Earlier this week The Timeshare Authority blog updated readers on the Festiva Resorts photo and story contest (Festiva Timeshare Owners Can Win a One-Week Festiva Vacation) in which Festiva timeshare owners can win a week of Festiva timeshare as well as vacation cash prize money.

Now Barceló Hotels & Resorts, in conjunction with Kodak’s Event Imaging Solutions Group and its operational partner Smile Market, is offering a different photo opportunity, providing guests a unique way to preserve their vacation memories from their stay at the all-inclusive Barceló Maya Beach Resort in Riviera Maya, Mexico. Photographers, trained by Kodak, are strategically positioned throughout the resort ready to capture all the smiling moments of your Mexico timeshare vacation. Then, by using an expressly created website, resort guests can select which photos to download and purchase, and can also buy photo-imprinted t-shirts, coffee mugs, mouse pads, calendars, and other personalized gift items.

Ana Chávez, marketing and advertising manager for Barceló Hotels & Resorts in Mexico explains, “Particularly as an all-inclusive hotelier, we want our guests to feel as if they do not have a care in the world. We want our guests to truly enjoy their vacations to the maximum potential and be completely stress-free throughout their stay. This image capturing solution allows Barceló guests to just have fun and leave the memory-saving up to us.”

To learn more, visit: http://www.mybarceloexperience.com.
And enjoy this video, which takes you through some of the sights and pleasures of a Mexico timeshare vacation.

Many of the conversations about Marriott timeshare in recent weeks have focused on the company’s launch of a timeshare points based program called Marriott Vacation Club Destinations. In a recent interview with Perspective Magazine, Marriott timeshare executives offered further insights about the new timeshare points program, its impact on the company and its benefits for timeshare owners.

Marriott Vacation Club timeshare recognizes that current and future Marriott timeshare owners will have many questions about the points program, and with this in mind the company will be increasing staffing in order to properly address the concerns and service needs of its more than 400,000 timeshare owner families.

Ed Kinney, vice president of corporate affairs and brand awareness for Marriott Vacation Club, says the company expects the increased level of questions and inquiries to continue for about a year and a half. He also reminds Marriott timeshare owners that although the timeshare points program will be the only form of timeshare the company plans to cell going forward, it is elective for current owners.

Marriott Timeshare Gears Up for the Change

Marriott timeshare, having delayed some technology updates knowing that the conversion to timeshare points was coming, has now made a significant investment in converting the information technology aspects of its business. As Kinney told Editor Matt McDaniel, at Perspective, “Today’s computer technology is able to be somewhat predictive and understand how to best utilize inventory without having to overbuild to accommodate the variations. That’s been one of the biggest things to overcome…”

And Marriott timeshare reminds its timeshare owners that it is not a newcomer to a timeshare points based program having offered only timeshare points in the Marriott Vacation Club’s Asia Pacific region. Through this experience, the company has learned a great deal about its timeshare owner’s desires and usage patterns.

Marriott timeshare sees the transition as a time of educating its owners, a process the company is very committed to do. Kinney says, “So that’s what our owner-services group is going to be doing over the near term: education, education, education.”

Other recent The Timeshare Authority blog posts on the new Marriott timeshare points plan:

• Why Not All Marriott Timeshare Owners are Happy with the New Timeshare Points Plan
• Questions Persist about the New Marriott Timeshare Points Program
• More Details on New Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Timeshare Points
• Timeshare Points at Marriott Vacation Club are Changing – Timeshare Owners Still Have Questions

Continuing on the subject of timeshares and pet owners covered in yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority, it is appropriate to recognize the staff of Global Connections travel clubs for its generous efforts on behalf of the Tampa Bay Society for the Prevention & Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) along with a hat-tip to Timeshare Girls Blog Spot for bringing it to our attention.

The employees of Global Connections in Clearwater, Florida held their 7th annual SPCA Pet Bowl fundraiser, representing the Global Connections Resort in Dunedin, Florida. The team, known as Team Beso Del Sol, earned first prize in fundraising, bringing in over $1900 for the worthy cause. In all, over $20,000 was generated from the charity event.

Kelli Brazier, GCI’s Member Fulfillment Manager and the team’s organizer, said, “Not only do we get to encourage donations for a worthy cause close to our hearts, but we have fun in the process while working together as a team. It was wonderful to see how many people really care. A sincere thank you is extended to each of our sponsors!”

As most pet lovers know, the mission of the SPCA focuses on protecting and sheltering sick, injured, homeless and unwanted animals. The Tampa Bay SPCA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies on gifts from individual donors and receives no state or federal monies.

More on Global Connections Travel Timeshare Resale Properties

Global Connections Travel is a multi-destination travel club offering Star Credits as opposed to timeshare weeks. Members of Global Connections Travel can use their credits in a variety of ways at popular destinations worldwide. Distinctive from traditional timeshare, Global Connections Travel members do not pay annual fees, but instead, only renew for the years during which they want to travel or use club benefits.

In June, The Timeshare Authority updated you on the new pet resort opening at Orlando’s Walt Disney World. (See: Disney Offers Pet Resort with Special Pricing for Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Owners). Pet-friendly timeshares and pet boarding accommodations are important to travelers. According to the 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association there are 77.5 million dog owners in the US alone, accounting for 39 percent of all American households.

For most pet owners, Fido or Fluffy is a beloved family member who creates a conundrum when it comes time for travel or a timeshare vacation. Do you plan your vacations only at pet-friendly timeshares? Do you board your pet, hire a pet sitter or maybe even stay home because you can’t come up with an acceptable solution?

Orlando’s Disney World Resort is making it easier than ever to enjoy a guilt-free vacation, fully confident that your pet is nearby and is receiving the very best of care. And for Disney timeshare owners, members of the Disney Vacation Club, the solution is especially sweet as they receive special discounts.

Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Members Receive Discounts

Disney’s new Best Friends Pet Resort will be able to accommodate up to 270 dogs, 30 cats, and other animals including hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, and potbellied pigs. Not accepted for boarding will be snakes, lizards and turtles. Here are few of the tail-wagging details to update you on just how very ‘luxurious’ these accommodations for your pet really are.

Add-on pet services, in addition to outdoor playtime are available, including doggy playgroups, Frisbee or ball play, walking trails, a water park area, and snuggling for your dog while someone reads stories aloud—like a bedtime story being read to the family dog. Dogs also have the option, for a fee, to view movies or to vacation in one of the 226-square foot luxury suites that feature a private play yard and a personal pet concierge. Upgrades for felines include two and four-story kitty condos.

While basic pricing starts at $37 nightly, Disney timeshare owners receive discounts as part of their membership benefits in the Disney Vacation Club.