Wyndham Worldwide continues aggressive growth plan.

Empty and ignored, The Grand Beach Palace in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, has not lived up to its palatial name for quite some time. Wyndham Vacation Ownership (Wyndham Timeshare) recently purchased the 290-room resort from the Palms Resorts Holding Company and now plans a $40 million transformation on the property. Originally developed in the 1980’s, the hotel has sat empty for more than two years. When complete, the new timeshare vacation resort will offer 143 residence condominiums.

The property, which includes 13 buildings, encompasses 25-acres along the beach and is roughly one mile from the Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort and Spa. Lisa Burby, senior director of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, was quoted in Commercial Property News (www.cpnonline.com) as saying, “St. Thomas is an extremely popular destination for our owners.”

The purchase price was reportedly $31 million. Wyndham Vacation Ownership, is a member of the Wyndham Worldwide corporation, which has a portfolio of 140 resort properties in North America and the South Pacific. The official new name of the island resort (expected to reopen in 2008) has yet to be announced.

The Virgin Islands are classified as an unincorporated territory of the United States and were purchased by the United States in 1917 as part of a defense tactic to increase US control over the Caribbean and the Panama Canal. Remember that, when you plan your timeshare vacation in the US Virgin Islands, no passport is required of US citizens visiting or returning from this destination.

The Middle East is one of timeshare’s fastest growing regions.

This year’s Vacation Ownership Investment Conference will be held on March 6, 2007 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The theme of the VOIC Dubai 2007 conference will be, “Timeshares, Fractionals, Condo-hotels And more…”

Over 100 senior management executives from industries in 13 countries attended the 2005 Dubai symposium, formerly known as the Timeshare & Resort Investment Conference. This year’s event is returning to Dubai because VOIC recognizes the Middle East as one of the fastest growing regions for vacation ownership, in an industry that has experienced double-digit growth for more than two decades. Many experts believe that the timeshare vacation industry in the Middle East will see growth previously unparalleled in vacation ownership. With some 6.7 million timeshare owners, and over 5500 resorts in 110 countries around the globe, the vision of even greater growth, at a faster rate, is staggering.

The conference will not only educate its attendees on the opportunities in timesharing but will discuss fractionals, private residence clubs and condo-hotels, as well. Owners and decision makers within the industry will learn ways to benefit from the multiple profit centers timesharing creates, as well as develop a better understanding of the unique synergy between the traditional real estate industry and the vacation ownership market. Orlando’s Peter C. Yesawich, the chairman and ceo of Yesawich, Pepperdine, Brown, & Russell, will be the conference’s keynote speaker. Mr. Yesawich is an industry expert you’ve heard me quote frequently in the Sell My Timeshare NOW, Timeshare Owners’ Blog, podcasts, and press releases. You’ll also find Yesawich’s wisdom in publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The New York Times, Business Week, and Newsweek. His firm is one of the travel industry’s leaders in marketing, advertising, and public relations, and includes among their clients, the Walt Disney Swan and Dolphin Hotels, US Airways, Marriot Hotels and Resorts, Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott Vacation Club International, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), and Interval International, to name only a few.

The host hotel for the conference will be The Arabian Court, One & Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, a beachside resort that includes three properties: The Palace, The Residence & Spa, and The Arabian Court.

Were you among the millions who watched the Colts beat the Bears in Super Bowl XLI?

It is hard to say how many of the estimated 90 million viewers were there for the game, and how many watched for the halftime entertainment and the famed (or notorious?) commercials.

Either way, you perhaps saw Kevin Federline (ex-husband to Britney Spears) in an ad for Nationwide Insurance that promotes their current corporate message, “life comes at you fast.” In case you missed it, the commercial began with Kevin Federline in his rap-star glory and quickly segued to Kevin Federline, dishing out French fries at a non-descript fast food restaurant. Cute, and a surprise to many, that he agreed to the do the ad, which in many ways poked fun at his own media image.

~K-Fed’s Super Bowl ad~

But what I found most interesting from the much-publicized details of Federline’s stay in Miami is—of course—not his TV commercial, but his choice of accommodations. It seems that he began his Miami Beach stay at the Catalina Hotel and Beach Club. The Catalina is a South Beach classic that boasts a minimalist décor and describes their guest rooms as “glazed in white with popping hints of red”. Apparently, the rooms just weren’t popping enough for the ex-Mr. Britney Spears, because according to the “Celebrity News,” section of US Magazine online, Federline relocated.

On Wednesday, before the game on Sunday night, Kevin Federline, and presumably his entourage, moved into the penthouse at the Chesterfield Hotel Suites & Day Spa. The Chesterfield is a small boutique hotel, with 48 rooms and a prime location on Collins Avenue in South Beach. There is no report of whether or not the new accommodations proved satisfactory to Mr. Federline.

So for all of you who want to stay at a Miami hotel that boasts, “Kevin Federline slept here,” you now know where to book your next South Beach vacation. On the other hand, if you don’t want to use the former husband of Britney Spears as your guide for what to look for in great lodging and accommodations, you might consider a Miami Beach timeshare resale. In South Beach, vacation ownership options include the Westgate South Beach, the Crescent Resort & Spa, and the Hilton Grande Vacation Club. Other Miami Beach timeshare vacation resorts are the: the Clarion Suites Crystal Beach and Health Club; the Sagamore Suites Hotel; the Wyndham, the Signum Resort; the Simone Palace of Shushan, the Golden Strand Ocean Villas and the Sovereign Hotel.

You can enjoy timeshare vacations whether you own the unit or rent it directly from the present timeshare owner. They are incredibly easy to book, spacious, almost always include kitchen and dining areas, and are usually located conveniently close to everything you want to see and enjoy. And who knows? You might even find one that includes “popping hints of red” in the room décor.

Just though I’d mention – we do have a few Miami timeshare resales and rentals available.