The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and the National Timeshare Owners Association (NTOA), have announced a year-long campaign to help educate consumers about timeshare vacations. The first initiative answers ten of the most frequently asked questions.

ARDA Announces 2010 Circle of Excellence (ACE) and ARDY Winners

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) recognized their top industry leaders at the annual Awards Gala of the 2010 Convention & Exposition, held in Las Vegas, Nevada. The evening event, sponsored by Holiday Systems International (HSI), showcases the outstanding accomplishments among individuals, teams, resorts, and companies in a variety of categories.

Progress Results From Customer Count © Online System Shows Water Conservation at Top of Resort Managers List

CustomerCount©, in partnership with the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and Triton Timeshare Software has launched a survey to ascertain the resort industry’s property management commitment and direction when it comes to Green Initiatives. The survey which was emailed to over 18, 000 hospitality professionals has provided some initial results, according to Bob Kobek, President of Mobius Vendor Partners’ creator of the CustomerCount feedback system.

Marriott And Bluegreen Report High Value In Organization

Women in the Industry (WIN) is pleased to announce two more of its initial corporate members have recommitted to another year of support. As a founding benefactor and sponsor of WIN’s recent Florida Regional Meeting, Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) has re-enlisted as a champion of the two-year old non-profit organization.

Standard & Poor’s Report Bullish on Timeshare

Despite the recession, timeshare asset-backed securities (ABS) is one of the few asset classes demonstrating a renewed level of investor demand and resilient credit performance according to a recent Standard & Poor’s analysis. In addition, Fitch Ratings found that total ABS delinquencies fell compared to the same period last year for the first year-over-year improvement since August, 2007.

Focus on Education and Networking Attracts Timeshare Executives from around the Country

In just six weeks the annual American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention will take place in Las Vegas. Held at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino on March 14-18, attendees at this year’s event will tackle a variety of topics including finding success in difficult economic times and leveraging social media.

RCI Is Title Sponsor of Ninth AnnualRCI/AIF Open Golf Tournament

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE:WYN), will tee up the 2010 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention & Exposition on March 14 by hosting the ninth annual RCI/AIF Open at the award-winning Bear’s Best Las Vegas course. Proceeds from the tournament will go to support the ARDA International Foundation and its research and development of education programs that help enhance the public’s knowledge of timeshares. Bear’s Best has been named “Best Places to Play” by Golf Digest and was customized by golf legend Jack Nicklaus, who selected the plans for the 18 holes from more than 270 course designers from around the world.

Leading timeshare companies and service providers have thrown their chips in to be Signature Sponsors of the 2010 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition at Venetian Resort Hotel Casino in Las Vegas. The annual convention, from March 14–18, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and entertainers, including keynote speaker Andy Sernovitz. Sernovitz is considered the guru of the word-of-mouth marketing movement, helping countless companies understand the radical changes brought by blogs, MySpace, and consumer-generated media.

Wellington Financial Reveals Details About Liberty Bank’s Loan to Vermont Timeshare Resort Developer

Wellington Financial, the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Bank, is pleased to announce the bank has closed a $10 million receivables hypothecation facility with Smugglers’ Notch (www.smuggs.com) in Vermont.

John Farrow, President of Farrow Commercial, has recently been named Lead for the Regulatory sub-content group within the Construction and Design Committee for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Farrow will guide the Regulatory sub-content group as it advises ARDA members not only on construction issues but also on changing regulatory issues and national construction guidelines affecting them. Farrow will also direct committee members in both ADA and FHA building guidelines, along with fellow ARDA members from the legal profession.

The Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA) is pleased to announce the advent of a dynamic, new working relationship with its counterpart in the United States, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Designed to maximize the synergies between the two associations, ARDA and CRDA intend to work together on various initiatives to further their respective mandates [...]

More than nine out of ten active leisure travelers in the United States report they are familiar with the concept of timesharing, reinforcing the wide-spread belief that this form of vacationing has established itself as a recognized, understood, and increasingly popular alternative to more traditional lodging accommodations. And among those familiar with the concept, approximately [...]

The following statement was released today by Howard Nusbaum, president and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), in response to the Florida Attorney General’s Office move on Monday to seek an emergency injunction against a West Palm Beach timeshare resale operation for fraudulent practices. In September, ARDA released two consumer advisories to help [...]

VacationBetter.org Announces Winners for 2009 Photo and Story Contest As part of an industry effort to promote the power of travel during National Travel and Tourism Week in May, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) launched the “Bring Your Vacation to Life” photo and story contest. Contestants were asked to share a memory of a [...]

According to Vacation Timeshare Owners Report, 2009 Edition by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF), recent timeshare purchasers are younger, wealthier and happy with their vacation product. Overall, more than six in ten timeshare owners are age 45 or older, with Baby Boomers ranked as the largest generation of timeshare owners (45 percent). However, recent purchasers [...]

Indianapolis-based company provides business process management and online survey solutions Mobius Vendor Partners, LCC, (MVP) has announced that the Indianapolis-based company has marked its tenth year providing business process management and online survey solutions to companies, associations and non-profit organizations. The company was founded in 1999 and since that time as served their clients in [...]

Object Systems International (OSI) has announced that Catherine Fuller, Director of Business Development has attended an in-depth seminar and successfully completed a detailed knowledge examination held at the American Resort Development Association’s Carolina Regional Meeting.   OSI is a Utah-based, multi-national business, founded in 1999, with offices in Layton, Utah, and Sofia, Bulgaria.  Its technology division [...]

Occupancy, Satisfaction Rates Remain Strong Despite tighter credit markets and high unemployment rates, the U.S. timeshare industry continues to demonstrate its resilience. Although overall sales continue to reflect the national trend of lower consumer spending, timeshare owners continue to enjoy their pre-paid timeshare vacations, with an 80 percent occupancy rate and an 86 percent product [...]

At the young age of 30, Jill Levin heard the news that would change her life. She was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer.   With the help and support of the American Cancer Society, Jill was able to fight and win the battle! Upon receiving the news from her doctor, Jill went online [...]

Study Shows Link to Academic Achievement in First Graders As the nation’s children settle in for another school year, many parents and teachers wonder how the summer break affected their children’s academic achievement. Analysis of a U.S. Department of Education study found that children who travel over summer break — whether to a beach, historic [...]

Wellington Financial reports $10 million deal between Liberty Bank and Welk Resort Group Wellington Financial, the exclusive Resort Finance lending correspondent for Liberty Bank, is pleased to announce the bank has closed a deal for $10 million with timeshare development company Welk Resort Group. “We are delighted to add an excellent company such as Welk [...]

According to The American Resort Development Association (ARDA), recent passage of legislation by Florida’s state legislature ensures that important protections for timeshare owners are in place. In addition to ensuring timeshare owners will not pay tax on timeshare exchange transactions, the bill, HB 61, codifies a common industry practice regarding the taxation of transient stays [...]

Refinancing Crisis, Erosion of Property Values, Pending Tax and Climate Change Bills Lead The Real Estate Roundtable’s Policy Concerns Kicking off its 2010 fiscal year, The Real Estate Roundtable in July welcomed a new board of directors and committee leaders, while vowing continued efforts to address a variety of national policy issues such as the [...]

Nearly Half of Recent Survey Respondents Feel Time with Their Families Lacking While Americans patiently wait for the country’s economic stimulus plan to take effect, it’s clear that a separate plan is needed to spur recovery in another area – the amount of time enjoyed with family. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) recently surveyed [...]

Timeshare Owners Share Vacation Experiences in Video, Photo and Story Contest As part of the travel industry’s efforts to promote the power of travel during National Travel and Tourism Week, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is encouraging timeshare owners to share the secret of better vacationing through its annual contest. Timeshare owners will have [...]

Industry Perspective, Education, and Networking Highlight ARDA Convention Almost three thousand timeshare industry professionals gathered together at the 2009 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition, March 29–April 2, 2009. The annual convention and tradeshow, hosted at the Orlando World Center Marriott, showcased 164 exhibitors, including 36 new exhibiting companies. This year’s convention kicked [...]

World’s largest vacation exchange company recognized at industry awards gala RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies (NYSE: WYN), was selected as “Employer of the Year,” while associate Jennifer Vanlerberghe received ARDA’s first-ever Circle of Excellence “Women on Their Way” award at the association’s 2009 gala [...]

Jon Fredricks, Chairman of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) and President of Welk Resorts, will be the keynote speaker at TimeShareWare Client Conference III when it convenes March 3-5, 2009 at the luxurious Radisson Hotel in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Mr. Fredricks will give his keynote address on Wednesday afternoon, March 4, 2009. [...]

Vacation Is a Necessity Not a Luxury As the year comes to a close, many Americans prepare to travel during the holidays to spend time with family and friends. The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) reminds them that especially during tough economic times, to remember that vacations are a necessity—not a luxury. “Too many people [...]

Margit Whitlock, AIA, Principal of Architectural Concepts, Inc. (ACI) a San Diego firm regarded as one of the top hospitality-oriented architectural and interior design firms, has been selected to chair the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Design and Construction Committee.  The new committee will hold its first meeting the second week in November at the [...]

Many families partake in the tradition of holding annual reunions, taking time out of busy lives to catch up with each other and celebrate. However, today’s reunions are going in a different direction than sleeping on Grandma’s couch or having just a few hours in a park. Families are celebrating each other and renewing relationships [...]

American Resort Development Association Encouraging Families to “Take Time for Togetherness” Honoring the long tradition of connecting far-flung families through timeshare resorts, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) offers “how-to” travel options to help make family reunions fun, affordable and stress-free. As the summer travel season closes, ARDA provides travelers looking ahead to next year’s [...]

American Resort Development Association Promotes Online Resource The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) today unveiled its new online resource to inform consumers on the importance of taking a vacation and the benefits of enjoying one — regularly — through vacation ownership. VacationBetter.org is a comprehensive, educational tool for consumers to learn about vacation ownership and [...]

Average occupancy exceeds 80 percent; 6.5 million intervals owned Timeshares sales climbed 6 percent over 2006, with sales totaling $10.6 billion in 2007, according to a new study of the U.S. vacation timeshare industry conducted by Ernst & Young, LLP. The survey encompasses 628 timeshare resorts throughout the country, showing sales up 66 percent since [...]

American Resort Development Association Concurs with Recent Survey Findings that Americans are Vacation-Deprived While many people across this great nation get ready to celebrate the first weekend of summer, most people don’t have any plans to vacation this year. Based on the recent Expedia Vacation Deprivation™ survey, Americans not only receive the smallest amount of [...]

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA), a U.S. trade organization representing the vacation ownership and resort development industry, recently awarded NCG Architects, Inc. its 2008 award for best resort design. The highly competitive contest was open to firms around the world. NCG received the award for the Private Residence Club at Tucker’s Point, Bermuda, a [...]

Diamond Resorts International® (DRI), a global leader in the vacation ownership industry, was awarded five Gold ARDY Awards at the American Resort Development Association’s 2008 convention held recently in Las Vegas. The Gold ARDY Awards honor individuals and teams that are seen as industry role models and innovators in diverse areas such as sales, design, [...]

In an effort to share the enthusiasm, stunning locations and comfortable accommodations of timeshare resorts, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) unveiled a “next best thing to being there” video on www.YouTube.com.  The short video titled, “Vacation With Timeshare” shows real-life timeshare owners sharing their personal experiences on why they view timeshare as a better [...]

Meriwether Ranch Direct Mail Design and Campaign Wins National Award Star Resort Group, leading developer, marketer and seller of luxury fractional ownership real estate, private residence clubs, condo-hotels, timeshares, and whole ownership resort real estate products in The Americas has been awarded a coveted design award by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Announced at [...]

The interior design for Emerald Grande at HarborWalk by Maitland-based Helman Hurley Charvat Peacock/Architects in collaboration with Winter Park’s Raleigh Design has received a 2008 ARDA Gold Award from the American Resort Development Association. Developed by Legendary, Inc., of Destin, Florida, Emerald Grande’s 281 resort residences include both fractional and whole ownership units – a [...]

Education, Industry Perspective and Networking Highlight Week Las Vegas was home to nearly 4,000 top timeshare industry professionals who gathered to attend the 2008 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition, April 6-10, 2008. The annual timeshare convention, hosted at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, showcased 228 exhibitors, including 60 new exhibiting companies. The [...]

ACE Awards Recognize Highest Level of Excellence in Top Individuals, Teams, Resorts and Corporations WASHINGTON, April 15, 2008—The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) honored the 2008 ARDA Circle of Excellence (ACE) award winners at a gala ceremony and dinner during the Annual ARDA Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas. “The ACE awards are an honor [...]

Legislation pending in the U.S. Senate (H.R.3221, the Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008) would expand the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) requirements to all “dwellings.” This proposal, authored by Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), would require the timeshare industry to provide buyers with TILA disclosure “no later than 7 business days before the date of the [...]

Leading vacation ownership companies and service providers have signed on as Signature Sponsors of the 2008 American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Convention and Exposition in Las Vegas. The annual convention, taking place April 6-10 Venetian Resort & Casino, will feature an impressive line-up of speakers and entertainers, including nationally acclaimed speaker, Rick Barrera, author of [...]