Combining results from sources like Google News and Yahoo! News, our new Timeshare News channel will provide instant access to the latest news stories from the world of timeshare.

One of the great things about our blog software is that it allows for the hosting of separate channels, in which we can create syndicated feeds from specific search results. By making subtle adjustments to the query criteria, we can offer a channel composed of the latest timeshare news found on the biggest online news sites.

The end result is our new “Timeshare News” channel. We’re still tweaking the query criteria, so bear in mind it could be several days before we get the kind of results we want. At this time, the feed is picking up a variety of old stories, some of which are seemingly random. This means we have to adjust our filter to allow for only the freshest, most relevant news stories in this channel. You can view our progress on this channel by clicking the “Timeshare News” link in the upper-right-hand corner of the Timeshare Owners’ Blog homepage.

Once these details are finalized, this channel has the potential to gather an impressive quantity of timeshare news onto one syndicated webpage. Ultimately, one will have a hard time finding a higher concentration of timeshare news stories anywhere else on the internet.

Stay tuned for more upcoming new features from the Timeshare Owners’ Blog!

According to a recent online article from the Virginia Gazette, the answer is “yes”.

A recent online article in the Virginia Gazette makes for a good read on a cool autumn night.

Joe Cantrell, vice president for finance at King’s Creek Plantation, answers a variety of questions posed by the Gazette. A decent amount of ARDA data is presented here, along with King’s Crest’s own findings. From what I’ve seen in the industry, I think that this depiction of Williamsburg timeshares could be highly analogous to the state of time-sharing properties anywhere.

Of particular interest is the discussion on the “point of saturation” – a hypothetical condition in which a particular area is over-developed to the point of outpacing the existing demand for timeshares. Though such a condition is not likely to occur anywhere anytime soon, it is somewhat refreshing to see frank discussion on this subject. Then again, it’s nice to absorb timeshare information that doesn’t rely overmuch on “warm sandy beaches” and “ice-cold mai tais”…

More hotel properties in Hawaii are being converted to timeshares and condominiums, according to a recent study.

On October 27, the Hawaii Tourism Authority released a study, “Analysis of Trends in Accommodations Supply, with Focus on Condominium and Timeshare Conversions“. This study describes how a number of existing hotel units are expected to undergo conversion to timeshares or condominiums within the next several years.

What does this mean? Here are my thoughts:

-For a while, timeshare industry professionals have been saying that Hawaii timeshares are growing in popularity. Now, these claims appear to have been substantiated.

-The study predicts more Hawaii timeshare developments to crop up in the months and years to come. Consequently, more Hawaii timeshares will be available for purchase on the resale market.

-This study is a clear indication that Hawaii’s government is not ignorant of the income-generating potential of timeshares. Vacation tourism is a huge portion of Hawaii’s economy, and timeshare owners make up a significant number of Hawaii’s visitors. Local authorities are no doubt pleased to see an increase in projected tax revenues. For more, visit my post “New Timeshare Taxes on Hawaii’s Big Island“.

-I think this survey could also indicate an overall change in vacation habits. Visitors to Hawaii might be looking to timeshare as a cost-effective alternative to paying top dollar for less-than-ideal hotel accommodations.

Cendant’s decision to split itself into four publicly traded companies has many folks wondering what Cendant will do next.

For what we can assume to be a wide variety of reasons, Cendant Corporation announced on October 24 that a plan has been approved which will ultimately separate Cendant into four separate publicly traded companies by next summer. Cendant itself describes the break-up as a strategy to increase shareholder value, while some cynically say that the giant conglomerate is insulating certain of its holdings from possible legal trouble. Regardless of the reasons why, Cendant has been very busy in the past few weeks, possibly accelerating the break-up and reorganizing its corporate structure.

As Cendant is one of the major forces in timeshare today, timeshare owners and prospective timeshare buyers would do well to keep up-to-date with these stories. Google News is a good resource, as one can track these stories by date, as they happen. Cendant’s original press release gives some details on the intent behind the de-merger as well as the possible future fate of these companies.

Don’t think this story affects you? Not only is Cendant heavily involved with timeshares around the world, this corporation also owns an impressive share of the global travel, lodging, and leisure industries. Cendant is a massive conglomerate which currently numbers a wide array of subsidiary companies among its holdings. Take a look at the Hoover’s fact sheet for Cendant Corp., and you’ll see what I mean.