With changes in ownership, will Las Vegas’ historic cornerstone, Harrah’s Entertainment, hold its course or will it give in to new trends in hotel and resort development?

The recent trend in Las Vegas has been toward luxurious, uber-elegant hotels and resorts. The Wynn Resort and the Bellagio Las Vegas, along with other properties like the Planet Hollywood Towers currently under construction by Westgate Timeshare, give evidence to the fact that developers believe visitors are willing to pay more for a high-end vacation experience. With boutique properties gaining ground all the time as the latest trend in hotel accommodations, much of the industry seems to be betting their money on the idea that “more is more” when it comes to distinction, elegance, and a unique hotel or timeshare resort property.

Which leaves the legendary Harrah’s — the world’s largest gaming company — trying to decide whether to follow the pack or continue doing what it has done so well over the years. Harrah’s carved out its place in the resort and gaming market by catering to the needs of a middle income client who came to Vegas (or other destinations like Reno, Atlantic City, and Biloxi) to gamble, not to shop and not to spend time in his or her hotel room.

Harrah’s hotels along the Las Vegas strip include Harrah’s, the Rio, the Imperial Palace and the Flamingo. All are very nice but none are true ultra luxury properties. Instead, they afford Las Vegas visitors a pleasant place to sleep and shower before returning to the buffet lines, the shows, and most importantly, the gaming tables, which for many visitors are the sole reason they came to Las Vegas. None of the Harrah’s properties are timeshare resorts, nor are any of them particularly geared to the family vacation.

But Harrah’s is now facing new ownership. The private equity firms of Apollo Management and Texas Pacific Group are about to become equity partners in Harrah’s Entertainment. And while word on the street is that the investors will leave current management in place and let them continue to call the shots, who really knows what will happen in the months and years to come?

Harrah’s board of directors initially approved a buyout offer by the two investment companies in April 2007, and late last month Nevada regulators gave their approval. Some sources have claimed that the purchase of Harrah’s Entertainment is one of the largest leveraged buyouts in history. Apollo and Texas Pacific currently manage the investment monies, (around $70 billion) of endowments, charities, and pension funds.

The history of Harrah’s Entertainment goes back to an inauspicious origin as a bingo parlor in Reno in 1937. Currently Harrah’s has some $4 billion slated for new projects, but not all of it will go to the company’s Las Vegas properties. Many brands in many locations are part of Harrah’s Entertainment including some of the Bally Casinos, Caesars, Grand Casinos, Horseshoe, Paris Las Vegas, Showboat, and the World Series of Poker.

It will be interesting to observe the changes made by Harrah’s in the days and weeks to come. With the soft economy overall, will people who travel to Las Vegas be looking for better deals in hotel and timeshare accommodations? Or will the middle-income buyer curtail his trips to Vegas, leaving the demand primarily among the high rollers who are willing to pay the higher prices for plush accommodations? And how will all of this affect timeshares resorts in destinations with Harrah’s owned and managed properties – which are not limited to Las Vegas, Reno, and Atlantic City? Harrah’s Entertainment has resorts and or casinos in: Indiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Iowa, Arizona, California, Illinois, Louisiana, Missouri, Ontario, and Pennsylvania.

In the end, only time will tell. But current Las Vegas timeshare owners, looking to sell Las Vegas timeshare or use it as a timeshare rental, have plenty of reasons to remain optimistic about the Las Vegas timeshare resales market. Likewise, those of you who are ready to buy timeshare in Las Vegas should expect to find excellent deals on timeshare resales in the inventory of Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Here’s an amazing Royal Flush at World Series of Poker 2007, courtesy of YouTube:

Plan on a Disney Vacation Club Timeshare holiday. Take the kids and see Cinderella, Mickey, and all the other lovable characters at Walt Disney World. But don’t plan on taking your children with you if you have reservations to dine at Victoria & Alberts at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Victoria & Alberts is the only Orlando Disney restaurant with a 5-diamond rating, and offers unquestionably some of, if not the best dining at Disney World. But this crystal and linen dining room serves 7-course meals that can last as long as three hours. Prices start at $125 per person and there has never been a children’s menu available at Victoria & Alberts. Obviously, the restaurant was never intended to attract family dining.

After Disney made the announcement, The Orlando Sentinel quoted Rosemary Rose, Disney World’s vp of food, beverage and merchandise operations, as saying that no more than two or three families a month brought young children to Victoria & Albert’s. Which now makes you ask, “So what was the problem?”

I wonder if Norman Van Aken, owner of Norman’s at the Ritz Carlton in Orlando, doesn’t have the right idea when he suggests that banning children from the restaurant is a clever marketing strategy that causes people to now view Victoria & Albert’s as extremely special. Disney’s announcement has certainly garnered plenty of press coverage as people examine their thoughts on the, “happiest place on earth,” no longer permitting children under the age of 10 in their best dining room.

But go ahead and plan your stay at your Disney Vacation Club timeshare. Whatever the reason for the new policy, the decision shouldn’t cause a problem for more than, “two or three families a month”.

Owning a Disney Vacation Club Timeshare is easy and affordable when you shop timeshare resales and timeshare rentals available through Sell My Timeshare NOW. To learn more about Disney Orlando timeshare visit the links below:

• Disney’s Villas at Wilderness Lodge Resales
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Resales
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort Resales
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas Resales
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas Resales

And for a retro view of the Happiest Place on Earth, watch this YouTube video of a 1971 television commercial for the (then) very new, Walt Disney World Magic Kingdom.

The Orlando Sentinel blog on “Tourism Central Florida,” has posted some interesting observations in recent weeks about Wyndham timeshares. Let’s start back in October, when they summarized Wyndham timeshare‘s quarterly report and noted that Wyndham’s Orlando timeshare division reported a year over year revenue growth rate that was the strongest of all the hospitality company’s operations during the third quarter, 2007. Wyndham Vacation Ownership reported a 22 percent increase in total revenue and a 15 percent rise in ownership sales. I feel certain the facts and figures behind this report were part of what lead Wyndham Worldwide Corp, CEO Steve Homes to say, “…time-share sales can hold up despite a sputtering economy.”

The Sentinel blog went on to quote Goldman Sachs analyst, Steven Kent, “…who echoed the optimistic assessment himself, adding, ‘We note that the typical purchaser of timeshare product is 58-years-old with a decent-sized nest egg, significantly more interested in leisure travel and less exposed economically.'” I also found it interesting to note that Wyndham timeshare CEO Holmes thought the sluggish economy probably could hurt hotel room rentals, which in itself usually bodes well for timeshare rentals.

What New Timeshare Sales Mean to Timeshare Resales

Whether you want to sell Wyndham timeshare or you are interested in buying Wyndham timeshare, this upbeat report is good news all the way around. As long as Wyndham is selling new timeshare condos and timeshare weeks, the company will continue to grow their business, building new properties and upgrading older timeshare resorts. People who buy timeshare, whether it is new Wyndham timeshare or a Wyndham timeshare resale, benefit from the focus the company places on service, quality and amenities.

But just as importantly, people who are trying to sell timeshare that carries the Wyndham name, will find that Wyndham’s growth and marketing of new timeshares only adds to the overall interest in becoming an owner of Wyndham timeshare, whether that timeshare condo is bought new or as a timeshare resale.

There is so much media attention on the shaky economy, and I too, have done plenty of blogging about how the changing economy is affecting timeshare real estate, but it’s important that none of us fall victim to a overly negative and incorrect attitude.

The timeshare resale and timeshare rental specialist at Sell My Timeshare NOW are ready to help you with all your needs when you sell, rent, or buy timeshare.

You may also be interested in this previous Timeshare Owners blog post from last August on Wyndham timeshare, titled: Economic Performance Looks Solid in Timeshare Industry.

Marriott Vacation Club is expanding their Florida timeshare properties with a new Singer Island resort, the Oceana Palms, located in the Riviera Beach – Palm Beach Shores area.

In the company’s official press release Stephen P. Weisz, president of Marriott Vacation Club International, said, “Marriott Vacation Club has enjoyed being a member of the Palm Beach Shores community for the past ten years through our Marriott’s Ocean Pointe resort.” The company believes the new Oceana Palms timeshare resort will offer more choices and more availability at this high-demand location.

When complete, the timeshare resort will include 169 timeshare condos in two 19-story towers, which will combine the relaxation of a beachside vacation with the upscale lifestyle of Palm Beach, Florida. The timeshare condo décor will blend contemporary furnishings with tropical colors to create a relaxing atmosphere. Each of the timeshare condos will include a fully equipped gourmet kitchen, washer and dryer, multiple flat-panel televisions with DVD players, and spacious living accommodations.

If you are not familiar with Singer Island and Riviera Beach, this is the heart of Florida’s Gold Coast. The locale is distinctive with sun-soaked white beaches adjacent to restaurants, galleries, and boutiques that range from elegant to charming, but all in keeping with the “old money” ambience of Palm Beach.

Expected to be available in 2010, the timeshare condos are currently being pre-sold, at a starting price of $25,900 per timeshare week. What’s most important here, is for you to understand that you can also enjoy Marriott timeshare in the Palm Beach Shores community at a much lower price.

Timeshare Resales Offer Incredible Options

Sell My Timeshare NOW currently has an excellent inventory of Marriott timeshare resales and Marriott timeshare rentals available at Ocean Pointe, as well as other desirable vacation destinations. When you buy timeshare resales or vacation in timeshare rentals, you enjoy luxurious timeshare resorts, like the Marriott Vacation Club International properties, but you spend a fraction of what you pay when you buy timeshare from the developer.

In the end, whether you buy timeshare new or buy timeshare resales, you wind up sitting on the same beach and enjoying the same amenities, except that the timeshare owners who bought their vacation ownership property as a timeshare resale, have a whole lot more money still in their pocket than the people who didn’t.

In addition to the great deals on timeshare resales at Ocean Pointe, here are other Florida timeshare destinations where you can enjoy both the luxury and the value of timeshare resales:

• Marriott’s BeachPlace Towers in Fort Lauderdale
• Marriott’s Villas at Doral in Miami
• Horizons at Orlando by Marriott in Orlando
• Marriott’s Cypress Harbor in Orlando
• Marriott’s Grande Vista in Orlando
• Marriott’s Imperial Palm Villas in Orlando
• Marriott’s Royal Palms in Orlando
• Marriott’s Sabal Palms in Orlando
• Marriott’s Ocean Pointe in Palm Beach Shores
• Marriott’s Legends Edge at Bay Point in Panama City Beach