Timeshare News | Fractional News | Hospitality Headlines | The Timeshare Blog

With $8.6 billion in sales and indicators that surpass other resort industries, timeshare is boon to local economies. 

The U.S timeshare industry contributed an estimated $62 billion in consumer and business spending to the national economy in 2005, according to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers for the ARDA International Foundation (AIF). Released today during the annual convention of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) taking place this week in Orlando, the study was undertaken to analyze the impact of timeshare developers and owners and their value to the U.S. economy.
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The Karma & Royal Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Ivor Clucas as Chief Executive Officer.  Ivor will commence his responsibilities as CEO at the beginning of May and will work in close collaboration with the existing Company Directors, and senior management team, who will continue in their current roles.  
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Interval International, a leading global vacation exchange company and operating business of IAC (Nasdaq: IACI), promoted Lana Tanca to director of membership marketing. She reports to Pat Rasekhi, assistant vice president of membership marketing.
 

            Her new responsibilities include the overall strategic planning, creation, management and execution of membership renewal programs and new member acquisition through Home Owner Associations and alumni programs for Interval’s global markets. Lana also writes and edits direct response copy.
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Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced joint transactions whereby it will invest in and manage the 600-room luxury Rio Mar Beach Golf Resort & Spa in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico, under the Wyndham® brand and develop an adjacent 26-acre tract as a Wyndham Vacation Ownership timeshare resort. 

Wyndham Hotel Management Inc. will operate the resort – currently a Westin® – under a 20-year agreement.  The hotel will remain a Westin until May 10 when it will be reflagged as the Wyndham Rio Mar – A Wyndham Grand Resort.  Wyndham Vacation Ownership expects to develop and market luxury timeshare units on the adjacent tract over the next several years.
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Orlando-based timeshare expands in 25th Anniversary year
 

Celebrating their 25th Anniversary with more than 110,000 owners, Orange Lake has branched out from their single-site flagship resort in Orlando, FL to a multi-site family of resorts. The company is proud to announce brand new locations in Vermont and Florida, just 8 months after expanding to the Midwest.
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ResortCom International LLC has added Peninsula Island Resort on South Padre Island to its growing roster of U.S. Suite Getaways resorts.   The San Diego-based ResortCom International provides the vacation ownership and resort industry with financial and resort operations services. 

“Until recently we were known predominantly for our strong presence in Puerto Rico, the Caribbean and Mexico,” said Steven Hicks, Vice President of ResortCom’s Resort Division.  “Our goal is to continue our growth pattern in those areas, but to also increase our presence here in the U.S.  With the addition of Peninsula Island Resort to our Suite Getawayssm  rental program we are moving forward on this plan while maintaining smooth operations at our existing properties.”
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Resort Management Team Named One of Best Places to Work in Hawaii. 

One vacation ownership resort on Waikiki has found an ideal and patriotic use for its small bottled toiletry items by sending them to U.S. troops in Iraq.
 

According to Luanne Bongiorno, General Manager of the Waikiki Marina Resort at the Ilikai, she was preparing to change out the bathroom amenities in her 80 units when she learned that her daughter’s church preschool was preparing packages for the U.S. troops.  Since the school director knew she was in the hospitality business, he inquired if she had any small bottles of shampoo and other items that she could donate. It was explained that the small bottles fit well into the soldiers’ backpacks.
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Interval International, a leading global vacation exchange company and operating business of IAC/InterActiveCorp (Nasdaq: IACI), announced the promotion of Michelle DuChamp to assistant vice president, sales – business development. She reports to David Gilbert, executive vice president of resort sales and marketing for the Americas.
 

In her new role, Michelle will continue to direct the promotion and sales of Interval Resort and Financial Services (IRFS), Interval Data Services, and other developer products and services. She also will manage the Bank of America point-of-sale credit card program, an affiliate advantage that offers the Interval WorldPoints® Visa® Card to new vacation ownership buyers.
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ResortCom International, LLC has announced the signing of a new contract to manage Stonewater Cove Resort and Spa.    ResortCom International is a San Diego-based company that provides the vacation ownership and resort industry with financial and resort operations services.  Stonewater Cove Resort and Spa is located on Table Rock Lake in the Ozark Mountains of southwest Missouri.  With nearly 800 miles of shoreline, and bordering the Mark Twain National Forest,  Table Rock Lake boasts a traditional drive-to vacation area for millions of visitors every year.
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Holiday Equity announced today that since 1992, it has generated $975 million for its resort partners through its Equity Exchange program, and expects to exceed $1 billion by the end of 2007. 

Holiday Equity, a timeshare resort services company, announced today that since 1992, it has generated $975 million for its resort partners through its Equity Exchange program, and expects to exceed $1 billion by the end of 2007.
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Trendwest South Pacific, one of Australia’s largest holiday ownership businesses, has just announced that it will be rebranding to become Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific. 

The business’ President and CEO Barry Robinson has said that this move has been made to enable better leverage of the Wyndham name of its parent company which is one of the world’s largest hospitality companies, Wyndham Worldwide.
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Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest Puts Members behind the Velvet Rope and into the VIP Room with Justin Timberlake, Gwen Stefani, Oscar de la Hoya and More… 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT) and its Starwood Preferred Guest(R) program, the award-winning hotel loyalty program, is introducing a new online auction website where members can use their Starpoints(R) to bid on exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. 

Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest lets members transform their Starpoints into extraordinary lifestyle events – giving them insider access to red carpet movie premieres, closed rehearsals with today’s top music artists, private dinners with world-renowned chefs, rounds of golf with PGA TOUR pros and more. Starting today, members can visit www.spg.com/moments and bid on a full range of specially curated experiences not available anywhere else.

It’s Better on the Inside…

Sit in on a private pre-show sound-check with Justin Timberlake or watch Gwen Stefani rehearse unscripted before taking a front row VIP seat at their concerts. Attend the premiere of Showtime’s original series The Tudors and mingle with the cast on the red carpet, tour renowned artist Georgia O’Keeffe’s private residence or sit ringside at the upcoming Oscar de La Hoya/Floyd Mayweather fight and celebrate at the private post-fight party. These are just a few of the exciting happenings that are now available for bidding. The auction site will be updated regularly and upcoming events include a private dinner with Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his signature, namesake restaurant in New York City, red carpet access to upcoming Hollywood premieres and more.

According to Robin Korman, Vice President of Loyalty Marketing for Starwood, during a three month pilot for the new auction site several events created a bidding war among members. A Justin Timberlake private sound-check session and VIP concert tickets started with a minimum bid of 20,000 Starpoints and was auctioned for more than 120,000 – the equivalent of a 12 night stay at The Westin St. Maarten or Le Meridien Cancun. A Superbowl package, including tickets to the game and access to several private pre-game events, started bidding at 250,000 Starpoints and ultimately sold for more than 500,000.

“Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest give our members access to once-in-a-lifetime events that go beyond just offering tickets to a concert or sporting event,” said Korman. “We want to make an emotional connection with our members that extends outside of our hotel doors by providing them with rich experiences that go beyond the world of upgrades and free flights. Moments is designed to play to people’s passions with amazing events that are available only to our members.”

To make sure members don’t miss out on the experience of a lifetime, Moments will introduce a cash and points option to the site shortly – allowing bidders to use a combination of cash and Starpoints for auction events. For more information about Moments by Starwood Preferred Guest please visit www.spg.com/moments. For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest, including enrollment, please visit www.spg.com

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with approximately 850 properties in more than 95 countries and 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood(R) Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels and resorts with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis(R), The Luxury Collection(R), Sheraton(R), Westin(R), Four Points(R) by Sheraton, W(R), Le Meridien(R) and the recently announced Aloft(SM) and Element(SM) Hotels. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com

Grand Destinations Vacation Club recently chose TimeShareWare, the leading provider of timeshare software solutions in the world, to manage its Oasis, Casa Blanca, and Virgin River Resorts. TimeShareWare will provide the technology for owner billing and receivables, reservations, and property management functions. Included in this installation will be a migration of mortgage data from prior software applications to enhance Grand Destinations Vacation Club’s ability to service loans.
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Re-flags First of Three Premier Timeshare Resorts as Wyndham Property. 

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced that it has introduced the Wyndham brand to Branson, MO. by re-flagging the first of its three premier resorts in Branson under the Wyndham banner. 
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Debuting in 2010, The St. Regis Resort, Lhasa will Offer Guests Superior Design and Unparalleled Service in the World’s Most Highly Elevated Location 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announced an agreement with Lhasa Yungao International Hotel Company, Ltd to manage the St. Regis Resort, Lhasa, located in the Tibet Autonomous Region, a province in southwest China. When it opens in January 2010, the 169-room new-build St. Regis luxury resort will be the first internationally branded luxury hotel to open in Lhasa in more than a decade. An exotic and highly appealing destination for travelers, Tibet is often referred to as the “Roof of the World” due to its impressive elevations of 16,000 feet. The region’s stunning mountainous terrain includes Mt. Everest, the world’s most famous mountain peak, located on the Tibet and Nepal border.
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Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced it has begun construction to expand its WorldMark at Steamboat Springs resort in Colorado by adding 142 vacation ownership units to the existing 35 units currently operating in its WorldMark, The Club portfolio.  The additional units will be divided between the company’s FairShare Plus by Wyndham and WorldMark, The Club portfolios for a total of 71 and 106 units, respectively.
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The Florida timeshare industry contributed $14.3 billion to the statewide economy in 2005, according to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) and released today by AIF, the research arm of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). 

Undertaken to analyze the impact of timeshare developers and owners and their value to Florida’s economy, the study was released in advance of ARDA’s annual convention that will draw 4,000 timeshare industry professionals to Orlando next week. 

The combined direct and indirect economic impacts for the industry in 2005 represent a 25.6% increase over 2002, when the last generation of this study was undertaken. In total, the Florida timeshare industry supported 161,100 full- and part-time jobs (22,400 additional jobs, representing a 16.2% increase from 2002), $5.4 billion in salaries, wages, and related income (a 27.8% increase from 2002), and $2.1 billion in tax revenue during 2005 (a 25.2% increase over 2002).
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W Guangzhou Hotel & Residences to Debut in 2010 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE:HOT), today announced the continued expansion of W Hotels across the globe with plans for its third hotel in China. The W Guangzhou will make its debut in 2010, offering 320 guest rooms and 167 luxury residences, in addition to the innovative design and full-range of branded amenities guests have come to expect of W Hotels.
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Wi-Fi Hardware Manufacturer and Services Provider 5G Wireless Signs Contract to Provide High-Speed Wireless Internet Access 

5G Wireless announced today the signing of contracts to provide wireless services at the Kingfisher Inn and the Sea Watch Inn at the Landing; both are timeshare resorts in Garden City on the south end of the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach.
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ILX RESORTS INCORPORATED (AMEX:ILX) a leading developer, operator and marketer of upscale flexible-stay vacation ownership resorts in the western United States, announced the appointments of Nancy J. Stone and Joseph P. Martori, II as Vice Chairmen of the Company.

Under these newly created positions, Ms. Stone will continue to be President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company and Mr. Martori will be responsible for both sales and marketing of vacation ownership interests as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Heretofore sales and marketing have been separated at the executive vice president level, with Mr. Martori most recently holding the position of Executive Vice President of Marketing.
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Vasant Prabhu, Chief Financial Officer of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT), will speak at the Bank of America Consumer Conference in New York City on Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 1:40 p.m. EDT. 

Participants may listen to a simultaneous webcast of the conference by logging on to Starwood’s investor relations website at http://www.starwoodhotels.com/corporate/investor_relations.html  A replay will be available on the Internet for 30 days.
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Diamond Resorts claims the acquisition will make the company the biggest vacation ownership company in the world.

Sunterra was acquired for $16 per share in cash, a 35% premium over the closing prices of Sunterra’s stock on March 8, the day before acquisition rumours started.
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Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo and Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka Will

Welcome Guests to Two of Japan’s Most Prominent Cities

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) today announces the openings of two new Sheraton hotels in Japan under a franchise agreement with Kintetsu Hotel Systems, Inc., the hotel operating division of Kintetsu Corporation. The Miyako Tokyo Hotel will be re-flagged as the Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo, providing 492 rooms and ample meeting facilities in one of Tokyo’s busiest neighborhoods. The Sheraton Miyako Hotel Osaka, previously known as the Miyako Osaka Hotel, will offer 575 rooms to guests visiting Osaka, Japan’s second largest city and one of its most important industrial centers. Both hotels will be re-flagged in April 2007.
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11 Million American Baby Boomers will turn 51 in 2007. Around the age of 50 people begin to seek second homes – future retirement nests in the greatest percentages. Is it any wonder that the sale of second homes in the US and Mexico are hitting record rates? For many, ocean front vacation property in the US is simply priced out-of-reach. Thousands of US buyers are seeking homes and condos on Mexico’s pristine shores.
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Congratulation to Tracie for taking out the Encouragement Award for the Tourism and Hospitality Category at the International Women’s Day Awards on the Gold Coast last Friday. The awards recognise outstanding women in the community for their excellent skills and dedication to their roles. Well done Tracie – representing Accor and the timeshare industry with a high level of competence, flair and professionalism. Read the rest of this entry →

Announcing aloft Brussels, Scheduled To Arrive in 2009 — Deal signed at 10th Annual International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin with Thornsett Group. 

aloha! Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(R) (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloftSM hotels, announced it has signed an agreement with Thornsett Group Ltd, an Irish property development company, to develop the first aloft hotel in Europe, the aloft Brussels, Belgium. The deal was signed at the 10th International Hotel Investment Forum in Berlin last week, when Starwood and its stylish W Hotels division introduced their aloft brand into the Europe, Middle East & Africa regions.
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Gryphon Networks, the global leader in Contact Governance solutions, today announced that Keith Fotta, Chairman and CEO, will address this year’s convention of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). 

Gryphon Networks is a sponsor of the Sales & Marketing Session Track at the ARDA Convention, which is being held in Orlando, FL, from March 25-29. The ARDA convention attracts 4,000 top timeshare industry professionals who gather to network, learn the latest industry trends, and visit hundreds of industry suppliers on the exhibit floor.
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Groundbreaking Study Predicts Important Changes to Timeshare and Travel Industries
 
Seattle, WA—The impact of the baby boom generation on the timeshare industry has been immense, yet their motivations appear to be changing—changes either unrecognized or unheeded. So declares David Skinner, president of Holiday Group, in a newly released 25-minute video, “Dawn of a New Age.”
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Super 8 Motels today announced that it has signed an agreement with Petty Enterprises to become the official lodging partner and associate sponsor of the Number 43 Cheerios/Betty Crocker Dodge driven by Bobby Labonte, a past NASCAR Nextel Cup Series™ champion. 

Beginning with the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series season, the Super 8® logo will be displayed on Labonte’s car and uniform, crew team’s uniforms, team trailers, pit boxes and transporters including merchandise haulers.
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Four Points Invites the Sleep Deprived to Take a Nap and CelebrateNational Napping Day with Tips from the Renowned Nap Doctor

Are you one of the 75 percent of adults who experiences daytime sleepiness? Studies show that over 50 percent of adult Americans are sleep-deprived, affecting productivity, stress and overall health. In keeping with the Four Points by Sheraton commitment to spreading the gospel of life’s Simple Pleasures(SM), the brand has partnered with William A. Anthony**, Ph.D., also known as the Nap Doctor, to promote the benefits of a good nap and celebrate the eighth annual National Napping Day on Monday, March 12, 2007.
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