Timeshare Trends Blog

One of Miami Beach’s iconic hotels is poised to make a comeback with new owners. The Blackstone equity group has sold the Miami Beach Resort and Spa for $117 million to the Chetrit group, a top Manhattan real estate investment company Complete renovations for the 1963 hotel are to include 424 guests rooms, public areas and meeting rooms, according to The Miami Herald. Formerly known as the Doral hotel, it is located on the 4800 block of Collins Avenue. It was once a popular location for stars vacationing in Miami and a movie scene location for the 1972 hit film The Heartbreak Kid.

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The vacation club has purchased one of seven buildings at the Island Grand Hotel from Tradewinds Island Resorts, the largest resort complex on Florida’s west coast. Tradewinds is using the proceeds to redevelop other portions of the resort. The Bluegreen at Tradewinds is located on the Florida Gulf Coast in St. Pete Beach. With its recent $20 million renovation, the resort has new guest rooms and units, meeting space, lobby, the Grand Palm Colonnade, and 11 onsite restaurants and eateries.

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Don Harrill, president and CEO of Orange Lake Resorts that operates ten resorts under the Holiday Inn Club Vacations brand, headquartered in Kissimmee, said “we are ecstatic that Holiday Inn Club Vacations is honored this year in every category from the ACE to sales and marketing to management and administration, advertising and interior design. Our people are at the heart of all we do as an industry, and this was their time to shine.” It was the senior director of recreation operations and resort activities for Holiday Inn Club Vacations at the Orange Lake Resort that was this year’s recipient of the ACE (ARDA Circle of Excellence) Spirit of Hospitality Award.

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The award was presented by a select committee and is sponsored by ARDA (American Resort Development Association); the Washington D.C. based professional association representing vacation ownership and resort development industries. The awards honor those that are committed to providing the best in categories that include overall professional excellence, outstanding sales and marketing accomplishments, product design, advertising and staff. The Wyndham Palm-Aire has been known for its many amenities including four swimming pools, three golf courses, day spa and salon, miniature golf, and unit features.

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at the recent ARDA Awards ceremonies presented on April 10 in Hollywood, Florida. The ARDA Circle of Excellence honors those that have attained the very highest level of excellence in the resort industry and whose accomplishments and dedication spur the industry to new heights. The Oceanaire is part of the Gold Key Resorts Ocean Beach Club and was intricately designed with 106 high-rise units including ten penthouse units. Amenities include fully equipped kitchens with stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, spa tubs and 12 foot floor to ceiling windows.

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The five-star resort, which is a popular choice with timeshare owners (LaQuinta at LaManga Club and Club Calida at LaManga), was voted the top resort by readers of Today Golfer magazine for the second consecutive year. The resort received an impressive 45 per cent of the vote, which was 32 per cent more than its nearest challenger. The resort, which opened in 1972, boasts three 18-hole championship golf courses, as well as other sports and leisure facilities and numerous bars and restaurants.

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It’s been another year of upbeat sales in 2012, defying naysayers who predicted the business would fade in the wake of the economic crash. Total timeshare sales increased to $7 billion for 2012, up 7.6 percent from 2011, according to preliminary data from Ernst & Young and presented at the recent ARDA convention. While still far below the $9.7 billion in sales in 2008, industry executives are proudly boasting the resilience of the shared-ownership market. “Some of the things we had to give up, we learned we could do without,” said Don Harrill, chief executive of Holiday Inn Club Vacations and chairman of the American Resort Development Association. “We had to readjust strategies and maybe lose our egos.” The news wasn’t as good for the fractional and destination club industry, which focuses on selling shares in vacation homes. Sales volumes continued to fall, hitting $497 million in 2012, compared to $552 million in 2011. At the peak in 2007, fractionals and clubs generated $2.3 billion in sales. The occupancy rate continues to remain high and has held steady at about 76.9 percent. Though the industry is still feeling the effects of the downturn, which saw business drop by more than 50 percent in two years, ARDA leadership emphasized that challenges have made the industry smarter and more responsive to customers. Developers are offering smaller units and lower price points; they’ve also raised the credit and down payment requirements for buyers, lowering the number of defaults.

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resort properties have recently been designated as “gold crown,” the highest standard within the RCI exchange network. Of the ten Madrid, Spain based company’s resorts, seven are in Mexico, two are in the Caribbean and one is in Central America. The resorts are: Occidental Grand Flamenco Punta Cana, Occidental Allegro Playacar, Occidental Allegro Cozumel, Occidental Grand Cozumel, Occidental Grand Flamenco Xcaret, Occidental Grand Nuevo Vallarta, Occidental Grand Aruba, Occidental Grand Papagayo, Occidental First Club Allegro Playacar, and Occidental First Club Allegro Cozumel.

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The Gordonsville fire chief believes the fire started in the kitchen of the timeshare resort. Several timeshare owners and timeshare guests were displaced by the fire that broke out in the building known as “The Lodge.” All were immediately relocated to other units and cabins at the resort. The involved portion of the Bluegreen timeshare resort property did sustain serious damage and is considered to be a total loss. Because the damage is located in the center of the building, the entire building will be out of service until further notice, affecting 48 of the resort’s total 398 accommodations, including cabins and yurts.

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at Mayakoba in Mexico’s Riviera Maya. Located in the most exclusive resort complex of the Mexican Caribbean, in the heart of the Mayan Riviera, Fairmont Heritage Place Mayakoba features 30 exclusive residences sold in 1/12 fractions available in three-bedroom and four-bedroom units with spacious private terraces, plunge pools and roof top garden access. All feature large en-suite bathrooms, full kitchens and open concept dining and living areas. Located within the award-winning Mayakoba resort development and renowned for its ecosystem of dunes, jungle, mangrove forests and freshwater lagoons, the residences are set away from the beach to protect the integrity of the coastal mangroves. Owners also have access to world-class golf on Mayakoba’s 18-hole Greg Norman designed El Camaleon championship course and the Jim McLean Golf School.

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