It’s often the little things that matter most … and too often it’s the little things that slip through the cracks in business, ignored as companies focus on regulations, margins, and profitability.

So when Marriott Vacation Club timeshare asked its headquarters for a clever way for guests and timeshare owners to say, “Do Not Disturb,” they were giving attention to a little detail, that turned out to matter a lot. Their request yielded a series of door tags with twenty unique, appealing designs. The design shown in the photo here, complete with sheep, is “Still Counting,” which when you think about it, is a lot warmer and friendlier message than the traditional: Do Not Disturb.

Currently in use at 27 of Marriott Vacation Club’s North American timeshare resorts, the door tags are proving to be highly popular with vacationers. Marriott timeshare spokesperson James Woelbern says, “We found that our owners and rental guests like the signs so much, we end up replacing them often. We take it as a compliment.”

And it’s a well earned compliment, because for a miniscule cost difference between using a standardized door tag or creating charming customized tags, Marriott timeshare has created a way to differentiate itself  in a large, competitive marketplace.

If the tags make a guest smile then they are effective and beneficial. If they go home with guests and Marriott timeshare owners then they serve as a small bond between that person or family and a positive timeshare vacation experience. And if visitors see the tags in homes of Marriott owners, then the most powerful type of peer-to-peer marketing endorsement is inevitable as one friend shares with another, “Isn’t that cute? We brought it back from our last Marriott timeshare vacation. Did I tell you what a great time we had…”

The facts speak for themselves. The following statistics are based on research from the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) and relate to the global tourism industry, which includes hotels, timeshare, travel, and all services related to tourism and hospitality.

• One American job is created for every 35 international visitors to the US.
• Impact of travel and tourism on the global gross domestic product (GDP) is forecast to rise by 4.2 percent annually to US $9.226 trillion by 2021.
• Visitor exports—that’s the amount visitors spend in a given foreign country—will increase by 6.6 percent annually through 2021, rising to US $1.789 billion by 2021.
• In New York City alone, Brazilians tourists spent a total of $1.63 billion in 2011. Italians tourists spent $1.1 billion; Canadian tourists spent $1.27 billion and visitors to the Big Apple from the United Kingdom spent $1.42 billion. (Source: NYC & Co., the city’s tourism board.)
• Globally, over the next ten years, tourism is projected to add an additional 69 million net jobs to the world’s employment picture.

Your next timeshare vacation or holiday is good for your mental and physical well-being. It’s good for your employer because you return to work rejuvenated and more productive. Vacations and holidays are good for building bonds and strengthening relationships among those who share the experience. And tourism and travel are powerful tools for helping to restore the global economic picture.

An independent study conducted by Penn Schoen Berland on behalf of Marriott International was released this past week. The study surveyed over a thousand world travelers and thought leaders from Germany, Spain, Brazil, China, France, India, the United Kingdom and the US.

The results showed:

77 percent felt “the more people experience other countries and cultures, the more peace will spread.”

Describing our times as a “Golden Age of Travel,” Arne Sorenson, Marriott International’s CEO-elect and current president, reflects, “Travel opens up your mind (and) your heart … This survey shows it is also a powerful form of soft diplomacy in the world today.” Adding that Marriott applauds President Obama’s announcement to reform US visa and entry systems to welcome more international visitors, Sorenson said he believes, “… opportunities to do business and travel abroad are opening up like never before.” (See: Obama in Orlando With Plans to Boost International Tourism).

Timeshares Make it Easier to Explore the World

When you own timeshare, travel planning gets easier. You’ve made the commitment that travel, vacationing, leisure and exploring the world are important in your life. You’ve picked timeshare ownership with timeshare exchange or perhaps membership in a timeshare exchange service to enhance your commitment.

Timeshare owners can explore the world knowing that they have preplanned for accommodations where they will feel safe and comfortable, which makes their international travel planning simpler. With timeshare ownership it becomes easier to focus on the trip ahead; your energy is not consumed by tracking down hotels or condo rentals. Even those who rent timeshare benefit because timeshare rentals, whether in the US or abroad, afford some of the most competitively priced vacation and travel accommodations in the world today.

As part of the vast tourism industry, timeshares provide jobs worldwide, enriching the lives of individuals and families, supporting local economies, and strengthening  local and regional tax revenues. But far beyond the contribution of timeshare to the world’s economic picture are the more important factors of enhancing and encouraging travel and exploration of cultures and countries—they make it easier for people to open their eyes and subsequently their hearts.
As Mark Penn, CEO of Penn Schoen Berland and CEO of Burson-Marsteller explains,  “International travelers advance people’s understanding of different cultures and reinforce all that we as humans have in common with each other.”

Timeshares can, in fact, make a big world seem a whole lot smaller.

With dazzling oceanfront views and Spanish hacienda inspired architecture, the Jardim Atlántico Beach Resort offers nine acres of tropical garden retreat on the edge of the historic city of Ilhéus, a community founded in 1534 as a Portuguese colonial outpost. Located in the Brazilian state of Bahia, the Jardim Atlántico Beach Resort offers both rooms facing the Atlantic Ocean and garden view suites. Now this charming resort is part of the Interval International timeshare exchange network.

Marcos Agostini, vice president of resort sales and service for Latin America for Interval International, says, “(Interval International) Members will appreciate the spectacular setting of Jardim Atlántico, as well as the wide-range of amenities and activities available on-site or nearby, everything from restaurants serving regional cuisine to wellness treatments and water sports.”

Timeshare Exchange Expands the Opportunity of Timeshare Owners

The opportunity to exchange timeshare means that as a timeshare owner you can choose from year to year whether you return to a favorite Breckenridge ski resort timeshare, plan a theme park vacation at an Orlando timeshare, or break out of your pattern and explore historic Brazil.

The Jardim Atlántico Beach Resort is a relaxing destination in itself, with its breezy courtyard surrounded by open air verandas, pools, and stucco buildings distinctive with their arched doorways and clay tile roofs. Yet it also offers ideal accommodations for exploring the historic Saint George of Ilhéus Church and its adjacent Sacred Art Museum, Una’s Ecopark, the Hope Woods Botanical Garden, and the town’s many artist markets and quaint shopping areas.

Onesina Martinez da Silva Ramos Machado, owner and developer, Jardim Atlántico Beach Resort explains, “Our property has a family-friendly ambiance where owners and guests can relax and discover Bahia, particularly the beaches in the area, which are very popular with vacationers. Interval members now have the opportunity to visit this beautiful destination and our owners can experience quality resorts around the world on par with Jardim Atlántico.”

Follow this link to learn more about the opportunities of timeshare exchange with Interval International, a part of Interval Leisure Group.

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.

Yes, Sell My Timeshare NOW and Timeshare Broker Services have always been your best resource for last minute timeshare vacation rental hot deals, but in recent months these deals have gotten easier for you to explore and even hotter than ever before.

Featured on the homepage of www.sellmytimesharenow.com, Amazing Last Minute Deals are timeshare vacation rentals you can book and enjoy even at the very, very last minute. Because these timeshare rentals are listed chronologically, with the closest rental dates first, you can find a great deal—an amazing deal—on a vacation property, and start your holiday as soon as tomorrow, if you like.

AMAZING LAST MINUTE DEALS ARE:

• Easy to book and make vacation and travel planning simpler than ever.
• Offered by owners, resorts, agents, or HOAs that are highly anxious to book this timeshare rental for you.
• Available (typically) for a full 7-day, 6-night vacation but may also be negotiated for a shorter 2, 3 or 4-night vacation. Some may even be available as overnight rentals (you never know until you ask!).
• Offered at rock bottom rental prices yet are at all your favorite or soon-to-be favorite vacation destinations, with spacious accommodations and great amenities.
• Afford you the best deals out there for a luxury vacation at a discount price.
• Ready to rent NOW!

When you wonder how others afford those fabulous vacations you never seem to be able to take; here’s your answer: LAST MINUTE RENTAL DEALS from Sell My Timeshare NOW.

With jobs and the economy on the forefront of many people’s minds, President Barack Obama picked a beautiful sunshiny day in Central Florida to stand in front of Cinderella’s castle in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom and explain his vision and plans for boosting international tourism to the US.

The President’s midday press conference on Thursday began with a few jokes about Mickey Mouse and included his acknowledgement that the weather couldn’t be more perfect. He then touched on a variety of topics related to tourism job growth, focusing on the country’s current stringent policy for screening international tourists. The fact that the US makes it remarkably difficult for tourists from all but 36 countries to visit the US is an issue we have addressed here repeatedly on The Timeshare Authority blog. (see:Marriott Timeshare and Hotel Icon, Bill Marriott Criticizes Government Policy)

Stressing that it was possible to both keep America safe and make it easier for international tourists to visit the US, President Obama discussed specific options to make this happen. In the works are plans for how:

·         America can expand the current list of 36 preferred countries whose visitors are not required to obtain a visa in order to visit.
·         We can create a type of frequent visitor pass for those international tourists who would be willing to undergo an intense one-time background check but could then return more easily upon frequent visits; and
·         To dramatically ease the process for visitors from two target countries: Brazil and China, which both have rapidly growing economies, and emerging middle class that desires to travel, and have a demonstrated history of interest in vacationing in the US.

President Obama plans to sign an executive order to support these and other tourism enhancing initiatives.

In the midst of double digit unemployment and the most unstable US economy since the great Depression, gainfully employed people are walking away from their jobs.

Alexandra Levit, a former nationally-syndicated business and workplace columnist for The Wall Street Journal and the author of Blind Spots: The 10 Business Myths You Can’t Afford to Believe on Your New Path to Success, writes about this phenomenon in an article titled, “Good Culture Is In, Inflated Salaries Are Out.”

Ms. Levit says, “Employees at all levels—especially women—are stepping away from positions that will pay them the highest salary, and moving into ones that provide them a better quality of life.”

She goes on to explain that satisfaction with one’s life and one’s income really has little correlation by using the following example:  Certain  global surveys have asked people to rank how satisfied they are with their lives on a  scale from 1 to 7 with 1 being “not at all satisfied with my life” and 7 being “completely satisfied with my life”.

American multimillionaires ranked at an average score of 5.8, which doesn’t sound surprising one way or the other until you realize that the Masai people of Kenya, Africa, who live without electricity or water, and spend their lives herding cattle, also score 5.8.

Life is short and our days are precious. The security of a home, job, and savings are important. But so are the gifts we give ourselves in life … time with those we love, sunsets across quiet water and sunrise on the mountain top. You may never own a second home, or even a first. But do everything in your power to step back from your routine, to duck out of the rat race, every now and then.

So what if you can’t buy a cabin in the mountains? Buy a timeshare resale, load up your kids and the dog, and for one week a year be the “owners” of that mountain getaway. Perhaps your demands are so great you cannot take a week away from your job. That’s okay, too. Take a couple of days or a long weekend in a timeshare rental; you won’t even have to pay to eat out. Just get away. Take a holiday. Give yourself a break.

… Because you won’t find happiness in a paycheck or a bankbook. You’ll find it in the moments where you break free and create everlasting memories with those you love most.