Condo Resales

Earlier this week, The Timeshare Authority blog shared with you that Holiday Inn Club Vacations is adding a seventh timeshare resort to its network of outstanding properties (Holiday Inn Club Vacations Expands with Marco Island, Florida Timeshare).

The new addition, Sunset Cove, a 36-unit, Marco Island, Florida timeshare, is already a great resort but will become even more special as Holiday Inn Club Vacations rolls out its planned renovations.

The timeshare units at Sunset Cove will undergo a total of $1.7 million in upgrades. Planned changes call for property and exterior renovations already intended by the resort’s condo association, along with improvements to the interiors of the timeshare units. Holiday Inn Club Vacations member/owners and guests will enjoy ceramic tile flooring in the living and dining areas (perfect for life at the beach); detailed wood ceiling mouldings; stainless steel appliances; granite countertops  and glass tile backsplashes in kitchens and baths and other luxurious finishes and appointments.

Planned in-room amenities will include flat-screen televisions in the bedrooms and in the kitchen area; bedding and bath appointments from the Signature Collection brand; and even a Signature Collection-monogrammed bathrobe. The pool deck area will also be refurbished using upgraded patio chairs and poolside furnishings that coordinate with the Signature Collection color palette.

Marco Island Timeshares and Holiday Inn Club Vacations

Marco Island timeshares are already some of the most distinctive beach destination resorts. Sunset Cove Resort will now make it easier than ever for Holiday Inn Club Vacations members to enjoy this popular Florida Gulf Coast destination.

Vacation rentals in a private home or condo are a great idea … except for all the ways they are not a good idea at all.

And nothing illustrates this more clearly than a recent issue that is brewing on Florida’s Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach.

Located just south of St. Petersburg,  Anna Maria Island and Holmes Beach are the quintessential Florida beach communities. Charming, beachy, with quaint restaurants and shops, these two island villages are true residential communities.

People live here year-round; lucky people, because the views of the Gulf of Mexico to the west and to the east, Tampa Bay beneath the Sunshine Skyway Bridge, are spectacular. Some of the residents are retirees, but many are working families that commute across the Manatee or the Cortez bridges to jobs in nearby Bradenton or other cities in the area.

Residents love their island lifestyle, the fishing piers, their low-rise buildings and unobstructed views. Although they value tourists and appreciate the revenue of a limited number of vacation rentals… they want to keep that number limited.

This is so much the case that last week’s Popcorn & Politics meeting held outside the  offices of the local newspaper, The Islander, focused much of its attention on the topic of vacation rentals and what it described as, “the accompanying problems for residents.”

These Florida coastal residents see vacation rentals as a quality of life issue.

Why Timeshares Instead of Vacation Home Rentals

Typically, timeshares, like hotels, are built in areas zoned specifically for multi-use, vacation housing. When you rent or buy a timeshare, you are taking vacation ownership in a locale that is designed to accommodate and host vacationers.

Timeshare rentals and resales make an important contribution to local economies and are generally highly welcomed in areas where they are built. Timeshares also afford you peace of mind in many ways that renting a private home does not.

You know when you vacation in a timeshare resale or timeshare rental that the resort maintenance staff will be available to serve you should your timeshare unit or condo have plumbing problems, a faulty air conditioner, or any other problem that can crop up in the real world. But when you rent a private home for vacation, how do you know that these problems will be easily and quickly resolved?

When you rent a private vacation home you really don’t know about the maintenance, the security, the service or any of the other details that can be critical difference makers in your vacation experience. And while timeshares are built to be your vacation home away from home, they still afford you the privacy of not vacationing in a stranger’s house.

Renting a private vacation home can work out great. But it can also come with a lot of challenges. Do you want to vacation in a community that may see you as one tourist too many? Do you want to deal with an absentee-owner who may or may not respond quickly to your needs? And do you really want to share a stranger’s sock drawer?

… Or do you want to enjoy a timeshare vacation where the details are taken care of for you and the deals are irresistible?

Through a multi-year contract extension, Interval International, a worldwide leader in timeshare exchange and vacation services, has expanded and extended its relationship with King’s Creek Plantation LLC. The agreement covers all three phases of King’s Creek Plantation in Williamsburg, Virginia, and any resort properties developed during the duration of the agreement.

Interval International timeshare exchange will also be assisting in the design and launch of the new King’s Creek points-based vacation club, to be known as Club Explore.

David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for Interval International, says, “We are very pleased to take our relationship with the King’s Creek team to the next level and collaborate with them as they enhance their already successful business. Long known for delivering unique vacation experiences, King’s Creek now also offers its owners the ultimate in flexibility with the addition of its points-based club.”

King’s Creek Plantation is an 98-acre timeshare resort that includes The Cottages, The Townes, and The Estates. Designed to emulate the desirable features of a great residential community, King’s Creek Plantation includes cottage timeshare units, condos and estate homes, all with charming front porches and roomy decks. On-property amenities include a fitness center, tennis and basketball courts, a jogging trail, indoor and outdoor hot tubs, a pool and a conveniently located general store. A tram keeps it easy for timeshare owners and guests to move around the timeshare resort.

Check The Timeshare Authority blog this week for more about this popular Williamsburg timeshare resort and the benefits of Club Explore. And follow these links for great deals on King’s Creek Plantation timeshare resales and timeshare rentals:

King’s Creek Plantation cottages and townhomes

King’s Creek Plantation Estates

Earlier this month, the timeshare industry lost a great man and a part of its history.

Robert “Bob” Burns, Chairman and CEO of Vacation Internationale, died peacefully at his home in Sun Valley, Idaho on September 3, 2011, at the age of 87. He is missed by his wife of 33 years; his 7 children; his 24 grandchildren; and all who knew him or had the pleasure of working with him.

A passionate outdoorsman and skier, Burns was still skiing Mt. Baldy into his eighties.

A Pioneer in Timeshare and Vacation Ownership

In the early 1905s, Burns, along with five other families, jointly purchased and maintained a ski cabin condo in Washington. The property slept 25. Together the families restored the condo and enjoyed shared ownership, which they described as creating deep friendships and special memories.

Drawing on this experience, Burns, with business partner, Bob Ringenburg, developed the first non-hotel timeshare project in the US, selling beachfront leasehold condos at the Kaua’i Kailani on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

In 1974, Burns and Riggenburg founded Vacation Internationale in Seattle, Washington, a company credited with founding the original timeshare points system. Vacation Internationale expanded from Burn’s first condo venture to include the acquisition of a 72-unit motel which it converted to a 40-year right to use timeshare. Later the company added properties on four of the Hawaiian islands.

Bob Burns was the inspiration and initial backer of Les Saisons Resort, Sun Valley’s first fractional ownership project. His son Michael is the founder of Private Residence Resorts of Sun Valley.

Source: Resort Trades; Inside the Gate and others.