orange Lake Resorts, explains, “The success of this strategic alliance has once again proven that vacations matter to consumers. Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida began with Kemmons Wilson’s vision to create an even better way to vacation. By aligning with IHG and the Holiday Inn brand family once again, we’ve been able to create more awareness and visibility for our resort destinations so that more travelers can learn about and consider us for their next stay with friends and family.”

Today, Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts host an average of 850,000 guests per year and offer vacation ownership preview tours to 170,000 guests annually. With a member base of nearly 80,000, up from 51,568 in 2010, Holiday Inn Club Vacations continues on its path of steady, sustainable growth, making them not only one of the fastest growing names in timeshare today, but one of the most consistent.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations Welcomes Two Additional Timeshare Resorts 

Holiday Inn Club Vacations Panama City Beach Resort, a 37-unit beachfront timeshare resort in Panama City Beach, Florida was just branded last week. The next resort to launch will be Holiday Inn Club Vacations Galveston Beach Resort, a 78-villa beachfront property in Galveston, Texas, opening this December.

Del Ross, vice president Americas Sales & Marketing, says, “The addition of two new resorts to the Holiday Inn Club Vacations portfolio demonstrates the strength of the brand and our ability to find strategic opportunities for growth. We continue to look at key vacation destinations such as Hawaii and other west coast locations to expand the brand.”

And as Holiday Inn timeshares continue to grow, so will the loyalty and devotion that its owners—both current and future—feel for the brand.

Related Holiday Inn Club Vacations news from The Timeshare Authority blog:

• Another Major Hotelier Entering the Timeshare Resort Industry
• Holiday Inn Timeshares Not Slowing Down in this Economy
• More Timeshare Resort Destinations for Holiday Inn Vacation Club Timeshares
• More Orange Lake Timeshare Resorts Join the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Brand
• Holiday Inn Timeshare Unveils New Orlando Timeshare Resort

For the tenth year, Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort has now hosted the RCI Christel House Open. Played on Monday, June 11, the annual fund raiser golf tournament was held on the resort’s 18-hole, Arnold Palmer-designed Legends golf course.

With a field of 152 golfers, the Central Florida tournament is the largest and most successful of the RCI Christel House fundraisers played around the world. Other tournament site locations include 11events played in the United States, one in Mexico, one in the United Kingdom, and one in South Africa. Over all, more than 1800 competitors play to support the Christel House charity in the fourteen worldwide events.

One hundred percent  of the worldwide proceeds from the charity golf events go to support the programs and services of Christel House, which directly benefit more than 3,000 children. Geoff Ballotti, CEO of RCI, explains, “To Christel House, a contribution of $1 million offers a significant amount of change and hope to impoverished children who might not otherwise have the opportunity to go to school, providing access to all Christel House programs and services from kindergarten to 12th grade. All monies raised for the foundation go straight to feed, nourish, and nurture the children of Christel House.”

Orange Lake Resorts President and CEO Don Harrill adds, “Having personally visited Christel House Mexico two years ago, I saw first-hand how your donations make a difference for children. We are truly appreciative of your contributions and proud to once again serve as the host site for this wonderful cause close to our hearts.”

The winning foursome this year was the team from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

Follow this link to learn more about Christel House.

Did you know that the beaches of Orange Lake Resorts have gotten bigger?

Last month, Orange Lake Resorts timeshare, which already operates eight popular properties, officially closed on a transaction which will allow two new resorts to become part of the Orange Lake timeshare family.

In a deal with Cooper Industries, Inc., Orange Lake Resorts is adding the Tropical Breeze Resort in Panama City Beach, Florida, and Galveston on the Gulf Resort in Galveston, Texas to its brand.

Tropical Breeze Resort offers 37 timeshare units, including one- and two-bedroom timeshare villas—every one with a view of the Gulf of Mexico from a private patio (first floor units) or balcony (upper floors) for enjoying ocean breezes and spectacular sunsets.

With direct beach access, an outdoor heated swimming pool, kiddie swim area, hot tub and fitness center, and other great amenities, Tropical Breeze Resort will make a wonderful addition to the Holiday Inn Club Vacations family of Florida timeshare resorts.

Galveston on the Gulf Resort is located on Galveston’s barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico, off the Texas coastline. This 78 timeshare unit resort offers one- and two-bedroom timeshare villas, including timeshare lock-off units.

Each villa at Galveston on the Gulf Resort offers a private patio or balcony and beautiful views of the Gulf . The resort also includes direct beach access, a  outdoor, heated infinity-edge swimming pool, kiddie swim area, fitness center, hot tub and complimentary Wi-Fi Internet service.

Vacationbetter.org, the vacation website of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) has rolled out a new look and feel to its website. Focusing on bringing you more stories directly from timeshare owners and timeshare vacationers, the new website design for Vacationbetter.org now includes on its homepage, video testimonials directly from owners.

The website describes it saying, “The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is partnering with its members to bring the passion of the owners to other vacationers through its Timeshare Fans Program. These Timeshare Fans will explain – in their own words – why timeshare is a better way to vacation.”

The new look of the website puts the emphasis on timeshare the way the world should be seeing it: as a valued choice for family vacations, with spacious accommodations and easy vacation planning. The redesign also helps showcase how many, many families find timeshare vacations to be a tradition that they anticipate and enjoy year after year. And to help get more timeshare owners share the real truth of timesharing, Vacationbetter.org has made it easy for owners to add their photos and written or video stories to the website.

Millions of Happy Timeshare Owners

ARDA and Vacationbetter.org see their new-look website as part of their commitment to their Timeshare Fans program, through which they can help show the world the enthusiasm and passion that so many timeshare owners feel for their vacation ownership products.  With nearly 8 million timeshare owners worldwide, there are a lot of raving fans. ARDA and many others in the timeshare industry think it’s time you heard more about and from these happy owners.

And what better place to start telling the story of satisfied timeshare owners than at Orange Lake Resort in Orlando, Florida… as the owners in this video explain…