Showing posts with label redweek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label redweek. Show all posts

Concept of Shared Accommodations Not New - Timeshare Started it All

8/23/2016 Unknown
Kauai Kailani, the U.S.'s first timeshare.
With all the attention given to home sharing services such as Airbnb, HomeAway, and others, one would think they had originated the concept of the sharing economy. The truth is timeshare started it all. 

Timesharing began in the mid-sixties in Europe with a French ski resort.  It offered the new concept of selling units for vacationing and used the slogan, "No need to rent the room; buy the hotel, it's cheaper." The first timeshare in the U.S., Kauai Kailani, began selling units in 1969. As timeshare grew in popularity, the concept of timeshare exchange was added. In 1974, RCI led the way by helping owners trade their week at their resort for a week at another resort. In the early 2000's, online timeshare rental companies such as RedWeek (now the largest online site), provided another benefit to owners, a safe and easy way to rent their timeshare. Timeshare revolutionized vacationing by giving vacationers more flexibility and control over the way they vacationed.

Sharing Services Risky Business?

Though companies like Airbnb and Homeaway have many fans, there has been criticism about these companies. The risk of booking through peer-to-peer listings, the lack of regulation and guarantees on what the host is like, or whether the properties meet safety requirements are a few of the issues. 

Recently, San Francisco's Board of Supervisors hit the home-sharing industry with a new bill requiring home-sharing services to remove listing for units that are not registered with the city's Office of Short-Term Rentals. The bill allows the city to fine sharing services not registered with the city, up to $1000 per listing. A study from financial services firm, Canaccord Genuity, says other cities are likely to follow San Francisco’s example resulting in a significant reduction of listings for these companies.

Timeshare Offers More

Though timeshare and sharing services both share some of the same concepts such as a variety and diversity of destinations and residence types, there are advantages that only timeshare offers. A big one is knowing what you are getting - the consistency of brand product, brand experience, and level of service that well-known timeshare companies such as Westin, Hilton and Marriott can be counted on to deliver. 

Timeshare resorts are owned and run by professionals, they have strict standards for accommodations and traveler experiences. They follow safety regulations and tax laws. Home sharing services may not even be aware of these practices and many sharers have no experience in the hospitality industry.

Another advantage of timesharing is the family orientation. Children who have grown up with a positive relationship of timeshare often carry on the legacy. 

Potential Distribution Channel for Timeshare Industry

One professional who sees a positive alignment of timeshare and sharing economy alternatives is ARDA President and CEO, Howard Nusbaum. He sees them as potential distribution channels when listings comply with timeshare standards. 

In a recent article in Hotel Management, he was quoted, "Homeaway and Expedia are members of ARDA. We have a program through VacayStay Connect where timeshare resorts can list their product on those sites and harmonize it with them, and I think we offer a better environment because you're not seeing somebody's family pictures, you don't feel like you're invading somebody's privacy, you don't have to worry about cleanliness, or health, or safety, and you still get that condo environment."


For more information, please visit www.hotelmanagement.net. 

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It’s February and Our Thoughts Should Be Turning to Romanic Getaways

2/11/2015 Unknown
At least that's what AARP suggests for the 76 million baby boomers. It's time to forget about work, stop worrying about the kids and plan a romantic getaway to rev up your relationship with your significant other. And what better month to start than the Valentine's Day month. Relationship expert Pepper Schwartz says, "a little getaway every so often revives connections and bonding and communication."

Romantic getaways offer together time without distractions

According to an AARP travel survey of the $120 billion per year spent on leisure travel, only a fraction of those 45+ took the time in the past two years to go on a romantic getaway.  Cost may be stopping some from having more than one getaway per year. For most people it seems getting away together is more for the ability to spend time together without day to day distractions. Of the 15% AARP surveyed, those who do travel regularly for romance, said that though they appreciated the bonding and togetherness benefits, sex wasn’t the top reason on the list. 

Different for timeshare owners—best of both worlds

It may be different for timeshare owners though. An ARDA-AIF survey of vacationers conducted by research group Leger, looked into whether or not couples were rekindling their romantic spark while on vacation. More than half of the respondents said they were not, primarily because of a lack of privacy (60 percent). The one exception - the timeshare owner - 71 percent claim to have more sex with their partner while on vacation (versus 31 percent of non-owners). When questioned further about what would raise their intimacy levels, 31 percent said a romantic setting or new environment and 29 percent said separate accommodations with greater privacy.
It’s pretty obvious to those in the timeshare industry why the survey showed the above results. "While people are vacationing with the family, they often stay together in one hotel room, and that makes it pretty difficult to celebrate the intimate, romantic part of a relationship," noted, Howard Nusbaum, President and CEO of ARDA. "Our owners don’t face this challenge, as one of the benefits of timeshare is the space it offers - separate bedrooms and plenty of private areas. Timeshare owners love that they can create memories with their families/children and also have the space for romance while on vacation - the best of both worlds!"

Just the two of you


Though we agree with Nusbaum that timeshare offers the best of both worlds, we still think that timeshare also offers the best opportunities for romantic getaways for two.  Think about the choices timeshare offers.  Timeshare resorts are located in some of the most romantic, exotic locations throughout the world - some of them catering to adults who just want to be alone. Secluded white sand beaches with turquoise waters still exist on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, or on many of the islands of the Caribbean. Opportunities are available for a cozy condo in Paris with views of the Seine and in close walking distance to romantic dining for two, or snuggling before a fireplace in a Breckenridge ski resort and luxuriating in your own private Jacuzzi. With current timeshare opportunities like trading and exchanging, timeshare owners have access to a multitude of romantic getaways at costs affordable enough for maybe more than one getaway per year. Even at the last minute and for short stays, exchange companies like RedWeek and ResorTime can help you find the right romantic getaway. Maybe it’s time for you to schedule your getaway.  How about February 14?

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Maintaining the Health of your HOA

1/21/2015 Unknown
If your HOA is currently not in the best of health, what are your options? You can always seek professional care by going to a professional management company. The advantage of this is the professionals have experience with many timeshare HOA's and the knowledge to aid you in just about any situation. They help you look at the big picture and can identify areas of revenue generation or cost savings that you may have missed. You can also do it yourself, as many companies do. It requires more effort on your part, but if you have a strong, determined HOA, here are some ways to start you on your way to a healthy new year.

Your Most Valuable Asset

Your most valuable asset is your inventory. Every strategy we talk about in this blog will ultimately help you to safeguard your inventory. As a quick refresher, inventory is every room night in every unit and ideally you want it consistently booked. What you don't want is non-performing inventory, those rooms that are empty and not generating any income. So what can an HOA do?
To move that non-performing inventory you could try appealing to owners with special promotions. Many owners are looking for ways to add an additional day or two to their stay, or a week different from their usual time period. Some HOA's use in-house rental programs, but if you don’t have the staff and resources to do it right, there are outsourced rental programs such as RedWeek, and ResorTime.  Or, you could use a professional management company which provides a turnkey rental program. Both programs are good ways to reach and initiate travelers to the value of timeshare.

Make it all About Your Owners

Your connection with your owners is critical to building the owner engagement you need to keep your operation healthy. Develop a strong connection with owners and strategies to keep it strong. That connection should extend to the owners family members and guests who, if their experience is memorable, could be your next new owners. 

Connect with your owners

Knowing what your customers expect and need is key to engagement. Your staff should be fully trained in a culture of service, where owners come first. This means engaging owners in conversation, treating them like family members, making them feel welcome and responding to their needs. Find out when their birthdays and anniversaries are, or other special events they might have planned so you can acknowledge them and perhaps provide a place for the event. Survey your owners and guests, ask for input on what works and what doesn’t. Keep them up to date on what’s going on at the resort such as improvements, new activities, and special events. Information can be easily transmitted through social media, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and emailed newsletters. Strong consistent communication with owners can also be used as an aid in preventing delinquency.

Communication is key to collections

Use your owner engagement strategies to prevent the collection process. A happy, and well-informed owner should never fall into the collection process. Make every effort to connect with owners who may be falling behind on payments. Make sure you have current phone numbers, addresses and emails of owners, and contact them right away if you have any concerns. Have a process in place for owners who need to deed back their ownership. 
Don’t neglect owners once they have caught up on payments. Keep the engagement. Follow up to make sure they’ve booked their use week or confirmed an exchange. If there vacation is sometime in the future, offer bonus time as a way for them to use their timeshare now. Keep the benefits of timeshare firmly in their grasp.

Keep your resort fresh and current


Last, but also one of the most important strategies for HOA health is making sure your resort stays fresh and beautiful, and is also a reflection of current travel trends. Be sure you are appealing not only to your current owners, but to the new generation of owners as well. Renovate rooms with the latest design trends, update common areas, keep landscaping looking fresh and make repairs on a timely basis. Offer activities for all generations to enjoy. Consider a waterpark, putting green, miniature golf course, or plan special activities both on and off site, such as wine tastings, guided hikes, surfing lessons. All the communication you’ve being doing with owners will help you to know what’s most important to them. A strategy only works if you follow it with consistency and are willing to adapt it when needed.

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Where to Find the Answers to Your Timeshare Questions

6/25/2014 Unknown
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a place you could go to get the answers to all your timeshare questions? How about a place where you could get advice about timeshare from people who are experienced in dealing with the issues…the owners? Timeshare forums for owners and potential owners are a good place to start looking for answers. 

Owners Supporting Owners

Inside these forums owners share their experiences about owning, selling and buying timeshares. Forums contain a wealth of information. They can be used to choose a resort or location for your next vacation, find out about potential scams and how others avoided or handled them, and learn about bargains or how to use points.  You can also find information to questions such as managing all the ins and outs of successful exchanging and making the system work for you, or issues on maintenance fees, or resort improvements, that are all freely discussed in the forums.
In last week’s blog, we talked about how important it is for new buyers to do the research before they buy, and one of the points listed was to talk to owners about their experiences. The forum is a good way to reach them and in the forum format, it may be easier to get your questions answered.

Where to Start

Many timeshare and vacation companies have their own forums and/or use social media platforms for owner communication.  For instance, there’s a Wyndham Owner’s Forum, Occidental Vacation Club uses Facebook for postings, and Trip Advisor has a Timeshares/Vacation Rental’s Forum. Other forums include:
  • The National Timeshare Owners Association: The National Timeshare Owner Association (NTOA) is a platform to advocate for timeshare owners, and to educate and help owners find answers and resolutions to ownership issues. Aligning itself with industry and community partners, NTOA has created a multi-media internet education center. In addition to their Feedback Page, NTOA recently initiated a new toll-free consumer helpline (1-844-ASK-NTOA). Owners can access the association for assistance with timeshare related issues and give feedback on great experiences.

  • RedWeek: Though you may think of RedWeek as a site to go to rent or buy timeshare units, it also contains several timeshare discussion forums. The latest forums cover such topics as point systems, timeshare exchanges, buying renting and selling, plus travel tips and advice, timeshare resorts and an open discussion. 

  • Timesharing Today: Another site for timeshare owners to share ideas, find answers to questions and communicate with other owners is Timesharing Today. The company states that it "offers its members independent, unbiased information."

Positive vs. Negative

It’s important not to let your site become a forum for negativity. Though it’s good to identify problems and work on ways to resolve them, too much negativity works against one of the purposes of the forum–to help educate others to the positive aspects of timesharing and help bring more members into the fold. Forums excel when they are used to provide a platform to bring owners together by sharing ideas and experiences, and providing support and protection for members.


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Dial An Exchange Grows Its Timeshare Exchange Services

10/29/2010 JW
Dial An Exchange Pty Ltd (DAE), it was announced this past week, will be taking over the timeshare exchange program for RedWeek, and now DAE is poised to grow even further. It has entered into a long-term agreement with Classic Holiday Club to provide exchange services to its points club members.

Francis Taylor, CEO of DAE, stated that this is the first time DAE in Australia will be presented exclusively at point of sale. The agreement with Classic Holiday Club will provide improved levels of service and integration of systems to ensure their members receive superior value from their purchase.

Classic Holiday Club is part of the Classic Group of companies, the largest privately owned timeshare and resort management company in Australia and New Zealand, with over 45,000 members under management and 17 resorts and clubs.

For its part, Classic Holiday Club is happy to be working with DAE. Mark Stephenson, Director of Sales for Classic Holiday Club, said that DAE was a natural fit for Classic. “The flexibility and worldwide reach of DAE is perfect for our points club, particularly for our new membership product, Classic Escapes,” Stephenson said.

“We are very enthusiastic about the opportunity to market and sell our product in conjunction with a company which has such a positive image in our marketplace. DAE has a reputation for first class delivery and customer service, qualities which we stand for in our own business," declared Stephenson.

Dial An Exchange is the largest privately owned exchange company in the world and offers worldwide destination availability. Since the company’s formation in 1997, DAE has grown from a single office in Australia to offices in Europe, the United States, New Zealand, South Africa and Asia. The company has over 250,000 members around the world.

DAE has been the "back office support" for RedWeek's timeshare exchange program since its inception, and will fully take over RedWeek's on November 15, 2010. "With a strong track record for excellent customer service and a growing base of members worldwide, DAE is well prepared to take the exchange service to new levels for RedWeek members," said a RedWeek official.
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Don’t be a Victim of Common Timeshare Scams

5/21/2009 JW
Timeshare con artists are at it again. A news report this week told about how a woman who was looking to sell her timeshare found an online company who said they could do it and of course, asked her to pay up the money up front. Two months have passed and her $1,800 is gone with no timeshare sale.

It’s terrible to hear of stories like these where good, honest people are robbed of their hard earned money. The best way to keep from being a victim is to be armed with information.

Here are some tips and ideas on how to protect yourself and ensure a safe transaction in the rental or sale of a timeshare.

  1. Use an escrow account. There are many escrow companies available that that will hold funds until the delivery of the deed. First American Title Insurance Co. is a great resource.

  2. Do your research. Below is a list of questions and things to do:
    Contact the resort to verify ownership status of the person you are buying/renting from:
  • Is that person indeed the owner?
  • Do they own the week/unit they have advertised?
  • Are there any unpaid maintenance fees/assessments that would:
a. prevent a renter from checking in to the unit, or
b. transfer to the new owner

For Rentals:
  • Ask the owner for a list of references from past renters

  • Complete and sign a rental agreement

  • Never pay 100% of the rental price up-front (depending on how close the transaction is to the check-in date)

  • Pay 50% of the rental price up-front, and the remaining 50% when you receive written confirmation FROM THE RESORT that the reservation has been placed in your name (it's also a good idea to phone the resort to ensure your reservation is secure)

  • Never pay via wire transfer (Western Union, MoneyGram). For more details on payment methods and comparisons visit your favorite timeshare site.

Fraud is serious business. Don't make quick decisions when it comes to your hard earned money. Take the time to conduct your own research, ask questions, and go with your instincts. See the largest timeshare marketplace online for more information on ways to protect yourself from timeshare scams and fraud.
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