Rent Timeshare

Yesterday, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) announced findings from the State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study 2012 Edition conducted by Ernst & Young.

Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association describes the state of the vacation ownership industry. Nusbaum says, “Our 8 million owners continue to value the proposition of vacationing better with timeshare as the products offer flexibility and rejuvenating amenities for the whole family.”

Timeshare sales, the report reveals, were up slightly in 2011 over the previous year. Just as importantly, nearly 80 percent of  owners travel to their resort. This is an especially significant finding in view of the fact that hotel occupancy lags behind at only 60 percent in 2011. These findings are from a Smith Travel Research December 2011 report.

Vacation Ownership and Resort Rentals

The distinctive niche of rentals continue to be significant, with twelve percent of the resort occupancy rate being comprised of renters, and eighty-six percent of the resorts offering some form of rental program. In 2011, renters accounted for 10.4 million nights of total occupancy.

Other facts of interest about the timeshare industry include:

• Fifty-eight percent of sales in 2011 were from new owners, which indicates that over forty percent of sales were from repeat buyers.

• Seventy-two percent of resorts have at least half of their sales from new owners, showing a healthy influx into vacation ownership.

• Roughly seventy-two percent of the survey respondents own multiple weeks.

• Sixty-seven percent of vacation owners participate in a points based ownership structure.

When it comes to vacation rentals, you just cannot beat timeshares. You may have considered renting a private home, condo, or beach house directly from the owner, but as anyone who has ever been a victim of a home rental scam will tell you, there are considerable risks involved.

When you rent a private home, even if you use some of widely known names in home exchange and home rentals, you are gambling that the vacation accommodations you rent will match the photos the property owner provides you. And how do you know that the neighborhood in which you are renting is secure, or that simple services will be addressed should you need maintenance or repairs while you are vacationing there? With a private home rental, if the plumbing backs up or the air conditioner shuts down, you never know for sure that someone will arrive promptly to make repairs.

On the other hand, when you rent timeshare, you have none of these risks. Timeshare rentals are available at popular destinations, where the resort staff provides security, maintenance, and other services. If the plumbing in your timeshare rental springs a leak, chances are, there is another timeshare unit available there for you.

On our website VacationOwnership.com, we describe renting timeshare as, “a win-win opportunity in which both the timeshare owner and the vacationer who rents the unit benefit from the transaction.”

Visit the site to read answers to many of the Frequently Asked Questions about renting timeshare. And here are two of the most asked questions:

Why do timeshare owners rent timeshare at such deeply discounted prices?

No one ever plans to buy a timeshare and then fail to use it, but it happens. People’s schedules change, they relocate, become ill, or simply have too much on their plate to allow them to plan  their timeshare vacation. Yet whether or not they use their timeshare themselves, they still owe their annual maintenance fees and they may even be making monthly payments on their timeshare. To this owner, renting the timeshare for any amount, helps offset annual fees or other costs related to owning timeshare. Many timeshare owners will price drop their timeshare rental aggressively, to ensure that it gets rented.

Do I have to rent the whole timeshare interval? What if I want to stay only four nights, or even only two? Can I still rent timeshare?

While timeshare owners own their timeshare in intervals measured by weeks or by points, many owners are willing to rent timeshares incrementally. Again, their rationale is that any amount of money they make using their timeshare as a rental, is money they would not otherwise be receiving.

Follow this link for answers to other questions about renting timeshare.

Wyndham Hotel Group released the findings of a study they did this year surveying over 5600 adults across the US, China, Brazil, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Wyndham Hotel Group, with more than 7200 hotel properties, is the largest hotel company in the world and is part of Wyndham Worldwide, which also includes Wyndham Vacation Ownership ( Wyndham timeshare ).

The goal of the survey was to better understand the evolving travel habits of Wyndham’s global hotel guests. The study was conducted during a ten-day period in April 2012 by IFOP Asia.

Here’s an look at some of the interesting findings of the survey:

Length of vacation time varies by country.   

• Chinese travelers vacation, on average, five days at a time or fewer.

• US and Brazilian travelers vacation from three to seven days at a time.

• United Kingdom vacationers travel for two weeks or more when they take a vacation.

Different factors influence different travelers.

• US vacationers are most influenced in their choice of a hotel by price, then location, then hotel quality, followed by good review,s and the hotel’s amenities.

• Chinese vacationers ranked hotel quality as the number one influencer in their choice of hotel.

We don’t all agree on what matters most.

• US vacationers value a free breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi most when it comes to amenities, with satellite television, and a swimming pool following as preferred amenities numbers three and four.

• Chinese vacationers also ranked a free breakfast and complimentary Wi-Fi as their top two amenities, but then valued airport pick-up next and concierge service fourth.

Vacationers Agree More than They Disagree

While cultural differences were apparent in many of the survey’s findings, there were also many commonalities among vacationers regardless of their nationality or home country. Most importantly, travelers were united in their desire to achieve peace and tranquility during their holiday, with more than half of all travelers surveyed saying that the need for relaxation is the primary reason for taking a vacation.

And although Wyndham is one of several great choices for vacation accommodations, we think that if more travelers realized the amazing deals in timeshare rentals, that timeshare vacations would easily become their first choice for vacationing. After all, hotels simply can’t compete with the spaciousness of timeshare accommodations; the convenience of kitchen and dining areas in your timeshare unit, and above all else the competitive prices of renting timeshare directly from the current owner.

With summer at hand, you are bound to be thinking about a vacation, even if you haven’t gotten around to making plans or perhaps, don’t think your budget includes travel this year. Before you book a hotel, or opt to stay home and not vacation at all, spend a little time learning more about timeshare rentals. We think you will be delighted with what you discover.

With so many financial gurus quick to criticize timeshare, it is both refreshing and reassuring to read the words of a respected financial planner who understands the why and how of timeshare vacations and actually recommends timeshares and timeshare rentals.

Irvin G. Schorsch III, founder and president of Pennsylvania Capital Management, Inc., has an excellent article in today’s issue (May 25, 2012) of the Huffington Post Money Section. In his article, “The Don’t-Defer-Your-Life Approach to Financial Planning,” Schorsch doesn’t encourage consumers to be reckless, extravagant, or foolish with money, but he does point out that if you are always waiting until some future date when your life/finances/etc. are in better shape to do the things you really want to do … well, you run a high risk of never being able to do them at all.

Suggesting ways people can affordably enjoy life now, Schorsch recommends that opera or theater lovers volunteer to work as a theater usher in order experience the arts they love without the cost or that those who dream of getting a PhD. audit courses, typically free at the prestigious universities they have dreamed of attending. Recommending strategies to live better for less, from bartering to using group discount coupons, Schorsch explains that he encourages his clients, “… to abandon the “deferred-life” plan and live life now, rather than in some uncertain, idealized “later” timeline.”

Timeshares, Timeshare Rentals, and Vacation Ownership, Affordable Ways to Live Your Life Now

And for all of us whose vacation and travel dreams exceed our current budgets, Financial Planner Irvin Schorsch says:

“Can’t afford a summer home or ski condo? Rent or buy a timeshare with a family member or friend. While I don’t recommend a timeshare as an investment, it can be a great way for frequent travelers to save on accommodations in their favorite vacation spots. If you tire of going to one place year after year, timeshare networks like Marriott, Disney Vacation Homes, RCI and Interval International allow trades that will give you access to accommodations in those faraway places you’ve fantasized about.”

Finally, a financial planner who understands that timeshares and vacation ownership are not an investment one makes for financial gain. Instead, timeshare resales and timeshare rentals are an “investment” in a lifestyle that makes great vacations and travel possible for millions and millions of consumers.

As Mr. Schorsch says, “An exciting, well-lived life does not necessarily require a lot of money.”

And a timeshare resale or timeshare rental doesn’t require a lot of money, but it certainly can go a long way to helping you enjoy an exciting, well-life right now, instead of waiting for a future that may never come.

Follow this link to read the full text of, “The Don’t-Defer-Your-Life Approach to Financial Planning.”