Each month for the past three months, ARDA, through its Vacation Better website has turned the spotlight on the most powerful message the timeshare industry can share: the testimonial of happy owners.

The timeshare owner spotlight for November focused on happy Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare owners, while in December it was turned to shine on timeshare owners at Hilton Grand Vacations. Now, the New Year begins with the focus on Wyndham Vacation Ownership, where as one Wyndham owner says, “We have never regretted a single minute of it; it has been the best investment we’ve made in our lives, to spend time with each other.”

Included on the Vacation Better website is another great story of a happy Wyndham timeshare owner who spent this past Thanksgiving, with 38 family members at Wyndham’s beautiful Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando. Be sure you visit the site (www.vacationbetter.org) to find out how a timeshare turned out to be the ideal choice for one family’s holiday-family reunion combo event. You’ll even find their  Thanksgiving menu and one of the family newsletters this Wyndham timeshare owner created when they started making their plans last July.

The bottom line is this: Nobody explains why timeshares are such an ideal way to vacation better than the owners themselves who love and enjoy their timeshare vacation ownership.

Previous Vacation Better Videos from Happy Timeshare Owners:

VacationBetter.Org Unveils New Look for Timeshare Vacations Website

Raging Fans and the Truth about Timeshare

More than a thousand people have already viewed the first SlideShare video we posted about Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Service’s new Partner Portal Program. And if you read yesterday’s post here on The Timeshare Authority blog, you had a chance to view one of the instructional videos we have developed to help businesses better understand how easily and effectively the Partner Portal for Timeshare Resale and Timeshare Rental allows those with clean timeshare inventory to share the high-visibility platforms of Sell My Timeshare NOW.

The timeshare industry has long been in need of a tool that functions like an MLS does for traditional real estate. The Partner Portal is that tool.

And when we tell you there are no strings attached, we mean it! Anyone from HOAs to timeshare resellers to developers to others with timeshare resale and rental inventory can use the tool. There’s no up front cost to use it. Your listings are non exclusive and you can put them up or take them down any time you like.

The Partner Portal for Timeshare Resale and Timeshare Rental

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Between 1.7 and 2 million people visit the websites of Sell My Timeshare NOW every month. Our websites have had over 20 million pageviews this past year. Our websites are where your inventory will be seen.

We invite you to watch the following slide show… to learn more, and to contact us so that you can take advantage of how game-changing the Partner Portal can be for you.

This week, Sell My Timeshare NOW  rolled out its newest program, The Partner Portal for Timeshare Resale and Rental.

Here’s how this business-2-business platform works:

1. Anyone with clean timeshare rental or timeshare resale inventory can use this service. This means timeshare resellers, resales companies, companies that accept trade-ins, real estate brokers, timeshare brokers, management companies, HOAs, timeshare developers, and perhaps even in some cases individuals who have a large number of timeshares to resell. This includes rental burn inventory and unwanted trade-in inventory as well as choice timeshare resales and rentals.
2. Vendors or industry partners who chose this program log onto the Partner Portal webpage and set up their account. http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/portal
3. Account set-up is very, very simple. Once that’s done, the vendor then uploads his or her timeshare ads for rental or brokerage resales. The upload process is amazingly easy; it is a smooth interface. You can use our spreadsheet forms or use your own.
4. Uploaded timeshare resales and rentals are then reviewed by Sell My Timeshare NOW, data checked for accuracy, and then ads for these properties are created.
5. SellMyTimeshareNOW or Timeshare Broker Services contacts the seller (or person with rental inventory), finalizes the terms of the account and then the ads go live.
6. These ads appear on SellMyTimeshareNOW’s website. They are standardized to ensure that the information on the ad is complete and factual. Best of all, they gain exposure on the most highly visible timeshare resale and timeshare rental website on the web.

The websites for SellMyTimeshareNOW average 1.7 million monthly pageviews. Listings are non-exclusive and sellers can decide when they want to take down their ads.

Learn more at: www.sellmytimesharenow.com/media/pdf/partner-portal.pdf or by contacting Jerome Bocquet at 877-884-9577 ext. 307 or Jay Bade at 317-213-2553.

To read the full media release go to:

http://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/media/index/content/release9-27-11/

As much as we love our children, we all know there are times when it is good to get away from your kids. With this in mind, Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club, a Dominican Republic vacation club timeshare, has now dedicated 18 one-bedroom resort units as “Adult Only.”

These special vacation club studios are designed to sleep up to four people, come with a choice of king size or double beds, include a sitting area, and a mini-fridge. All of the units are poolside and are located directly across from The Spa, where guests can experience relaxation, renewal, and nurturing for their mind and body. The Spa features a cardio room, sea salt healing pool, hot and steam saunas, and a selection of treatments, massages, and services.

Adults staying in these select vacation club suites also have privileges at the resort’s new Jazz Restaurant and Bourbon Street Bar reserved only for people staying in the Executive Spa Suites and the resort’s Presidential Suites. Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club VIP Members can access members only pools, beach areas, golf carts, limo transfers, and helicopter tours.
Managing Director of Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club, Hans Larcher, says, “It’s a perfect way to relax, unwind, and immerse oneself in pampering services and amenities.”

Ownership and Rental Opportunities at Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club in the Dominican Republic

• Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club at Crown Penthouse Suites and Spas
• Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club at Crown Presidential Suites and Spas
• Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club at Hacienda Tropical
• Lifestyle Holiday Vacation Club at Lifestyle Crown Villas

People who have money to spend these days are often home shopping and why not? The residential real estate market is flooded with homes at rock bottom low prices, supported by the lowest interest rates in decades. And if it is the right time to buy real estate, does this include buying timeshares or timeshare resales?

Yes, suggest Bankrate.com in an article titled, “Should you buy a timeshare now?” that was published on the real estate section of their website. The article starts by pointing to the 2009 decline in annual timeshare sales as validated by ARDA that reported timeshare sales down 8 percent from 2008 to 2007.

But—and this is a valid and unchanging truth about timeshare sales—DO NOT buy timeshare as an investment strategy. Bankrate.com quotes Judi Kozlowski, a broker with Re/Max Properties SW in Orlando, Florida who says, “Only those who want to use the timeshare should get into the market. Timeshare is an investment in your time and family, not a financial investment.”

Lisa Ann Schreier, founder of Timeshare Insights reinforces the message, “Timeshare isn’t a business for consumers; it’s a vacation alternative. A timeshare should only be thought of as an investment in your future vacations.”

Buy Timeshare and Timeshare Resales

I don’t know where you are investing these days; most of us are pretty perplexed by that challenge. But I do know that there are a few things definitely worth your “investment”.

• Invest your time in creating a greater sense of stability and more peace of mind. Buying timeshare today means you lock-in today’s vacation accommodation rates (currently at very competitive prices) for a lifetime of vacations. When you buy timeshare, you make vacation planning the easiest it can possibly be.
• Invest your heart in those people you care about most. Build stronger family bonds and create more meaningful moments and lasting memories. Even young children are affected by the negative news of an unstable economy, a collapsing job market, threats of terrorism, and today’s “reality”. Timeshare vacations afford you and your loved ones a time and place to forget about the daily grind, reconnect, and restore.
• Invest in yourself. Take better care of your health, which often includes both exercising more and relaxing more. Carve out time to recharge yourself in new venues and favorite vacation spots. Not only do you owe it to yourself, you owe it to those who depend on you.

As Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA points out, a timeshare has a value proposition that comes from using it. Yes, now is a great time to buy timeshare, especially right-priced timeshare resales, but buy timeshare because you plan to use and enjoy it, and never because you are looking for a financial investment.

The South Florida Business Journal reports that research from Deloitte has found, “45 percent of U.S. consumers planned to take a leisure trip involving an overnight stay at a hotel, motel or timeshare from the beginning of Thanksgiving week through March.”

photo credit: Michal Zacharzewski SXC

In the state of Florida alone, AAA estimates that 2.1 million Floridians will be traveling during this Thanksgiving holiday, marking a 3 percent increase over Thanksgiving travel last year. Across the country, as many as 38 million people will travel at least 50 miles (or more) this Thanksgiving holiday weekend—a nearly one and a half percent increase over 2008.

Kevin Bakewell, senior vice president of AAA Auto Club South says, “We take the projected increase in travelers as a sign that economic recovery may finally be taking root and we believe many Americans certainly share the same hope.”

Your Drive-To Timeshare Resale or Timeshare Rental Destination

While many of us are traveling this Thanksgiving, more of us are driving vs. flying. With increasing costs to fly, add-on charges for luggage and other services, and fewer flights translating to more delays, only 6 percent of Thanksgiving travelers will fly, which is a drop of a staggering 62 percent since 2000.

Thank goodness, the flexibility of timeshare exchange and timeshare rentals makes it easy to plan a drive-to vacation. And if you don’t already own a timeshare that is conveniently located so that travel time doesn’t become the most important aspect of the flight, now’s a great time to be looking at the many opportunities in timeshare resales.

The website InvestorWords.com gives us these definitions of the word, “investment”:

• Definition 1
  In finance, the purchase of a financial product or other item of value with an expectation of favorable future returns. In general terms, investment means the use money in the hope of making more money.
• Definition 2
  In business, the purchase by a producer of a physical good, such as durable equipment or inventory, in the hope of improving future business.

Over the past six years, since Sell My Timeshare NOW was first founded, I have written, stated, tweeted, and probably shouted from a few rooftops, “timeshares are not an investment.”

Timeshares are a fabulous way to vacation, offering ease of vacation planning, spacious accommodations, and amenities to suit every member of the family. But you should not buy timeshare because you expect to be able to resell it at a higher price. And our legal system, including the Securities and Exchange Commission takes a dim view of people who try to tell you otherwise.

Case in point from this week’s Legal Newsline:

This story comes packed with lots of lessons.

• Don’t take tax advice from anyone who is not certified to provide it.
• Don’t transfer your timeshare to anyone or any company on a promise.
• And most importantly, if it seems too good to be true… don’t believe the hype!

Yes, you can resell your timeshare. You can also donate your timeshare, give it away, or use it as a timeshare rental, and these are all strategies for offsetting or eliminating the cost of continuing to pay annual fees on a timeshare you no longer use. But before you take any of these actions, make sure you are dealing with a reputable timeshare resales advertising company or timeshare brokers who are giving you a reasonable and accurate picture about timeshare resales.

Don’t let fear of swine flu (H1N1) get in the way of enjoying Mouse fever.

Let’s face it, there are a lot of people who really enjoy a Disney vacation. The Orlando Disney theme parks alone attract between 25 and 45 million visitors annually, depending upon whose unofficial stats you follow. Any way you look at it, Disney theme parks mean huge numbers of people, many of whom are not vacationing with their kids!

Psychologist Donna Dawson calls it, (appropriately) the “Peter Pan” syndrome. “Unencumbered by kids,” Dawson explains, “couples can selfishly go on the rides that THEY want to, as many times as they want, without anyone dragging them away; they can keep acting like excited children without anyone telling them off!”

According to a media release from Attraction Tickets Direct, specifically studying the holiday patterns of British vacationers, one out of every three adults going on a Disney theme park holiday was not bringing any children along on the trip.

The year-in, year-out and apparently ageless popularity of the Disney parks is one of the reasons Disney Vacation Club (Disney timeshares) are such a success. People who suffer from ‘Mouse fever’ can happily go back to the Disney parks again and again, finding new things to enjoy and re-experiencing old favorites.

What Does Mouse Fever Mean for Disney Timeshare Owners?

The ongoing popularity of Disney theme parks impacts Disney timeshare owners in multiple ways, all of them good.

1. The popularity of Disney theme parks with adults has not gone unnoticed by Disney’s visionaries. They are continually developing new attractions and features to target adults and the young-at-heart of all ages.
2. Sufferers of mouse fever appreciate staying in Disney resorts. They value the convenience of Disney timeshares and the fact that both the Disney themes and Disney customer service keeps the Disney magic going long after they have stepped off the monorail.
3. Disney timeshare sells and Disney timeshare occupancy is strong. It has dips and declines, just like everyone else, but even with a bad economy and public concerns over H1N1 flu, Disney timeshares are still a popular vacation destination.

No one can guarantee you if you buy Disney timeshare you will be able to resell it in the future. No one can ever tell you if, when, or for how much you will be able to resell timeshare, even Disney timeshare. But the popularity of Disney timeshare is proven and surprisingly, that’s not just in a family market… there are a huge number of adults who perennially experience strong bouts of Mouse fever.

Opportunities in Disney timeshare resales:

• Disney’s Old Key West Resort Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Boardwalk Villas Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort and Spa Timeshare Resales
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas Timeshare Resales

Last week, ARDA’s vacation website, www.vacationbetter.org announced the winners of this year’s “Bring Your Vacation to Life Contest.”

Each year this photo, essay, and video competition is announced in conjunction with the National Travel and Tourism Week in May. Entrants are asked to share a memory of a timeshare vacation that contributed to their enjoyment of life or impacted their family or their health.

This year’s winners received an American Express gift card.

• Sally Lessig received first place for her photo, “Al Relaxing” and the accompanying story, “Thru the Years.”
• Alexis MacDonald received second place for her photo, “Lexie & Dan Love Myrtle Beach.”
• Tracy Dunn received second place for her photo, “For My Next Act.”

Follow this link to read Sally’s story about a lifetime of timeshare vacations at the Beach House Golf and Racket Club in Myrtle Beach.

And remember, you aren’t limited to just reading about the great timeshare vacations other people enjoy. The competitive prices of timeshare resales and timeshare rentals make affordable vacations an option even for travelers on a limited budget.

Lisa Ann Schreier, author of Timeshare for Dummies authored an excellent article last month in Resort Trades making valid points about what the timeshare sales industry can learn from the travel industry.

Schreier looked at research from Chairman and CEO of Ypartnership, Peter Yesawich, which shows that the two greatest influences on Americans who travel are internet technology and feedback from other consumers.

Prodding the timeshare industry to ‘catch up,’ (or perhaps wake up) author Schreier focuses on the scarcity of timeshare sales information on the internet and lack of feedback from timeshare owners and vacationers about timeshare resorts.

“Hotels and motels and other non-timeshare travel services have been forced to become price transparent…as have just about every other product or service available to consumers. And still, the timeshare industry won’t budge on this because they cling to the concept that timeshares are not a sought-after product.”

Why Timeshare Resale Advertising Works

Strong words, but very perceptive. And they explain a great deal about why timeshare resale advertising is so effective.

• Consumers want the best price possible whether they are shopping for a hotel room or to buy timeshare or rent timeshare. Timeshare resales give buyers and renters the opportunity to shop from a large inventory of timeshares for sale or rent, where prices are clearly posted and resort features are specifically detailed.
• Consumers trust other consumers. Many people who buy timeshare or rent timeshare really like the idea of doing business directly with the property’s current owner.
• And as Schreier points out, “If a consumer can purchase a timeshare from the developer for $20,000 or a similar product on the resale market for $5,000 or $6,000…why wouldn’t they?”

Helpful reading: Surviving a Timeshare Presentation by Lisa Ann Schreier