Timeshare Owners

Summer Bay has announced that they will be opening a new High-Action Adventure^™ park at their Orlando timeshare resort.

The new park will be pirate themed and will feature zip lining, rock climbing, a ropes course, and more. To create the new park, Summer Bay Orlando has partnered with High-Action Adventure^™ creator Extreme Engineering. Specializing in rock climbing and zip lining equipment, Extreme Engineering frequently works with timeshare resorts to provide exciting sports equipment.

Summer Bay Resorts’ Director of Business Development, Santiago Creus shared,

“Summer Bay Resorts has partnered with Extreme Engineering as they can provide a turnkey product — from the initial concept and theming of the Adventure Park to the installation and on-going servicing of each interactive adventure feature, they do it all. We look forward to the opening of this new resort attraction with great anticipation as it will provide another opportunity to bring families together to enjoy a shared experience while vacationing at our Summer Bay Orlando Resort.”

The focus of the High-Action Adventures^™ project is to offer more exciting resort amenities to the millennial generation. This theme is carried throughout Extreme Engineering’s business strategy and is demonstrated through their new motto, “Making Timeshares Grow Young with Fun”.

“The goal is to attract millennial buyers and also provide an additional revenue stream to the facility,” said Philip Wilson, Extreme Engineering’s VP of marketing. “We are pleased to partner with Summer Bay Resorts to offer this enhancement to their popular Orlando location.”

Selling timeshare to millennials is a challenge across the timeshare industry. Summer Bay and Extreme Engineering are working together to bridge the gap between millennials and the original timeshare generation.

Wilson added, “Through our dynamic products we have been able to resolve multiple, current challenges such as selling to millennials. Not only are we providing memorable experiences on-site at the resort, but we’re also enhancing the timeshare sales process by providing the opportunity for developers to upsell their clients through attraction-based amenities.”

The new Summer Bay adventure park is scheduled to in early summer of 2014. Check back for updated in the upcoming months from TheTimeshareAuthority.com.

WorldMark by Wyndham has announced that after a long renovation, the Deer Harbor Resort will finally reopen.

Located in the Orcas Islands of Washington State, WorldMark Deer Harbor Resort is a cottage-style timeshare resort. The resort spans over 11 acres and offers 25 private timeshare cottages. With this reopening, 17 of the 25 remodeled units are now open to guests. The remaining cottages will open in May.

CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership Geoff Richards said, “We’re very excited to see our WorldMark Deer Harbor resort reopen after many months of renovations. The newly refurbished cottages, situated on the shoreline of Deer Harbor Marina, truly provide an amazing vacation experience for our owners and guests.”

Deer Harbor cottages come in two sizes: studio and one-bedroom. Each cottage features a private outdoor deck with a fireplace, hot tub, and BBQ area.

The most recent renovations have completely redesigned each unit. They have updated the carpets, furniture, bedding, décor, electronics, kitchen, and bath. In the main area of the resort, an old conference room has been transformed into a new fitness center and club room, complete with pool tables. Guests also have access to outdoor amenities such as the resort-style pool, coastal views, and local excursions.

The Orcas Islands are a great destination for year-round travel. Located on Washington’s Pacific coast, visitors can participate in a variety of outdoor activities including kayaking, whale watching, and boating. Both visitors and locals also enjoy in hiking and biking at Moran State Park’s 5,000 trails.

For more information about Washington state timeshares, visit SellMyTimeshaerNow.com.

Westgate Resorts has launched their latest contest, the Westgate Park City Adventure Sweepstakes. Grand prize winners will be awarded a three-day/two-night stay at the beautiful Westgate Park City Resort & Spa.

This award-winning Westgate timeshare resort is located at the base of Utah’s largest ski resort, The Canyons. Winners will stay in the Signature Suite, an elegant one-bedroom suite that sleeps up to 4 guests. Park City’s Signature suites underwent remodeling in 2013 and now feature hardwood floors, granite countertops and new furnishings.

The grand prize winner will also receive a $200 gift card to use at Westgate Park City’s Edge Steakhouse. In the past, Edge Steakhouse has won the Best of State Award for Best Fine Dining Chef and Best Steakhouse. They have also won Best of State Statue award for Best Restaurant.

Entering the Westgate Park City Adventures Sweepstakes is free to everyone 21 and older. All you have to do is “like” the Westgate Park City Facebook Page. Once you like the page, fill out your contact information (name, phone number, etc.) to officially enter the contest.

You can even gain additional entries by sharing the Westgate Park City Facebook Page through Facebook and Twitter for more chances to win.

To enter the Westgate Park City Adventure Sweepstakes, click here.

If you wish to enter by mail, you can send a request to Westgate Park City Adventure Sweepstakes, Sweepstakes Entry, P.O. Box 690669, Orlando, FL 32869 for a free entry form. The sweepstakes will remain open until April 1st, 2014.

On Friday, The Timeshare Association (TATOC) and Resort Development Organization (RDO) joined together to present an informational seminar to timeshare owners and developers in the UK.

The seminar marked the first time that an industry association and consumer association have collaborated on this type of project. Titled “A Seminar for Sold-Out & Owner-Run Resorts”, the presentation addressed a variety of issues that both parties can relate to.

TATOC Chairman Harry Taylor focused a large portion of the seminar on the recent political proposals for the European timeshare industry. Currently the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), a government department in the UK, is reviewing a law known as the Timeshare Directive. This directive was created to help regulate the timeshare industry and protect owners. In particular, OFT has focused on a section known as the Perpetuity and Accumulation Act which dictates the length of a timeshare contract. In two weeks, the OFT will report if any changes will be made to this act, allowing owners purchase shorter timeshare memberships.

If passed, timeshare contracts will most likely resemble the “right-to-use” model. This type of contract, allows buyers to purchase a timeshare contract with an expiration date, usually 20–30 years. Of course, this will have an effect on both timeshare owners and developers.

On the developer’s side, Taylor recommended that resorts prepare for any restructuring that may occur should the law go into effect. Taylor said, “The opinions of timeshare owners, committee chairmen and resort developers are important as we have the opportunity to make a difference. We will be reviewing the report and feeding [it] back to the OFT.”

During this review, TATOC hopes to strike a balance in the industry. Timeshare buyers should have the option to purchase a shorter contract, but they should also have the choice to purchase an extended contract with the opportunity to resell later on.

He shares, “There are two sides to the timeshare coin. There are people who want to get out. And there are more people who want to stay in and enjoy their resort; these owners need their resorts to be stable and financially secure. We need to consider the implications of everyone in finding a solution.”

In two weeks we will learn the outcome of the Perpetuity and Accumulation Act proposal. Check back with TheTimeshareAuthority.com for more information.