Timeshare Information

Bluegreen Corporation, a leading timeshare sales, marketing and resort management company, has announced that Gary Byrd has joined the Company to serve in the newly created position of Chief Hospitality Officer, and Senior Vice President overseeing Resort Operations and Development.

Mr. Byrd will be responsible for integrating Bluegreen’s Resorts Services, and Design and Construction operations as part of the Company’s continuing efforts to provide the highest level of hospitality in the industry.

Mr. Byrd joins Bluegreen from Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the industry’s largest developer and marketer of vacation ownership products, where he served as Executive Vice President, Hospitality Services from 2007-2011. He joined Wyndham in October 2006 as Senior Vice President, Operations.

Prior to that, Mr. Byrd held several leadership positions with Hilton Grand Vacation Club, most recently as Senior Vice President, Resort Operations. His previous resort management experience includes senior leadership positions with Promus Hotel Corporation at properties located in Myrtle Beach, Kansas City and New Orleans. Mr. Byrd served as a member of the United States Army during Desert Storm.

David Pontius, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer, and President, Bluegreen Services, commented, “I am very pleased to welcome Gary to Bluegreen Resorts. Bluegreen has committed to a long-term strategy of being a pure-play vacation ownership, resort and hospitality company, and we believe that Gary’s background, experience, and accomplishments make him uniquely qualified to help lead those efforts.”

“It is an exciting time for Bluegreen Resorts, and I look forward to partnering with the Company’s talented team of professionals to further strengthen our industry position, brand awareness, and reputation,” said Byrd.

Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, Bluegreen Corporation is the leader in providing “Colorful Places to Live and Play®” through its vacation ownership resort and residential real estate businesses. Bluegreen Resorts manages, markets and sells the Bluegreen Vacation Club, a flexible, real estate-based vacation ownership plan with more than 160,000 owners, over 56 owned or managed resorts, and access to more than 4,000 resorts worldwide.

Continuing its strategy to expand the geography of its holiday exchange network, RCI is pleased to announce the affiliation of two resorts in exciting destinations that are fast-growing in popularity with holidaymakers across Europe and beyond.

1. The Residence Club is located in the stunning mountain village of Donovaly in the Low Tatras National Park of Slovakia.
   
   The resort is comprised of luxuriously furnished one- and two-bedroom apartments all offering wonderful views of the region. There is also 24-hour room service courtesy of the adjacent Residence Hotel, where guests can enjoy amenities including an Ayurveda center and spa center, as well as restaurants and bars.
   
   The area is home to one of the country's largest winter resorts with more than 7 miles of ski slopes. The location is also popular with visitors during the summer months as it offers a variety of activities, including hiking, mountain biking, Slovakia’s biggest rope activity center and even tobogganing on a dry track.


2. Kamelya World Vacation Club. RCI’s newest resort in Turkey, Kamelya World Vacation Club, is a haven for sun worshippers and beach lovers.
   
   It is part of the luxurious Kamelya World Holiday Complex - a stunning seafront resort in Colakli that also contains two five-star hotels and a holiday village.
   
   Kamelya World Vacation Club enjoys beautiful views over the glistening Mediterranean, while the resort features many attractions including an Aqua Park, tennis courts and water sports such as windsurfing, parasailing and jet skis.
   
   There are nine restaurants and 13 bars at the resort and RCI exchange guests will initially be accommodated in rooms at one of the resort’s five-star hotels before the timeshare units are complete in 2013.

(Photo credit – rci.com)

RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, has announced a new resort affiliation with Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotel in the highly sought-after destination of Huangshan, a UNESCO World Heritage site in China.

“We are very pleased to welcome Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotels,” said Adrian Lee, managing director, RCI Asia. “This stunning resort is a remarkable addition to the collection of our diverse portfolio of resort destinations we offer to our members worldwide, and a continuous effort to expand our footprint in China.”

Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotels is part of the Yuan Yi Group, 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 (also known as Yellow Mountain), diversified cultural wetlands and historical Anhui villages.

This 320,000 square meters community is comprised of Grand Villa, Grand Mansion, Parrion Huashan Hotel, Hilton Hotel, an Opera and Concert House, multiplex Cinemas, theme hotels (under development), local Anhui restaurants and museum and Spa Club.

“Timeshare exchange is a great vacation option for travelers worldwide,” said Philip Ng, chief operating officer of Parrion Hotels & Resorts, management company for the YuanYi Group. “We are confident that working with RCI will make Huangshan Grandview Resorts Hotels a popular vacation destination for those looking to enjoy the natural and historical attractions of China. This affiliation will allow our resort to be shown in the most important showcase of international destinations, and this alliance makes us one of the most important developments of Huangshan in China.”

RCI is the worldwide leader in vacation exchange with over 4,000 affiliated resorts in approximately 100 countries. RCI pioneered the concept of vacation exchange in 1974, offering members increased flexibility and versatility with their vacation ownership experience. RCI is part of Wyndham Exchange & Rentals and the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands.

Yuan Yi Group began its investment portfolio in real estate in mainland China more than 10 years ago. Its investments have expanded over a region covering Shanghai, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Anhui provinces.

(Photo credit - panoramio.com)

Dial An Exchange (DAE) North America, one of the nation’s largest independent vacation exchange organizations, has recently announced new partnerships with properties in premium vacation destinations from British Columbia to Florida. Access to the new resort properties will provide additional options for the over 300,000 DAE members.

“We have members that often have their hearts set on a certain vacation destination, but found that there were no timeshare resorts in that location or there was limited availability. We also learned that many of our members were purchasing additional accommodations to extend their annual vacation and often paid as much as $2,000 per week for their accommodations,” said Tanya Bleuel, Director of Yield Management for DAE.

Continued Bleuel, “We created daeOptions by forming alliances with non-timeshare resorts to allow our members to rent or exchange their timeshare week for a seven-night stay and ultimately enjoy a vacation in their dream destination.”

DAE members can rent daeOptions weeks at highly discounted prices or they can exchange into any daeOptions property by depositing their timeshare week and paying an exchange fee from $350 to $450.

“The new program opens a world of vacationing options to our members. Whether the member exchanges or rents at members’ only prices, they are getting a great deal,” added Bleuel.

New daeOptions resort destinations include Whistler, BC; Chicago, IL; Cambridge, MD; San Antonio, TX; San Diego, CA; St. Petersburg, FL; Braintree, MA; Anchorage, AK, Oahu, HI; and Orlando, FL.

During the past decade as Dial An Exchange has dramatically grown worldwide, the no-membership-fee company has continued to offer a host of vacationing options to its membership.

Internationally known and respected for providing exceptional customer service, DAE is the largest privately owned exchange company with worldwide destination availability. Membership is free and exchange fees are not charged until an exchange is confirmed.

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, and the United Kingdom. The company has more than 300,000 members around the world and over 40,000 members in its European region, many of whom have joined by way of member referrals.

RCI has added two beautiful hill destination properties in India to its network – The Krishna Mount View-Mountain Resort, Kausani (see photo) in Uttarakhand and Kadkani River Resort, Coorg, Karnataka.

"We are very pleased to welcome The Krishna Mount View-Mountain Resort and Kadkani River Resort into RCI’s network of affiliated resorts," said Radhika Shastry, managing director of RCI India. "These beautiful resorts are a remarkable addition to the collection of hill vacation destinations we offer to our members worldwide."

Krishna Mount View-Mountain Resort is located in Kausani, a popular Himalayan destination commended by Mahatma Ghandi as "the Switzerland of India."

Kausani Mount View-Mountain Resort is known for its unspoiled natural beauty and its spectacular views of the majestic Himalayan peaks of Trishul, Nanda Devi and Panchchuli.

Krishna sits at the highest spot in Kausani and offers 31 luxuriously furnished rooms, all with incredible views. Features include an international restaurant, indoor games and a dormitory facility.

Kadkani River Resort is situated 155 miles from Bangalore in Coorg, dubbed the Scotland of India. Coorg has much to offer the nature lover with "misty hills, lush forests, acres of tea and coffee plantations, orange groves, undulating streets and breathtaking views."

Situated within this picturesque backdrop, The Kadkani River Resort, set within a coffee plantation, offers 36 fully-equipped cottages, each with a private porch where you can enjoy the tranquil surroundings on the banks of the majestic river Cauvery.

The resort includes a well-maintained nine-hole golf course laid out amidst areca-nut trees and coffee plantations. Other key features include a swimming pool, water sports facility, hiking, table tennis, volleyball, indoor games and a craft center. Local culinary fare and multi cuisine dishes are served with wonderful Coorg hospitality at the 'Pride of Pachat' restaurant.

(Photo credit - rciventures.com)

With Memorial Day behind us, it's full steam ahead for summer vacations. Whether you're planning a vacation at the timeshare you own, with a timeshare exchange, or at a budget-friendly timeshare rental, the odds are you'll be flying to your destination.

So just in time, Consumer Reports has released its National Research Center survey on air travel. This is the first time since 2007 that the venerated leader in consumer investigation has assessed airlines.

In the 2007 survey, 18 airlines were included, while in 2011, due to financial crises, mergers, and takeovers, only 10 major airlines make up the industry.

The survey ratings are based on the experiences of 15,000 Consumer Reports readers on over 29,000 domestic round-trip flights during the past year. Airlines were scored based on questions about overall satisfaction, check-in ease, cabin-crew service, cabin cleanliness, baggage handling, seating comfort and in-flight entertainment, as well as the issue of additional fees.

A Consumer Reports press release stated that 8 of the 10 airlines received low marks on seat comfort, and several carriers got low marks on other quality-of-flight measures including cabin-crew service, cleanliness and in-flight entertainment.

Some carriers have done a better job than others, as evidenced by a wide difference in overall satisfaction scores, from Southwest's lofty 87 to US Airways' lowly 61, stated the press release.

Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways topped the list overall. Southwest was the only airline to receive top marks for check-in ease and cabin-crew service. Passengers also gave Southwest high grades for cabin cleanliness and baggage handling. The latter, says the CR report, might reflect the fact that Southwest remains the only airline that lets you check two bags free of charge

JetBlue was the only airline to outscore Southwest for seating comfort and was the only carrier in the CR ratings to earn high scores for in-flight entertainment. Its seatback TV screens feature 36 channels.

US Airways occupies the same bottom spot as it did in CR's 2007 survey. In addition to its low overall score, survey respondents gave it the worst marks of any airline for cabin-crew service.

The CR report pointed out that the proliferation of added fees further contributed to passengers' low opinion of today's flying experience, and even to their decision of whether to fly at all. Forty percent of readers who say they are flying less listed "increased fees" as the major reason - far more than those blaming flight delays, poor service, etc. Paying fewer extra fees had a direct relationship to passenger satisfaction, the release said.

Dial An Exchange (DAE), one of the world’s largest independent timeshare exchange organizations, was a major winner of three prestigious awards at the timeshare industry's Global Networking Expo & Perspective Magazine Awards Gala, held recently at the Atlantis Resort, Paradise Island, Bahamas and attended by industry leaders from five continents.

Dial An Exchange CEO Francis Taylor was named winner of the prestigious “Best Industry Leader” award and the company was selected as the “Best Place To Work” in the international competition. Recognized for their penchant for providing exceptional customer service, DAE’s strong focus was rewarded with their Customer Service Team being named the industry’s “Best Project Team.”

Dial An Exchange also received two nominations for the Best Marketing Campaign: DAE Branding of Classic Escapes Sales Decks and DAE International Press 2010.

Members of the vacation industry cast more than 2,400 votes online during a two-month search for the shared ownership industry’s elite. Online votes were tallied with decisions from an expert panel of judges. Nearly 150 entrants competed in a variety of categories.

“We are extremely proud of these awards,” said Fermin Cruz, VP of North American business for DAE, “especially the Best Leader award. Under his guidance, Francis has steadfastly modeled the DAE business to focus on keeping our members happy while constantly delivering on our promises. His leadership position has enabled him to see the industry from a unique, global perspective and bring an independent viewpoint to timeshare exchange and how best to meet the needs of changing consumer behavior”.

DAE is the largest independent timeshare exchange provider with worldwide destination availability. Formed in 1997 to support timeshare owners, membership is free and exchange fees are not charged until an exchange is confirmed. Since the company’s formation, DAE has grown from a single office in Australia to offices in Europe, the United States, New Zealand, South Africa, Asia, the United Kingdom and Phoenix, Arizona. The company has over 300,000 members around the world.