Last week, Marriott Vacation Club timeshare announced its new timeshare points program called, Marriott Vacation Club Destinations.

Lee Cunningham, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Marriott Vacation Club, North America, explains, “… we have successfully evolved our product offering based on Owner feedback, and the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program reflects a tradition of Owner involvement and was designed specifically for both current and future Owners.”

The news of this new program, long rumored to be coming, has brought on a great deal of discussion, speculation, and questioning by the timeshare community, specifically Marriott timeshare owners and all those who are considering buying Marriott timeshare and timeshare resales.

In profiling the new Marriott program. Sara Clarke, writer for the Orlando Sentinel, wrote:

The Timeshare Authority blog promised you information as we confirm more about the program. Here is some general information and some updates:

• Marriott Vacation Club Destinations is designed to offer expanded opportunity and flexibility to new Marriott timeshare owners.
• Current Marriott timeshare owners will have the option to choose to participate in the program or to stay in their current plan, without losing ownership privileges.
• Each year, Marriott Vacation Club Destinations members will receive timeshare points that they can use, bank, borrow against, or add to by purchasing more.
• Marriott Vacation Club Destinations focuses on four Vacation Collections: the Marriott Vacation Club Collection; Marriott Collection; Explorer Collection; and the World Traveler Collection.
• Membership in the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations entitles you to access the services of a personal Vacation Ownership Advisor. Your personal Advisor can assist in travel arrangements within the four Collections.
• Those who enroll now receive bonus points at the time of enrollment.
• Marriott Vacation Club Destinations members have the option to check in on any day of the week or season of the year.
• The annual membership fee in Marriott Vacation Club Destinations is $165 (in most cases) and provides members the flexibility to change reservations, change their length of stay, and to select the accommodation size that best fits their needs.

As with any timeshare or vacation club, one size never fits all. Marriott Vacation Club Destinations will be more valued by some Marriott timeshare owners than by others, and at the moment, has some Marriott timeshare owners questioning whether the program will help or hurt them. As it stands now, Marriott timeshare owners who bought their timeshare as a Marriott timeshare resale are eligible to be part of Marriott Vacation Club Destinations, however, timeshare resale buyers going forward will not be. Although Marriott Vacation Club Destinations membership is not transferable when you sell timeshare, this is an annual membership program in which you can opt out of membership at any time.

Because so many timeshare owners are abuzz about this topic, you can probably expect both more clarification coming from Marriott Vacation Club and perhaps even some adjustments to guidelines and policies over the upcoming months. The Timeshare Authority blog will do its best to keep you up-to-date.

More on Marriott timeshare points:

• Timeshare Points at Marriott Vacation Club are Changing – Timeshare Owners Still Have Questions

Effective last week, the Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando) began accepting reservations for a new luxury pet resort scheduled to open this summer. The 50,000 square-foot facility is called Best Friends Pet Resort and is described by Disney as a “best of breed” pet resort, with air-conditioned, VIP suites and private outdoor play yards for your pet.

Disney has offered pet boarding for many years but this announcement indicates that their services are being taken to a new level. Their boarding service includes up to two meals per day and two scheduled daily walks. You can choose to add other services such as an extra walk ($5 add on charge), cuddle time ($5 add on charge), or an ice cream break ($4 add on charge). Other options include playgroups for dogs or special one-on-one play times, also available at à la carte pricing.

Discounted Rates for Timeshare Owners with Disney Vacation Club

Overnight rates for dogs start at $20 per night for pets of Disney Vacation Club members and go to $21 for dogs belonging to Disney resort guests and $23 for those of park visitors. For cats and other small animals, the Disney Vacation Club member price is $13 per night and ranges up to $18 for the pets of park guests.

Disney Vacation Club currently does not offer pet-friendly timeshares, which makes the pet resort an especially important feature for pet owners planning a Disney timeshare vacation.

Here are two timeshare resorts in the Disney area that you might be interested in for timeshare resale and timeshare rentals that ARE pet friendly:

• Celebration World Resort – Kissimmee, Florida
• Summerfield Condo Resort – Kissimmee, Florida

And for some really good tips on traveling with your pet, click here to see this article from Smarter Travel.

When Forbes Magazine published its most recent list of America’s top tourist attractions, we couldn’t help but notice that there are great opportunities in timeshare resorts at or near all of these destinations. That means if you own timeshare in these popular areas, you also have a natural market for timeshare rental should there be times you can’t use your timeshare yourself or don’t choose to use it as timeshare exchange.

Here’s a look at only a very few of your timeshare resort options for these favorite tourist destinations:

#3. National Mall and Memorial Parks, Washington, D.C., with 25 million visitors

• Wyndham Old Town (Alexandria, Virginia)
• Wyndham Resorts National Harbor (Ft. Washington, Maryland)

#2. Las Vegas Strip, Las Vegas, Nevada, with 29.1 million visitors

• Las Vegas Timeshare Resales and Las Vegas Timeshare Rentals
• Hilton Grand Vacations Club On The Las Vegas Strip Timeshare
• Marriott’s Grand Chateau Timeshare

#1. Times Square, New York, N.Y. with 37.6 million visitors

• New York City Timeshare Resales and New York City Timeshare Rentals
• Manhattan Club Timeshare
• Hilton Club New York

People are often surprised to learn that timeshares are not just limited to the beach and ski resorts. There are locations available to enjoy urban timeshare worldwide, offering you the convenience and savings that go with owning timeshare.

When the US economy began to visibly dip, and then for many industries plummet, timeshare sales companies, timeshare developers, and some timeshare resales companies were forced to lay off employees. Yet despite the layoffs, many companies in the timeshare industry are repeatedly recognized as outstanding employers. They may have in the past had to cut back staffing, but clearly, these timeshare companies are not cutting back on their respect and concern for employees.

The Timeshare Authority Blog frequently reports on the recognition timeshare companies receive as top employers for which to work. (Recent post: RCI Timeshare Exchange Makes Best Places to Work List)

Two timeshare companies gaining notoriety as great places to work include:

• Shell Management Hawaii, Inc. which has been recognized as the “Number 1 Best Place to Work in Hawaii for 2010,” and
• Wyndham Exchange & Rentals New Jersey, honored among 2010, “Best Places to Work in New Jersey”

Shell Management Hawaii, Inc. (Shell Vacations Club) was honored this spring at an awards dinner at the Sheraton Waikki, Hawaii, as recognized by Pro Service Hawaii and published in Hawaii Business Magazine. Shell Management took the honors in the category for large employers (150 employees or more) and beat out other timeshare companies including Wyndham Vacation Ownership and Starwood Hotels & Resorts, both nominated in the same category.

Linda Anthony, Regional vice president of Shell Management Hawaii said, “Shell Management Hawaii’s recognition as the number one best place to work in Hawaii resulted from a magical blend of amazing employee-centric programs and policies carried out by a deeply committed team of managers.”

Wyndham Exchange & Rental (Wyndham Timeshare) was recognized by NJBIZ as one of New Jersey’s best employers that benefit the state’s economy, workforce and business. Geoff Ballotti, president and CEO, Wyndham Exchange & Rentals says, “It is because of our passionate, dedicated and incredibly enthusiastic associates that we continue to generate tremendous engagement and a caring community culture through our offices here in New Jersey and around the world.”

Ballotti also pointed out that Wyndham’s Indianapolis location was named among the top companies to work for in Indiana in 2010, for the second year in a row, as well.