According to information released by Wyndham Timeshares and Resorts, the United Arab Emirates is undoubtedly one of timeshare’s hottest markets. “It is expected that Middle Eastern residents will spend an estimated $1.2 billion a year on shared ownership properties by 2020…” says Wyndham timeshare in a recent media release.

The company makes it clear that the problems in the US economy will not create problems for Wyndham Worldwide, which not only owns Wyndham timeshare, but is the parent company for Group RCI timeshare exchange. And they credit much of their optimism to the sunny predictions specifically for Middle East timeshares.

Wyndham Timeshare CEO Speaks at Dubai Tourism Summit

Chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide, Steve Holmes, is also the vice chair of the World Travel and Tourism Council. Holmes was part of the panel on “Travel and Tourism – It’s Good and Getting Better” that met this week during the Global Travel and Tourism Summit in Dubai. Holmes explains, “Travel and tourism continues to be a stable and growing industry around the globe… We have seen that when it comes to taking time off, people will adjust their travel plans to fit their budgets, but rarely cancel their vacations altogether.”

Wyndham timeshare’s position is that historically they have benefited from people tightening their wallets because many of the products they offer are in the mid-price and economy segment. Holmes sounds sympathetic but not empathetic when he says, “While we would like to see the US economy rebound, our company is well poised to succeed, even in this economic environment.”

Last week, The Timeshare Owners Blog reported on the partnership of Group RCI and Al Ghaith Holdings to operate timeshare exchange at the Bavaria Executive Suites timeshare resort. Two days ago we looked at Marriott timeshare announcing Marriott Vacation Club Dubai Festival City. If the predictions hold up, you can expect to continue to hear a lot of positive news about Dubai and United Arab Emirates timeshares in the months to come here on our blog.

How many times in the past year has The Timeshare Owners Blog written about Marriott Hotel and Marriott Timeshare Company doing the right thing for the environment? And here I am, singing the praises once again of what the Marriott Corporation is doing to help preserve our planet…

J.W. “Bill” Marriott was quoted in one of the company’s recent press releases as saying, “At Marriott, we realize that we are all guests on this planet. We share a responsibility to look out for the long term health of the environment. That’s why we believe the future of our business is green.”

The press release goes on to explain that the Marriott company will be offsetting its carbon footprint by partnering with the Brazilian State of Amazonas to preserve and protect 1.4 million acres of the Amazon Rainforest.

Five years ago, we didn’t understand the meaning of “carbon footprint”. Most of us didn’t realize that our carbon footprint is a measurement of how much our activities produce the greenhouse gases that negatively affect the environment. We did not think about the appliances that run 24/7 in our homes, the car we drive to work each day, and even the energy burned in the production of the clothes we wear and the food we eat. But we are all becoming much more aware of how our lifestyle affect the Earth.

So three, sincere and heartfelt cheers for Marriott for being environmentally conscious and learning what their company’s carbon footprint really is, which, by the way, is 2.9 million metric tons of CO2 emissions per year.

Marriott, as a corporation, has committed to cutting fuel and water consumption by 25 percent per available hotel room or timeshare unit over the next 10 years. If you have read The Timeshare Owners Blog in the past, you know that Marriott hotels and Marriott timeshare have already switched to eco-friendly eating utensils for their employee food service and provided reusable drink ware to their employees in order to reduce the consumption of Styrofoam cups. Additionally the company purchases nearly 50 million recycled BIC pens each year. And while disposable ink pens – at first consideration – don’t seem like a great threat to the environment, think about the billions of them that are filling up landfills, one tiny space at a time.

Are You Green at Home, But Consumptive in Hotels, Restaurants, and Timeshare Resorts?

I think we, as a culture, are growing more environmentally conscious. We are learning that it not only improves the long range outlook for our planet, but it benefits us personally in dollars saved. People are downsizing their cars, using more energy efficient appliances, and generally making a greater effort to leave a “smaller” footprint behind.

But there is something about spending other people’s money, that doesn’t concern us as much as it should. It’s evidenced in ways, like people leaving lights on in hotel rooms and timeshares, that they wouldn’t leave on in their homes. They take longer showers, hotter baths, and leave the television playing, even when they are out of their room or timeshare condo. They do it because they can, and because they think it doesn’t cost them anything extra. But it of course, ultimately we all pay the price of wasteful behavior.

So as a traveler on this planet, ask yourself if you treat the consumables in public places like they come from an “endless source” rather than using them responsibly and conservatively? Take the time to learn what size carbon footprint you and your family are personally making.

And thank you, Marriott Hotels and Marriott Timeshares for heralding this message that should be taken to heart by every company that builds or runs hotels, restaurants, timeshare resorts, and all those other places we all like to enjoy:

Here’s a YouTube video suggesting ways you can minimize your own carbon footprint.

J. W. Marriott Jr, the chairman and CEO of Marriott International Inc, in conjunction with Omar Al Futtaim, CEO of Al-Futtaim Group, has announced a joint venture agreement that will result in the building of Marriott Vacation Club Festival City timeshare resort in the United Arab Emeritus.

The new Marriott timeshare represents, according to ArabianBusiness.com, the first significant equity investment in a hospitality development in Dubai by a US-base global hospitality brand. It is the only equity based joint venture entered into by Al-Futtaim with a hospitality group at Dubai Festival City.

Al-Futtaim was quoted as saying, “We believe Marriott Vacation Club will singularly raise the bar and change the landscape of the hospitality sector in Dubai.”

Plans are for the Marriott timeshare resort to be constructed in four phases, and will include over 3500 timeshare units and timeshare suites when completed. The Marriott Vacation Club Festival City will be the largest timeshare resort connected to a regional shopping center in the United Arab Emirates. As the resort area develops, in addition to the Marriott timeshare, there will be 8 major luxury hotels, 2 boutique hotels, and over 100 restaurants, cafes, and bistros located within the residential and retail area along Dubai Creek and near the Festival Marina. The development is described as an, “elegantly chic, bustling waterfront urban community.”

Own Marriott Timeshare Today

Timeshare owners at Marriott Vacation Club Festival City will have exchange privileges within the worldwide network of Marriott timeshares. You can buy Marriott timeshare from the Marriott corporation, or you can take advantage of the excellent prices available on Marriott timeshare resales advertised by Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Currently Sell My Timeshare NOW has timeshare resales available at nearly 40 Marriott timeshare resorts in the US alone as well as the following international destinations:

• Marriott’s Aruba Ocean Club Timeshare Resales – Palm Beach, Aruba
• Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club Timeshare Resales – Palm Beach, Aruba
• Marriott’s Village d’Ile de France Timeshare Resales – Bailly Romainvilliers, France
• Marriott’s Club Son Antem Timeshare Resales – Mallorca, Spain
• Marriott’s Marbella Beach Resort Timeshare Resales – Marbella, Spain
• Marriott’s Playa Andaluza Timeshare Resales – Marbella, Spain
• Marriott’s Phuket Beach Club Timeshare Resales – Phuket, Thailand
• 47 Park Street by Marriott Grand Residence Club Timeshare Resales – Mayfair, London, England

Interval International has introduced the Dream Vacation Week certification program. With their affiliate, Worldwide Vacation & Travel Inc., II is using the program as an incentive package designed for timeshare developers. The idea is that the program will generate timeshare resort tours or can be used by timeshare developers to enhance the proposition of their non-buyer programs.

Not Limited to Timeshare Resort Developers

The Dream Vacation program is being put to use by other industries besides timeshare companies. Lending Tree, the Home Loan Center, and Match.com for example, are just a few of the businesses that are giving away Dream Vacation Week certificates as part of their loyalty and incentives programs.

Dream Vacations Weeks are not free. Even after you earn an incentive reward through one of the participating companies, you still must pay a timeshare rental fee. You can book timeshare rental stays for your Dream Vacation Week in 7-day intervals only, and you should expect the offerings during peak travel times and at high-demand locations to be limited.

But if you receive a Dream Vacation Week certificate as a benefit for taking out a home mortgage, or as part of your membership in Interval International, it is an opportunity to enjoy a timeshare vacation at a discount price. It is also is great way to gain a firsthand perspective on a timeshare resort before you buy timeshare resales there.

You Don’t Have to Buy a New House to Enjoy Good Deals on Timeshare Rentals

If you earn a Dream Vacation Week certificate, you have an opportunity to enjoy 7 days in a great timeshare rental at prices starting around $600 (and up), depending on the timeshare unit’s size and location. But you don’t have to refinance your home or sign up for an online dating service just to enjoy an excellent price on a timeshare rental.

Sell My Timeshare NOW has a huge inventory of timeshare rentals, at prices and locations that are just as good as those you will see though incentive programs. Timeshare owners sometimes rent timeshare just to cover or offset their annual timeshare ownership membership fees or taxes, which means that the opportunity to enjoy a seriously discounted timeshare stay in a Sell My Timeshare NOW timeshare rental are just amazing. You can take a timeshare vacation, for the number of days you prefer to rent, staying in a timeshare unit and vacation destination that fits your vacation wants and needs.

It’s not a dream. The great deals in timeshare rentals are very, very real and they are available every day at Sell My Timeshare NOW.