The following article by Jason Tremblay is published here with the permission of The Resort Trades. Please visit their website to read more: www.theresorttrades.com

New Commerce and the Timeshare Buyer

The next timeshare buyer may never stop at an OPC kiosk. He or she may ignore the invitation that came in the mail offering a free weekend at a desirable resort, and is likely to let the sales calls from the developer go to voice mail … and stay there.

In a marketplace that is changing faster than most businesses can keep pace, the next wave of timeshare buyers will buy or rent in different ways, for different reasons, and via different transactional processes than any segment of shoppers – for any type of product – has done in the past. From shopping to reading books to selecting restaurants, consumers are making buying decisions in ways the business world has never before experienced. In the U.S. alone, some 80 percent of people have personal Internet access, with many others making use of an employer, friend or relative’s Internet service. But that barely scratches the surface of what new commerce means to timeshare. Just as the business world begins to get a handle on e-commerce, along comes “m-commerce” (buying on a mobile device) and “t-commerce” (buying on a tablet device). While at first glance these may all seem to be the same process, they are in fact, each a distinctly unique shopping and buying experience.

M-commerce, and to a lesser degree, t-commerce, gives consumers the capability to simultaneously interact with a business both in person and online. Buyers can use online coupons, tickets and discounts directly from their phone at an event, service location, or storefront. The potential to deliver targeted coupons and invitations to consumers because the consumer’s mobile phone has communicated that he or she is in the neighborhood of your resort is not futuristic stuff; it is already a reality.

Consider the dramatic consumer pattern changes that were evidenced in holiday shopping this past year, 2011. Where once the dawning of Christmas morning brought holiday shopping to a quiet pause, today’s connectivity has given rise to stores and businesses where the doors never close, the virtual sales staff never clocks out, and the transactions never stop. On Christmas Day alone, the dollar amount of purchases made over mobile devices was up nearly 173 percent over the sales transaction numbers for Christmas Day 2010. A total of 7 percent of all purchases made online on that day were t-commerce transactions, made specifically on iPads; 6.5 percent were m-commerce, made on iPhones. And these numbers only look at a portion of what was happening, with Android and other devices not accounted for in this research.

A website that offers an effective and enticing user experience is critical for most types of business. But almost overnight the visibility and usability of your site has become only a piece of the marketing paradigm. Some online businesses are reporting as much as 50 percent of their transactions occurring via a tablet or mobile device, a serious challenge when you consider that the functionality of many websites does not translate well, if at all, for mobile or tablet users.

And as much as the user experience is different from one type of Internet access device to another, so are the metrics for measuring their effectiveness. In the same way that page views and clicks must be measured for computer users, so must a consumer’s swipes and taps (what many refer to as “smudges and swipes”) be measured in t-commerce.

Yet the shifting sands of commerce involve more than the technology by which clients and prospective customers will reach us and we will reach them. Consumers do not use their phones and tablets in the same way they use desktop computers, nor do they access them under the same circumstances or for the same reasons. New commerce technology takes business into consumer’s lives at the most intimate of levels. Your next timeshare buyer may be curled up in bed surfing your inventory via a tablet. He or she may be accessing your mobile site while sitting in the doctor’s waiting room. Your opportunity to sell to this buyer may happen at midnight or on Christmas morning and the odds are high that neither you nor your sales team will have the opportunity to be personally involved with the transaction until it has reached its final stages, if then.

Business focus must be as much on creating a “personal” experience for consumers as on the technology behind the experience. Measuring clicks, taps, smudges and swipes is not enough. Business cannot lose sight of the human element. While the future of timeshare sales may lie in electronic exchanges in which the seller and buyer never make eye contact and never shake hands on their deal, this heightens the requisite that businesses find ways to make online engagement feel sincere, warm, personable and trustworthy.

As the technologies of new commerce evolve, timeshare sales, resales and rentals find themselves uniquely positioned. While there is strength and market depth in selling additional timeshare to those who already own the product, the vast breadth of the buying market for timeshares lies in consumers who have never owned a timeshare. In a world where there’s very little new for most consumers, timeshares are uncharted waters and a foreign, or at least misunderstood product in the eyes of most potential buyers.

As author and visionary Seth Godin recently blogged, “… teaching people to buy anything for the first time is a revolutionary concept. Campbell’s soup is almost never bought for the first time. It is a replacement purchase. No one switches to Campbell’s either. They buy it because their mom did.”

No can of soup, timeshares are much more a can of worms, and the timeshare industry has its work cut out for it. The industry’s future must be pinned on selling a reinvigorated timeshare product via an assortment of new commerce technologies to both the returning market and the revolutionary first time buyer.

(from Volume 26, No.2 February 5, 2012, The Resort Trades)

White Oak Lodge and Resort, in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, has been recognized as a RCI Gold Crown Resort property by RCI timeshare exchange. White Oak Lodge and Resort is a part of Global Connections, Inc.

Located on 17 acres of wooded land near the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, White Oak Lodge and Resort is a mixed-use property that includes 60 two- and three-bedroom log cabin homes and 12 two-bedroom condominiums. The resort includes a tennis court, nature trails, outdoor grills, clubhouse and swimming pool with two grottos and waterfalls.

Global Connections, a leader in the travel club industry, has more than 170,000 members and is the owner and developer of five resorts, with ownership of multiple resort condominium units throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Tom Lyons, president of Global Connections, says, “We are excited to receive the RCI Gold Crown Resort designation for White Oak Lodge and Resort. This designation confirms not only the high quality of the resort, its design and furnishings, but the personable service offered by the staff to our guests.”

RCI Gold Crown Resorts are awarded and identified as a way to help RCI members identify timeshare resorts that adhere to the RCI standards for accommodations, hospitality and member experience. Gordon Gurnik, president of RCI, adds, “We are thrilled to recognize those who have attained this designation and continue working to offer top vacation destinations to our 3.7 million members worldwide.”

At the second annual GNEX conference, sponsored by Perspective Magazine, conference attendees will have the opportunity to go behind the scenes in a timeshare resort tour of some the Cancun/Riviera Maya area’s most successful resorts.

Secrets Maroma by Unlimited Vacation Club,  Grand Velas Riviera Maya, and Mayakoba Residences join the previously announced Hotel Marina El Cid Spa & Beach Resort (El Cid Vacations Club), Royal Sands (Royal Resorts), and BlueBay Grand Esmeralda (Circle One by Blue Bay Resorts), expanding the event’s resort tour from three to six Mexican timeshare properties. Event attendees will have the opportunity to tour the properties on first-come, first-served basis on January 31.

Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services are proud to be a participating sponsor of GNEX 2012, which is scheduled for January 31 through February 2 at the Ritz Carlton Cancun in Cancun, Mexico.

A partial list of other sponsors and supporters for GNEX 2012 includes: Dial an Exchange, Resort Television, Travel To Go, Interval International, Lloydshare, RCI,  The Association for Timeshare Owners Committees (TATOC), Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (CARE), Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA), Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA), Women in the Industry (WIN) and Christel House International as Charity of Choice.

As 2011 draws to a close, all of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services wish you and your family a safe, peaceful, and joyous New Year’s Eve.

If you have been among the thousands of clients we have been privileged to serve this year, we thank for permitting us to help you. If you are considering finding out more about the opportunities of vacation ownership, or are looking to sell or rent timeshare real estate you currently own, we hope you will consider us.

We will do our very best to provide you the highest level of service in your timeshare or fractional transaction and we will do so with respect and integrity.

Across America and around the world, people will be welcoming in the new year with hope that 2012 brings  unity, prosperity and health to all. In the words of Benjamin Franklin, “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”

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?

Liberty Bank has increased and extended its loan to Shell Vacations Club. Wellington Financial, the exclusive resort finance lending correspondent for Liberty Bank, says Liberty Bank’s loan to the timeshare development company will provide end-loan financing for Shell Vacation’s Napa Valley California timeshare resort project.

In what seems to reflect positive news about the economy, with banks lending money and gaining confidence about the future, Liberty Bank Vice President David Brede explains, “Shell Vacations, LLC is one of our key clients and we are very pleased to expand our relationship with them. They provide a quality product and their sales have remained steady, despite the recent downturn in the economy. We have every reason to believe this trend will continue as the economy improves.”

Shell Vacations LLC Chief Financial Officer Bill Weber says, “We’ve been working with the team from Liberty Bank and Wellington Financial since 2007 and are happy to expand on that relationship. They understand the intricacies involved in servicing a first-class organization like ours. Over the years we have been pleased with their ability to seamlessly provide the underwriting for us to offer reasonable financing to our owners.”

The loan targets the development of Shell Vacations’ Napa Valley California timeshare project, the Vino Bello Resort®, located in the heart of wine country. Vino Bello Resort is being constructed adjacent to the Meritage Resort, making it easy for Vino Bello timeshare owners and guests to enjoy the Spa Terra, Estate Wine Cave and Meritage Wine Tasting Bar at the Meritage Resort in addition to the numerous amenities of the Vino Bello.

Timeshare units at Vino Bello will include studios and one- and two-bedroom timeshare suites, with  plasma screen televisions, five-headed showers, in-room Jacuzzi tubs in all one-bedroom suites, fully equipped kitchen or kitchenettes, and other luxury features.

What Makes Shell Vacation Club Timeshares and Timeshare Resales So Popular

Shell Vacations is a highly respected vacation ownership (timeshare) developer, operating or affiliated with some 24 resorts in the US, Mexico and Canada. With more than 115,000 timeshare owner / members, Shell Vacations Club is known for its flexible ownership program, a customer-first approach to resort hospitality, and some of the most popular resort getaways in North America.

Shell Vacations Club timeshare includes:

1. Shell Vacation Points within a Shell Owners Club (also known as a “Home Club”), and
2. Deeded Shell timeshare intervals which is often a fixed week at a specific Shell Vacations Club Resort.

Shell Vacations Timeshare Company is headquartered in Northbrook Illinois.

Earlier this month, the state of Wisconsin passed a NonJudicial Foreclosure law for timeshare. With Governor Scott Walker’s signature, SB241 became effective immediately. A Wisconsin timeshare can now be foreclosed through a process that is more expeditious and less expensive for all involved than was previously possible.

SB241 permits nonjudicial foreclosures of mortgagees and assessment liens on timeshare estates and licenses. The previous process for timeshare foreclosure in Wisconsin was often lengthy and costly. The new Wisconsin timeshare foreclosure law makes it possible for timeshare developers and homeowners associations to more effectively deal with delinquent assessments and to do so outside the court, when all parties are agreeable to so doing.

Why the Wisconsin Timeshare Foreclosure Law is Good for Timeshare Owners

In an environment where consumers are naturally apprehensive about processes that make foreclosures of any type, “too easy” it is important to note that this new legislation actually benefits timeshare owners and prospective owners as much as it does developers and HOAs. When homeowners associations are forced to bear the burden of delinquent timeshare fees, the people who are hurt most are the timeshare owners who are timely with their mortgage and/ or association fees and assessments. Even those whose timeshares are being foreclosed will benefit by being able to respond within a process that is quicker, simpler, and thereby less expensive and perhaps even less stressful.

As an added layer of consumer protection, SB241 allows timeshare owners subject to foreclosure to file an objection to the use of the new approach, in which case, the foreclosing part must then follow standard judicial process.

ARDAWisconsin and ARDA ROC supported the bill with the assistance of representation by Foley & Lardner.

Two resources for learning more about this new law are: ARDA-ROC

and the Hospitality Lawg, the Hospitality Law blog of Baker & Hostetler.

The holidays typically leave everyone busy and often overwhelmed, but there are a few smart financial moves that can really benefit you if you find time and take care of them now. And for some timeshare owners, selling your timeshare may be one of them.

Must-Dos before 2012 rolls around:

1. Contribute as much as permitted to your retirement account. You only have until the last day of the year to contribute to your 401(k) through your workplace. Yes, you can add to your IRA or ROTH IRA up until April each year, but for your workplace 401(k), the deadline is December 31. Ask your HR department how much you have already contributed this year. For workers under age 50, the maximum is $16,500 and for those over, it is $22,000. If you are under these caps, try to raise your contributions between now and New Year’s Eve to realize the best tax savings for 2011.

2. Pay in advance. If you have bills that are partially or wholly tax deductible and you can, pay them before December 31 to gain the tax deduction in the current year. Examples of bills that may be tax deductible include the interest portion of your home mortgage, college tuition, or expenses you can claim as business deductions.

3. Consider selling your timeshare. It’s likely that as a timeshare owner, you have recently received the bill for your annual dues on your timeshare or vacation club membership. For most people, this bill averages about $750. But if you are not using your timeshare, this may be one expenditure you can save in the future by selling your timeshare in 2012. No, you won’t make back what you paid for it, but you will eliminate what it costs you going forward. And while not all timeshares are easy to sell, many timeshares resell quite well. Ask the timeshare resale specialists at Timeshare Broker Services to help you. It will cost you nothing upfront, and you’ll be under no obligation. Call 877-884-9577 to learn more.

4. Review your utilities and services. One call to your telephone, cable, satellite or other service provider can save you money every month. Plans and service options change constantly and many companies that provide services you regularly use have ways to save you money you may not be benefitting from now. Ask companies to look at your services and see how they can help you. In some cases this can be in the form of bundling services in order to save money, a loyalty discount or credit, adding features at no cost to you, discontinuing features for which you are paying but not using, or even a free home energy audit that puts you in a better position to save.

5. Share. Now is the ideal time to make charitable donations. Studies show that sharing generously with others increases your personal feelings of contentment and satisfaction, activating the same “happiness” areas of the brain as is triggered by eating a good meal. Publication 78, Cumulative List of Organizations described in Section 170(c) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, provides you the full list of charities to which your donations are tax deductible.

And always, when exploring ways to save on your state or federal income taxes, be sure to consult you CPA, tax attorney or other tax expert.

The Annual Fractional Interest Conference, sponsored each year by Ragatz Associates, is widening  its outreach this year.

The 2012 conference, scheduled for March 12-13 at the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch, will again focus on fractionals, private residence clubs, and destination clubs, but will now also look at issues of resort condominiums, single-family detached vacation homes, master-planned destination resort communities and vacation rentals. Reflecting this broader scope, this, the 12^th annual event, is being renamed: the Ragatz Fractional & Resort Real Estate Conference.

Richard Ragatz, Ph.D., President of Ragatz Associates, says, “During our global consulting work, we find that developers are active in more than a single resort real estate product. Today, more than ever, it is critical to understand how many components can blend together to create developments that are most appealing to today’s multi-motivated consumers.”

Look for the 2012 Ragatz Conference to include sessions on:

• consumer trends
• changes in decision-making patterns
• which resort real estate products make most sense to various buyers
• marketing and selling to today’s consumers
• consumer use patterns and purchase motivations
• and many other topics of vital interest to the changing vacation and resort real estate marketplace

More than 50 speakers are scheduled, including some 25 new experts at the conference presentations. You can learn more at: www.ragatzconference.com

Note from The Timeshare Authority blog: While the following news item is of potential interest to New England residents and those who enjoy ski vacations in the Nutmeg Alps of Connecticut, it is also of broader interest because it indicates one of the many ways that timeshares can strengthen the economy and benefit communities.

According to the East Hampton-Portland Patch, the Town of Middlefield, Connecticut, seems to have lost the interest of at least one investor who was considering Powder Ridge ski area—that is, unless the deal includes a timeshare real estate component.

Rick Sabatino, a former consultant to Alpine Ridge LLC, and his business partner Dave Perry, have been trying to determine if the current agreement between Middlefield and Alpine would permit the development of timeshare units at Powder Ridge.

Sabatino was quoted as saying, “The investor would take another look at it if there were timeshares available.”

The Town’s First Selectman, Jon Brayshaw, has reportedly expressed concern over the Town appearing to work exclusively with any one group who might be expressing interest in the property, saying that there are, “other people in the mix.”

A visit to the Powder Ridge Ski Area website found the following message:

The Powder Ridge Ski Area also includes the following email address as its contact information for anyone with questions:  admin@powderridgect.com

NOTE: This ski area should not be confused with the popular Utah ski destination, also called Powder Ridge. Powder Ridge Village Timeshare (Utah)