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Two cornerstone names in timeshare real estate have joined forces with Fidelity National Title Group and Chicago Title Timeshare announcing the formation of an alliance. The new alliance was announced this week:

Fidelity National Title Group and Chicago Title Timeshare Join Forces

Fidelity National Title Group (Maitland, FL) and Chicago Title Timeshare (Escondido, CA) have formed an alliance to be known as Fidelity National Timeshare (FNT). The two entities have joined forces to strengthen their service and respond better to the needs of an ever-changing timeshare industry. The new relationship enhances the company’s ability to serve the industry through its existing East and West Coast office and is dedicated solely to working within the timeshare and shared ownership arena. Grant Miller, Vice President and Executive Director of Fidelity National Timeshare said “Creating this new alliance provides an unmatched collection of products and services the industry has always desired, but never seen before.

“We are also excited about the possibilities to offer a better-integrated bicoastal servicing approach for existing and new clients,” he continued.

“For years, the industry has encouraged us to join forces to become a single source of solution-based products and services,” said Rob Cohen Senior Vice President of Fidelity National Timeshare. “We have now come together to make it a reality. We have been and will continue to be a subsidiary of Fidelity National Financial, Inc. (NYSE: FNF), which is the only company within the title insurance industry to be recognized on the Fortune 500 list.”

“We understand the nuances of both deeded and non-deeded interests including timeshares, points-based clubs, travel clubs, fractional, shared ownership properties and private residence clubs. We know that every project is unique and requires specialized support from its title insurance and escrow partner,” said JoAnn Lockard, Vice President and Division Counsel “FNT will continue to remain committed to our customers, innovating and improving our services to meet the rapidly evolving needs of the industry.”

To service the complex needs of the timeshare industry and its global footprint, the new group will maintain offices in California and Florida. For more information: http://www.FidelityTimeshare.com

Two names familiar to many in the timeshare industry will be working together as Triton Timeshare Software announces the engagement of Locher & Associates, represented by John Locher. 

Triton Timeshare Software, a Sarasota-based technology solutions provider, has engaged the services of Locher & Associates to broaden its marketing and business development efforts.

Locher will focus on timeshare industry relations and marketing strategies for the 15-year-old software company which has recently integrated its systems with Oombaga(SM) a middleware mobile application allowing timeshare owners to pay maintenance fees, make reservations and carry out transactions with their resort in real time.

John Locher, RRP, is founder of Locher & Associates, a professional services firm specializing in online customer acquisition and efficiencies, marketing and business development. He has headed up ARDA’s Technology Group for five years and has actively served the industry with integrity since 2002. John is a founder of RedWeek.com and formerly it’s Vice President of Marketing. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. He formed his new company in 2010.

“John Locher’s combined knowledge of marketing; technology and the timeshare industry are a perfect combination to take our product awareness industry-wide. Oombaga is an owner based app which is already making great strides with the timeshare industry. We are pleased to have Locher & Associates working on our behalf for both Oombaga and Triton to the shared ownership world,” said John Staley, chief architect of Oombaga.

A demo of the Oombaga app is available by texting the word “Oombaga” to 92010. Or see Oombaga.com.

Triton, founded in 1997 under the name Sarasota Software Solutions, is used by such resorts as Tropic Shores, Daytona Bch, FL and The Galleon (Key West), Scottsdale Camelback Resorts (Scottsdale, AZ), Whisky Jack Resorts (Whistler, Canada), Magens Point (St. Thomas), RAL Resorts and Goodmanagement, (New Port News, VA) to name a few. Triton recently signed Emerald Island Condominiums (Hot Springs, AK) and Bayan Resort (Key West).

Scottsdale Camelback Resort is a classic timeshare condo resort located in the foothills of the Camelback Mountains and only a short drive from downtown Scottsdale. For years the resort’s appearance has remained fresh and appealing thanks to Granite State Contract Furnishings, a timeshare resort and hospitality industry design and furnishings company. Here’s an update on how Scottsdale Camelback Resort recently acknowledged its long time relationship with the design company. 

Granite State Contract Furnishings Recognized by Scottsdale Camelback Resort

Granite State Contract Furnishings (GScf) a provider of high-quality design and furnishings to the hospitality and resort industry for more than thirty years, was recently recognized by Scottsdale Camelback Resort Manager Lori Entwistle for their recent refurbishment of units in the Scottsdale, Arizona-based timeshare resort.

“We greatly appreciated GScf for several reasons,” says Entwistle. “The first was the ease of working with them. They were the most professional firm you could desire. Second, their pricing was absolutely competitive in the marketplace and the quality was exceptional.”

Jim and Judy Mirabella, principals of GScf, were hired by the resort’s management and homeowners’ association to provide a design that would utilize as much of the resort’s existing furniture and décor as possible, while still giving the 30-plus-year-old project a new, fresh appearance. “We were greatly impressed by the synchronicity between Scottsdale Camelback’s Board and management team,” says Jim Mirabella. “They were great at making decisions and understood the value our design was going to bring to the resort in terms of guest satisfaction and positive comments.”

Entwistle remarks that not only did GScf work well with the Board of Directors for the resort, but their work product was impeccable. “We are very pleased with the result,” she adds.

About Granite State Contract Furnishings, LTD (GScf)
GScf has been providing interior design and quality furnishings to the hospitality and resort industry for over thirty years, as well as the purchasing or reordering of everything from furniture, draperies, carpeting, wall coverings, mattresses, graphics, lighting, upholstered chairs and sofas, to accessories. The firm can handle all the details of every project – from initial consultation and in-house interior design to purchasing, warehousing and installation. Granite State prides itself on delivering exceptional customer service, offering the best goods and services possible while staying within a budget. Principal Jim Mirabella can be reached at 603-356-5954 or on his cell at 603-759-1287.

Westgate Timeshare Resorts have raised more than $420 million in funding this year. David Siegel, Chief Executive Officer, Westgate Resorts has stated that these fundings enable Westgate to continue its growth trajectory and respond to the increasing demand in the timeshare ownership market.

The following news looks at the most recent funding announced by Westgate timeshare via PR Newswire on November 8, 2012. 

Westgate Completes Another Major Financing This Year

Westgate Resorts, a leader in the timeshare and destination resort industries, recently closed a $221 million securitization. Over the past six months, Westgate Resorts has been able to raise more than $420 million by issuing securitizations through the capital markets that were sold to a large number of new investors to the company, including money funds, insurance companies, and hedge funds. The weighted average cost of the securitizations were less than the previous floating rate expenses and have allowed Westgate to lock in fixed-rate capital while eliminating refinancing risk on these portfolios. This latest financing follows a $35 million Revolving Senior Warehouse Facility with Capital One Bank and a $165 million securitization that Westgate completed earlier this year.

“Westgate is operating at the highest profit levels in the history of the company,” said David A. Siegel, Westgate Resorts’ President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored the financial markets have recognized the strength of our company and the viability of the timeshare industry.”

Westgate, which acquires, develops, markets and manages vacation ownership properties, is one of the largest privately-owned timeshare companies in the world. This securitization along with the previous $165 million securitization was used to pay down existing debt and provide additional liquidity for the company. In addition, the four-year facility provided by Capital One Bank will be used to finance notes receivable arising from the sale of vacation ownership intervals at Westgate’s resort properties.

“Our team has done a tremendous job of delivering a high-quality product with the highest sales and marketing efficiencies in the timeshare industry,” added David. “This has truly been a team effort that required the dedication and support of all of our valued Westgate team members.”

About Westgate ResortsOne of the largest privately owned timeshare companies in the world, Westgate Resorts features luxury resorts in premier travel destinations such as Orlando, Florida; Park City, Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada; Gatlinburg, Tennessee; Branson, Missouri; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Williamsburg, Virginia; Miami, Florida; Mesa, Arizona; and Tunica, Mississippi. Founded in 1980 by David A. Siegel, Westgate Resorts develops and operates uniquely themed destination resorts that include luxurious accommodations, destination health spas, water parks, restaurants and retail shopping outlets. For more information about Westgate Resorts, visit www.westgateresorts.com.

SOURCE Westgate Resorts