Timeshare Information

Interval International, a leading global provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group, has affiliated Hotel Savoy on the Portuguese island of Madeira to its global exchange network.

Upon completion in 2014, it will include 246 timeshare apartments, ushering in the second chapter of the vacation ownership product for Siet Savoi SA, the developer of the successful Royal Savoy, affiliated in 2002.

“We’re very happy to be able to offer more exchange options to Interval members who want to visit this magnificent island, known for its stunning scenery and spring-like temperatures,” said Darren Ettridge, Interval International senior vice president of resort sales and business development for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia.

“There are nearly 5,000 vacation owners at Royal Savoy who enjoy consistently high standards at this award-winning property. We’re sure that Siet Savoi will build on its outstanding success to deliver another truly wonderful holiday experience,” Ettridge said.

All of the Hotel Savoy timeshare apartments will be air-conditioned, offer Internet access, and have ocean-facing balconies or terraces. One-bedroom apartments will have separate lounge and dining areas, a full kitchen and master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. 

The two- and three-bedroom lock-off apartments will be ideally suited to holidays with friends or family sleeping up to six and eight guests respectively. Studio units will have a kitchenette and a spacious lounge area.

Hotel Savoy guests also will have access to a full-service spa with sauna; fitness center, heated indoor, outdoor, and children’s swimming pools; whirlpool; tennis court; and restaurants and bars on the grounds of the resort. Other amenities will include 24-hour reception service, room service, and underground parking.

“Hotel Savoy is the newest generation of a small family-run hotel first opened at the beginning of the 20th century,” said Isabel Cristina, project director of the Savoy Group.

“We’re proud of our reputation for hospitality and very pleased to have Interval International as an exchange partner, so that we can introduce many more people to our beautiful home.”

Closer to the coast of North Africa than Europe, the volcanic island of Madeira is just 35 miles long by 13 miles wide, studded with dramatic ravines and rocky headlands.

The island that many call “the floating garden of the Atlantic” is a 90-minute flight from Lisbon and the Hotel Savoy is 15 minutes from Madeira’s Funchal International Airport and a five minute walk to the historical center of Funchal.

Marriott International has announced that it will spend 75 percent of its 2013 furniture, fixtures and equipment budget with suppliers who are part of the MindClick Hospitality Sustainability Performance Index (HSP).

The HSP Index measures suppliers' corporate social responsibility, environmental operations, and product sustainability efforts. Marriott is incorporating MindClick's supplier scorecard as an integral solution in greening its global supply chain, following a year as a member of the Hospitality Sustainable Purchasing Consortium.

Led by MindClick, a leading sustainability consulting firm with over 20 years of performance measurement expertise, Consortium members worked together to establish a supplier sustainability rating system for the hotel industry.

"Utilizing the MindClick Index to make sustainable purchasing decisions will help us choose suppliers who will improve our hotels' sustainability, reduce costs and enhance the guest experience," said Dave Lippert, Marriott vice president procurement.

"Ultimately, improving our environmental impact extends beyond our hotels and into our global supply chain," Lippert said.

Recent studies conducted by MindClick SGM reveal corporate travel executives, on-line travel agents, meeting planners and consumers alike are looking at hotel's environmental commitment when making travel and booking decisions.

In a study of Fortune 1,000 corporate travel executives, 75 percent of those spending $50 million in annual travel have "green business" travel programs. As a result, RFPs now include questions specific to sustainability initiatives, including efforts in hotel construction, operations and purchasing.

A study of 5,000 U.S. Expedia consumers conducted in January 2012 shows two out of three consumers believe hotels need to be more mindful of their impact on our communities and the planet. Of these 5,000 participants, 90 percent were able to identify at least one item they believe allows hoteliers to provide rooms which are healthier and better for the planet.

"The Index provides brands, designers, purchasers and owners with the knowledge and tools to design and furnish hotels more sustainably," said JoAnna Abrams, CEO of MindClick SGM.

"MindClick's HSP Index benefits suppliers by validating their investments in sustainability, eliminating greenwashing and providing a roadmap to engage in efforts that matter most to the industry," Abrams said.

MindClick SGM, a leading sustainability research and consulting firm, provides clients with performance measurement tools to develop, implement, improve and promote product and company sustainability. 

Serving clients ranging from global Fortune 1000 companies in consumer products, automotive and hospitality from family owned building products suppliers to government municipalities, MindClick drives growth through sustainability.

Headquartered in Los Angeles with offices in San Francisco and Seattle, MindClick combines a decade of experience in sustainability with 20+ years of research, product development and marketing expertise. The result is sustainability performance rating services that provide executive decision makers with

Source: MindClick SGM

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group, has announced that its U.S.-resident members traveled approximately 24 nights per year for leisure purposes during the last 12 months, and report average annual household income of $121,550, more than twice the median household income according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In addition, approximately 18 percent indicated that they are likely to purchase additional vacation time in the future. These are some of the findings from the Interval International 2013 U.S. Membership Profile, which was prepared to assist Interval in developing benefits, products, and services.

The observations from the online survey detailed in the report may also be useful to resort developers and prospective industry entrants in designing their products and sales and marketing strategies.

“We’re very pleased to share these positive results that are reflective of an improving U.S. economy,” said Bryan Broek, Interval’s senior vice president of resort sales and business development for the U.S., Canada, and Caribbean.

“We’re seeing member income levels hold steady and an increase in the nights they’re traveling for leisure, and in length of stay,” Broek said

More than half (53.5%) of respondents own more than one week of shared vacation ownership time or its equivalent. Of those likely to purchase more vacation time, approximately one in three (33.2%) indicated that they would be most interested in buying in Florida.

The next most desired states are Hawaii (26.5%) and California (20.8%). Those wanting to purchase additional vacations remain most interested in the two-bedroom configuration, with nearly two-thirds (67.2 percent) citing that preference.

Other notable findings from the 2013 U.S. Membership Profile include: Leisure travel nights during the prior 12 months have increased from an average of 22 in 2011 to 24 in 2013. Approximately 65 percent of total annual leisure nights were domestic (15.9 nights) and 35 percent international (8.4 nights).

The number of members owning points-based products increased to 35 percent in 2013, as compared to 22 percent in 2009. Nearly four in 10 (38.8%) cite Bermuda, the Bahamas, and the Caribbean as the leisure destination of choice within the next two years. 36.5 percent plan to visit Europe and almost one in four (24.6%) plan to travel to Mexico during the same period.

Interval International operates membership programs for vacationers and provides value-added services to its developer clients worldwide.

It’s another winning year for Breckenridge Grand Vacations. The world famous timeshare company was recently honored with two Gold ARDY awards at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) World Convention.

Breckenridge Grand Vacations (BGV) captured the gold in the categories of Best Manager or Team– BGV’s Event Team, and for best In House Sales Team–BGV’s Grand Lodge on Peak 7.

“The fact that we won two team prizes speaks volumes. All of our teams are winners and they are comprised of people who love the resort, the area and their job,” said Dave Stroeve, Vice President of Sales.

“Winning these awards is a testament to what a great place Breckenridge Grand Vacations is to work,” Stroeve said.

This is not the first time BGV has won the prestigious ARDY Award. BGV’s team members have won the award in numerous categories over the past eight years including last year’s winning of the top ARDY award by BGV’s Marketing Service Team.

Breckenridge Grand Vacations is the parent company of Gold Point Resort, Grand Timber Lodge and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7.

Upcoming shortly is a very high end, luxury 75-unit timeshare to be located at the base of Peak 8. Groundbreaking is scheduled for this spring.

Dial An Exchange (DAE), who recently exhibited at the ARDA World Convention, continued to receive incredible feedback from industry colleagues about its recent expansions and increased visibility within the market, a press release stated.

Innovative concepts, such as the Global Advantage Program, have allowed DAE to successfully grow its brand and its visibility within the market.

Record numbers of timeshare owners who are looking for alternatives to the traditional system of exchanging have been using DAE’s fresh approach to exchanging, resulting in an overall global increase of 22% in timeshare exchanges in 2012.

During the ARDA World Convention, DAE promoted its new programs to more than 3,000 industry professionals, from an eye catching exhibit booth in the convention center of the Westin Diplomat hotel, Hollywood, FL.

“The ARDA convention is great for us. It allows us to meet with our prospects and clients face to face to discuss new products, services and gives us all an opportunity to catch up with all our industry partners,” said Fermin Cruz, VP Americas Region.

“Creating new products to offer is a requirement in our changing market. Our partners have needs for innovative solutions and we are striving to meet those needs with the quality of service that has been a large reason for our growth over the years,”Cruz said.

With its recent global expansions and steadily growing membership, DAE continues to be the largest privately-owned timeshare exchange company in the world. DAE offices are being built all over the globe to meet the growing demand of its clients.

Such offices, like the newest location in Munich, Germany, services customers and resorts across Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Croatia.

Other centrally located offices in Europe such as the location in Bulgaria serves members across Eastern Europe, including Russia, Greece and Turkey, with the ability to service those customers in their native languages.

These new locations add to the long list of already established locations worldwide such as the United States, China, India, South Africa, Thailand, New Zealand and DAE’s corporate headquarters on the Gold Coast of Australia.

Dial-An-Exchange is the timeshare exchange provider for RedWeek members.

DAE membership benefits include a Free membership option, Gold Advantage membership option, low exchange fees, a 3-year credit for every banked week, 24/7 live access to exchange weeks, personalized customer service, worldwide vacation availability, discounted rental weeks in prime locations and informative monthly e-Newsletters providing travel tips, destination ideas and money saving promotions and offers.

At DAE, the timeshare owners’ needs come first and foremost and quality of service is never compromised.

Over 3,000 delegates from 35 countries representing the shared ownership industry were at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa this past week in Hollywood, Florida,for one of the top events on the timeshare calendar – ARDA World 2013.

The event’s global sponsors include some of the biggest names in travel, including American Express, Diamond Resorts International, Hilton Grand Vacations, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Starwood Vacation Ownership, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, RCI and Interval International.

The conference, was held from April 7-11, 2013, and more than ever the emphasis was on technology.

Key presentations include Don Tapscott’s talk on “The strategic value of IT Investment” with many other educational sessions on the subject that covered everything from Internet marketing to using software to provide better customer service.

SPI Software was one of the exhibitors, and VP of Customer Service Gordon McClendon participated on a panel session entitled “Pork Chops and Applesauce…Technology to Satisfy Customers.”

The SPI Software booth showcased SPI Orange, a system which offers cloud-based solutions for owner/member websites and remote access management.

 SPI Orange encompasses the full range of the vacation ownership enterprise from Marketing, Sales, Reservations, Maintenance Billing and Loan Servicing and main benefits include:

1. Industry Best Practices/improve business operations.
2. Reduced time required for routine tasks.
3. Nimble adaptation to changing business environment
4. Lower Costs.
5. Superior reporting
6. Immediate Access to On-going Technology Development
7. Enhanced Customer Experience

Breckenridge Grand Vacations has once again made a major impact in the Awards program of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).

The success in the annual international competition for the best timeshare sales and marketing teams and individuals is a credit to the company, said David Stroeve, RRP, Vice President of Sales.

“We are made up of the right people, doing the right things and treating people right.”

Over the past eight years, Dave and his team have won the prestigious ARDY in numerous categories. This year is no different. When the winners are announced this week at ARDA World 2013 in Hollywood, FL, Breckenridge Grand Vacations (BGV) will be again represented by a slate of stellar finalists.

In the category of Marketing Team, the BGV Event Team is a top ranked finalist. Last year the BBGV Marketing Services Team won the “ARDY” for best in the world.

Also nominated this year is John Liner for his excellence as Sales Management Executive. Two returnees to the limelight are Drew Meirow and Brent Henry, both finalists last year in the categories of Traditional Line and In-House Salespersons.

The entire In-house sales Team of Grand Lodge on Peak 7 has been named as finalists in the ARDA award program. Last year the Project Team at Grand Lodge on Peak 7 carried home the highest honor.

Breckenridge Grand Vacations is the parent company of Gold Point Resort, Grand Timber Lodge and the Grand Lodge on Peak 7. Timeshare rentals start at $143/night.

Upcoming shortly is a very high end, luxury 75-unit timeshare which will be located at the base of Peak 8. The groundbreaking is scheduled for this spring.