Timeshare Trends Blog

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.

Bookmark To:

The Las Vegas-based Diamond Resorts International has recently completed its acquisition of Aegean Blue Holdings and its five resorts in the Greek Isles. Diamond Resorts, which has 220 resorts and almost 1.4 million members, adds 7,400 owners to its total with this purchase. The acquisition, whose price wasn’t disclosed, was financed by Guggenheim Partners. That group, which manages more than $125 billion in assets, was the lead investor in the purchase of the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this year. Aegean Blue has five resorts in Greece with four in Crete and one in Rhodes. They include the Village Heights Golf Resort in Hersonissos, Crete; Sun Beach Holiday Club in Ialyssos, Rhodes; Leoniki Residence in Rethymnon, Crete; the Grand Leoniki in Rethymnon, Crete; and the Village Holiday Club in Koutouloufari, Crete.

Bookmark To:

Dial an Exchange is already one of the largest timeshare exchange and vacation services companies in the world with offices in Australia, South Africa, China, India, Thailand, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. Now with the opening of a new Dial An Exchange office in Italy, the timeshare exchange is better able to serve the European timeshare community.The new timeshare exchange office is to be located in Verona and will be managed by two timeshare professionals. The company expanded into Italy because it believes the European timeshare market is significantly under-serviced by most vacation exchange providers.

Bookmark To:

Timbers Resorts has opened Hotel Castello di Casole in Tuscany, Italy.  The Hotel Castello di Casole is a former 10th century castle turned 41-suite boutique hotel and is located on a 4,200-acre private estate located in Tuscany and close to the Siena, Chianti and Montalcino wine regions. Hotel Castello di Casole offers guests rustic Tuscan elegance in a setting featuring over 100 acres of vineyards and olive groves, a model game reserve, a state-of-the-art wellness center and some of the region’s finest cuisine. Fourteen of the suites offer large private gardens and terraces with floor to ceiling windows overlooking acres of vineyards and lemon and olive trees. The resort includes fine dining, wine tasting, a 5400 square foot spa, and an 18th century chapel.

Bookmark To:

The Spanish government has passed the European Timeshare Directive into national law. Passed by most European countries in 2011, this law compels all Spanish timeshare companies to be in compliance. Spain is the most popular timeshare market in Europe and is where almost half of all European owners have chosen to buy. Among other initiatives, the Spanish timeshare directive standardizes the following: a 14-day cooling off period (a rescission period for the timeshare buyer), a ban on deposits, contracts of more than one year are within the legislation, contracts must be provided in the language of the purchaser, and detailed information of the product must be provided. While these initiatives cannot be changed by individual member countries, the governments of each country can add to the directive for guidelines regarding their country.

Bookmark To:

Vale d’Oliveiras Quinta Resort and Spa is now an Interval International property. The mixed-used resort is located in Carvoeiro, a whitewashed village in the western part of the sun-drenched Algarve on the southern tip of Portugal, one of Europe’s favorite vacation destinations and renowned for its rocky coastline, beautiful beaches, golf, and nightlife. Set in a valley of olive trees with a panoramic view of the surrounding hills and adjoining golf course, this property has 22 acres of landscaped gardens laced with walking paths within its gated grounds. On-site amenities include two outdoor swimming pools, a health club with a heated indoor pool, Jacuzzi, sauna and gymnasium, and tennis courts. The resort’s world-class spa offers a wide range of massage and beauty treatments.

Bookmark To:

Hyatt announces its first property in Austria. Hyatt Hotels has recently announced plans to sign an agreement to manage the Park Hyatt Vienna. Set to be located in the heart of the city’s famous First District, the Park Hyatt Vienna will be built within a historic building, opening its doors in 2013 to bring the trademark Park Hyatt luxury touch to the city. It hopes to become a central part of one of Europe’s key business and cultural destinations. The Park Hyatt Vienna joins a total of 13 other hotels in development worldwide and, upon opening, will become the seventh Hyatt hotel in Europe and its first property in Austria. .

Bookmark To:

Interval International welcomes Hotel Savoy on Madeira. The timeshare exchange company has affiliated Hotel Savoy on the Portuguese island of Madeira and it will include 246 timeshare apartments upon completion in 2014. All of the Hotel Savoy timeshare apartments will be air-conditioned, offer Internet access, and have ocean-facing balconies or terraces. One-bedroom apartments will have separate lounge and dining areas, a full kitchen and master bedroom with en-suite bathroom and walk-in closet. The two and three-bedroom lock-off apartments will be ideally suited to holidays with friends or family sleeping up to six and eight guests respectively. Studio units will have a kitchenette and a spacious lounge area.

Bookmark To:

Royal Aloha slashes fees for its new members. Headquartered in Honolulu, the non-profit timeshare company Royal Aloha Vacation Club has announced the reduction of its perpetual membership initiation fees by 60% as part of its 34th anniversary celebration. The promo, which lasts only until September 20, 2011, covers all nine destinations including Waikiki, Kona and Maui, Hawaii, Lake Tahoe, Chandler, Branson, Oregon, Marbella in Spain, and Acapulco in Mexico. Under the promo, every new member will receive a free iPad for a one-time initiation fee of $1,295 for a one-bedroom/one-week membership, or $2,495 for two-bedroom/one-week application. Both packages include a lifetime membership, tax and escrow closing fees, and use of any Royal Aloha location for a week each year. One of the first vacation clubs ever established in North America, Royal Aloha is owned and managed by 8.500 members and has 227 condominium units.

Bookmark To:

Naima Village is the newest Interval International resort in Italy. The resort is located in Puglia along the Salento coast of southeastern Italy and situated near Castellaneta on the Salento Peninsula. The area features beaches that are not crowded, feasts with a distinct rustic feel and a very good golf course. Naima also stays warm almost throughout the year, and is a picture-perfect setting surrounded by vineyards and olive trees, with majestic sea views The new resort is designed to be family-friendly and is expected to open its doors come May 2012, just in time for new timeshare owners to book for the summer. Current development plans include 105 villas with two studio units, 92 one-bedroom apartments and 11 two-bedroom apartments, all furnished in the classic Mediterranean style. The air-conditioned units will also have open-air verandas overlooking the gardens. Each unit will have its own kitchenette with microwave ovens, as well as an LCD TV with cable or satellite service and Wi-Fi service. Amenities also include two pools, a tennis court, a playground, a theatre, a restaurant health club and spa, and a mini-market.

Bookmark To: