David Disick’s book is designed to help timeshare and fractional developers, marketers, and sales agents attract more buyers to the fractional market, while closing more sales and generating more profits. Launching early this month, you’ll find 14+ testimonials from industry leaders—people who know when they are getting straight talk about the fractional and timeshare sales process.

Disick is a former Wall Street attorney with Davis & Cox, and is highly experienced in raising capital and financial structuring. He developed the first private residence club in American, the Franz Klammer Lodge in Telluride, Colorado, with a business and sales model that paved the way for much of the private residence and fractional market in the US today.

Disick is a former Wall Street attorney with Davis & Cox, and is highly experienced in raising capital and financial structuring. He developed the first private residence club in American, the Franz Klammer Lodge in Telluride, Colorado, with a business and sales model that paved the way for much of the private residence and fractional market in the US today.

To learn more about the book, you can contact David Disick at ddisick@msn.com or by calling (001) 435-657-9722. To hear Dave Thackeray’s interview with David Disick for Fractional Focus and RCI Ventures (podcast) click here: Play in new window

I share a story you may never have heard—how I came to be part of the timeshare resale industry. This is a very candid interview, where you’ll hear me say, “the timeshare resale industry is wrought with fraud.”

Have I got your interest? Want to know how Sell My Timeshare NOW is working hard to change the face of timeshare resales?

Please listen in…

• I will tell you why Sell My Timeshare NOW is one of the fastest growing timeshare resales companies in the world today.
• You’ll hear me tell what it has been like to be an unwelcomed newcomer in the timeshare industry and what we’ve done to earn the respect of both timeshare developers and very importantly, the timeshare owner, timeshare buyer, renter, or timeshare seller.
• And I’ll take on the existing timeshare sales process and tell you what’s wrong with it—and how it can be made better for the benefit of timeshare buyers and timeshare owners and the health and vibrancy of the industry.

You have several ways to hear this podcast. You can click the link below to play now, catch us on iTunes or download the interview to hear later.

Play it via iTunes or subscribe at iTunes to Today’s Timeshare (and its sister show Fractional Focus).

Listen to today’s show now: Play in new window

Or save it and listen to it later: Download

COURTESY WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS

Once again, our thanks to Mary Kraemer, blog writer at Mouse Planet, for her updates on the new Disney timeshare resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii, known as the Aulani.

Disney Finesse for this Hawaii Timeshare

As if just being on a beautiful Hawaii island isn’t enough, Disney has a lot of fun features underway at the Aulani Hawaii Disney timeshare.

Besides its location on a beautiful strip of beach, the twenty-plus acres of the Disney Aulani timeshare will offer a water play area of typical Disney-esque magnitude. There will be a slide, an adventure river and the Waikolohe Pool and Stream, which is positioned between two of the Disney Vacation Club buildings.

For the less adventurous, there’s the Wailana, which is a relaxing tranquility pool. And for children, there will be the Menehune Bridge and Trail water play area. Menehune means “little folk” in Hawaiian and references a legendary race of tiny people who were said to once inhabit the islands accomplishing remarkable feats and magical efforts.

But you can’t spend your entire Hawaii timeshare vacation in the water, no matter how entertaining the setting. The Aulani Resort will offer an 18,000 square-foot spa, an 8,000 square-foot convention center and a wedding lawn.

According to the linguists at Disney Vacation Club, the word, aulani means “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages.” The message here seems to be clear: expect a lot from the Aulani Hawaii timeshare; Disney plans to deliver their best.

Updates from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Moving Forward with New Hawaii Timeshare
• Disney Timeshare in Hawaii, But Where’s Space Mountain?

Describing the new Hawaii timeshare as “huge” Mary explains that it seems to dwarf the neighboring properties, with 359 hotel rooms, (16 of which are suites) and 460 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas (with 21 oceanfront Grand Villas). Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at the on-property features, but today, let’s look at what you will find inside your timeshare unit as a member of the Disney Vacation Club.

Features of Disney’s New Aulani Hawaii Timeshare

The units themselves are similar in footprint to other Disney timeshare properties. Studio timeshares include a sink, small refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker in the kitchenette and a queen bed and sleeper sofa in the sitting and sleeping areas. A flat panel television and DVD player is built into the dresser area and a table with chairs provides seating for two. These studio timeshare units are designed to accommodate up to four people comfortably.

One-bedroom timeshare units at the Aulani Disney timeshare will sleep up to five people or when used in combination with a studio unit, up to 9 people. One-bedroom units offer a living room with sleeper sofa that the author points out, (same sleeper in in all units) is uniquely comfortable because it lacks the mid-back metal bar usually found in pull-out couches.

The one-bedroom timeshare units also feature a Murphy-style bed, a full kitchen, dining area with banquette seating, and a stacked washer and dryer. The bedroom has a king bed, private bath with whirlpool tub, and a rainfall showerhead in the separate shower.

All of the new Aulani Hawaii timeshare units include a private balcony and an island-themed décor, complete with lots of “hidden Mickeys” (you know, those Mickey Mouse outlines that Disney carefully hides in unexpected places.)

Hawaii Welcomes Disney Timeshare

This new timeshare resort reflects both confidence in the Hawaii tourism market and Disney’s interest in building resorts and timeshares in venues that don’t include one of their theme parks. And although the Aulani won’t offer a full theme park, you can be certain that Disney has plenty of activities and entertainment planned for the resort. Check Saturday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, where we’ll look at what you can expect at this beautiful new resort.

More News from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Hawaii Timeshare and What It Really Means
• Will You Be Spending Holidays at a Disney Hawaii Timeshare?
• Hawaii Timeshare Expansion Means Good News for the Local Economy
• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina

Effective November 2010, the new regulations will require everyone in the timeshare industry in Alberta to obtain a license from the provincial government and to disclose their business terms and conditions. Amending the Time Share Contracts and Points-based Regulation, under the Fair Trading Act, all timeshare sales and timeshare related businesses will be required to pay $200 to obtain a license and also to post security. The terms of the security are still under negotiation.

Chris Wein, President of multifamily operations at Calgary’s UBG says the government in Alberta Canada is playing “catch-up in terms of business and legal trends.” He adds that he sees this effort as providing greater protections for Canada timeshare owners, buyers, and sellers.

Buying trends in Canada timeshare have recently indicated increasing popularity in fractional ownership real estate, away from consumer purchases of traditional timeshare. If this pattern sustains, it could result in greater numbers of timeshare sales on the secondary market as owners transition from timeshares to longer-term fractional ownership.

Follow this link to find current Canada Time Share regulations

The Aulani Hotel and Disney Vacation Club resort, currently under construction in Ko Olina, Hawaii, will begin taking reservations on August 2, even though the property isn’t scheduled to open until late August 2011. And as of this past week, prospective timeshare owners can purchase Disney Vacation Club timeshare at the Anlani—Disney’s first property in Hawaii.

Although there will be no theme park at the resort, the 800-unit property will have pools and a waterplay area, a children’s club, and a convention center. And while there is nothing in writing to confirm it, it is a safe bet that come July 4, the Anani will showcase the top-notch fireworks we all associate with the magic and memory makers at Disney.

Past The Timeshare Authority news on Disney Hawaii timeshare:
Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina
Tokyo’s Getting a Look at Disney Timeshare

Marge has some thirty years experience in the timeshare industry-if you are in the business of timeshares, it’s likely you already know Marge. Even if you haven’t met Marge personally, or seen her on the dance floor of industry events, you’ve likely read her byline.

Marge writes frequently in Resort Management & Operations, where she is a Contributing Editor. She also blogs for several timeshare related blog sites and is the editor of the WIN e-newsletter for Women In the Industry. Marge is also a past board member of ARDA, the American Resort Development Association, and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Bluegreen Vacation Club.

So welcome, Marge, we are pleased to be your client and trust our message to Lennon Communications. There’s a great deal of exciting news at Sell My Timeshare NOW, so keep an eye on The Timeshare Authority blog, industry publications, and national and international news-you’ll be hearing a lot from us in weeks to come-and it’s all good news for timeshare owners and the future of timeshare sales and timeshare resales across the industry.

Click here to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW media release.

Howard Nusbaum, President and Chief Executive Officer of the American Resort Development Association, was the keynote speaker, discussing ARDA’s key issues for 2010. Point one, along with my thoughts, appeared yesterday in The Timeshare Authority, so you will want to check out that post, if you missed it.

And now here’s a look at the next four important areas of focus for ARDA and the timeshare industry as a whole:

2. Working to foster growth in the secondary marketplace:
This point is part of an overriding and significant theme for the timeshare industry. Timeshare fraud is the exception, but to any degree, it cannot be tolerated. Laws must be adhered to and the timeshare industry on all levels, including timeshare sales and timeshare resales, must be able to show itself to the world with transparency and creditability.

3. Nurturing and supporting timeshare owners:
The timeshare industry is not, and never can be, solely about new timeshare sales and timeshare resale. Instead, we must all be about nurturing and supporting customers and honoring the dream that customers purchased in becoming timeshare owners. Timeshare ownership products must be maintained as strong, vibrant, and fulfilling products.

4. Utilizing social media technology:

It is no longer acceptable for any business or any industry to rely on drawing consumers into the store or onto a webpage. Instead, through the power of social media, the timeshare industry must reach out to timeshare owners, timeshare buyers, timeshare renters, and prospective clients, connecting with them in the online locations they already frequent. Embracing social media marketing is one of the most timely and relevant sales and marketing strategies for spreading the message of what a great product timeshares really are.

5. Changing business models:
ARDA is working to help the timeshare industry explore new business models and evolve old business models. Thought leaders of timesharing and vacation ownership are addressing how products can be revised to better suit consumer buying profiles and vacation patterns. One of many points in question is that of ownership in perpetuity, which may no longer have the desirability factor it once did. In response to that, new products that offer short-term ownership opportunities are being explored.

It’s all good, isn’t it? When the goal of any industry is to work together to make its products more consumer-focused and more desirable, under an umbrella of forthrightness and complete transparency, then only good things can come of that effort. Timeshares are a great product, getting better all the time, and frankly, I am proud to part of an industry that focuses on bringing affordable vacation opportunities to individuals and families in ways that are relevant, timely, and flexible.

First, let’s give well-deserved accolades to all of the sponsors of the event.

Presenting Sponsors: Interval International and RCI.

Event Sponsors: Customer Count, and Gallagher, Callahan and Gartrell.

National Sponsors: ARDA-ROC, Aspen National Collections, Concord Servicing Corporation, MasterCorp Inc., Ski and Sea International, and TimeShareWare.

Regional Sponsors: BiddingForGood, Inc., Centron Data Services, Inc., Colebrook Financial Company, LLC, Continental Central Credit, Inc., Cotapaxi Custom Design & Manufacturing, GScf Furnishings, Lodging Kit Company, Magna Timeshare Software, Meridian Financial Services, Reservation Services International (RSI), TRITON Timeshare Software and VisitNewEngland.com.

2010 Signature Sponsors: American Express, Equiant Financial Services, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Holiday Systems International (HSI), International Cruise & Excursions, Inc., Interval International, RCI, RedWeek.com ResortCom International, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., and VacationGuard, Inc.

The Timeshare Sales, Timeshare Resales, and Supporting Industries Work Together

The weather in Providence was spectacular (vacation weather!) and it is always great catching up with your colleagues who inevitably wind up becoming your friends. One of the very best parts of meetings and conferences when representatives of the timeshare industry get together is that you’d think it was a family reunion.

There’s a great deal of camaraderie in the business, which is part of the reason timeshares, as a vacation product, are constantly being improved—the industry works to together for change that is beneficial to timeshares and timeshare owners. Working together is a natural process that happens to be becoming a real business model for the timeshare industry—which leads into the points made by the event’s keynote speaker Howard Nusbaum, ARDA’s President and Chief Executive Officer.

Howard Nusbaum stressed five important directions that are the American Resort Development Association’s top priorities for 2010. In summary, here is key point number one:

1. Seeking solutions to help ‘unfreeze’ capital.

In 2008, timeshare sales reached $9.7 billion. In 2009, they slipped to $6.3 billion. Did people suddenly decide timeshares were not a desirable or affordable product? No. Far from it. If anything, consumers, realizing the potential for long-term vacation savings by buying timeshares and timeshare resales, had an increased interest to learn more. But because lenders were simply not lending, and access to capital for timeshare developers and timeshare financing was so locked up, new timeshare development and new timeshare sales took a hit.

Although it would be easy to assume that actual demand in timeshare sales declined, this just isn’t the real issue. Instead, there has been little to no access to capital by developers and limited money available for financing timeshare sales. And as with many aspects of economics, the problem fed other problems. As timeshare sales and development declined, so did the funds available within timeshare companies for maintaining and supporting sales and marketing. As outreach from the timeshare companies weakened, so did response, which led cyclically to smaller staffs that inevitably led back to decreased timeshare sales. The problem is now self-perpetuating, greatly in need of lenders to free up more growth and investment capital.

I’ll publish “ARDA Regional Meeting Emphasizes Timeshare Solutions and the Importance of Timeshare Resales (Part II)” in tomorrow’s edition of The Timeshare Authority. In it, I’ll be sharing ARDA’s Top 5 Priorities for 2010, numbers 2-4, as well as my thoughts and comments.

If you missed yesterday’s post, (10 Reasons Timeshares are a Good Deal – Part I) we hope you will go back and read it as well as the post below that addresses the final five criticisms of timeshare and our rebuttals:

6. Miss One Year and You’re Better Off Without a Time Share. If you are not going to use a timeshare, don’t buy one. On the other hand, it is hard to say that missing one year of use is the kiss of death either. Many timeshare companies offer you the option to bank your timeshare for use in the future. Another solution to missing a year of timeshare use is to rent your timeshare during the period you won’t be able to use it or to thank someone you know by giving a week’s use to your favorite relative, school teacher, pastor, hardworking employee, or prospective client. There are many ways to benefit from timeshare and they aren’t all wrapped up in whether you personally vacation in it or not.
7. Trading Isn’t Near as Easy as Claimed. Again, this claim is challenging to address as the writer doesn’t say who is making the claims or what those claims are. Each year, thousands of timeshare weeks are exchanged. Timeshare exchange includes in-network exchanges, exchanges through timeshare exchange companies, and even something as simple as swapping a week or a destination with another timeshare owner you know. Timeshare exchange companies come in all sizes from the giants, RCI and Interval International, to dozens of smaller companies, all with different terms and offerings. A timeshare owner may never be able to exchange a January week in a Cape Cod timeshare for the same week in the Caribbean, but there are options for timeshare owners who are willing to learn more about how the timeshare exchange process works best.
8. If You Can’t Pay in Full, It’s a Terrible Deal. If most homeowners paused to look at the amortized cost of home ownership, when financed over 20 or 30 years as is typical with home mortgages, there would probably be a lot fewer people who make the decision to buy a house. One of the excellent benefits of recent regulations in credit card reform is that your monthly statement now shows you very clearly what you are paying when you borrow money at credit card interest rates. Paying in full for anything you buy is almost always the best practice, whether that is for your home, your car, paying off your credit card each month or paying for your timeshare at the time of purchase. But to accurately evaluate the cost of timeshare financing, you have to assess both the purchase price and the financing terms. There are terrible timeshare financing deals, and then there are better ones. Every case is different.
9. Travel Is Not Calculated When Comparisons Are Made. Travel costs do make a difference in the big picture cost of timesharing, which is why it is especially nice that when travel costs are atypically high or your vacation budget is a little smaller than usual, you can exchange timeshare for a destination that is closer to home, keeping your travel costs under control.
10. Hotel Prices Are Increasing (But So Are Time Share Fees).Good advice for anyone who is considering buying timeshare is to research if and how much timeshare fees have increased in the past at the resort where they want to buy. The cost of purchasing many things increases over time but this is not always a decision maker as to whether or not we will buy them. If the cost of buying timeshare or a timeshare resale is a better deal today than the cost of vacationing in a hotel, and both the timeshare and the hotel increase in cost, then the timeshare is still a better deal than the money paid for hotel accommodations.

Timeshares, as a vacation product, are neither inherently good nor bad; they are simply a choice. Yet for many people, timeshares are a choice that translates to years of vacation enjoyment.

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