Timeshare Condos

Earlier this month, the timeshare industry lost a great man and a part of its history.

Robert “Bob” Burns, Chairman and CEO of Vacation Internationale, died peacefully at his home in Sun Valley, Idaho on September 3, 2011, at the age of 87. He is missed by his wife of 33 years; his 7 children; his 24 grandchildren; and all who knew him or had the pleasure of working with him.

A passionate outdoorsman and skier, Burns was still skiing Mt. Baldy into his eighties.

A Pioneer in Timeshare and Vacation Ownership

In the early 1905s, Burns, along with five other families, jointly purchased and maintained a ski cabin condo in Washington. The property slept 25. Together the families restored the condo and enjoyed shared ownership, which they described as creating deep friendships and special memories.

Drawing on this experience, Burns, with business partner, Bob Ringenburg, developed the first non-hotel timeshare project in the US, selling beachfront leasehold condos at the Kaua’i Kailani on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.

In 1974, Burns and Riggenburg founded Vacation Internationale in Seattle, Washington, a company credited with founding the original timeshare points system. Vacation Internationale expanded from Burn’s first condo venture to include the acquisition of a 72-unit motel which it converted to a 40-year right to use timeshare. Later the company added properties on four of the Hawaiian islands.

Bob Burns was the inspiration and initial backer of Les Saisons Resort, Sun Valley’s first fractional ownership project. His son Michael is the founder of Private Residence Resorts of Sun Valley.

Source: Resort Trades; Inside the Gate and others.

The beautiful Grande Lakes Resort in Orlando, which includes the JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton and Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Lakes Timeshare boasts an added benefit that guests and timeshare owners may easily find themselves ‘stuck’ on.

An on-site apiary (a bee yard) at Grande Lakes Orlando provides fresh, quality controlled honey for both the restaurants and spa. Grande Lakes chefs use citrus honey in ketchups, barbeque sauce, spice rubs, preserves and pickles, allowing JW Marriott Orlando to cultivate a “farm-to-fork” fresh experience for guests.

Executive chef Chris Brown explains, “Harvesting honey on-site has given the JW Marriott Orlando culinary team another opportunity to show how passionate we are in sharing the best local flavors with guests. Knowing where the product comes from is important to us.”

Currently Grande Lakes Orlando has two beehives, but plans to double their number of hives and quantity of production by next year. The next batch of honey will be harvested this month, and plans for it include the production of mead, a beverage also called honeywine.

Guests at The Ritz-Carlton Spa can enjoy a signature Grande Lakes Honey Treatment, the Bee Pampered Pedicure or the Harvest Glow Hot Honey Treatment. Honey is rich in Vitamins B1, B2, C, B6, B5 and B3, adds to hydration, and has both anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties.

Last week, USA Today reported on an interesting trend … bathtubs are disappearing from hotels. No it’s not that hotel guests have found a way to take home the hotel’s bath tub along with its towels; this is a matter of planning and design.

Hotel developers have noticed that most of their guests prefer showers, citing that many are busy business travelers and don’t have time for a luxurious soak and that others simply choose showers over baths, even when tubs are available.

In the past ten years, Holiday Inn has shifted from 95 percent of its hotels having tubs to only 55 percent having tubs today. At Marriott, the plan is for only 25 percent of their hotels to have bathtubs, and the rest will be showers only.

But the campaign to eliminate bathtubs is not expected to show up in Holiday Inn Vacation Club timeshares, Marriott timeshares or most other timeshare condos. Vacations are an opportunity to allow yourself the extra time to indulge in a long, relaxing bath. Just as importantly, bathtubs are typically preferred for bathing children. A 2008 survey by Embassy Suites found that a tub or bath/shower combination is the first choice for vacationers, especially when traveling with young children.

A Timeshare Condo Mean More Room, More of the Comforts of Home

Let’s face it, most households today have more than one television, they have video games for the children, and DVD players or DVR’s for enjoying favorite movies. When these conveniences are part of our homes, why shouldn’t they also be part of our vacations?

A timeshare condo means a family doesn’t have to squeeze into one or two hotel rooms, eat takeout on the bed, and all agree to watch one television and share a single bathroom.

Timeshare condos are about vacationing in spacious accommodations that include the amenities of home and room to be together as well as space to spread out.

There is a lot in life that annoys us and that we can do little to control…like the price of gas. But with nearly 200 million Americans considered to be overweight or obese, weight gain is clearly a topic of annoyance for many people.

Fortunately, it is also one over which we do have (or can have) control.

In an article titled, “6 easy ways to avoid weight gain on vacation” published on myOptumHealth.com, nutritionist Jane Schwartz Harrison, RD, offers suggestions for how to relax and enjoy your vacation, without picking up extra pounds in the process. She recommends that you:

Get moving. Add exercise to your vacation in fun ways as well as just walking instead of grabbing that shuttle or tour bus.

Do the balancing act. Don’t deprive yourself of special foods, but when you do indulge, counterbalance it by cutting calories and fat elsewhere in your diet that day.

Watch portions. Sharing portions can help keep costs and calories under control.

Plan ahead. Stock up on healthy snacks.

Drink – with caution. Calories in both alcohol and mixers add up fast. Daiquiris, margaritas, and coladas can run between 300 and 600 calories per drink.

Treat yourself – without food. Indulge in movies, manicures, massages and other ways to feel special rather than food as a treat.

Let a Timeshare Resale Make Your Vacation Easier

Let’s add one more tip to this list: Vacation in a timeshare or timeshare rental. Doing so, makes the first six tips easier to implement.

Most timeshares are equipped with a full or partial kitchen, which not only makes it easy to stay on your special diet but keeps you away from the temptations of restaurant menus. Eating-in for some or all of your meals makes it easier to control what you eat, while you save on the cost of dining out.

Timeshare condos or a timeshare rental with kitchen, lets you stock up on healthful treats, snacks, and even your favorite lower calorie beverage choices. On top of that, most timeshare resorts offer both fun ways to be active along with options for hitting the spa when you want to relax and indulge.

This year, let a timeshare resale or timeshare rental make it easy to bring home seashells, a suntan, or a new interest in a sport, but not those unwanted extra pounds.