Author: Staff Contributor

RCI timeshare exchange (part of the Wyndham Worldwide and Wyndham Timeshare family of companies) has announced affiliation with six new resorts in China. With the addition of these six resorts, RCI timeshare exchange now includes 24 affiliate properties in China.

Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Group RCI timeshare exchange says, “Our growing presence in China is a clear indication of the confidence our members and developers have in the concept of vacation ownership and the recognition of RCI as their preferred partner of choice in delivering memorable experiences to more than 3.8 million RCI members around the globe.”

RCI Timeshare Exchange Adds Six Resorts

The six new resorts, all part of the RCI timeshare exchange network, include:

• Beijing BBMG BaDaLing Hot Spring Resort in Beijing.
• Sunshine Water World Resort in Xiaotangshan.
• LuGuHu Holiday Inn in Sichuan.
• Ramada Plaza Hotel Yantai in Yantai, Shandong.
• Ramada Hotel Wuxi in Wuxi.
• Zen International Hotel in Henan province.

Adrian Lee, managing director, RCI Asia explains, “These resorts represent an interesting cross-section of the unique and varied vacation experiences that China resorts have to offer. They will give our members a chance to experience the beauty of the Chinese landscape and culture, while enjoying a whole host of luxurious recreational facilities and services.”

Timeshare Resale Has a Global Market

China timeshare is an exciting concept. Many American’s idea of business in China is defined, at least in part, by the slice of life presented to the world during the Beijing Olympics last summer. According to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, China attracted 5.36 billion US$ of actual FDI (foreign direct investment) last month. While it sounds like a staggering number, it represents a 35.7percent drop over the same month in 2008 and marks the tenth consecutive month where foreign direct investment has dropped. (source Wall Street Journal)

This is a good reminder that the global economy needs all its players; no country operates as an island anymore. And in the same way that there are economies eager to embrace US investment dollars, there are also emerging markets for timeshares, timeshare resale, and timeshare rental.

When you get ready to sell timeshare or rent timeshare, don’t gauge your perception of the market by only what is going on with US timeshare. There are thriving economies around the world and enthusiastic timeshare buyers and timeshare renters in places that only a few years ago we would have never expected to find them.

Group RCI media release on China timeshare exchange.

It’s hard to say with certainty that tweeting or ‘twittering’ could resolve issues you are having with travel as you head off to your timeshare, but it seems it might be worth a try. Michelle Higgins recently wrote an article that appeared in both The New York Times and in Hotels Magazine. She pointed out her own newfound respect for the power of twittering as a way to get attention when you are confronted with travel challenges.

Here’s one of the examples Michelle Higgins wrote about:

• Tony Wagner, his wife, and 2-year-old child were flying JetBlue from Washington DC to San Francisco. When he learned that the three family members were not seated together he first contacted JetBlue customer service and was told to take the matter up at the gate.
• So he tweeted. “@jetblue Advice to get both parents and 2 yr old seated next to each other on flight later today? Right now only one parent. Full flight.”
• In less than 20 minutes, Tony had received a direct message from JetBlue asking him to contact them; his ticket problem was soon resolved.

Does this tell us that your voice resonates louder with companies when they know it is being magnified exponentially by the power of social media? Who knows for sure; right now it is a changing business world where even the models for customer service are being redefined dramatically by everything from the economy, to the internet, to our personal perspectives.

So who is tweeting and, more importantly, paying attention to what you tweet?

Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Hyatt, and Starwood, to name a few of the hotel and timeshare resort companies that are now on Twitter. Several airlines, restaurants, and online travel services can be found there as well. And you’ll also find Sell My Timeshare NOW on Twitter: @VacationHotDeal… because we are paying attention to what matters to you.

All of us at Sell My Timeshare NOW are pretty excited to have made the Inc. 5000 List for the second year in a row, ranking 1599 out of the top 5000 privately held US companies.

If you missed our big announcement, (see: Sell My Timeshare NOW‘s newest media release) Sell My Timeshare NOW was recognized by Inc Magazine on the Inc 5000 list in the following three categories:

• Fastest growing, privately owned real estate companies nationwide: Sell My Timeshare NOW is number 21 on the Top 100 List.
• Fastest growing, privately owned Businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH metro area: Sell My Timeshare NOW is number 51 among the Top 100 List.
• Fastest growing, privately owned companies in all categories in the state of New Hampshire: Sell My Timeshare NOW is number 13 on the Top 100 List.

But what we didn’t realize as we were celebrating, is how much better our lives (and our ranking on the Inc. 5000 List) might be, if only we could be mentioned on the Oprah Show.

• Galaxy Desserts of Richmond, California, was not ranked on Inc.’s prestigious list until after being mentioned on Oprah, multiple times. This year the specialty desert company ranks 2297.
• LightWedge Booklights went from non-ranked to 1609, thanks to a mention on Oprah.
• James Ray International, a company that ranks 479 on the Inc. 500 List, saw their sales increase by 376 percent after a mention on Oprah.
• And, the company that ranks number 708 on the Inc. 5000 List, Ecobags.com, saw their sales triple after being mentioned on Oprah’s Earth Day episode.

And according to the experts at Inc. Magazine, these are only a few of the companies that are on either the Inc. 500 or the Inc 5000 Lists and also have benefited by exposure on the Oprah Show.

…Which just makes you wonder if Oprah would be interested in buying or renting timeshare? And until we find out the answer to that, we will just have to go on calling ourselves “Sell My Timeshare NOW, the global leader in the advertising and marketing of timeshare resale and timeshare rental—but as not yet seen on Oprah.”

Again this year, Sell My Timeshare NOW has earned the honor of being a part of the prestigious Inc. 5000 List. Of the more than 7 million businesses, only the 5000 fastest growing, privately held companies (that also meet additional criteria regarding revenues, etc.) make the list, with Sell My Timeshare NOW ranking as number 1599 overall.

We also ranked:

• Number 13 on the Top 100 List for fastest growing, privately owned companies in all categories in the state of New Hampshire.
• Number 21 on the Top 100 List for fastest growing, privately owned real estate companies nationwide.
• Number 51 among the fastest growing, privately owned Top 100 Businesses in the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy, MA-NH metro area.

Sell My Timeshare NOW, Embodies Entrepreneurial Spirit Combined with American Hard Work and Ingenuity

Since we started in 2003, Sell My Timeshare NOW has grown from three employees to more than 160 and we have seen our revenues triple between 2005 and 2008 (the evaluation period for the 2009 Inc. 5000 Awards). The companies on the Inc. 5000 list have, since their founding, been responsible for creating more than 1 million jobs. Inc. Magazine describes Sell My Timeshare NOW and the other companies that made the list as “America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs” and possibly the best example of the impact private, fast-growing companies can have on the economy.

While not all of the companies on the Inc 5000 List are small businesses, every single one of them started out that way. And as Brian Headd wrote in The Small Business Advocate published by the US government’s Small Business Administration:

“Small Businesses Most Likely to Lead Economic Recovery … While recent job losses are widespread, small businesses’ historical overall rate of net job creation makes them a key player in solving our labor market woes.”

You know what they say, “If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.” In our troubled economic environment, Sell My Timeshare NOW is proud to be part of the solution, and in our own small way, part of America’s outlook for better days ahead.

Follow this link to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s newest media release.