Bluegreen Vacations, (Bluegreen timeshare) has partnered with the American Red Cross in a fundraising effort for Hurricane Sandy storm relief. The Boca Raton, Florida based vacation club has donated $5000 to the American Red Cross and is matching associate contributions dollar-for-dollar up to $5000 from now until November 30, 2012.

President and CEO of Bluegreen Vacations, John Maloney, announced the plan earlier this week saying, “Many Bluegreen associates in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast took great precautions before the storm to protect our resort owners and guests, even as they took steps to safeguard themselves and their loved ones.” Maloney adds, “They showed great care and compassion. Now it’s our opportunity—and responsibility—to show compassion.”

Bluegreen Vacations Resorts Weather the Storm

Hurricane Sandy directly affected only a limited number of Bluegreen timeshares, some of which are resorts owned by Bluegreen Vacations and other which are affiliated with Bluegreen Vacations. These include:

• Atlantic Palace in Atlantic City, New Jersey
• Patrick Henry Square in Williamsburg, Virginia
• Shenandoah Crossing in Gordonsville, Virginia
• The Soundings in Dennis Port, Massachusetts
• The Breakers in Dennis Port, Massachusetts
• The Manhattan Club in New York City

The American Red Cross

So far, the American Red Cross has provided more than 23,000 overnight shelter says since October 26, two days before Hurricane Sandy made landfall. With over 60 million people directly impacted by this storm, an area the Red Cross describes as being about the size of Europe, the real damage to lives, businesses, and the economy is hard to estimate. Long after the rest of the country has stopped talking about the situation, people win the storm damaged areas will still be struggling to put their lives back in place.

If you can help, even small donations matter. The American National Red Cross is registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Contributions to the American National Red Cross are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. The Red Cross’ tax identification number is 53-0196605. For more information, visit http://www.redcross.org.

Throughout this past week, The Timeshare Authority blog has tried to compile as much information as possible about the status of timeshare resorts and hotels impacted by Hurricane Sandy. For the most comprehensive overview, you may wish to check these posts published this week:

• Hurricane Sandy Hotel, Travel, and Timeshare Updates
• Updates on Hotel and Timeshare Resorts Closed by Hurricane Sandy
• Hurricane Sandy Update for Marriott Hotels and Marriott Timeshares
• Caribbean Timeshare and Hotel Guests Feel Impact of Sandy

Today’s blog post addresses only resorts not previously covered or resorts where there has been a change of status.

Ocean Villas Nags Head, North Carolina reports that it sustained only minor damage (giving credit to precautions taken by its Board). Units 1 and 8 had some water problems and the owners were relocated to Units 2 and 3. Otherwise, the resort lost a few shingles, gained a lot of sand (that it has been busily relocating) and expected to be in good shape as of this weekend.

Oceans Villas II was closed but was scheduled to reopen yesterday.

The Golden Strand in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina has posted updates on its website at (www.goldenstrandobx.com/). They note that while their levee was breached, it will not be necessary to close any of their units. They have even posted great photos on their website so you can see how much sand was moved around during the storm.

To the best of our knowledge, at the time this blog was written, the following resorts remain closed:

• Bluegreen’s Atlantic Palace in Atlantic City,NJ;
• Legacy Vacation Club Brigantine Beach, NJ;

West 57th Street by Hilton Club is still closed because of the safety hazard presented by a damaged crane in close proximity to the property. Work to remove the crane is scheduled to begin today, Sunday, November 4, 2012.

If you have any news or updates about the status of these or other timeshare resorts, we encourage you to leave comments on our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/SellMyTimeshareNOW

The following information is based on the most current updates available at the time this blog was published. Travelers, vacationers, and timeshare owners and timeshare resorts guests are always advised to check directly with their timeshare resorts or hotels for further updates.   

• At the Four Seasons New York, all 368 rooms were sold out for Tuesday, with rooms for Wednesday night still available starting at $995/night.
• The Westin Times Square is sold out, occupied by stranded out-of-towners and local families whose homes are flooded, without electricity or both.
•  As noted in Tuesday’s The Timeshare Authority blog (Hurricane Sandy Update for Marriott Hotels and Marriott Timeshares), some of the New York City hotels that are closed include: the Ritz-Carlton Battery Park and New York Marriott Downtown. Additionally, the Courtyard by Marriott in Lower Manhattan is closed due to lack of electricity.
• Marriott Vacation Club timeshare owners and guests can receive resort updates by calling:1-800-845-4226.
• Two hotels that belong to Starwood Hotels & Resorts’ system remain closed. These are W New York Downtown in Lower Manhattan that flooded but was fully evacuated at the time and Le Parker Meridien, which was forced to evacuate guests after a construction crane on a neighboring skyscraper partially collapsed, posing a threat to pedestrians below.
• Hilton New York (1335 Avenue of the Americas) is open for business. Restaurants currently open near the hotel include: Carnegie Delicatessen & Restaurant, Old Castle Pub and Restaurant, Benash, Astro Diner, Premiere Deli, Olivieros Cafe, Rosy O Grady’s and Bistro Milano.
• Hilton Grand Vacations is advising its upcoming West 57th Street by Hilton Club guests: “If you have a question about your reservation in light of current conditions, please call 1-800-932-4482 or 1-407-722-3141 for Owners and all others call central reservations at 1-972-770-6100 or 1-800-445-8667.”
• Bluegreen Timeshare reported this on Tuesday evening: Hurricane Sandy Update, and all is well at our resorts. Power is still on at The Breakers, The Soundings, Suites at Hershey, Atlantic Palace, Patrick Henry Square, and Shenandoah Crossing. Manhattan Club is functioning fine but have been without power since 5pm yesterday. Guests and Owners stayed in every resort except Atlantic Palace, which was evacuated yesterday.
• Festiva’s Coconut Malorie resort in Ocean City, Maryland reopened on Tuesday at 12 noon. There was no major damage, just a few leaks to repair.

Bluegreen Timeshare Club 36 Was Host to Winner of Bluegreen Getaways Elvis 35th Anniversary Sweepstakes

Doesn’t it seem as if there is always something fun going on through Bluegreen Getaways and Bluegreen timeshare? Here is the most media recent release through Bluegreen timeshare on how very much the winner of the Bluegreen Getaways Elvis 35th Anniversary Sweepstakes enjoyed his Las Vegas timeshare vacation at Bluegreen Club 36 Resort. 

The sweepstakes was created specifically for Elvis Presley Enterprises to give fans a chance to win a great experience from Bluegreen Getaways,” said Marco Merida, Vice President of Marketing Alliances for Bluegreen.

Bluegreen Getaways Partnered with Elvis.com to give away a vacation fit for a king. The winner just returned from his family trip to Las Vegas. Bluegreen Club 36 was the host resort for winner of Elvis.com and Bluegreen Getaways contest.

Bluegreen Getaways today announced the winner of the Bluegreen Getaways Elvis 35th Anniversary Sweepstakes sponsored by Elvis.com, just got back from his trip to Las Vegas. Pete S. of Beaumont, CA, won a trip to Las Vegas October 19-26, 2012. His prize package included a 7-night stay at Bluegreen Club 36 Resort in a Presidential Suite- 2,500 square feet of elegance, including three lavish bedrooms, a kitchen and an entertaining media room. Pete also received $2,500 in cash.