Interval International timeshare exchange welcomes Mai Khao, Phuket’s West Sands resort to its network of vacation ownership exchange properties. Rebranded as West Sands Vacation Club, the eco-friendly Phuket timeshare is expanding its offerings to timeshare owners and their guests, seeking to be more competitive through greater flexibility.

In order to make it easier for owners to enjoy vacations and holidays even when their schedules or budgets are limited, the resort is transitioning from timeshare interval ownership to a timeshare points based system. Additionally, West Sands Vacation Club has affiliated with Interval International timeshare exchange to provide its member-owners with expanded options in timeshare exchange.

An Eco-Friendly Timeshare Resort

West Sands Vacation Club is located in its own bit of paradise, on 48 lush acres with over 500 yards of private beachfront on Phuket’s popular west coast at Mai Khao Beach. The one-, two-, and three-bedroom timeshare units all feature kitchens and balconies overlooking the pool, the garden area, or the Andaman Sea. The entire property was designed to be low impact on the environment while offering guests and timeshare owners both the beauty of natural Phuket along with the fun of West Sands Water World, one of the largest water parks in Asia.

“We are very pleased to have added West Sands Phuket Beach Club to our exchange network,” says Interval International’s Asia Pacific Executive Director, Joe Hickman. He adds, “Along with its high design standards, the eco-friendly development will contribute to preserving the environment and to more enjoyable and economic living.”

SPI Software, providers of software for the timeshare industry, has announced that Matt Brosious, vice president of sales, is a speaker at this week’s Vacation Ownership Association of Southern Africa (VOASA) conference. The VOASA conference, (August 29-31) is being held in Durban, South Africa. Brosious will speak on the topic: Positioning Your Brand and Social Media.

SPI Software, a Miami, Florida based company, has been providing software to the timeshare, vacation ownership, fractional, and private residence club industry since 1978. Their software is effective for both traditional timeshare and timeshare points based ownership programs. The proprietary timeshare software utilizes Microsoft .NET-based software either as an enterprise suite called Orange Systems, or in specific modules to handle sales, marketing, finance, property management, centralized reservations maintenance fee and receivables servicing, or Website access operations.

Why Social Media Matters When it Comes to Timeshares

Timeshares inherently have a special need for social media. Timeshare owners may buy timeshare from a developer who gives them plenty of attention, right up until they become a timeshare owner. After that, some timeshare owners feel they are “on their own” when it comes to gaining updates and general information about the opportunities of vacation ownership. This feeling of “aloneness” can be even greater for timeshare owners who bought timeshare as on the resale market. Who do they turn to with their questions? Where is their support system?

A strong network of connectivity through Facebook, Twitter, blogging, and other social media platforms can be a difference maker in the satisfaction level timeshare owners feel after their initial purchase. Matt Brosious will no doubt be reinforcing this message, offering insights to the VOASA conference attendees that will help everyone involved in the industry be more responsive to timeshare owners and their needs.

More news from The Timeshare Authority on the VOASA Conference:

South Africa Timeshare and the VOASA Conference 2010

This is Part II of our insider look at Disney timeshare in Hawaii. See yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority blog for “Sneak Peak at Disney Timeshare in Hawaii (Part I)”

COURTESY WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS

Once again, our thanks to Mary Kraemer, blog writer at Mouse Planet, for her updates on the new Disney timeshare resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii, known as the Aulani.

Disney Finesse for this Hawaii Timeshare

As if just being on a beautiful Hawaii island isn’t enough, Disney has a lot of fun features underway at the Aulani Hawaii Disney timeshare.

Besides its location on a beautiful strip of beach, the twenty-plus acres of the Disney Aulani timeshare will offer a water play area of typical Disney-esque magnitude. There will be a slide, an adventure river and the Waikolohe Pool and Stream, which is positioned between two of the Disney Vacation Club buildings.

For the less adventurous, there’s the Wailana, which is a relaxing tranquility pool. And for children, there will be the Menehune Bridge and Trail water play area. Menehune means “little folk” in Hawaiian and references a legendary race of tiny people who were said to once inhabit the islands accomplishing remarkable feats and magical efforts.

But you can’t spend your entire Hawaii timeshare vacation in the water, no matter how entertaining the setting. The Aulani Resort will offer an 18,000 square-foot spa, an 8,000 square-foot convention center and a wedding lawn.

According to the linguists at Disney Vacation Club, the word, aulani means “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages.” The message here seems to be clear: expect a lot from the Aulani Hawaii timeshare; Disney plans to deliver their best.

Updates from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Moving Forward with New Hawaii Timeshare
• Disney Timeshare in Hawaii, But Where’s Space Mountain?

Thanks to Mary Kraemer, blog writer at Mouse Planet, for this eyewitness update. Mary and her husband recently toured the model units for the new Disney timeshare resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii: the Aulani. As this will be Disney’s first Hawaii timeshare, excitement is already high and based on Mary’s description, there’s every reason it should be.

Describing the new Hawaii timeshare as “huge” Mary explains that it seems to dwarf the neighboring properties, with 359 hotel rooms, (16 of which are suites) and 460 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas (with 21 oceanfront Grand Villas). Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at the on-property features, but today, let’s look at what you will find inside your timeshare unit as a member of the Disney Vacation Club.

Features of Disney’s New Aulani Hawaii Timeshare

The units themselves are similar in footprint to other Disney timeshare properties. Studio timeshares include a sink, small refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker in the kitchenette and a queen bed and sleeper sofa in the sitting and sleeping areas. A flat panel television and DVD player is built into the dresser area and a table with chairs provides seating for two. These studio timeshare units are designed to accommodate up to four people comfortably.

One-bedroom timeshare units at the Aulani Disney timeshare will sleep up to five people or when used in combination with a studio unit, up to 9 people. One-bedroom units offer a living room with sleeper sofa that the author points out, (same sleeper in in all units) is uniquely comfortable because it lacks the mid-back metal bar usually found in pull-out couches.

The one-bedroom timeshare units also feature a Murphy-style bed, a full kitchen, dining area with banquette seating, and a stacked washer and dryer. The bedroom has a king bed, private bath with whirlpool tub, and a rainfall showerhead in the separate shower.

All of the new Aulani Hawaii timeshare units include a private balcony and an island-themed décor, complete with lots of “hidden Mickeys” (you know, those Mickey Mouse outlines that Disney carefully hides in unexpected places.)

Hawaii Welcomes Disney Timeshare

This new timeshare resort reflects both confidence in the Hawaii tourism market and Disney’s interest in building resorts and timeshares in venues that don’t include one of their theme parks. And although the Aulani won’t offer a full theme park, you can be certain that Disney has plenty of activities and entertainment planned for the resort. Check Saturday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, where we’ll look at what you can expect at this beautiful new resort.

More News from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Hawaii Timeshare and What It Really Means
• Will You Be Spending Holidays at a Disney Hawaii Timeshare?
• Hawaii Timeshare Expansion Means Good News for the Local Economy
• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina