Continuing on the subject of timeshares and pet owners covered in yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority, it is appropriate to recognize the staff of Global Connections travel clubs for its generous efforts on behalf of the Tampa Bay Society for the Prevention & Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) along with a hat-tip to Timeshare Girls Blog Spot for bringing it to our attention.

The employees of Global Connections in Clearwater, Florida held their 7th annual SPCA Pet Bowl fundraiser, representing the Global Connections Resort in Dunedin, Florida. The team, known as Team Beso Del Sol, earned first prize in fundraising, bringing in over $1900 for the worthy cause. In all, over $20,000 was generated from the charity event.

Kelli Brazier, GCI’s Member Fulfillment Manager and the team’s organizer, said, “Not only do we get to encourage donations for a worthy cause close to our hearts, but we have fun in the process while working together as a team. It was wonderful to see how many people really care. A sincere thank you is extended to each of our sponsors!”

As most pet lovers know, the mission of the SPCA focuses on protecting and sheltering sick, injured, homeless and unwanted animals. The Tampa Bay SPCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on gifts from individual donors and receives no state or federal monies.

More on Global Connections Travel Timeshare Resale Properties

Global Connections Travel is a multi-destination travel club offering Star Credits as opposed to timeshare weeks. Members of Global Connections Travel can use their credits in a variety of ways at popular destinations worldwide. Distinctive from traditional timeshare, Global Connections Travel members do not pay annual fees, but instead, only renew for the years during which they want to travel or use club benefits.

Orlando, Florida-based Sol Meliá Vacation Club offers beautiful timeshare resorts in popular vacation destinations including Mexico timeshare, Puerto Rico timeshares, Central America, the Canary Islands and Spain timeshare. Sol Meliá Vacation Club is part of the fifty-year old hospitality leader, Sol Meliá Hotels & Resorts, which is headquartered in Spain.

In what the timeshare and hotel company predicted last year would an “insipid” recovery, the company released its first quarter 2010 financials last week, with Sol Meliá showed a profit of one million Euros. This marks a 124 percent increase over the same period in 2009. EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortization) for the company also increased for the first time since the presentation of the annual results in 2007.

The company is hinging part of its optimism about future earnings on the economic recovery in the US, saying, “The economic recovery in the United States, our most important feeder market for Latin America and the Caribbean makes Sol Meliá confident, nevertheless, that results will improve overall for 2010 in the region; and in particular the reactivation of hotel occupancy from the US (60% of our total guests in the region) also points towards a recovery in Sol Meliá Vacation Club.”

Unpredictable Challenges for Mexico Timeshare, Dominican Republic Timeshares, Venezuela Timeshares, and Spain Timeshares

The company also acknowledges the impact of events additional to the poor economy on its business. These events include the effect the Influenza A virus in Mexico; of earthquakes in Haiti on bookings in neighboring Dominican Republic timeshares; the devaluation of the Bolivar in Venezuela; and the impact of volcanic ash fallout on Spain timeshare and other resorts in Europe.

Sol Meliá currently employs more than 33,000 people worldwide and was one of a select number of RCI timeshare exchange affiliates to meet RCI’s standards of recognition as a top-performing partner. Sol Meliá Vacation Club received the award based on the company’s volume of business.

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

RCI Middle East and North Africa Managing Director, Jeff Tisdall, has an interesting observation to make about Middle East timeshare and Dubai timeshare specifically. “From a consumer perspective, the financial crisis helps to highlight some of the key advantages of timeshare. When times are tougher economically, we all tend to use what we already have,” Tisdall explains. “If you looked back 12 to 18 months, the strength of the residential market made it very difficult for established vacation clubs to enter the Dubai market by acquiring a block of residential units and then offering them to their member base. Today, conditions are much more favorable.”

In other words, when the economy was stronger, so was the Dubai real estate and vacation property market for sales of property to individual owners. Now, fewer people are laying down the cash it takes to buy a holiday home in the Middle East and developers, who once held a firm grip on many of the most highly prized destinations, are suddenly embracing the concept of shared ownership. Egypt timeshare and fractionals have seen success in Sharm El Sheikh (in the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt) and Hurghada, (in the Red Sea Coastal area of Egypt) both of which are areas where timeshare owners continued to travel, despite the tight economy.

Dubai Timeshare Stands Out

According to Tisdall, investors are looking at shared ownership and mixed use developments in Dubai with interest. “This is because the fundamentals which analysts look for when predicting strong potential for timeshare are all present in Dubai. Most importantly perhaps, Dubai is really starting to mature as a leisure destination,” said Tisdall.

These topics and others will be covered at the Shared Ownership Summit, scheduled for May 1, 2010 that will be held in conjunction with the Arabian Hotel Investment Conference.

Source: HotelierMiddleEast.com

Interval International, one of the two largest timeshare exchange companies has added an affiliation with the Emirates Vacation Club, a private residence club in Dubai. Timeshare exchange is consistently one of the top reasons timeshare owners cite for buying timeshare or timeshare resales.

Dubai timeshare was slower to enter the global timeshare market than European timeshare or US timeshare, but delayed their involvement only because governmental leaders wanted to lay careful groundwork for the Dubai timeshare industry, protecting the interests of both the country’s heritage and of prospective timeshare owners. Located in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has already developed some of the most desirable and luxurious seaside resorts in the world, as forward-thinking leaders seek to create marketable resources for a global economy that could grow less and less dependent on Middle Eastern oil reserves in the future.

David Clifton, Interval’s managing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia, says, “Interval International is excited to welcome Emirates Vacation Club to our network of resorts. This stunning urban property is the flagship resort of Emirates Grand, a hotel ownership and management company formed by Dr. Khalid M. Kadfoor Al-Mehairi, a well-respected attorney and resident of the UAE. We look forward to building on our close relationship with the company, as it adds high-quality properties in destinations throughout the Middle East to its portfolio.”

The Emirates Vacation Club will be built in phases with Phase I including 32 luxury condo units to be part of the 48-story Emirates Grand Hotel. The vacation club condos will include studio, one, and two-bedroom units with fully equipped kitchens and most with soaring views from floor to ceiling windows. Buyers can purchase fractional ownership of multiple weeks or single week intervals. Members of Interval International timeshare exchange have opportunities for timeshare exchange at this lavish resort.

Ashraf El Zarqa, chief operating officer for Emirates Grand says, “Our vision is to provide an outstanding level of luxury at affordable prices that appeal to consumers from around the world. Our initial primary markets include the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. We chose to affiliate with Interval International because of the quality resorts they offer and the great membership benefits they provide our owners.”

El Zarqa also noted that they chose affiliation with Interval International timeshare exchange because of II’s reputation for high levels of service and quality.

Marriott Vacation Club’s Global Owner Services was honored as the “Contact Center of the Year” at the Fourth Annual Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service.

Each year the Stevie Awards for Sales & Customer Service recognizes exemplary sales associates, call center professionals, and customer service departments around the globe; this year considering more than 500 submitted entries in naming the winners.

Ron Essig, vice president, global owner products and services for Marriott Vacation Club International, says, “Being recognized as the ‘Contact Center of the Year’ is a great honor and a wonderful acknowledgment of the daily commitment our Owner Services Associates in Salt Lake City put forth. The formula for our success continues to be our relentless focus on customer service”

Marriott Timeshares Has Long Been Synonymous with Quality Customer Service

This is not the first Stevie award for Marriott Vacation Club International (see: Marriott Vacation Club Earns “Stevie”). In 2003, 2006, and 2008, Marriott timeshare earned the award in the “Best Customer Service Organization” division and in 2007, they were honored as “Best Sales Organization”.

Marriott Timeshare has long been recognized as a leader in providing top quality timeshare resorts and exemplary customer service. Marriott was one of the first hoteliers to enter the timeshare industry, and today, services more than 400,000 timeshare owners worldwide.

If you keep track of the timeshares under development at Disney, you already know that the next Disney timeshare resort to open will be in Oahu, Hawaii, at the Kolina Resort Disney Vacation Club. The Disney timeshare resort in Oahu will offer 350 hotel rooms and 480 timeshare villas located on approximately 21 acres of oceanfront property.

But Mouse-watchers know that Disney seems to have more plans in store for the Disney Vacation Club. Last summer, Disney announced the purchase of fifteen acres overlooking the Potomac River in Maryland. The site, at the National Harbor development, was acquired for $11 million and is said to be the future home of a 500-room Disney resort.

Last week, Mouse Planet (one of our favorite blogs to follow) reported that in Disney’s 10K annual report filing with the Security and Exchange Commission, there was no mention of the property at the National Harbor. Here’s what Mouse Planet had to say, “…in the section of the 10K describing the Disney Vacation Club’s business, it lists all properties open or under construction, including the land that was purchased on the island of Oahu, Hawaii that will be the home of the Ko Olina Resort. However, it’s interesting that no mention was made of the land purchase at National Harbor in Maryland. While neither details nor a construction start date has been announced, it was presented as a location for a new Disney resort. Perhaps it is not necessary to report the holding until construction has actually begun.“

Everything about the National Harbor is exciting. As The Timeshare Authority has already reported, Wyndham timeshare and Wyndham timeshare resales are already available at the 300-acre harbor side community development and a Disney timeshare would be an excellent addition to project. Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, explains, “National Harbor offers an array of entertaining activities for regional visitors, but it is also a family-friendly base camp, from which visitors around the world can explore the stirring sights and inspirational stories of our nation’s capital. We bbelieve National Harbor has the unique opportunity to offer a new level of family-friendly hospitality.”

Links to current opportunities in Disney timeshare resales:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
• Disney’s Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
• Disney’s Villas at Wilderness Lodge
• Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel

Disney Vacation Club (Disney timeshare) is adjusting its salary and bonus strategy to try to incentivize members of its timeshare sales staff and increase sales of Disney timeshare units in the process.

In changes that were announced to Disney timeshare sales staff last month, the company will be reducing base pay to its front line timeshare sales team by about ten percent, yet increasing bonus amounts for employees who reach certain timeshare sales objectives.

Disney Vacation Club spokesperson, Rena Langley says, “We have made changes to the pay structure among our advance sales associates to allow us to provide more reward and recognition to top performers.”

Advance sales associates (also called ASAs) for Disney timeshare sales are the people who work in the Vacation Club sales kiosks that you find throughout the Disney parks and hotels. If Disney’s plan is doable, its timeshare sales workers will have the opportunity to earn larger paychecks. But among the approximately 100 ASA’s affected by the salary reductions, concern looms over whether they will be able to “make back” the salary amounts lost. Entry-level pay for ASAs prior to this pay reduction was around $11 per hour.

Not Even Disney Vacation Club Timeshare can Escape the Challenge of This Economy

With consumer credit lines for buying timeshare drying up, along with many people simply tightening their belts, timeshare sales at Disney have dropped. Yet Disney timeshare is still faced with four new timeshare properties to sell, on top of any existing inventory at the Disney Vacation Club resorts they still had.

Now add to this the increasing number of people who are buying timeshare resales on the secondary market because they have recognized the enormous savings it can mean, and you have a tough hill to climb by any worker who is trying to sell new timeshares on primarily a commission or incentive basis.

Opportunities in Disney Timeshare Resales:

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

Other recent Disney Vacation Club News:

• Plan a Disney Timeshare Vacation in their New California Timeshares
• New Disney Timeshares are first California Timeshares for the Mouse
• Finding Disney Vacation Club Magic at the Mall

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.

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, which includes Wyndham timeshare, has been ranked among the Top 100 greenest companies in America, according to Newsweek Magazine.

To establish the rankings, Newsweek looks at America’s 500 largest publically traded companies based upon number of employees, revenue, and market capitalization. Wyndham Worldwide and Wyndham timeshare ranked number 81 when evaluating factors such as regulatory compliance, toxic waste emissions, greenhouse gas emissions, environmental issues and policies, and use of natural resources.

Stephen P. Holmes, Wyndham Worldwide chairman and chief executive officer, says, “We are honored to be recognized by Newsweek as a national leader in sustainability. We are committed to conserving our natural resources, preserving our habitats and preventing pollution. With more than 70,000 locations in 100 countries, we can make a tremendous impact in our communities around the globe.”

Wyndham was evaluated in as part of the category: Media, Travel, and Leisure and within this group, ranked among the Top 10.

Congratulations, Wyndham timeshare, on working to achieve greater environmental responsibility and setting important new standards in the timeshare industry.