Home furnishing industry manufacturer, Ethan Allen, is expanding into the timeshare and hotel furniture industry.

After reaching a monthly high in April 2007 of $10.4 billion, US home furniture sales have declined, down by 14 percent in January 2009, year-over-year from 2008. But the creative minds at furniture industry cornerstone, Ethan Allen Interiors, Inc., may have found their solution for declining sales of home furnishings. Ethan Allen is turning to the timeshare industry and the next timeshare unit you buy or rent, may contain furnishings by Danbury, Connecticut based manufacturer, Ethan Allen.

According to The Advocate (Stamford CT), “The manufacturer and retailer of furniture and accessories has started a contract division that will provide furniture for the hospitality, condominium, villa and timeshare markets, in the United States and abroad.”

Furniture industry expert, Ray Allegrezza, editor-in-chief of Greensboro, NC based Furniture Today magazine, says that companies have to look for markets wherever they can and projects that Ethan Allen residential rivals could begin competing as timeshare and hotel furnishing rivals too. Companies mentioned included La-Z-Boy Inc., Ashley Furniture Industries Inc., and Furniture Brands International Inc., as possible competitors for the large timeshare resort and hotel furniture market.

More Good News about Furniture Companies that Serve the Timeshare Resort Industry

The Ethan Allen announcement came on the heels of last week’s North Carolina-based Kellex Corp., announcing that their Valdese, NC offices have met and exceeded their hiring goals. Kellex Corp., is known for manufacturing upholstered commercial furniture for the hospitality, timeshare, and health-care industries.

Despite all the reports of timeshare companies that are failing to meet their goals and releasing weak quarterly reports, stories like this about Ethan Allen and Kellex Corp reminds us that it is not all bad news. Clearly, new timeshare resorts are being furnished and older resorts are being refurnished – the timeshare industry is moving forward with a positive eye on the future.

It has been less than a month since Holiday Inn Club timeshares announced that the Orange Lake timeshare resorts in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin and Panama City, Florida are joining the Orange Lake Resort in Orlando as Holiday Inn Vacation Club branded timeshare resorts. This week, the timeshare company announced two more additions to its timeshare resort portfolio, with the acquisition of new destinations in Myrtle Beach SC, and Gatlinburg, TN.

The two new resorts are the current South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach and the Crown Park Resort in Gatlinburg. The 256 timeshare unit South Beach Resort will be known by the Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand and the 109 timeshare unit resort in the mountains will be renamed the Smoky Mountain Resort. The acquisition was made by Orange Lake Resorts under their exclusive licensing agreement with IHG to brand the properties as Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshares.

New Timeshare Resorts in Popular Timeshare Destinations

The South Beach Resort, built in 2003 and located in the popular timeshare vacation location of Myrtle Beach, offers indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a lazy river, fitness center, and best of all – private access to a beautiful section of beach.

The Smoky Mountain Resort was originally a Crown Park Resort. Situated near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, this resort first opened in 2006; it offers timeshare owners and their guests indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a fitness center, and easy access to many area attractions.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare assumed management of both timeshare resorts on Feb 13 and expects to begin conversion of the properties by April of this year.

Follow these links to read more about the new Holiday Inn Vacation Club timeshares:

• More Orange Lake Timeshare Resorts Join the Holiday Inn Club Vacations Brand
• Holiday Inn Timeshare Unveils New Orlando Timeshare Resort
• Another Major Hotelier Entering the Timeshare Resort Industry

Ask Ed Hastry, founder and CEO of the National Timeshare Owners Association, about the secret to timeshare owner happiness, and he’ll tell you, “Informed owners = happy owners,” which also explains why the goal of Hastry’s association, the NTOA, is to create knowledgeable timeshare owners.

The association’s message echoes what we say here at The Timeshare Authority: the best way to ensure that you have bought the timeshare you truly want to own, and will enjoy using it for as long as you own the timeshare, is to be an educated consumer. Know what you are buying, how and when you can use it, and what the full terms are of the deal. And to help you in this quest for information, the National Timeshare Owners Association offers you lots of support. In fact, the NTOA does more than just offer reliable information; it provides its timeshare owner-members with a resource that also offers them valuable benefits and meaningful membership perks.

National Timeshare Owners Association Benefits

The National Timeshare Owners Association provides consumer protection by timeshare owners and for timeshare owners. To their membership, they offer:

• Discounts for selling timeshare, buying timeshare, renting timeshare, or timeshare transfer
• A comprehensive book of timeshare facts and information
• Monthly news and tips from timeshare owners and timeshare industry experts
• Minimal interest fee opportunities for financing or refinancing timeshare
• Legal help for managing a timeshare in wills, donations, and divorces
• Liability protection and discounted costs for renting timeshare

In addition to these benefits, one of the most helpful services the NTOA offers its members is regular educational conferences and seminars.

Here’s the current National Timeshare Owners Association educational conference schedule for 2009:

To learn more about the conferences and all the benefits and services of the National Timeshare Owners Association, contact NTOA or call (410) 719-0064.

To learn more about all the ways to buy timeshare, rent timeshare, or sell timeshare contact Sell My Timeshare NOW, endorsed by the National Timeshare Owners Association.

The National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA) is a timeshare owners association uniquely dedicated to the benefits, education, and well-being of timeshare owners. They serve as a consumer protection organization of timeshare owners and for timeshare owners.

Sell My Timeshare NOW is very pleased to receive endorsement by the National Timeshare Owners Association, which is the largest timeshare owners association in the country. In a mutually beneficial relationship, NTOA is excited to recommend Sell My Timeshare NOW to their members. NTOA CEO, Ed Hastry explains, “Our organization’s goal is to offer consumers every facet of information they need regarding timeshares. The National Timeshare Owners Association is enthusiastic about recommending Sell My Timeshare NOW with its full menu of services and proven record of reliability as a resource for all timeshare owners.”

A Timeshare Owners Association with a Strong History

You might call Ed Hastry an “accidental founder”. In 1997, Ed, his wife Mary Lou, and seven other couples were dining together when the topic turned to timeshares and the need for a reliable, informative source of information for timeshare owners. With Ed’s history as a former mediator/negotiator and board of directors’ member of local nonprofits and civic organizations, he was the perfect choice. And on that evening, the Maryland Timeshare Association was formed.

But as the timeshare association grew and thrived, it became clear that the Maryland Timeshare Association needed a larger stage. In 2008, the National Timeshare Owners Association was founded.

Ed Hastry’s motto is simply this, “Educated Owners = Happy Owners!” How can you not buy into that? Think of the many timeshare owners who have been disappointed with timesharing because they did not know what they were buying up front, or failed to know how to make the most of what they had bought after they became owners.

Follow this link to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s full press release on the National Timeshare Owners Association. And return to tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority to learn more about what the NTOA has to offer and what they can mean for you.