Timeshare Rentals

A September 5 article in Hotels Magazine tells us that perhaps as much as 3 trillion US dollars will be invested in Middle East tourism over the next 20 years.

$3 trillion!

So I bet you are as interested as I am in who is spending that money and what they are creating. Here’s the way the Hotels Magazine article breaks down Middle East hotel and resort development:

• • Rotana Hotels and Resorts (a regional chain) will double its portfolio to 53 hotels by 2010.
• • Marriott International currently has 22 hotels there and plans to add 16 more.
• • Hilton Hotels has 11 properties in various stages of development in the region and anticipates committing to 20 more within the next 5 years.
• • Japanese owned JAL Hotels has already opened a new 257 room property, with plans to open two more, even larger, next year.
• • India based Flora Group Hotels is opening their sixth hotel in Dubai later this year, with plans for 4 additional properties.
• • By 2010, European based, Accor will triple their number of managed properties in the Middle East, with 30 hotels, accounting for more than 8,000 rooms.
• • By 2009, Rezidor Hotel Group will add 20,000 rooms, although this number also includes the company’s growth plans for Europe and parts of Africa. Currently Rezidor has 14 Radisson properties in the Middle East.

What is perhaps the most amazing point about this extensive list is that it doesn’t include timeshare developments, the hotel and resort development underway by companies that are actually based in the Middle East, nor does it include the development of any budget brand properties.

The Timeshare Owners Blog writes frequently about the rapidly changing face of the resort and timeshare industry in the Middle East. It’s hard to be a part of the timeshare business and ignore what is going on. Growth in this corner of the world is staggering. Reports say that perhaps as many as one in four of all construction cranes are located in Dubai, and remember, Dubai is only 3885 square kilometers in size, or about three-quarters the size of Rhode Island.

What does this astounding growth and development mean for you as a timeshare owner or someone who wants to buy timeshare?

For starters, owning a timeshare with exchange privileges in a network that includes the United Arab Emirates, Israel timeshares, Egypt timeshares, Lebanon timeshares, Saudi Arabia, Syria, or other parts of the Middle East, means your timeshare should always have good exchange potential. It should also have a decent resale value, as well as good potential for use as a timeshare rental.

But what this incredible growth (much of which is funded by US industry) means for Americans and western culture as a whole, only time will tell.

In today’s blog, I am adding not one, but two YouTube videos. They are very different in content, as the first one follows, in high-energy fashion, the construction of the Burj Dubai-a skyscraper which, when complete, will be the tallest building in the world. As you watch the video, look for the slides near the end that give you an idea of just how tall a roughly 160-story building really is.

After you watch the Burj construction video, take a few more minutes and watch the very serene video about the development of some of Dubai’s outer islands. While this second YouTube was put together as a promotional piece for a company providing water taxi services, the information about some of the residential islands themselves is very close to mind-boggling.

Here’s some good news on the economy for a change.

According to an article in Hotels Magazine published earlier this month, the members of the International Panel of Experts that assist the World Tourism Organization have shared their opinion that the unstable US housing market has not, “at this stage had an appreciable effect on world tourism demand.”

The stock market has been a wild rollercoaster lately and the housing market has simply been in a downhill plunge. But according to the findings of the World Tourism Organization, families are trying to make sure that they still take vacations to their favorite resorts and timeshare destinations. Perhaps the objective is to create stress relief and a much-needed psychological boost despite financial losses and stressors in other areas.

The article went on to point out that in terms of vacation and travel, Baby Boomers (known for being a cornerstone of the timeshare and timeshare resale markets) typically are not being impacted by escalating mortgage payments. Boomers are in a good place in their lives to enjoy vacations and take advantage of great timeshares and timeshare rentals.

If you want to sell timeshare you already own, this research from the World Tourism Organization is good news. It tells you that regardless of the ups and downs in the financial sector, people are still eager to take vacations and to enjoy fabulous timeshare resorts. On the other hand, the tightening of the nation’s economic belt, may be just the impetus needed to send some prospective timeshare buyers to more careful shopping and a new interest in the opportunities in timeshare resales.

Use this link to view the World Tourism report in entirety.

Not to say, “I told you so”, but we all love it when we make predictions that prove to be correct.

This past April, in a blog post titled, Are NASCAR Fans Making Use of Timeshare Vacation Property? I told readers in the Timeshare Owners Blog that Super 8 ® Motels, part of Wyndham Worldwide Resorts and timeshares, had signed an agreement with Petty Enterprises. Super 8 was becoming the official lodging partner and associate sponsor of Bobby Labonte’s car. My prediction was that other timeshare companies could soon be paying attention to the large and ever-growing NASCAR fan base as a market.

So it is with some smugness that I share with you the new deal between Marriott Vacation Club and Roush Fenway Racing. The number 99 car, driven by Carl Edwards, unveiled its new look, sporting Marriott Vacation Club’s colors, this past week during the Sylvania 300 at the New Hampshire International Speedway.

According to Paddock Talk, Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Brand Awareness for Marriott Vacation Club International, Ed Kinney says, “We’re excited about this unique opportunity to sponsor Carl in Roush Fenway Racing’s No. 99 Ford Fusion. With Carl’s personality and performance, we couldn’t ask for a better fit to represent Marriott Vacation Club, our owners and the millions of fans and viewers who are looking for a great way to vacation.”

The remainder of the NASCAR season is short—only nine more races. Take advantage of a timeshare resale or a timeshare rental to put you close to all the action.

• September 23 2007 Dover 400 Dover International Speedway
• September 30 2007 Kansas 400 Kansas Speedway
• October 07 2007 UAW-Ford 500 Talladega Superspeedway
• October 13 2007 Bank of America 500 Lowe’s Motor Speedway
• October 21 2007 Subway 500 Martinsville Speedway
• October 28 2007 Georgia 500 Atlanta Motor Speedway
• October 04 2007 Dickies 500 Texas Motor Speedway
• November 11 2007 Checker Auto Parts 500 Pennzoil Phoenix International Raceway
• November 18 2007 Ford 400 Homestead-Miami Speedway

With college football season now officially underway, fans of the sport are already pursuing the part of the game they rank second only to first downs and touchdowns—the tailgate party.

Across America, enthusiastic football fans are grilling, chilling, and gearing up for game day with plenty of good food and an abundance of school spirit and team pride. How To: Throw A Tailgate Party, which you can read on the website, AskMen.com, offers excellent suggestions for planning your own winning tailgate event.

On the highway, tailgaters are usually easy to spot, driving cars and vans decked out with school logos on the windows and pennants snapping in the wind. And while some tailgaters still drive their gas guzzling motor homes and rv’s, many fans have discovered that a timeshare resale or timeshare rental affords them a much more comfortable and spacious place to enjoy the weekend. Even if you fail to land those 50-yard line tickets, watching the game from a two or three-bedroom timeshare gives you and your friends plenty of room to enjoy a luxurious resort, prepare your burgers and nachos in a real kitchen, and win or lose, still enjoy a great weekend.

Here’s a list of a few of the outstanding timeshare resales available at destinations that are perfect for the college sports fan:

• Premiere Vacation Club at Varsity Clubs of America – South Bend Chapter (Indiana)
• Marriott Villas at Doral (Miami, Florida)
• Texas Timeshare in Lakeway (Austin, Texas)
• Wyndham Smoky Mountains (Sevierville, TN, just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee)

No discussion of college football would be complete without mentioning the new, life size sculpture of the legendary Ara Parseghian that Notre Dame University has commissioned from sculptor, Jerry McKenna. Thank you to the Jaunt blog for bringing this to our attention. During his illustrious coaching career at Notre Dame, Parseghian won 2 National Championship titles, 3 bowl games, and contributed greatly to collegiate football.

And finally, just to get you in the football spirit, here’s a You-Tube video that will make Florida Gator football fans proud.