Timeshare Trends Blog

LaSalle Hotel Properties have expanded by acquiring the Chamberlain West Hollywood Hotel in California. Situated in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the 113-key all-suite property was purchased for $38.5 million. The hotel’s neighborhood offers upscale shopping, dining, and vibrant nightlife. Originally constructed in 1970, the building used to be an apartment property, which was converted into an all-suite hotel that opened in 2005 as the Chamberlain West Hollywood. The hotel recently underwent a meticulous $4.5 million renovation that included a refurbishment of the rooms, bathrooms, rooftop, corridors, lobby, and the pool area. In addition to 113 luxury suites, each with a private balcony and a gad-log fireplace, the Bistro at Chamberlain, the hotel’s restaurant, offers seating for 52 guests and presents mouthwatering American and California cuisine. Other amenities include a business center and a heated rooftop pool.

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The Mision del Sol Resort and Spa has been added to the RCI exchange network of resorts. Located in Morelos, Mexico, this affiliation represents a significant milestone in that RCI members will have the opportunity to visit the first ecological paradise in the area of Cuernavaca. The Mision del Sol Resort offers visitors an extraordinary and modern concept in tourism. In one with nature, the property is a green resort built with recyclable materials. Surrounded by flora and fauna and magnificent landscapes, the resort features 40 spacious apartments in one or two-bedroom choices, a paddle ball court, two tennis courts, and a fully equipped fitness center. The resort also offers a Jacuzzi, traditional Temascal steam bath with aroma and music therapy, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a sauna space. Moreover, Mision del Sol also offers relaxing mental sessions such as meditation, yoga, Thai Chi, and lectures on spiritual and mental health extensive water park, which is equipped with waterslides and free-fall kamikaze.

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The Weybridge Collection has selected FractionalExchange.com for the vacation exchange requirements of its owners. Headquartered in Chicago, the Weybridge Collection is a unique assortment of residences located in destinations throughout the world. It presently includes five properties in Italy, New Mexico, Colorado, and Mexico. Each one is viewed as a work of art and is available for exchange in two-week increments. The emphasis of Weybridge is to provide a second home experience in locations that have a strong cultural component including art, music, food and wine. The latest property is the Fondo Le Teglie, in the Italian countryside in Umbria. Other properties include Casa Las Artes in Santa Fe and a condominium at the Residences at Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village Colorado.

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Disney Vacation Club is imposing new restrictions on buyers who purchase their timeshares from existing owners rather than directly from Disney. Disney Vacation Club, which sells points that can be redeemed for stays in various accommodations, said it will no longer allow owners who acquire their points via resales to redeem them for nights in conventional hotel rooms at the company’s five theme park resorts worldwide, voyages aboard its cruise ships or vacations through its guided tour operation. Such owners will only be allowed to use their points only for stays in one of its eleven timeshare properties or in third party hotels available through exchange operator RCI.

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Condé Nast has named Marquis Los Cabos as one of Mexico’s top resorts for 2010. The Condé Nast Traveler magazine’s 2010 Reader’s Choice Awards awarded Marquis Los Cabos, a luxury beachfront resort located in the Baja California peninsula, as one of the “Top Resorts” in Mexico. In the magazine’s prestigious annual survey, the magazine’s readers acknowledge the world’s finest properties based on discerning criteria such as food/dining, location, overall design, rooms and service. Marquis Los Cabos was able to earn its top status because of its exemplary features including a 15,000 square foot holistic spa and fitness center, and an executive chef handling three luxurious restaurants including Five Star Diamond winner Canto del Mar. Among resort features, the Marquis Los Cabos has 40 pools, including a 36-foot waterfall flowing down from the lobby and two infinity pools with a spectacular view of the Sea of Cortes. Its 237 suites offer balconies with a breathtaking view of the ocean, amenities from luxury brand Bulgari, top-quality Frette linens and a state-of-the-art hydro-massage bathtub with separate shower room.

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Shell Vacations Club has recently announced the opening of a new offsite sales gallery in Anaheim, California, for the sales of its Shell Vacations Club (SVC) points program. The sales gallery is a 5,000 square foot preview center located within the Shops at Anaheim Garden Walk, which features an oasis of outdoor shopping, entertainment and dining. The Garden Walk is located one block from Disneyland and the Anaheim Convention. The new sales site is also about a block from the Peacock Suites resort, which features 139 one, two, and three-bedroom vacation suites.

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Timeshare units at this resort in Catskills, New York, face potential liquidation as approved by a bankruptcy court. A bankruptcy judge has ordered the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Nottingham Village Development Corporation to be converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation case. Concerned timeshare holders have already sought the help of the New York Attorney General’s Office in clarifying the situation for shareholders. The Attorney General has recommended that a coalition of shareholders pool their resources for legal counsel in the matter, in the event they were unable to individually afford legal fees. The timeshare setback is the latest blow to Friar Tuck’s financial struggles. In April, the neighboring Friar Tuck Inn was repossessed by Ulster Savings Bank, after the same court dismissed its claim for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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The British government has passed new regulations for timeshares and club memberships. The law should provide better protection for consumers in the United Kingdom that is similar to initiatives sweeping across all of Europe in the timeshare industry. The new rules will be implemented in February 2011 and will enforce fair-trading of timeshares in the industry. According to Consumer Minister Edward Davey, “These products are often sold across borders, so it’s only right that we have protections in place for consumers that also cross borders. Knowing these regulations are in place will boost consumer confidence and boost business for legitimate traders. The guidelines should offer benefits for businesses, such as a simplified version of UK’s current legislation and replaces the old Timeshare Act and the regulations affiliated with it. The new regulations are more standardized and provide the necessary information in a more streamlined manner. The new law will also place “holiday clubs” under the same scrutiny as timeshares, and may put an end to underground business activities. The law should give consumers more confidence in the industry and they will be given vital information before they make any deals and will have new rights in dealing with club sales and timeshare resale services.

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The most recent timeshare statistics as compiled and provided by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) indicate that there are 1,548 vacation ownership properties in the USA. Seven percent of all households own more than 7.2 million intervals with the average cost of a timeshare interval being $20,468. The majority of timeshares owned are points based systems. Resort occupancy stands at 79.7% and nine out of every ten timeshare owners are current on their timeshare loans and maintenance fees.

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