The Lubner Group, an internationally respected design firm responsible for the outstanding design, refurbishing, and décor at some of your favorite, timeshares, hotels, and resorts, recently completed work on a very unique project at The Coconut Beach Resort, a Key West, Florida timeshare. (See: The Lubner Group Completes Renovation on Key West Timeshare).

In addition to revitalizing an already beautiful resort, this project carried unique historic significance. The Coconut Beach Resort property was once owned by the late Senator John Spottswood and has been a landmark property in the community. Over the years, the property has been  further developed by the Spottswood family and The Sita Group, the marketing firm owned by John Sims and Fawni Spottswood. The Spottswood family has been a cornerstone of Key West real estate, politics, and society for more than 150 years. The Spottswood Companies, Inc. and its affiliates own all or partial interest in multiple hotels, timeshare, marina and other commercial properties in the Florida Keys and throughout the US.

The video below takes you through the renovation and refurbishment of  The Coconut Beach Resort. Fawni Spottswood, Vice President Spottswood Hotels, says, “We are totally delighted with the finished product. Nancy did a tremendous job representing the ambiance and character of our historical architecture and natural surroundings, while preserving our resort’s charm with a design theme that is all about guest comfort and relaxation. Throughout the entire renovation process, the Lubner Group maintained the highest possible levels of integrity, professionalism and dedication to completing our job on time and within our budget. The new units have been extremely well received by owners and guests and will play an important role in increasing rental revenues in the future.”

View the video to see the transformation at The Coconut Beach Resort, which has now been named as an Interval International Select Resort.

The internationally respected Lubner Group has recently completed property renovation and the installation of new furnishings for five “Old Conch” styled buildings at the Coconut Beach Resort.

Always charming, the Coconut Beach Resort, a Key West, Florida timeshare, now has a total renovation to enhance its timeless Old Florida appeal. Located on the Atlantic side of Key West, Coconut Beach Resort timeshare offers ocean views from breezy verandahs, in a quiet haven, nestled among lush tropical landscaping and gardens.

The iconic resort’s facelift was handled by The Lubner Group, which is internationally respected for its hospitality and commercial design work. The renovation and refurbishing was handled under the direction of Nancy Woodhouse, IDS, Lubner Group’s Vice President of Design & Product Development who says, “Our intention at Coconut Beach Resort was to embrace an easy living lifestyle by designing and crafting comfortable, yet durable pieces that are eco-friendly. It was important to achieve a timeless design that would last many years, reflecting the vibrant color palette and charm of Key West while preserving the inspiration of the original property, which the owners requested. An extra touch included the addition of custom logo inspired hardware and hand-etched mirrors for each unit.”

The five buildings of the Coconut Beach Resort vacation ownership property offered unique challenges, as two of the buildings were previously single-family homes, and room sizes at the property range from 800 to 1,150 square feet, with differing ceiling heights. Foremost in the project was blending the existing historic, Victorian gingerbread architecture of the buildings with a fresh and updated tropical design that invites guests to relax in serene tranquility.

The results at this charming Florida timeshare? Well, see for yourself in these beautiful photos. And to learn more about how The Lubner Group created this and other resort transformations, visit us tomorrow here on The Timeshare Authority blog.

Previous news about this and other projects from The Lubner Group:

• Timeshare Industry Welcomes Newly Launched Lubner Group
• Who is Decorating Your Timeshare?

Yesterday’s Sunday Business section of the Jamaica Gleaner included an article by Avia Collinder, titled: “Caribbean Timeshares Most Sought After-Industry Expert.” In it, ARDA (American Resort Development Association) Treasurer and industry expert, Robert Webb, points to the Caribbean as a highly sought destination for timeshare vacations. Webb, who is senior hospitality partner at the law firm of Baker Hostetler, explains that a relative scarcity of Caribbean timeshare units, enhanced by the popularity of the “Jamaica brand,” proximity to the US mainland, and the country’s rich natural resources and cultural diversity are all promising signs for Jamaica timeshare.

Yet despite this, the growth of timeshare in Jamaica remains stymied. Passing effective Jamaica timeshare laws appears to be running on, well, island time.

Previously here on The Timeshare Authority blog we published a post titled: Caribbean Timeshare in Jamaica, Maybe Sooner than You Think. We suggested that laws to strengthen and refine Jamaican timeshare would be happening quickly; but the date of that post was July… July of 2009.

In yesterday’s Gleaner news article, Rob Webb is quoted as saying, “ARDA believes Jamaica is uniquely positioned to further leverage the valuable economic development resource that the vacation ownership industry provides … However, timesharing will not catch on in Jamaica without a focused, meaningful timeshare law that enables the product to flourish and that protects both developers and consumers.”

Come On Mon! Jamaica Timeshare is Jamaican Me Crazy

While limited vacation ownership property is currently available in Jamaica, developers and existing resort property owners need to see new Jamaican timeshare laws in place before they embrace expanding the product to its true potential. When they do, the island then becomes ripe for the economic growth and development that the industry’s presence could bring.

And although Jamaican Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett has stated that progress is being made, the Gleaner reported last week in its article, “Timeshare Market Inertia,” that the process “has stalled.”

Located just south of Cuba, between the Cayman Islands and Haiti, the English-speaking island of Jamaica is known for its vibrant culture, beautiful beaches, reggae music and kicked back way of life. From its bobsled team to Bob Marley, Patrick Ewing to Ursain Bolt, much of the world already knows and loves Jamaica; most of us can even sing along with Marley’s famous, “One Love, One Heart,” that has come to be the signature song of the island.

As Rob Webb reminds us, “My ARDA colleagues and I encouraged the (Jamaican) Government to design a realistic timeshare law that would facilitate the conversion of hotel rooms into timeshare units, and we offered our assistance in helping to draft such a law. That offer still stands.”

Enhancing the Jamaica timeshare market is a worthy idea that would expand Caribbean timeshare options while likely benefiting the Jamaican economy. So come on Jamaica, “Let’s get together and feel all right…”

Bluegreen timeshare’s Daytona Beach resorts Daytona SeaBreeze and Fantasy Island Resort II, are getting ready to welcome timeshare owners and guests attending Mozart’s Don Giovanni, presented by the Daytona Beach Symphony Society and the Mozart Festival Opera Company, part of the Daytona Beach Winterfest,  Friday, January 27, 2012.

Harold Channell, General Manager at Bluegreen’s Daytona SeaBreeze resort says, “Daytona SeaBreeze is conveniently located right on the World’s Most Famous Beach. It is the perfect place to relax after witnessing what is considered to be one of the best operas ever written—Mozart’s Don Giovanni. If your vacation brings you to Daytona in January, you definitely won’t want to miss this performance.”

The Mozart Festival Opera Company’s presentation of Don Giovanni begins at 7 PM,  Friday, January 27, 2012. But is only part of the Winterfest music schedule for that weekend, which includes: The Canadian Brass on January 28 and Russia’s internationally acclaimed St. Petersburg State Orchestra on January 29. For music lovers, a weekend at the beach doesn’t get much better than this, especially when your days begin and end in the comfort of a Bluegreen timeshare resort.

Vacationing can be an important part of your healthier new routine says VacationBetter.org and the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), and the timeshare industry is working hard to make it easier to do.

A media release yesterday by VacationBetter.org points out that your resolve to live a healthier lifestyle doesn’t have to dwindle as the New Year transitions into a daily routine. A yearlong—or better still, lifelong—commitment to live a healthier life includes both downtime away from your daily grind and pressures and the opportunity to enjoy more healthful experiences during that vacation time.

David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing Americas for timeshare exchange company, Interval International, says, “Many of our clients’ properties in the Americas and the Caribbean have fitness centers and full-service spas, and those with restaurants are presenting healthier menu options.  This increased consciousness of wellness is reflected in Interval’s most recent U.S. member profile.  Reporting on their preferred vacation activities, nearly half of those surveyed include working out and exercising while close to 40 percent cite spa services.”

As Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA, explains, “Health and wellness amenities are growing in popularity among timeshare owners and resorts are now using these programs to attract new timeshare consumers unfamiliar that such vacation products exist.”

Read: TIMESHARE INDUSTRY SAYS WELLNESS TREND IS HERE TO STAY IN 2012

From your Orlando vacations, you are probably already familiar with Kissimmee (even if you can’t figure out how to pronounce it the way the locals do). You may even know about charming Winter Park and quaint Mt. Dora, both nearby communities rich with history and the flavor of ‘old Florida’.

But it’s entirely possible that despite your Florida holidays, Orlando timeshare vacations, and all the days you have spent in the theme parks and other well-known tourists attractions, you may have missed one of Central Florida’s most interesting communities—historic  Eatonville.

Eatonville, Florida is America’s oldest incorporated African American municipality. With a current population of just over 2,000 people, this small community was formed after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation to create a place where people could live and raise their families in peace and safety.

Rich in cultural history and tradition, Eatonville claims many talented natives and adopted sons and daughters including author Zora Neale Hurston, who was  best known for her 1937 novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God.

If you are enjoying an Orlando vacation or long weekend as part of the Martin Luther King Jr holiday, you may want to follow this link and check out these scheduled events: Martin Luther King Jr Day in Orlando.

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?

Most of what we all know about how air travel can make you sick began with a highly publicized 1979 study. The research looked at a plane with 54 passengers (imagine a plane today with only 54 passengers), and found that 72 percent of them became ill within two days of the plane sitting on the tarmac with its engines off and no circulating air.

And holiday travel drives the risk of exposure to travel-related illness even higher because a greater percentage of the passengers traveling are children. Children, as we all know, not only carry all sorts of schoolhouse bugs but are less likely to cover their mouths when they cough or sneeze and more likely to touch anything within reach with hands that are poorly or rarely washed.

But don’t stay home. Use this holiday season to visit Grandma or to enjoy time at your favorite timeshare resort. Just take a few extra precautions so your holiday travels don’t turn into the prelude to a winter bug.

Here are 3 ways to reduce your chances of travel related illness during your holiday trip to the timeshare or other destination:

• Most of us avoid touching the bottoms of our shoes, yet we don’t hesitate to handle our personal belongings after they have been inside those airport security checkpoint bins where our shoes, and millions of other shoes, have  been. Use a hand sanitizer as soon as possible after passing through security and don’t forget to take a disinfectant wipe to your purse, carryon bag, and briefcase on a regular basis.
• Don’t blame the air circulation system in a plane for exposure to illness; today’s planes have HEPA filters that are similar to those used in hospital operating rooms. But do blame the dry air inside the plane for drying out your nose and throat. Drink plenty of water and consider using a saline spray to keep your nose hydrated.
• When you get to your destination, take a few more simple precautions. Your timeshare unit is likely to be fresh and clean awaiting your arrival, but even in the nicest destinations, the remote controls for electronics are rarely disinfected. Instead of trying to clean the TV remote, simply turn a zip top plastic bag, such as a sandwich bag, inside out, pick up the remote and then reverse the bag. You can enclose the remote in clear plastic, seal it, and never even have to touch it. And you’ll find it functions just fine through the plastic.

The holidays are a great time to travel. Many people have extra vacation days and we all look forward to some special time with loved ones or the chance to enjoy a resort getaway. Taking a few simple precautions can greatly increase the odds that the only mementoes you bring home from your travels are great memories and few souvenirs.

Last June, Bluegreen timeshare rolled out its new Owner Update website. This is a WordPress platform website (meaning it is built on the highly versatile WordPress blogging platform) that offers Bluegreen timeshare owners an easy-to-navigate, highly user-friendly way to stay current on the news, updates and offerings of Bluegreen Resorts.

Now to expand the functionality of its Owner Update website, Bluegreen is also offering the Owner Update in a format specifically designed  for web tablets.

Izzy Pycher, vice president, Creative Services  at Bluegreen says, “This web tablet is a leading edge timeshare innovation that gives owners access to the Owner Update site from anywhere they take their tablet.”

What Timeshare Owners Want and Where the Timeshare Industry Ought to Be

The business model of expecting consumers to adapt to a business or industry’s marketing style, (simply because the industry has always done it that way) is outmoded in any industry. To be competitive, businesses must now go to consumers in the ways and places consumers prefer to find them.

It is no longer optional to have a strong, active presence where your clients and future clients already hang out: on the web, on Twitter, on Facebook, LinkedIn and other social media venues. Successful businesses and thriving industries are delivering information via all the types of technology consumers are using in their daily lives.

As Wendy Poe, Chief Customer Officer for Bluegreen Corporation explains, “I really think that future communications and reservations activities for our owners will be heavily transacted on mobile applications and especially tablets. As the costs for smart phones, IPADS, digital readers and tablets become more affordable, and we all get more comfortable living in a “highly connected” world, it will no longer be necessary to plan your vacations over the phone or even on a computer – you will be able to do it “on the go” from one vacation to the next!”

Great comment and great vision from Bluegreen Corporation, and a very positive step forward in serving the vacation ownership needs of today’s (and tomorrow’s) consumer.

Let’s face it; every company in America—perhaps the world—is trying to save money these days. While the days of unbridled corporate travel may be gone, it’s good to learn that  a new American Express Meetings & Events report indicates many companies will book more meetings in 2012.

Although 60 percent of meeting suppliers expect the number of meetings planned to increase and 42 percent of North American meeting planners see increased activity in meeting planning, corporate expenditures and travel budgets are expected to increase little, if any.

Meeting planners will instead be tasked with doing more with less. Look for meetings to last fewer days and be scheduled closer to home, cutting the cost of air travel and the duration employees are absent from the office. Meeting attendees will also see the trend to do more with less reflected in their meeting agendas with daily sessions lasting longer and evenings even becoming prime meeting hours rather than free time.

But many meeting planners, as they strive to save their client’s dollars, are missing the opportunity to spend less and offer more because they fail to consider timeshare resorts and timeshare rentals as meeting venues and meeting accommodations.

Timeshares are a Meeting Planner’s Solution

Business travelers typically hate being booked into a shared hotel room with their colleagues or coworkers. Most of us don’t want to know who among the office crowd snores, watches TV all night, or sleeps with the light on. Sharing a standard hotel room can be painfully close quarters when it comes to business venues, but a timeshare could alleviate that.

For the cost of, or even less than, a hotel room, a company can rent timeshares for business travel. Employees can share timeshare suites or condos while the company saves dollars, and yet both will benefit. Timeshare units are easily available with two, three, and sometimes even four separate and private bedrooms. Typically, each bedroom has its own television and its own bathroom.

Additionally, business meeting scheduling does not follow the same calendar as do family vacations, meaning that at the time a timeshare resort may have the fewest family vacationers and the greatest availability, could be exactly when a business is scheduling its next meeting.

Companies that return to the same location year after year may even realize a savings by buying timeshare resales. The right timeshare can be a great solution for business travel, meeting accommodations, rewarding a client or employee or even hosting guests who visit company headquarters.