Hawaii Timeshare

In the face of rising hotel room rates in Hawaii, great deals in timeshare resales have never looked better and ironically, the vacation value of Hawaii timeshare resorts contributes to driving the cost of hotel rooms higher.

According to Joseph Toy, president and CEO of Hospitality Advisors, (as quoted by the Star Bulletin) part of the reason for the island’s gains in hotel room rates is the increase in timeshare and resort condominium conversions, which has decreased the number of traditional hotel rooms. “The traditional hotel product is less, so you therefore have hotel demand compressed into a smaller inventory base,” says Toy. “And timeshare does extremely well, so it forms a very strong base for the island.”

In December, Hawaii’s hotel room rates jumped 7.5 percent year-over-year, reaching an average of $224.70 per night, a new record high. Hotel room rates in Kauai increased by 5.1 percent; in Oahu by 7.4 percent; and on the Big Island by 9.8 percent, bring them to $249.97 per night. In other words, despite declining occupancy, as availability went down, Hawaii hotel rates rose. If Hawaii timeshare resales looked good before, they are now an excellent value when viewed from this perspective.

Here’s what to take away from this information:

• These statistics give evidence to the demand for Hawaii timeshare, which is good news if you plan to sell your Hawaii timeshare resale.
• They are also encouraging for people who own Hawaii timeshare or plan to buy Hawaii timeshare because they show that you are purchasing a product that is in demand and is valued by consumers.
• If you are planning a Hawaiian vacation, your most affordable and available accommodations are likely to be Hawaii timeshare resales and Hawaii timeshare rentals.

If you are interested in Hawaii timeshare resales and timeshare rentals, here are some good places to start looking, with many more available on the Sell My Timeshare NOW website:

• Alii Kai Resales
• Celebrity Resorts Waikiki Resales
• Gardens at West Maui Resales
• Imperial Hawaii Worldwide Vacations Club – Imperial Hawaii Resort Waikiki Resales
• Lea Casa Resales
• Maui Schooner Resales

Marriott Timeshares are usually credited with being the first hoteliers to get into the timeshare real estate business. In fact, some of the first hotel-branded properties were Sheraton timeshares. Sheraton timeshares have been in Hawaii since the 1960’s, and it is little surprise that today, as Starwood timeshare resorts, they continue to thrive in our fiftieth state.

In April, Starwood Vacation Ownership is opening their third vacation ownership (timeshare) resort in the Hawaiian Islands. The Timeshare Blog quoted Denise Wardlow, general manager of the new Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas as saying, “This property gives our travel partners more options to attract upscale clients who are repeat guests to the island of Kaua’i – guests who desire the convenience of a fully-furnished kitchen, washer and dryer, plus all of the luxurious amenities and services of a Westin resort.”

Located in Kaua’i, in the seaside community of Princeville, the new resort has classic Hawaiian plantation styling and includes seven buildings with a total of 179 timeshare condos, as well as a clubhouse, restaurant, and general store. Rack rates for a studio timeshare condo will start at $600 per night, $800 per night for a one-bedroom timeshare condo, and $1400 per night for a two bedroom timeshare condo.

The Westin Princeville Ocean Resort Villas will combine state of the art amenities with traditional island charm, but before you reach for your checkbook, make sure you look at other opportunities in Hawaii timeshare resales and Hawaii timeshare rentals.

Here are some of the excellent opportunities available to you to buy timeshare or rent timeshare through Sell My Timeshare NOW:

• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort – North Villas Resales
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort – North Villas Rentals
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Resales
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Rentals

Yesterday, the Timeshare Owners Blog told you about Disney’s expansion plans in Hawaii. The planned Oahu resort will occupy 21 acres of prime oceanfront property and will be Disney’s first hotel and timeshare resort that is not part of a theme park. While other sources list the property as yet unnamed, the Honolulu Star Bulletin calls it the: Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Ko Olina Family Resort.

COURTESY WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS

From a business perspective, there are several ways to view Disney’s move to expand in Hawaii going there without the benefit of thrill rides and mouse ears as a draw for tourists. Even Disney Vacation Club timeshares currently only offer two locations that are not at a theme park destination: Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort.

In some regards, Disney is a relative newcomer to the hotel and resort industry. The Disneyland Hotel in Anaheim, which opened in 1955, was the first Disney-branded hotel, but it was not owned and operated by the Walt Disney company until 1988.

Still, nearly 19 years in the hotel business, is long enough for you to learn some of the ups and downs. And long enough to establish that not everything Disney touches thrives, despite magic pixie dust to help it along.

In the 1990’s Disney planned a project in Newport Coast, California, which was subsequently cancelled, and the land later sold to Marriott, who built the very successful Marriott Newport Coast Villas on the site.

Disney also planned hotels for Beaver Creek, Colorado, and in New York’s Times Square, but neither ever came to fruition. There’s a reason that Disney has shied away from the hotel business in areas that don’t have theme parks and maybe it’s been a good one.

Without Magic Mountain and twirling teacups, a Disney hotel is, well, just another great hotel, and perhaps not even as great as some of their competition. The developers of the property at Ko Olina were also in negotiations with Four Seasons, Trump Entertainment, and Ritz-Carlton for the land Disney has acquired. Recognizing that the Hawaii hotel and resort market is not one of the easiest—after all it’s not a drive-to destination for anyone—you have to wonder if Disney beat out the competition, or if the other hoteliers were wisely more conservative.

As with most things, time will tell. But if you are a member of the Disney Vacation Club, then maybe you’re in luck, and in the near future, a Disney Hawaii timeshare vacation will be in your plans.

Until then, here are only a few of the other excellent options for your Hawaii timeshare vacation:

• Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club
• Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club
• Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club
• Marriott’s Ko Olina Beach Club
• Shell Vacations Club at Kona Coast Resort I Resales
• Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Rentals
• Whaler on Kaanapali Beach Rentals
• WorldMark at Kapaa Shore Rentals
• WorldMark at Kihei Resales
• Wyndham Hawaii at Kona Hawaiian Resort Resales
• Wyndham Hawaii at Royal Sea Cliff Resales

A Disney resort and Disney timeshare will be built in Oahu, Hawaii. The Disney company reportedly paid $144 million for land at Ko Olina Resort and Marina, located on the western side of the island.

COURTESY WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS

The new Disney timeshare and resort is expected to open in 2011, and will include over 800 units, some of which will be for the hotel, and others will be timeshare villas for the Disney Vacation Club. According to Commercial Property News, Disney has not identified how many of the units will be timeshare and how many will be part of the hotel.

Currently there are over 350,000 members of the Disney Vacation Club, with a sixth timeshare property preparing to open in Orlando later in 2007.

The Disney timeshare at Vero Beach, Florida and the Disney timeshare at Hilton Head, South Carolina are the only two existing timeshare properties that are not built at the Disney Orlando theme parks. But this is quickly changing, with the Disney Vacation Club villas planned for the Grand Californian Hotel & Spa in Anaheim, and now the planned Disney timeshares in Hawaii.

Once the Disney timeshare in Hawaii is complete, it will employ 1000 people on the island of Oahu. Commercial Property News quoted Walt Disney Parks & Resorts chairman, Jay Rasulo as saying “This resort hotel will give our guests another way to visit an exciting part of the world with a brand they trust…Hawaii has been among our most requested Disney Vacation Club getaway location beyond our theme parks.” An article in the Honolulu Star Bulletin said that Rasulo also identified beach vacations as the number one most popular trips for families, and Hawaii is the second most popular destination after Florida.

To find out more about becoming part of the Disney vacation club by purchasing affordable Disney timeshare resales, visit the following links:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort
• The Villas at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Villas
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort

And for a look at the flip side of Disney’s expansion to Hawaii timeshares, be sure to check the blog tomorrow. Perhaps some of the “Imagineers” have escaped from Disney’s design departments and found their way into Disney’s business development divisions.