Timeshare Trends Blog

Recovery Resources sued by Florida JB’s Omega Tours, which does business as Recovery Resources, offered refunds to timeshare resale customers for fees from consumers, but they never secured their refunds, according to investigators from the Attorney General’s office of Florida. The Broward County resale advertising company that claimed to be working with the state attorney general’s office was recently sued by the state and ordered to stop claiming to be working to protect consumers. The Attorney General wants JB’s Omega Tours to refund customer’s money and stay out of the timeshare refund business.

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ResortCom Elite has been rebranded as LaTour Hotels and Resorts. LaTour Hotels and Resorts offers personalized, luxury hospitality management services for four and five-star properties. Currently, LaTour, operates seven developments representing nearly 500 units, with nearly 400 more units at multiple properties planned in the near future. For every client, the company’s goal is transform the ownership experience through superior service, distinctive amenities, imaginative activities and an obsessive attention-to-detail. LaTour Hotels and Resorts include the Tonopalo Private Residence Club in Lake Tahoe, California; El Secreto and El Caracol in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico; IndoChine Resort and Villas and Grove Gardens Resort in Phuket, Thailand; and the Lodge at Stillwater in Deer Valley, Utah; as well as an in-construction project, the Delcanto Resort in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico scheduled to open summer 2010. The LaTour Signature Group also actively operates Dewa Resort in Phuket, Thailand and has two projects in various stages of construction, which include the Wyoming Club in Black Hills, Wyoming; and Olamar Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.

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A new Florida timeshare and resort is planned for Tampa. Developers are currently in the process of obtaining zoning modification permits for Freedom Harbor, a new residential and resort timeshare complex that they describe as a “Gateway” to Florida’s Hillsborough County. Plans call for breaking ground on the $150 million project in mid to late 2011, with a 2012 grand opening. Freedom Harbor will include 200 residential town house units, a resort community with 200 timeshare units, an assisted independent living facility for up to 350 residents, and a medical center. Other planned features include two restaurants, an arena for concerts and shows, a year-round snow village, health club, with squash, racquetball, basketball and tennis, and an Olympic size pool. At the resort center will be 90 hotel rooms and rooms for special events. A 70-acre lake will also provide a space for water sports, with nearby nature trails and outdoor areas for relaxation.

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Timeshare occupancy is strong despite a weak economy. According to the AIF State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry: United States Study, 2010 Edition, prepared by Ernst and Young, the timeshare industry reported an average of 79.7% occupancy rate in 2009, compared with the 54.7% occupancy rate at the hotel industry. Around 54% of resorts are at least 80-percent occupied, and 34% have occupancy of at least 90%. Only 12% of resorts are less than 60-percent occupied.

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 The Pestana Promenade is set to establish a new benchmark for vacation ownership resorts in Europe. Located on Madeira, an island off Portugal’s coast, the resort, which is one of the many Pestana Hotels and Resorts, was inaugurated in early 2009 with a mix of 245 hotel units and deluxe apartments and has now beaten all demand records set by previous Pestana resorts. The most striking feature of Pestana’s latest hotel is its prime oceanfront location set in the heart of Funchal’s tourist area offering easy access to the coastal promenade. All units enjoy full panoramic sea views, there’s a themed restaurant, lounge bar, pool bar, health club and relax area.

A dominant feature of the resort is the expansive swimming pool with special water features set in landscaped gardens. The lagoon pool also allows for sunbathing on sunbeds in shallow sections. There’s a state of the art spa facility that includes indoor pool with jet streams, treatment rooms, relax areas, gym, sauna, Jacuzzi and Turkish bath.

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The first international timeshare sales office for Disney Vacation Club will open in Tokyo with a 15,000 square foot sales center at the Ikspiari shopping complex. Disney also plans to add timeshare sales kiosks throughout the Tokyo Disney Resort. Disney Vacation Club timeshare preview centers are already located in Long Island, NY, and in Chicago, Illinois. The new timeshare sales center for Disney Vacation Club will include a full-size model of one of the two-bedroom timeshare units planned for the Disney Vacation Club Villas, Ko Olina, Hawaii.

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Gold Key Resorts and Interval International have renewed their long-term relationship. It was recently announced that Ocean Beach Club LLC, doing business as Gold Key Resorts, has renewed its affiliation encompassing four resorts in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The multi-year agreement extends the relationship established in 1990 when the company founder and chief executive officer, expanded Gold Key’s hospitality business into timesharing and selected Interval as its exchange program. All Gold Key resorts are located in Virginia Beach and include the Beach Quarters Resort, Villas at the Boardwalk, Turtle Cay Resort, and its newest, the Ocean Beach Club–a high-rise located in the north end of the family-friendly beach community, known for its classic boardwalk.

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Inn season Resorts has now joined RCI’s Global Network of resorts in a new multi-year affiliation relationship that will allow eligible InnSeason owners to become RCI members. Inn Season Resorts are located in Maine with two properties, New Hampshire with two properties, and in Massachusetts with five properties all located on Cape Cod.

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The CEO of Timeshares By Owner, Jeffrey Frantz, has been appointed to ARDA’s Chairman’s League. The Chairman’s League of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) was started 12 years ago in response to members’ requests for a higher level at which professionals could showcase their commitment to the industry. Chairman’s League is an additional level of commitment beyond the corporate membership. It is designed for individuals who wish to become more active in the Association. The Chairman’s League represents a special form of membership that includes a variety of exclusive benefits in return for members’ additional financial support that focuses upon fulfilling the needs of companies to improve their networking capabilities and their industry profile. Chairman’s League members have direct contact with the Chairman and President of the Association. League members are called upon to provide insight into current industry issues and to help develop and guide association programs.

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Timeshares By Owner celebrates the grand opening of its new corporate offices at 8578 Palm Parkway in Lake Buena Vista, located very close to the entrance to Disney World. The new state-of-the-art offices are officially opened to the public and its employees on June 4 with ribbon cutting ceremonies in the presence of dignitaries including State Senator Dave Aronberg, Ambassadors from the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, CEO Jeffrey Frantz, President Jana Lee Klimek and General Manager, Michael Klimek.

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