Interval International

RCI and II offer excellent services, but timeshare owners should also consider timeshare exchange companies of all sizes as they select the exchange option that is best for them.

Most timeshare vacation property owners have at least heard of the two largest timeshare exchange companies, Interval International (II) and Resort Condominiums International (RCI). But many timeshare owners are surprised to learn that there are a number of other successful timeshare exchange companies and that for some timeshare owners, a small company is the best choice.

Dial An Exchange International (DAE) is a small timeshare company with offices in the US, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. In recent weeks, Dial An Exchange has announced new operations throughout Asia in conjunction with Highpoint Business Solutions and in South Africa. The goal of Dial An Exchange is to establish a network of representative offices thought Asia, starting with China, India timeshare, and Thailand timeshare and to better serve the growing South Africa timeshare market.

To find about more about Dial An Exchange, visit their website, http://www.daelive.com

To learn more about timeshare exchange companies in general, visit the Sell My Timeshare NOW website and read about “Timeshare Exchange Companies” and the benefits they offer timeshare owners.

Buyers and sellers of timeshare need to stay on top of the trends.

When you buy a timeshare or timeshare resale, you can base your decision-making solely on the location, amenities, options, and price that best suit your personal budget. But if you see resale or even exchanging in your future, then you also should consider factors that other people most frequently seek in a timeshare resort or vacation club.

Two-bedroom units are by far the most popular and of course, you need to consider the desirability of the week or timeshare interval you own. But a sometimes-overlooked factor that influences resale-ability is brand. As I have mentioned before, people are comfortable with names they already know and trust. If someone likes a certain hotel chain, they naturally assume they will like timeshare resorts developed under the same brand. And big-names give buyers a sense of assurance that the company they trust is going to be around for awhile.

Of course you know and recognize the major brand players in timesharing. Disney, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Four Seasons, Starwood, are only a few of the companies that inspire confidence among timeshare buyers. HOTELS magazine recently added to that list with some other timeshare names you may or may not know, but should watch for. Based on research from HOTELS magazine, here’s RCI’s list of “fast-track” timeshare companies:

• In the US and Mexico: Bluegreen Corporation, Burroughs & Chapin, and Mayan Resorts (Mexico)
• In Europe: Pestana Hotels & Resorts, Porto Bay Group, Sol Meliá, Hilton International, and Ramada
• In Asia: Mahindra Holidays & Resorts India, Royal Resorts (Australia)
• In Africa: Sun International

Interval International’s list includes:

• In the US and Mexico: Gold Key Resorts, Westgate Resorts, and Villa Group (Mexico)
• In Europe: DeVere Hotels & Resorts (UK), and Royal Savoy Resort (Portugal)
• In the Middle East: Caryatid Properties, developer for the Royal Club at The Palm, Beijing’s Xiang Luxiang, and Development Corp.’s private residence clubs

Other notables: Grecotel, Club La Costa, RMI, and HC (Europe).

To find resale timeshare from these developers and many others, visit www.sellmytimesharenow.com

Overlooking the Dubai Marina and the Arabian Gulf in the United Arab Emirates is the seventy-four story Dubai Torch Tower. When completed in 2008, the building will house between 200 and 500 apartment units, as well as numerous indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a health club, gymnasium, restaurants, aerobics room, shops and parking garages.

Dubai Select has recently announced that they will sell timeshare condo units in the prestigious Torch Tower. The units will be available for exchange through Interval International’s worldwide interval timeshare network and will be sold in two-week increments.

The entire Marina project is an amazing undertaking. It is billed as the world’s largest man-made marina and the world’s largest master planned waterfront development. The design objective has been to create a city within a city, with the marina area offering the best and most luxurious in a city already known for opulent luxury.

The first phase of the Dubai Marina in Al Marsa was completed in 2003 at a cost of roughly $200 million US dollars. Built to be a modern interpretation of Venice, this waterside community occupies valuable real estate on the Persian Gulf. Man-made lakes on both sides of the community connect the land with the sea. A 700-berth marina, already completed, accommodates ships and yachts of all sizes.

The Torch Tower is among the tallest skyscrapers which will be in the community, although a few of the buildings rise about it with roughly 100 stories.

Ever get the urge to travel to Dubai? Thanks to Interval International, you just might get your chance.

According to this recent article, industry analysts are bringing more and more attention to the Middle East’s timeshare industry. Political changes, plus the involvement of a major timeshare exchange company, may spell revitalization for the region’s resorts. Interval International, the second-largest timeshare exchange company in the world , has opened talks with legislators from several countries in the region. Their goal is to establish legislation that provides consumer protection as well as growth opportunities for legitimate timeshare businesses (and hopefully to make life difficult for dishonest timeshare businesses). II has opened a sales office in Dubai, and is making its presence known through seminars and conferences in the area.

Most Americans, when asked if they would like to buy timeshare in the Middle East, would react with incredulity. This region’s image has been tarnshed by years of conflict and certain countries -like Lebanon- are still cleaning up the deadly detritus of war. How could a place like this translate into an appealing vacation spot? Furthermore, how could this part of the world successfully support a timeshare industry of its own?

It may sound far-fetched, but the concept of timeshare in the Middle East is predicted to become more popular in coming years. Consider Lebanon in the early 1970s, before the Lebanese Civil War. Lebanon’s Mediterranean coast was once considered a chic travel destination by Europeans and residents of bordering countries. Recently, with radical political reform sweeping through Lebanon, the groundwork has been laid for rebuilding of infrastructure on a massive scale. Despite Lebanon’s challenges, some say the future looks bright for this country in transition.

Earlier this year, a non-profit group called Time4Sharing finished planting over 3,000 trees on a significant acreage of land designated as a children’s park. Time4Sharing, an organization composed of timeshare professionals all over the world who donate their time for worthy causes, accomplished this project for the comparatively small sum of $50,000 (about the same cost as a red week in Hawaii bought directly from a resort). This park was constructed in an area that, devastated by war and riddled with land mines, was formerly considered uninhabitable.

Dubai, long considered a playground for wealthy sheikhs and jet-set Europeans, is now receiving some attention from Americans and other adventurous types from all over the globe. Recognizing the potential of this area, Kerzner International is developing a huge resort on Dubai. Similar to Kerzner’s colossal Atlantis complex on Paradise Island in the Bahamas, Atlantis Dubai is scheduled to open in 2007 and will feature an aquarium, a water park, and countless other attractions. The cost of developing this resort is estimated at 1.1 billion dollars.

Anyone willing to make this kind of investment would have to be extremely confident about the long-term returns.

<