Interval International

Today the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) released a media update that looks at why timeshare exchange programs are such a valuable benefit of timeshare ownership. Timeshare, responding to consumer demand, continues to expand its options and become more and more flexible. Without a doubt, timeshare exchange is one of the flexible features that makes current owners so happy and continues to attract a new market of vacationers to the timeshare and vacation ownership product. 

Timeshare Exchange Programs Growing in Popularity Among Vacationers

Owners Say Top Benefit of Timeshare Ownership is Vacation Flexibility

WASHINGTON – February 20, 2013 – Timeshare exchange programs are an important benefit for timeshare owners, giving them the ability to travel anywhere with the same level of quality and accommodation style as their home resort. According to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the flexibility of vacation products is among the top reasons owners say that timeshare is a better way to vacation—and exchange programs provide owners the opportunity to experience new vacations by giving them the ability to trade or exchange.

“While some timeshare owners enjoy the consistency of their home resort, others want the variety to explore different vacation destinations,” said Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of ARDA. According to ARDA International Foundation’s 2012 Shared Vacation Ownership Owners Report, 38 percent of traditional timeshare (week or points) owners either “banked” (saved the time for future use) or exchanged their timeshare in the past 12 months.

Exchange programs enable owners to trade their timeshare for comparable accommodations at other resorts worldwide. Most resorts are affiliated with an exchange company, and many resort companies also offer an internal exchange program within their resort group. The major exchange companies, Interval International and RCI, streamline the process—making it an easy online or telephone interaction.

Some owners use their exchange vacation to celebrate a special occasion and others use it to explore new destinations. Bill Mueller of Michigan met his wife Gina during exchanges over a four-week period at several Interval member resorts in South Florida. The Muellers went on to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary with an Interval exchange to Las Vegas, and hope to vacation together in Europe.

Two couples traded in their U.S.-based home resort stays for back-to-back Interval exchanges in Sydney, Australia and Wanaka, New Zealand. “It was a great trip with wonderful, lifelong friends,” said Roger Masten of Dublin, Ohio, who traveled with his wife Barbara.

RCI members often post their exchange stories on RCI’s blog. The stories range from a member who sent her parents to the Grand Canyon for the first time to celebrate their 50th anniversary, to a family that stayed at a RCI Gold Crown resort on the western side of Baha in Los Cabos, Mexico.

According to RCI, popular trading destinations include Orlando, Las Vegas, the Mayan Riviera in Mexico, Malaga, Spain, San Diego, Oahu, Puerto Vallarta, and New York City. RCI facilitates approximately 1.9 million vacation exchanges each year.

“There’s a perception in the market that timeshare is limiting, but this is completely false,” continues Nusbaum. “Through exchange, owners have the world at their fingertips.” He recommends that owners develop a list of ideal vacation destinations, be flexible with their travel dates, and understand their product type and exchange program in order to get the most from their trading power.

Search for your next vacation online by visiting IntervalWorld.com or RCI.com. More timeshare exchange tips can be found here.

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The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries.  Established in 1969, ARDA today has almost 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC). For more information, visit www.arda.org or ARDA’s consumer website at www.VacationBetter.org.

Other recent news about timeshare exchange programs from The Timeshare Authority:

RCI Timeshare Exchange Expands by 150 Beautiful Resorts

DAE Timeshare Exchange Expanding Opportunities for Gold Advantage Members

Caribbean timeshare resort, The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club, has recently been honored by Interval International timeshare exchange.  Timeshare exchange is one of many benefits that makes timeshare ownership appealing. For more than thirty years, Interval International has been making timeshare ownership more fun and more appealing, helping millions of vacationers improve their vacation experience. Whether it is a Caribbean timeshare resort or one of the 2800 other Interval International affiliated resorts worldwide, you’re sure to find a timeshare vacation exchange that offers the getaway holiday of your dreams.

The full release as distributed by Interval International appears below.

Interval International recognizes the Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club in St. John

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services, recently presented The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club, a vacation ownership property in St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, with the Interval International Premier Boutique Resort® award for 2013. The annual award recognizes resorts that provide outstanding vacation experiences with excellent accommodations in desirable locations.

“Grande Bay features a unique setting just steps from all of the attractions of downtown Cruz Bay and offers luxurious accommodations in one of the most exclusive Caribbean destinations,” said Neil Kolton, Interval’s director of resort sales and service for the Caribbean. “We’re delighted to recognize the property and its wonderful team with this well-deserved award.”

“Our success is a testament to the hard work of our management and staff who dedicate themselves to continually providing unforgettable vacations for our valued owners and guests,” said Paul Helson, general manager of The Grande Bay Resort & Residence Club, and a 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry.

Tucked into a hillside, the Mediterranean-style property offers panoramic views of neighboring St. Thomas to the west and the British Virgin Islands 15 miles to the east. The resort features one-, two-, and three-bedroom villas, ranging in size from 550 to1,680 square feet. Spacious interiors feature living areas surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies, elegant wood furnishings, fully equipped kitchens, and state-of-the-art electronics.

On-site amenities include a heated pool, hot tub, fitness center, wireless Internet access, and underground parking. Members and guests also can take advantage of pre-arrival grocery shopping, complimentary pick-up from the ferry terminal, twice-weekly housekeeping, and a full-time concierge that can arrange a variety of excursions.

About Interval International

Interval International operates membership programs for vacationers and provides value-added services to its developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market since 1976. Today, Interval has an exchange network of nearly 2,800 resorts in more than 75 nations. Through offices in 16 countries, Interval offers high-quality products and benefits to resort clients and about 2 million families who are enrolled in various membership programs. Interval is an operating business of Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: IILG), a leading global provider of membership and leisure services to the vacation industry.

Casey, in case you haven’t met him, is the smiling orange suitcase of Miami, Florida based, Interval International timeshare. For some time, he has smiled at us from the pages of the Interval International timeshare exchange website and print advertising, making the idea of packing your bag to travel seem easier and a lot more fun.

Now Casey is earning recognition from the American Pixel Academy, winning a Gold Award. Interval International timeshare shared the award with Mountain View Group, Ltd., a strategic creative communications agency, and the producer of the Casey animation.

Jan Wyatt, Interval’s vice president of corporate marketing, says, “We’re delighted to receive a Gold Pixie Award for the Club Interval video. Bringing Casey to life through the magic of animation is an engaging way to showcase the features and benefits of the program. The video is being widely utilized by our partners as part of the sales process, and is one example of the digital tools Interval offers to assist developers.”

“Giving Casey a personality and voice adds another dimension to an already popular campaign,” said Stephen Pruitt, principal of Mountain View Group. “It was a fun project and we look forward to creating more award-winning videos for Interval.”

Although Casey can’t actually help you pack your bags for your next timeshare vacation, he does make Interval International timeshare exchange easy to understand, opening the door to all the possibilities  available through Club Interval  with its timeshare exchange network of over 2,700 resorts in more than 75 countries.

This year’s Pixie Award was the fourth annual competition and drew more than 1,100 submissions from across the U.S. and Canada. Over three hundred Platinum and Gold Awards were presented. The American Pixel Academy is headed by multiple Emmy and Clio Award-winner, David E. Carter, and was founded by a coalition of professionals and educators to promote innovation in the field of pixel media.

This week, Interval International timeshare exchange announced the addition of Bali Grand Sunsets Resort & Spa to its global vacation exchange network of timeshare and vacation resorts. Situated in Lovina, on the north coast of Bali, this resort offers easy access to restaurants and dining as well as to secluded stretches of pristine beach.

Joe Hickman, executive director of Asia-Pacific for Interval International explains, “This property offers a wonderful alternative for anyone who prefers a more low-key experience when they visit Bali. The north coast is pristine, fringed with black-sand beaches and calm water — ideal for swimming, diving and snorkeling. The area is a prime place for dolphin-watching and the sunsets here are spectacular.”

Offering some 560 feet of private beach, the Bali Grand Sunsets Resort features air conditioned studios and suites, all with private beach view or garden view balconies. In a resort setting tucked between the quiet green of Bali’s rice paddies and the sparkling water of the Bali Sea this resort destination includes a full-service restaurant, bar, pool, and spa, and room service for its guests.

Viv Hayes, director at Bali Grand Sunsets Resort & Spa explains, “Bali Grand Sunsets Resort & Spa is where you will find the slow-paced traditional life of Bali along with exceptional scenery. As our affiliation begins with Interval International, we invite members to discover this peaceful place, which is so different from the hustle and bustle of the Kuta and Nusa Dua.”

Whether you plan a vacation at Bali Grand Sunsets Resort or choose Bali timeshare resales or rentals, the Indonesian island of Bali offers the serenity and spiritualism of the East paired with a vibrant Western-culture nightlife of clubs, restaurants, and entertainment. With “Vacation Bali” on so many people’s bucket lists, Bali Grand Sunsets Resorts and other options in Bali timeshare make this a dream vacation so affordable you can stop dreaming and start packing.