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

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of Wyndham Worldwide’s family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced it has opened a new 6,000 square foot sales center in Las Vegas, Nevada. As the company’s newest off-site sales center in Nevada, this location will showcase the company’s products and portfolio under its WorldMark by Wyndham brand to the city’s area residents and visitors.
Read the rest of this entry →

Shell Vacations Hospitality has recently announced the promotion of Steve Norris to Assistant General Manager of The Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.
 

Norris assists General Manager Michele Caminidi with overall resort operations of the 328-key vacation ownership property, developed by Shell Vacations. He is directly responsible for overseeing employees in Security, Engineering, Landscaping, Housekeeping and Fitness & Activities departments.
Read the rest of this entry →

Australian Timeshare Ownership Council (ATHOC) awards night 

Accor Première Vacation Club (APVC) has shown that “excellence in service” is an ingrained and major part of its corporate culture, with winners in the categories for “Excellence in a Resort Services Activity (Vicki Dwyer), and Excellence in Service (Richard Sandry) – at the annual awards for excellence in the timeshare industry, held last night at a glittering function on the Gold Coast.
Read the rest of this entry →

Seasoned Industry Veteran to Lead Marketing Organization as Company
 

Executes on Growth Strategy Intrawest ULC (“Intrawest”) today announced the appointment of Andy Wirth to the position of Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Chief Marketing Officer. 

In this position, Wirth will be responsible for all aspects of Intrawest’s global sales and marketing and he will play an important role in developing and communicating the company’s vision and strategy, driving market share and establishing the individual brand identities of the company’s network of experiential destination resorts. Wirth will report directly to Alex Wasilov, president and chief operating officer at Intrawest.
Read the rest of this entry →

Holiday Resales, a division of Holiday Group, just concluded its Secrets to Timeshare Exchange virtual seminar, the second one it has hosted live on the Web. Web seminars, popularly referred to as webinars, are a convenient alternative to traditional seminars, allowing people to participate via their personal computers. 

The Secrets to Timeshare Exchange webinar was hosted from the company’s Seattle headquarters by Holiday’s reservation specialist, Maria Martinez. “She makes more timeshare exchanges in a week than most people do in a lifetime,” said Gail Bennett, Director of Sales for Holiday. “If anyone knows the tricks of timeshare exchange, it’s Maria.”
Read the rest of this entry →

aloft hotels scheduled to open in Mexico in 2009. 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(C) (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft(SM) hotels, today formally launched the aloft brand in Latin America at the W Mexico City.

Conceived by the same team that created W Hotels, one of the most successful new hotel brands in decades, aloft delivers affordable, stylish design, accessible technology and a refreshing new attitude to the current lodging industry. In the same way that W Hotels broke through the clutter of conformity in the upscale hotel arena, aloft will raise the bar in the select-service category, offering urban-inspired, loft-like guest rooms, leading edge technology services, and an energetic lounge scene.
Read the rest of this entry →

The Shell Vacations Hospitality management team at Kona Coast Resort recently selected Gennie Wheeler as its Employee of the Year.

According to Cintia Dutra, General Manager of the Kona Coast Resort, “Gennie has been a vital part of our Front Office staff for the past seven years. As our full-time night auditor, she is a huge asset to the front desk staff. Her diligence and commitment to her tasks and guests is vital to the day-to-day flow of paperwork. Gennie is always willing to go the extra mile to help her department, our owners and guests.”
Read the rest of this entry →

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced the five Kauai-based resorts associated with the company’s acquisition of privately-held PAHIO Resorts, Inc. and PAHIO Vacation Ownership, Inc. in July 2006 will now be affiliated with its FairShare Plus by Wyndham exchange program portfolio.
Read the rest of this entry →

New Extended-Stay Hotel Brand to Make “Eco-Etiquette” Intuitive with Smart Design

Would Al Gore forget to turn off the lights before running out the door? Maybe, if that door led to a hotel room. Travel can turn even the most Prius-like consumer into a gas-guzzling SUV, according to a survey of frequent travelers commissioned by ELEMENT Hotels, a new Westin-inspired extended-stay brand from Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT). In fact, a majority of frequent travelers (59%) admit to letting their “green routines” slip when on the road.
Read the rest of this entry →

Interval International, a leading provider of vacation services and an operating business of IAC (Nasdaq:IACI), sponsored the 21st Annual Convention of the Mexican Resort Development Association (AMDETUR) held recently at the Sheraton Centro Histórico in Mexico City. More than 300 delegates attended the two-day event that attracted the leading figures in Mexico’s tourism and hospitality sector. The 2007 conference was themed “Tourism: the Opportunity is in Mexico.”
Read the rest of this entry →

InnSeason ResortsR, one of the premier New England, hospitality and resort ownership brands, with six New England properties, and corporate offices in West Yarmouth, has created a new customer service position at its Loon Mountain Resorts – Adventure Concierge. 

Eric Pyra, a New Hampshire native who has a passion for the uniqueness of White Mountains and the activities they afford has been selected to fill and enhance this new customer service position. “I want to share my love and knowledge of the area with our guests. Its rewarding to hear a NH resident comment, ‘I didn’t know that about the White Mountains’, after touring with me. I also want people to experience what 5 star service is all about”, says Pyra.
Read the rest of this entry →

The Residences, an upscale community of 45 luxury studio, one- and two-bedroom units, located at the Divi Village Golf & Beach Resort, are now available for ownership. This private environment is well-situated in close proximity to a long stretch of Aruba’s famous Druif Beach, with easy access to the island’s casinos, shopping areas, and medical facilities.
Read the rest of this entry →

Tennessee attracted 685,000 timeshare visitors in 2005

The Tennessee timeshare industry supported an estimated $1.1 billion of statewide economic output in 2005, according to a study conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers and released today by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF), the research and educational arm of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). The study was conducted for AIF to analyze the impact of timeshare developers and owners and their value to Tennessee’s economy.
Read the rest of this entry →

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN) today announced the appointment of Christopher Feeney as senior vice president and treasurer. 

Feeney, who will report to Gina Wilson, chief financial officer, will lead the development, analysis and execution of financial strategies; manage Wyndham Worldwide relationships with financial institutions and ratings agencies; and oversee treasury operations, risk management and cash management. He will also serve as a close partner in Wyndham Worldwide corporate development activities, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate development and advancing the strategic initiatives of the company’s business units: Wyndham Hotel Group, Wyndham Vacation Ownership and Group RCI.
Read the rest of this entry →

This year’s Annual Fractional Ownership Conference will be held at the Stellenbosch, Protea Hotel on 15 August 2007. The event hosted by Fractionalownership.co.za promises to be a very informative Symposium for all developers and promoters wishing to enter this rapidly growing industry. 

The new buzz word in property is fractional ownership which is making an entry into the South African market following world trends. Fractional ownership is portioned equity ownership of a property. Each owner has a number of weeks of occupancy attached to his/her purchase of the vacation home. In 1994, this new concept debuted in the United States with fractional ownership of vacation homes. Patterned after fractional ownership of private jets, the concept formalized the idea of a group of relatives or buddies pooling their resources to buy a getaway place, and a means for working-class households to at least own a piece of a vacation home. This type of vacation real estate ownership is ideal if you want the benefits of owning an impressive second home (typically of more value than you would afford on your own), complete with management services, located in a very exclusive community, but you can’t justify whole ownership because of your projected limited use. Most fractional owners are frequent visitors to the resort area, and want something they can call “their own”, with friends and family members. These buyers aren’t looking to be sold vacation time, but instead want an upscale vacation property without the responsibilities and costs associated with a wholly owned home. Fractional ownership is a lifestyle choice, yet an affordable and sensible way to purchase a second home, providing most of the benefits of true property ownership.
Read the rest of this entry →

Intrawest to utilize Jambo Mobile’s Ignition(TM) technology for mobile marketing for third consecutive year
 

Jambo Mobile Solutions Inc., a subsidiary of SilverBirch Inc. (TSX VENTURE:SVB) announced today the successful extension of their existing partnership with Intrawest – Blue Mountain. The partnership will see Intrawest licensing Jambo Mobile’s IgnitionTM technology for another 12-month period. Jambo’s proprietary Ignition technology allows clients to manage, measure and deploy mobile marketing campaigns through a secure online interface as well as profile consumers and deploy mobile coupons and special offers.
Read the rest of this entry →

VT360 to produce Hi-definition virtual tours for Hyatt Vacation Ownership properties 

Plans have been finalized for VT360 to capture and design Virtual Tours and Hi-resolution still images for each of the 13 Hyatt Vacation Club properties (HVO) within the United States. The tours will feature interactive maps, VT360’s new tr?voice™ narration, music and “instant!” full-screen image viewing. VT360 will be providing production as well as hosting the applications on their high-speed, redundant network. Production is set to begin August 2007 with publishing as soon as fall 2007.
Read the rest of this entry →

Private equity giant Blackstone Group will buy Hilton Hotels Corporation in an all-cash deal worth $26 billion (19 billion euros), one of the largest such takeovers ever, the hotel chain said. 

Under the terms of the agreement announced Tuesday, Blackstone will acquire all the outstanding common stock of Hilton for $47.50 per share. The price represents a premium of 40 percent over Monday’s closing stock price.
Read the rest of this entry →

“the new twist in travel” breaks ground on the first aloft hotel in Canada, aloft Montreal Airport. 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(R) (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft(sm) hotels, announced today the groundbreaking of its first aloft hotel in Canada, aloft Montreal Airport.
Read the rest of this entry →

We are buying timeshare receivables for small to mid-size developers who hold as little as $250,000 in loans. A fresh look at the criteria behind timeshare financing was created by Vacation Finance, America’s First Second-Home Lender, by introducing loan options that look at the whole picture. Many timeshare finance companies require a seller to warehouse millions of dollars worth of notes before a facility or note sale can be completed, Vacation Finance wants to be your partner much earlier in the process.
Read the rest of this entry →

Aloft announces new hotels in Beijing, Bangkok and Sydney. 

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.(R) (NYSE:HOT) and its much-anticipated new lifestyle brand, aloft(SM) hotels, brings the new twist in travel to Asia Pacific as it grows its footprint in the strongest growth region worldwide. aloft has so far announced hotels in Beijing, the capital city of China; in Sydney, Australia’s economic powerhouse; and today, announced its first hotel in Southeast Asia – aloft Bangkok – Sukhumvit 11.
Read the rest of this entry →

To assist travelers in creating their custom golf trip, Golfpac Travel has recently added customer ratings and comments to the properties listed on its web site. 

“Online reviews have become very popular in the past few years. People want to hear from others about a particular product or service, or in our case property, before making a decision,” said Golfpac Travel President Jeff Hamilton.
Read the rest of this entry →

Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced it has acquired the sales and marketing business and the physical assets and contractual rights associated with privately held Activities-4-Less, a Maui-based vacation ownership sales and marketing operation in Hawaii. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Read the rest of this entry →

According to Ron Tapp, CEO of Portofino Destinations Club, SPI’s Private Residence/Destination Club software will greatly enhance the club’s customer service and back-office efficiency. “Our Member Services department is especially enthusiastic about the Internet tools we are giving our members, since it will reduce the number of calls they need to handle,” states Tapp. SPI’s software will track and control the club’s membership rules, privileges and usage, giving members Internet access to be able to check availability, reserve vacation accommodations and make online payments, including maintenance fees.
 

“We created Portofino Destinations Club to be a luxury residence club for savvy, sophisticated travelers,” adds Tapp. “Our members are accustomed to the highest levels of customer service and expect to have control over their reservations, be able to review their account information and make payments via the Internet on a 24/7 basis. SPI will be vital partners in helping us deliver these services efficiently and seamlessly.”
Read the rest of this entry →

Rush is on to sign up for 30 years of annual holidays at the UK’s famous Resort 

The chance to own a bit of Butlins and enjoy an annual holiday there for the next 30 years has today become a reality.

Owners are able to enjoy an annual break at Butlins for the next 30 years and benefit from savings of up to 50 per cent. The move represents another bold step forward for the popular holiday Resort, following the introduction of Butlins first boutique hotel ‘Shoreline’ at Bognor Regis in 2005.
Read the rest of this entry →

Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), today announced it has acquired the sales and marketing business and the physical assets and contractual rights associated with privately held Activities-4-Less, a Maui-based vacation ownership sales and marketing operation in Hawaii. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Read the rest of this entry →

Kapaa-Kauai, Hawaii – Robert Foster RRP, Regional Director of Sales & Marketing and Hospitality for Shell Vacations-Hawaii, recently announced the names of the top five sales producers for 2006 at a gala celebration held at Gaylord’s Restaurant in Lihue, attended by the entire sales and marketing staff at the Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy
 

The top four performers each sold in excess of a million dollars in Shell Vacations Club (SVC) timeshare points during 2006. In addition to sales commissions received during the year, each million-dollar agent was awarded a substantial cash bonus, a week’s vacation at one of the company’s 23 resorts, airline tickets, rental cars and a specially designed gold and diamond ring, symbolizing their sales achievement.
Read the rest of this entry →

Sales and Construction Begin at West 57th Street by Hilton Club in New York 

Hilton Grand Vacations Company, LLC has launched its newest timeshare project in New York, West 57th Street by Hilton Club, with a ceremonial groundbreaking to celebrate the official start of sales and construction. Located in Midtown Manhattan between Avenue of the Americas and Seventh Avenue, West 57th Street by Hilton Club will be the first ground-up residential shared ownership property ever developed in New York City.
Read the rest of this entry →

Interval International and resorts affiliated with its exchange network presented a $15,000 donation to the Caribbean Hotel Association (CHA) Education Foundation, the education arm of CHA, during the Caribbean Hotel & Tourism Conference in Miami. The check was presented by Dmitri Pekhterev, region manager for the Caribbean, resort sales and service, Interval International, to Peter Odle, president of CHA.
 

“We are honored to support the Caribbean hospitality industry through the CHA Foundation. Our commitment to this worthy cause and to the region is long-term and CHA continues to be one of our most important strategic partners,” said Callaghan. “We hope to have a positive impact on the hospitality industry by assisting in the education of its future leaders.”
Read the rest of this entry →

One Shell Vacations Club property in San Francisco fully understands the benefits of hospitality websites as travel is ranked the #1 activity among Internet consumers.
 

From 236 San Francisco hotels listed on the Trip Advisor website, The Donatello is currently ranked #8, just below the Ritz-Carlton, something for bragging rights by anyone’s standards. Developed by Shell Vacations LLC and managed by Shell Vacations Hospitality, The Donatello is a 94-room hotel located at 501 Post Street near Union Square, in the heart of San Francisco’s shopping and theater district.
Read the rest of this entry →