Timeshare and Fractionals, Owner Satisfaction is Best Reason for Optimism

Much that is positive, exciting, and invigorating for the timeshare industry has been discussed these last two days at the VOIC Shared Ownership Investment Conference in Orlando, Florida, which is hosted by Interval International. And frank talk has gone on about all the challenges of the industry, the economy, and the ways (both good and bad) that the industry has engaged with consumers in the past.

But some of the most interesting insights about timeshare and fractionals comes from a simple look at the numbers. Very often in business, the numbers speak louder than the words.

Here is a look at some recent research about Interval International member/owners:

• US resident members of II own approximately 1.9 weeks of shared ownership vacation time or its equivalent and travel an estimated 22 nights per year solely for leisure purposes.
• They report household income of approximately $121,175 per year.
• Twenty percent expect to buy additional vacation time in the future.
• Timeshare owners are attracted to warm-weather locations (Florida, California, Hawaii, Arizona, South Carolina timeshares and Caribbean timeshares) and family-style accommodations.
• Most are interested in, or have a preference for, two-bedroom timeshare units. Just under ten percent prefer three-bedroom timeshares.

And this may be the most industry-relevant factor of all: 83 percent of Interval International’s US members say they are satisfied with their timeshare ownership.

As David Gilbert, Interval International, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing, says, “Even in challenging economic times, it is very encouraging to see that the appeal of vacation ownership remains strong among our members.”