Hawaii Timeshares

Hawaii Timeshares

The chairman of the Maui County Commission, Riki Hokama, is being quoted as trying to put a cap on Maui timeshare growth. According to the Maui News, Hokama has introduced to the county council a draft resolution to limit the number of Maui timeshare units to 2,200.

So here’s the first problem: not only does Maui have 1,974 timeshare units already, but there are hundreds more in development or almost ready to open.

Hokama’s rationale for the resolution, which he introduced to the council without discussion, says that hotel vacationers spend more than twice as much money as Maui timeshare users.

His criticisms include the allegations that timeshare companies pay workers low wages and also that Maui needs hotel rooms in order to accommodate a growing market of convention groups, educators and local families.

Does this make sense to you?

Sunterra Resorts Ka'anapali Beach Club

Donalyn Dela Cruz, the executive director of the Hawaii chapter of the national timeshare trade group says they don’t understand why timeshares have been targeted. She points out that timeshare owners have an investment in their Hawaii timeshare and on average, stay longer in Maui than do hotel guests.

The Council Chair’s statement that hotel tourists spend more money than do timeshare guests is generally unclear and hard to follow. Does he mean that timeshare owners spend less per day on their actual accommodations than do hotel guests? If so, he’s probably correct in that regard, because timeshare owners have locked-in tomorrow’s vacations at today’s prices. But as Ms Dela Cruz so accurately points out, many Hawaii timeshare vacationers extend their stays and enjoy longer vacations than do visitors who stay in hotels. And this fact is borne out by the research prepared for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which shows that occupancy rates for timeshares averaged 80.9 percent in 2006, but only 63.4 percent for hotels during the same period.

Maui timeshare owners may in fact, spend less money dining in restaurants than do hotel guests, because the kitchens and dining areas found in most timeshares makes in-suite dining so convenient. But whether a traveler has $500 or $5000 set aside for vacation money, if he or she spends less on food, there is simply more money to spend on other vacation pleasures from surfboard rental to souvenirs to pina coladas.

If you have been to Hawaii, you know that the cost of living there is substantial. Employees won’t work for timeshare resorts if they can earn more money doing the same job in a hotel. Hawaii timeshares have no choice but to remain competitive with hotels for employee salaries and benefits. And with so many timeshares today either owned or managed by hotel companies, you know that they are not making it a practice to underpay employees within their vacation ownership divisions, while appropriately paying their hotel employees.

In fact, the Maui News article includes the following information from Ann Baran, whose company provides the management for Maui Schooner Resort in Kiheai. Baran told the Maui News that even though the resort has only 58 units, it still pumps almost $4 million into the economy annually through taxes and tourist dollars. More importantly, she pointed out that the timeshare employs 23 people and has a payroll of almost $800,000, which averages out to almost $35,000 annually, per employee in salary or salary plus benefits.

Sands of Kahana Vacation Club

ARDA released a report in February of this year showing that timeshares “returned back to local economies…an estimated $62 billion in spending; 565,300 jobs; over $21 billion in salaries and wages; and more than $8 billion in tax revenue.”

I have heard local lawmakers in other areas occasionally argue the same points that Hokama raises and I have to say, I never understand it and I always wonder what’s really behind it…

Timeshare resorts seem to make an easy target when politicians or concerned citizens want to speak out against development and what they perceive as too much growth, noise, and construction in their hometowns. Mr. Hokama is a second-generation public servant in Maui and perhaps his interest is genuinely in preserving Hawaii as he remembers it.

But timeshare developments are too often singled out as a culprit, when in fact, they are no more responsible for the changing looks and demographics of an area than are residential condos, hotels, motels, and any other businesses that cater to tourists.

When politicians want to slow development in areas they represent, they should say exactly that and prepare themselves for the outcry by those in their constituencies who depend on growth and development for their livelihoods. But play fair when you address measures to cap growth and don’t just pick on timeshare resorts!

Say Aloha to a Hawaii Timeshare Vacation

Say Aloha to a Hawaii Timeshare Vacation

I spent a week recently on the Timeshare Owners Blog posting about pet friendly timeshares, a timeshare version of dog-ownership, and a few other comments about man’s (and woman’s) best feline or fido friends, so I thought I was through writing about pets for a while.

But apparently recent news events about mistreatment and abuse of animals has made us all think about how much our pets mean to us.

Over on the Boomer Blog, Amanda Sobanet wrote an interesting post about how much baby boomers enjoy traveling with their pets and the “tender loving care” some resorts are showing to their pet guests. She notes especially the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Central Park and W Hotels, which offer aromatherapy for pets and special dog treats from the chef.

Hawaii timeshare resale vacations

According to Kitty Bean Yancey of the Hotel Hotsheet on USA Today, the Kahala Hotel on Oahu provides perhaps the most creative pet lover’s holiday perks. Pet guests at the Kahala are greeted with leis, provided a customized pet bed, personal dish, and peanut butter biscuits created by the hotel’s chef. But here’s where the resort really goes over the top: the Kahala offers cultural enrichment for your dog by teaching it basic commands in Hawaiian.

…Maybe that’s more perks than even the most devoted pet lovers expect.

Right now there are roughly 80 Hawaii timeshare resorts advertised as by-owner resales at Sell My Timeshare NOW. If you have always meant to take that Hawaiian vacation, (with or without your pet) here are a few of the excellent opportunities in Hawaii timeshare resale and Hawaii timeshare rentals:


Hawaii timeshare resale vacations

New US Travel Requirements

New US Travel Requirements

Take Note Before Your Next Timeshare Vacation:

Effective January 2007, the US Department of State and Homeland Security requires that citizens of the US, as well as persons arriving from Bermuda, Canada, and Mexico, must present a passport to enter the US when arriving by air. The only exceptions to this rule will be for persons who possess an Air NEXUS card, US Coast Guard Merchant Mariner document, or a US government form I-551, also known as an Alien Registration Card and are prepared to present that documentation instead of a passport.

While the proposal regarding travel between the US and countries in the western hemisphere originally called for a similar regulation regarding land and sea travel to be implemented in 2008, there remains some discussion of how and when this facet of the law will be put in place.

If you do not have a passport and anticipate that you will need to obtain one, do so as early as possible before your scheduled travel date. In 2006, the US Department of State issued 12.1 million passports to American citizens and they anticipate issuing approximately 16 million in 2007.

And if you do not have a current passport, but you are longing for a tropical vacation, here’s some suggestions should you wish to travel sooner than the 6-8 weeks the US Department of State recommends you allow to process your passport paperwork:

  • Plan to vacation stateside at a timeshare resort, hotel, or vacation condo in Hawaii, Miami Beach, or South Padre Island, Texas.
  • Pay rush fees (typically about $100 above the standard passport application fee) to a passport expediting company, some of which promise to get you a passport within three days of receiving your application, appropriate documentation, and of course, your money.
  • Or, plan to holiday in a US territory. Travel to Guam, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands (as well as American Samoa, Swains Island, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands) does not require you to have a US passport.

If you need further information about applying for a passport before your next business trip or timeshare vacation, visit www.travel.state.gov or call 877-487-2778.

A Second Hilton Timeshare on Hawaii’s Big Island

A Second Hilton Timeshare on Hawaii’s Big Island

Pre-sales have already started for the new Hilton Grand Vacations Club timeshare to be built at the Waikoloa Beach Resort. The timeshare vacation resort will become Hilton’s second timeshare property at this location and may be built in as many as seven stages. The 198 villas of stage one are expected to be complete in August of 2008 and will offer one, two and three-bedroom units.

Hilton Grand Vacations Club has identified a continued demand for upscale accommodations on Hawaii’s Big Island. In June of 2006, the Hilton timeshare company broke ground for the 331 unit Grand Waikikian on the island of Oahu. The Grand Waikikian is also expected to open in 2008.

With these two new timeshare resorts, Hilton Grand Vacation Club will have a total of seven timeshare properties in the state of Hawaii. This seems to me like seven great reasons to buy a Hilton timeshare resale from SellMyTimeshareNOW.com and start planning your next vacation.

Hilton Grand Vacation Club resorts are located in Orlando, Las Vegas, Miami Beach and multiple destinations in Hawaii. Hilton Grand Vacation Club affiliated resorts can be found in prime destinations throughout Florida, Colorado, California, Mexico, Scotland, Ireland and Portugal.