Timeshare Information

The three-year-old partnership between IHG and Orange Lake Resorts has announced the purchase of an additional resort by Orange Lake in Las Vegas, which will become part of Holiday Inn Club Vacations

The 648-unit Las Vegas Desert Club near the Strip is the newest property in the Orange Lake Resorts portfolio, and is the most significant element of the transaction. The one- and two-bedroom property just a block from the Strip adds a western outpost to complement Orange Lake’s portfolio of six locations in the East that span from Vermont to Wisconsin to Florida, as well as Tennessee and South Carolina. Orange Lake will complete an ongoing renovation of the property, and it should join the Holiday Inn Club Vacations roster sometime in 2012.

“Our alliance with Orange Lake has been so successful it showed us we’re strong enough to add ancillary businesses to our core hotel model without distracting from our core mission while producing accretive value for IHG and our partners,” says Del Ross, vice president, U.S. sales and marketing for IHG. “It wet our appetite for other alliances and we have since launched the InterContinental Alliance Resort program.”

“This is a huge step for us,” says Orange Lake President & CEO Don Harrill of the Las Vegas acquisition. “I liken it to five or six years ago when we were a single-site resort in Orlando and began to build a network of resorts around this hub to satisfy our customer base in the East. And now that we’ve established a beachhead in Las Vegas, we can evolve our product offerings and build our membership in the West.”

Harrill says the company will look for other opportunities in the West with targets including San Diego, Phoenix, San Francisco and Hawaii. “We plan to be opportunistic in our growth strategy,” he says. “While acquisitions are typically more cost effective in this environment, we don’t rule out new development in the right situations.”

The independent timeshare giant Orange Lake Resorts and brand company InterContinental Hotels Group joined in a partnership in January, 2009, an alliance that marries Orange Lake’s vacation ownership expertise with the brand recognition of Holiday Inn Club Vacations and the marketing muscle of IHG.

Last fall IHG and Orange Lake announced a rebranding of existing and new Orange Lake resorts under the Holiday Inn name. The common link is a strong one: both Holiday Inns and Orange Lake were founded by entrepreneur Kemmons Wilson, and the Wilson family still owns and operates the timeshare company, Holiday Inn Club Vacations explained in a press release.

Photo Credit: lhonline.com

Interval International, a prominent worldwide provider of vacation services and an operating business of Interval Leisure Group has appointed Christopher McGill as director of resort sales and service for the western region. He is based in the Las Vegas office and reports to David Callaghan, vice president of resort sales and service.

In this role, McGill oversees Interval’s presence and directs the day-to-day sales and service activities in the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. He is responsible for providing service to Interval’s existing affiliated resort clients, as well as building Interval’s developer client base in those markets.

“We are extremely pleased that Chris has joined our resort sales and service team. His sales and marketing experience in the timeshare industry has already proven to be a considerable asset, as we continue to grow our business in the western region,” said Callaghan.

McGill began his sales career with QM Resorts, where he was employed from 2001 to 2004. He then served as a staffer, campaign manager, and executive director for a number of Nevada public officials. Most recently, McGill was president of Lingkt Public Relations and Business Development, a consulting firm in Las Vegas.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science from the University of Nevada in Reno.

Interval International operates membership programs for vacationers and provides value-added services to its developer clients worldwide. Based in Miami, Florida, the company has been a pioneer and innovator in serving the vacation ownership market for 35 years.

Today, Interval has an exchange network of approximately 2,600 resorts in over 75 nations. Through offices in 15 countries, Interval offers high-quality products and benefits to resort clients and approximately 2 million families who are enrolled in various membership programs.

Photo Credit: perspectivemagazine.com

Wyndham Vacation Ownership (WVO), the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, announced it has completed renovations on its 15th resort in Hawaii - Wyndham Vacation Resorts Royal Garden at Waikiki.

“With the addition of our 15th resort in Hawaii we are solidifying our position as the industry’s largest and most successful timeshare developer in Hawaii,” said Franz Hanning, president and chief executive officer, Wyndham Vacation Ownership.

“We are very proud to provide yet another world-class property in this highly desirable destination for our more than 800,000 owners and guests.”

Wyndham Vacation Resorts Royal Garden at Waikiki will operate within ClubWyndham®, plus the company’s points-based exchange program that allows owners the flexibility to vacation at more than 70 resorts.

Located along the Ala Wai waterway just blocks from Waikiki Beach, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Royal Garden at Waikiki offers spacious accommodations in one of Hawaii’s most desirable locations. The property features studio units and one- and two-bedroom Presidential units.

Onsite amenities include an outdoor swimming pool, two saunas, fitness center, media lounge and outdoor garden. The resort is conveniently located in close proximity to the Waikiki Beach Walk complex, one of the largest redevelopment projects in the city’s history which includes shopping, fine dining and nightlife.

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of Wyndham Worldwide’s WYN family of companies, is the world’s largest vacation ownership business, as measured by the number of vacation ownership resorts, individual vacation ownership units and vacation ownership interests. WVO has developed or acquired more than 160 vacation ownership resorts throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Headquartered in Orlando, FL, WV0 is supported by approximately 13,300 employees globally.

Take a look at all timeshare rentals, exchanges, and resales listed for WVO resorts in Hawaii.

Photo Credit: royalgardens.com

Shell Vacations, one of the nation’s leading independent vacation ownership development organizations, has recently promoted Jack Waller to Vice President of Marketing for Shell Vacations.

In his new position, Waller will be responsible for tour generation at all Shell Vacations Club (SVC) sales offices company-wide. Previously serving as National Director of Marketing, Waller was responsible for the design and implementation of company-wide marketing programs, as well as overseeing the National Marketing Center, which provides fulfillment for certificate programs, package programs, internet programs and marketing call center operations.

Waller brings over 18 years of vacation ownership industry marketing experience. He joined Shell Vacations in 1993 as a Marketing Manager and advanced to become SVC’s National Director of Marketing. Waller is known as an industry leader in direct marketing programs for vacation ownership and has been awarded many industry distinctions, including a Silver ARDA Award for Marketing Executive/Large Project.

“With his diverse background in marketing and finance, Jack has significantly lowered our costs and has centralized many operations that support the timeshare division,” commented Jack Chevrier, executive vice president of Sales and Marketing for Shell Vacations.

“His leadership skills and passion for innovation are foundations for Shell Vacations and I am proud to have him head the Marketing division for our future growth. He has accomplished several major changes that have kept SVC a competitor in today’s marketplace when quality and lower costs are vital to a company,” said Chevrier.

Headquartered in Northbrook, Illinois, Shell Vacations LLC is recognized as one of the most respected independent vacation ownership developers in the United States, operating 25 resorts in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. The company specializes in the sales and hospitality management of vacation ownership resorts as well as servicing over 115,000 owner and member families of its vacation ownership products.

Photo Credit: shellvacationsclub.com

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, announced the winners of its successful “Go Green Awards” for its affiliated resorts in the Pacific, at the recent Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council (ATHOC) conference.

This year’s winner, Club Paihia in New Zealand, the runner-up in 2010, showed remarkable progress using prize money earned last year to set up a dedicated Club TV channel that provides guests with information about the resort’s sustainable activities.

Western Australia’s Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific Dunsborough and Queenstown Mews also of New Zealand were acknowledged as runners-up. To recognize their commitment to sustainable environmental practices, each of the three winners received cash donations to further expand their environmental programs.

Martyn Rix, CEO of Monad Pacific Management, the management company for Club Paihia and Queenstown Mews, commented on the awards saying, “The recognition goes to the individual resort managers who worked tirelessly and with passionate dedication to establish the successful environmentally sustainable practices at both resorts.”

“This year we tweaked the criteria to better reflect some of the latest findings on trends within the hospitality industry. More importantly we also took into account progress and performance, so that the amount of sustainability-related change made during the past 12 months was a major factor, along with actual practices and initiatives,” said Dr. David Weaver, Professor of Tourism Research at Griffith University, and adjudicate of the self-assessment and on-site inspection phases.

More than 15 resort submissions and three exceptional finalists who demonstrated credible advances in environmentally-friendly sustainable practices throughout the year, made this year’s Go Green program a resounding success.

“Having such committed eco-conscious resort managers, clearly reflects on the exceptional caliber of resorts within RCI’s exchange network,” added Charisse Cox, managing director of RCI Pacific.

Launched over two years ago, the ‘Go Green’ program was a first for the timeshare in the Pacific and for RCI worldwide. Recognizing the emergence of a growing ‘green conscious’ member base, RCI set out to encourage affiliate resorts to embrace green initiatives while aiming to improve the industry’s carbon footprint as a whole.

Consequently, the ‘Go Green’ program has quickly been embraced by affiliate resorts both regionally and globally. Since its inception, both RCI North America and RCI Europe businesses have followed suit, launching similar programs this year, yet another example of RCI’s commitment to the environment on a global level.

“Go Green Award of the Pacific region and The Green Awards of North America and Europe fit in well with our global commitment to corporate social responsibility and the environment,” Cox said.

(Photo credit - greenhackz.com)

The American Resort Development Association's (ARDA) International Foundation (AIF) is launching the first comprehensive e-learning platform for the timeshare industry. AIF will provide ongoing industry-specific training for sales, marketing and operations staff on an easy-to-use e-learning platform. The first course launching in Fall 2011, is entitled "Partnership Strategies: Winning in the New Economy."

"We have been hearing from members for years about the need for more industry-wide, standardized training," said Darla Zanini, executive vice president, AIF. "We're thrilled to be able to deliver the first of many courses that will enhance the skills of the people working in the timeshare industry."

"Partnership Strategies" is a self-paced seven-module course that delves into specific strategies and best practices for handling customer interactions today. Integrating video, interactive exercises and module quizzes, the course offers real-life examples and situations applicable for any timeshare employee who may have contact with consumers.

RCI’s senior vice president, Kris Jamtaas is enthusiastic. "We had our entire sales team in San Diego participate in the course together, as well as some staff from operations, the phone room and gifting, and they all gave it high praise," Jamtaas. "AIF has hit the mark with this powerful and relevant topic – Partnership Strategies is a must-take industry course for all who are passionate about their profession."

The course is available to both corporations and individuals. For individuals, the price is $399 and will include the entire 2010 AIF Webinar series at no extra charge. There are three levels of corporate partnership that provide packages structured specifically for companies that have multiple users and want to take advantage of the special pricing offered.

Future courses will be announced later this year, including Timeshare 101. For further information, please visit www.arda.org/elearning.

The American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has over 1,000 members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs).

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, has announced two new affiliation agreements with Hon Tam Resort & Spa in Vietnam (see photo) and Patong Bay Garden Resort in Thailand. The signing of these agreements expands RCI’s Asian portfolio to 158 properties.

Earlier in the year, another two new properties were welcomed into the program. Both in China, the Shining Star Vacation Club, Xing Yao Shui Xiang Resort and Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotels offer high-quality vacation experiences to the 3.8 million members in RCI’s network.

“These four new affiliation agreements not only show a growing interest for timeshare travel throughout Asia but evidence that we’re offering an innovative and appealing timeshare exchange product,” said Adrian Lee, managing director, RCI Asia Pacific.

“Adding new resorts in China, Thailand and Vietnam reaffirms our commitment to offering great vacations in highly-desirable destinations in Asia and throughout the world. We’re happy to have them on-board,” Lee said.

Hon Tam Resort & Spa (see photo) is located on Hon Tam, an eco-green island in the middle of Vietnam’s Nha Trang Bay surrounded by crystal blue waters and a private and pristine beach.. Recreational facilities include a golf driving range, mini-golf, tennis courts, fitness center, Kids’ Club, spa, and water sports including scuba diving and fishing. Nha Trang is known for its endless beach and warm tropical weather,

Patong Bay Garden Resort is located on the popular Patong Bay in Phuket, Thailand offering a full range of facilities and activities, along with the classic touch of Thai charm and hospitality. Phuket, also known as the Jewel of the Andaman Sea, is a world-class destination offering a dynamic, vibrant and diverse holiday destination; world-class diving in the Andaman Sea; golfing at world-standard championship courses; eco-adventures in tropical forests; exhilarating speedboat trips to the surrounding islands; and serene cruises around mystical Phang Nga Bay.

Shining Star Vacation Club, Xing Yao Shui Xiang Resort is located in the Jia Lize wetland in Kunming, China. This mega upscale integrated tourism development consists of more than 10,000 diverse vacation accommodations spread across themed resorts, hotels, holiday villas and town houses; equestrian club with a landscaped 20-kilometer riding boulevard; ecological wetland park; country-style fishing club; golf academy and driving range exclusively designed by Phil Mickelson; extensive lavender and sunflower fields; organic fruit and vegetable garden; meeting and conference facilities; and a myriad of retail and dining facilities.

Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotels, part of the Yuan Yi Group, is a global lifestyle and mixed-used development strategically located in the south of Xin An River and flanked by Pei Lang River to its east. It is surrounded by renowned tourism sites such as the charming Old Antique Street, the awe-inspiring Huangshan, China (also known as Yellow Mountain), diversified cultural wetlands and historical Anhui villages.