Interval International

This week, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) acknowledged the important efforts of many of its member timeshare resorts and timeshare industry brands that  make the world a little cleaner and greener. How the different timeshare resorts accomplish their goals for being environmentally friendly varies, but the willingness to step up and act responsibly does not.

Here’s a closer look at what some of the timeshare resorts and branded hospitality providers you know and love are doing.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations Orange Lake Resort

Orange Lake Resort, the flagship property of the Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare resorts, has recently launched a massive, resort-wide recycling program. This recycling effort takes in the full scope of the resort property’s 1,450-acres and 2,478 timeshare units.

The Orange Lake Resort timeshare project is based on a test project that Holiday Inn Club Vacations piloted in one area of the resort in 2011. The project is not complicated, which probably contributes greatly to its success.

Each timeshare villa is stocked with green bags where guests can place plastic, metal, paper, or glass to be recycled. Since it was implemented, the Orange Lake Resort has already saved 208 cubic yards of landfill space per quarter. Alongside this program, the resort has implemented other efforts which have saved 258,576 kW-hours of electricity; 357,000 gallons of water; and 1,224 gallons of gasoline per quarter.

Interval International Singapore

On Tanah Merah Beach, located on Singapore’s East Coast, Interval International’s Singapore staff recently participated in the 21st International Coastal Cleanup Day. Although the temperatures were extreme, the Interval International team hung in there, gathering more than 600 pounds of discarded items, resulting in a one-mile stretch of beach being cleared.

International Coastal Cleanup Day is an annual event conducted in over 70 countries. The effort is sponsored and coordinated by The Ocean Conservancy, a US-based non-profit organization.

Many More Timeshare Resorts are Involved

The magnificent work being done by Holiday Inn Cub Vacations Orange Lake Resort and by Interval International Singapore is a small but critical part of the contribution to environmental restoration and preservation in which timeshare resorts worldwide are participating.

Later this week, The Timeshare Authority blog will look at other environmentally responsible actions that are being facilitated at other popular timeshare resorts.

Interval International timeshare exchange and vacation services has launched a new campaign created to help its members enjoy great discounts in an even more convenient way. Using mobile coupons from Entertainment Promotions, Interval International members can now “save on the go.”

Interval members in the timeshare exchange program’s upgraded programs can now use their smart phones to browse and redeem Entertainment coupon offers. To take advantage of the mobile coupon discounts, Interval Gold® and Interval Platinum(SM) members need to first go to www.IntervalWorld.com and download the appropriate app for their device (currently available are iPhone, Blackberry, Android, and iPad compatible apps). Members can download the app through their preferred app store, or  have the option to view the app on their browser from any smart phone at http://m.entertainment.com.

Interval International members using the new app will want to filter offers based on their current GPS position or by manually entering a preferred location. Coupons included vary but include access to “up-to-50-percent-off” coupons, as well as buy-one-get-one-free Entertainment discounts, and may be used at Interval’s more than 60,000 participating restaurants, resorts,  hotels,  and retail outlets throughout the US and Canada.

Sharon Freed, Interval’s senior vice president of consumer marketing explains, “Our members have enjoyed access to a variety of savings through our long-term relationship with Entertainment Promotions. Access to mobile coupon redemption is an added convenience for those who are increasingly using Internet and mobile technology in every aspect of their lives.”

Jeanne Chapman, executive vice president of Entertainment Promotions Corporate Marketing Solutions, says, “With the addition of mobile coupons from Entertainment Promotions, Interval now makes it possible for its members to save anytime, anywhere and any way they want, especially when they travel.”

Interval International: Proof that the Future is Now

Representing a truly successful partnering, Interval International has been working with the Corporate Marketing Solutions division of Entertainment Promotions for nearly 20 years. Over that time, the ways in which these companies have served their clients have changed dramatically. Who could have imagined when holding one of Entertainment’s familiar coupon books only a few years ago, how far the potential for rewarding clients and consumers would come?

In a recent article for The Resort Trades, titled: New Commerce and the Timeshare Buyer, I talked about:

M-commerce (buying on a mobile device) and to a lesser degree, t-commerce (buying on a tablet device), gives consumers the capability to simultaneously interact with a business both in person and online. Buyers can use online coupons, tickets, and discounts directly from their phone at an event, service location, or storefront. The potential to deliver targeted coupons and invitations to consumers because the consumer’s mobile phone has communicated that he or she is in the neighborhood of your resort is not futuristic stuff; it is already a reality.

Interval is just one of several forward thinking industry leaders in timeshare and vacation ownership that is proving that the future is here for those companies that are ready to step up and be part of it now.

Watch this video from Breckenridge Grand Vacations, to learn more about timeshare exchange of your Breckrenridge Grand Vacations timeshare through Interval International.

The days when a family would buy a timeshare and then be limited to only vacationing at the same resort, year after year, are long since over.

Why Timeshare Owners Like to Return to a Favorite Timeshare Resort

Before we elaborate on the benefits of timeshare exchange, let’s clarify that some timeshare owners choose to return to a favorite resort. Often, these owners enjoy the opportunity to create traditions for their children; to see their children experience a familiar destination first as toddlers, then during their elementary school years, and later as teens or college students. For these families, the anticipation of sharing the family resort vacation with future generations is part of the fun.

Other timeshare owners simply like the predictability of finding a destination they truly enjoy and knowing that each vacation will be at least as good as the last. They know before they go that their chosen resort offers the features and amenities they prefer. These owners may own other timeshares they use for timeshare exchange at different times during the year, but they still have one resort they enjoy so much, they make sure they vacation there year after year.

Why Other Timeshare Owners Rave about Timeshare Exchange

As much as some vacationers enjoy savoring a favorite spot each year, others feel the need to wander, to use their vacation time to explore resorts and destinations that are new territory for them. For these travelers, timeshare exchange is an ideal option. Interval International is one of the leaders in timeshare exchange, ranking as the second largest timeshare exchange company in the world.

Miami, Florida based, Interval International offers vacation ownership exchange, as well as travel and leisure services, with offices in 15 different countries. Its membership, which includes some 2 million vacationing families, enjoy timeshare exchange within Interval International’s more than 2600 affiliate resorts, located in 75 countries around the world.

More facts about Interval International timeshare exchange:

• Interval International members can make timeshare resort exchanges and other travel arrangements online and in real time at IntervalWorld.com

• As a member of II, you can exchange your timeshare interval for another date, another location, or both.

• Interval International maintains dedicated Member-Services Centers around the world to offer personal assistance to its members.

• Membership programs at II include three tiers with varying benefits: Interval Gold; Interval Platinum; and Club Interval Gold.

Always expanding and updating its services to its owners, this past week Interval International announced a new partnership with DG Film, LLC, a full-service production firm that specializes in creating customized resort and location videos.

Jan Wyatt, Interval’s vice president of corporate marketing, explains, “Consumers are increasingly using Internet search in vacation planning, and expect to see video as part of the information that is available online. Creative, professionally produced high-definition video is a desirable way for developers to feature their resorts, and help travelers to visualize their next dream vacations.” (Read the full media release here:  INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL AND DG FILM FORM ALLIANCE: Offers developer clients creative video production services)

Private vacation club, Club Intrawest (part of the Intrawest Resort Club Group), is partnering with Interval International through a long-term master affiliation agreement.

The contract covers all eight Club Intrawest resorts in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, and all future properties that the company develops or acquires during the term of the agreement. It also provides for Interval International to provide timeshare points based exchange, along with other services and benefits for Club Intrawest Members.

Trevor Bruno, president of Intrawest Resort Club Group, explains, “Interval offers exceptional quality, which is in line with our brand, and will give our 22,000 Members access to a more high-end exchange experience. We also chose to partner with Interval because it has points-exchange expertise and the technology to seamlessly integrate with our existing club offering.”

Vancouver-based Club Intrawest is a vacation club in which members share ownership of vacation homes across Canada, the US, and Mexico and have access to hand-picked hotels, resorts, and lodging properties through ExtraOrdinary Escapes, Intrawest’s private exchange program.

Craig M. Nash, chairman, president, and CEO of Interval Leisure Group says, “We are delighted to enter into this new relationship with Club Intrawest. Their resorts are an outstanding complement to our network, and they share our commitment to meeting, and exceeding, members’ expectations.”

Interval International is a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market since 1976, providing timeshare exchange and other travel and vacation benefits. The Interval International network includes over 2700 resorts in 75 countries around the world.