Women in the Timeshare Industry association will host networking and educational events at the upcoming ARDA Convention.

With the ARDA (American Resort Development Association) Convention upcoming at the end of this month, WIN (Women in the Industry) is planning a special networking event on Tuesday, March 31, at the Orlando World Center Marriott. WIN is an exciting timeshare industry association we have written about before at The Timeshare Authority. According to Cathy Backus of CSA Travel Protection, WIN truly represents, and is represented by, women in all areas of timeshares and resorts. The non-profit organization works as a collective group to foster leadership and create opportunities in the hospitality and the timeshare industries, particularly for women.

Spirit Incentives is a primary sponsor of the networking event, during which WIN will be unveiling their interactive website and kicking off an organizational membership drive.

As part of the ARDA Convention, WIN will also host the “Breakfast of Champions,” featuring Olympic swimmer Janet Evans and sponsored by Hilton Grand Vacations. Additionally, WIN is hosting a special educational session at the ARDA Convention titled, “Not Just the Boys Club Anymore: Welcome to the Girls Club: How the Face of the Workplace Has Changed.”

Women looking to be a part of WIN can follow this link to learn more about Women In the Industry, and the great things they are doing for the timeshare industry and its future.

Corporate Benefactors for WIN include: Marriott Timeshare, Wyndham Worldwide, ICE, Group RCI, Shell Vacations, Bluegreen Corporation, C.A.R.E. and The Trades.

Past blog posts on The Timeshare Authority, profiling WIN:

• Women Changing the Face of Timeshares and Timesharing (Part I)
• Women Carving Out their Future in the Timeshare Industry (Part II)

Marriott Vacation Club International has opened their new Marco Island, Florida timeshare resort.

Marriott’s Crystal Shores timeshare resort has opened with 71 timeshare units in Phase I. This new Florida timeshare is an exciting Marriott timeshare destination and the first beachside Marriott vacation ownership property on Florida’s Gulf of Mexico.

Florida Timeshare at Marco Island is an Ideal Destination

The white sand beaches of Marco Island and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico make an ideal setting for this Marriott timeshare vacation destination. Imagine a zero-entry pool with waterslide, whirlpool spas, and poolside cabanas. The timeshare villas have been designed to take full advantage of the amazing views, while offering architecture and interior design in keeping with the casual lifestyle of the resort community.

Timeshare units at this Marriott timeshare resort range in size from spacious floor plans at approximately 1,100 to 1,450 square feet. Décor is cool, serene, and wonderfully casual with furnishings of natural materials and a blue and sage green color palette. Each timeshare villa offers floor to ceiling glass walls that open to a private patio or balcony where you can relax and enjoy the sea breezes.

The timeshare owner’s lounge (when complete) will provide a large terrace and indoor/outdoor seating area with a view of the beach. When complete, the property will include two swimming pools, a MarketPlace Express convenience store, and a fitness center.

Each timeshare unit has a fully equipped gourmet kitchen with granite countertops; spacious living and dining areas; a washer/dryer; multiple flat-panel televisions; DVD players in living room and bedrooms; and Wi-Fi access.

Marriott Timeshare’s Attention to Getting Things Just Right

The Crystal Shores Florida timeshare resort is a perfect example of Marriott’s attention to creating excellence in the vacation ownership experience for Marriott timeshare owners.

Stephen P. Weisz, president of Marriott Vacation Club International says, “As Marriott Vacation Club International commemorates 25 years of delivering unforgettable vacation experiences, we are thrilled to welcome Owners and guests to Marriott’s Crystal Shores. After more than 17 years of searching for just the right location on Marco Island, we couldn’t be more pleased to see this resort come to fruition on this prime beachfront setting.”

At buildout, this Marriott timeshare resort will have approximately 219 two and three-bedroom timeshare villas and is certainly a wonderful addition to the fine family of Marriott Vacation Club International timeshare resorts.

I am fortunate to be among the timeshare industry specialists who will be attending and participating in the TATOC annual conference this week in Cheshire, England. TATOC, which stands for “The Association for Timeshare Owners Committees,” is the United Kingdom’s leading timeshare association, existing to safeguard and enhance the timeshare holiday experience for existing and prospective users and to be the voice of owners.

This year’s conference theme is, “Achieving Our Goals” and was chosen to acknowledge the tremendous growth and change for TATOC in 2008. As their leadership explains, after the recent change, they are now ready to move forward, achieving their goals.

TATOC puts it well when they say, “We live in ‘interesting times’ and there are challenges that will have to be met by all of us, whether committee member or developer or management company. Working together and exchanging ideas and information is one way of meeting these challenges. Education of the industry is another, and we are delighted to have visiting us members of the industry, media and also government.”

I hope to bring you more news of the TATOC timeshare conference in upcoming days. I am sure it will be an exceptional event for everyone in the timeshare industry, timeshare sales, and timeshare resales alike. Every effort that strengths service for timeshare owners likewise strengthens the industry.

Follow this link to read the Sell My Timeshare NOW press release about the TATOC conference.

Good news about strong timeshare sales at the New Grand Lodge on Peak 7 timeshare resort.

The owners of Grand Timber Lodge timeshare and Gold Point timeshare, two popular Breckenridge timeshare resorts, are building a new timeshare resort – Grand Lodge on Peak 7.

Sales of timeshare units at Grand Lodge on Peak 7, are reportedly up about 10 percent over sales last year, and not because of discount pricing – sales prices are up around 20 percent. According to Rob Millisor, co-owner of the timeshare resort and a town Councilman in Breckenridge, February 2009 has been their best February yet.

Pre-Construction Timeshare Sales

Grand Lodge on Peak 7 timeshare resort is a three-phase property with a scheduled completion date of December 2010. Phase One timeshare units will be ready for vacationing in May of this year and are currently approaching sell-out. Phase Two, scheduled for completion this December, is about 35 percent sold. The third phase is expected to be ready for timeshare vacations by December 2010 with additional construction planned between 2011 and 2013.

At completion, the Grand Lodge on Peak 7 timeshare will feature 114 two-bedroom timeshare lock offs and four one-bedroom timeshare units. Phase One has 69 timeshare units.

Looking at What’s Driving these Timeshare Sales

According to an article in the Summit Daily News, Millisor attributes the timeshare company’s success to customer service. “We work long and hard and spend a lot of money creating great customer service – so I think that’s probably the number-one reason we’re successful.” Millisor describes timeshare sales as a way to, “own your vacations rather than to rent them.”

The company says that approximately 40 percent of timeshare sales come from owners either who refer their friends to buy timeshare or who buy additional time for themselves.

Between October 2008 and February 2009, the timeshare company saw over $19 million in timeshare sales. I’d say that is pretty good business during the throes of an economic recession.

Timeshare Sales and the Local Economy

Timeshare sales themselves are good for the local economy in the long run by increasing the tax revenue base and by bringing in a predictably steady stream of vacationers who spend their dollars at restaurants, retailers, and local attractions as well as on the ski slopes. But strong timeshare sales stimulate the local economy even during the pre-construction phase.

The number of two-night mini vacations that people are taking as part of their Grand Lodge on Peak 7 timeshare sales tour have increased, up 10 percent as well. More than 10,000 mini vacation timeshare tours were given out in 2008 as part of timeshare sales for Grand Lodge on Peak 7. Each prospective buyer also receives $100 in discount premiums to use with local merchants.

Limited New Timeshare Sales in Breckenridge, but Timeshare Resales are Available

Although Grand Lodge is fully sold out, you can find good deals on timeshare resales there. The Gold Point timeshare resort, another Breckenridge vacation favorite, is also a part of this timeshare collection. Since 1998, the company has logged more than $300 million in timeshare sales.

While Grand Lodge on Peak 7 is the only Breckenridge timeshare resort available for new timeshare sales, there are plenty of opportunities for excellent values in Breckenridge timeshare resales. In addition to the Grand Lodge family of timeshares, you will find timeshare resales at Hilton Grand Vacations Club – Valdoro Mountain Lodge Timeshare and Marriott’s Mountain Valley Lodge Timeshare.