Timeshare Trends Blog

Club La Costa Resorts and Hotels has announced its first resort to be located in the Orlando area. The company has purchased Encantada, a resort with its own natural lake that is just a short distance from Disney World. Specifically located in Kissimmee, the property features gently rolling hills and a beautiful 9,000 square foot clubhouse overlooking a lake encircled by a walking trail. Two community pools and spas are on the resort property along with a fishing pier and gazebo. Inside the clubhouse, there’s a concierge, exercise facility, games arcade, cyber cafe, and the Encantada Club Lounge. The homes are Mediterranean inspired and contain two stories with a private patio and screen-enclosed heated pool. Completely furnished and equipped, your home-away-from-home has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and all the conveniences of home. Four-bedroom homes are also available.

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Marriott’s Grande Vista is open. The first phase of Marriott’s Lakeshore Reserve at Grande Vista has officially opened. The timeshare resort is the first to be on the same campus as a Ritz-Carlton hotel and a JW Marriott. It is also the first time that Marriott Vacation Club has built two-story town home-style units in North America. Marriott broke ground on the Mediterranean -style development nearly two years ago. The first phase includes 85 villas out of a proposed 340. Marriott’s Lake Shore Reserve is Marriott’s seventh timeshare resort in the Orlando area.

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Fantasy World Resort will have surfing. Surfing will now be available at a timeshare resort in central Florida. According to a recent article in the Orlando Sentinel, the Fantasy World Resort in Kissimmee plans to build a $4 million indoor aquatic facility called Fantasy Surf. The attraction will feature a double FlowRider system that blends surfing, snowboarding, and skateboarding techniques in a controlled water environment. It’s the same technology used aboard some Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

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“Vacation Time” has signed a new contract with Clear Channel Communications. Effective July 9, the popular “Vacation Time” radio show hosted by Mary Biddle and Mike Klimek, and sponsored by Timeshares By Owner will begin its broadcasting contract with Clear Channel stations WFLF 540 AM in Orlando and WCCF 1580 AM Fort Myers, Punta Gorda and Naples. Stay tuned as the show is launched at more stations in a city near you. The radio show will kick off its new contract with a live broadcast from the Treasure Tavern Dinner Show, Orlando’s newest and hottest dinner theater. “Vacation Time” will be broadcast every Friday night from 6:00 to 7:00 PM starting July 9.

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Hilton Grand Vacations recently announced that they have renewed their long-standing affiliation RCI. Headquartered in Orlando, Hilton has 50 RCI affiliated resorts in their portfolio of developed and managed properties and more than 150,000 Club Members. The vacation ownership division of Hilton Worldwide develops, markets and operates spectacular properties in some of the world’s most celebrated destinations. The company also manages and operates club membership programs tailored to provide vacation exchange, leisure travel and reservation services. The contract with RCI means that Hilton Grand Vacation will continue a relationship that has lasted for over 17 years.

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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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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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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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The new Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport has just opened, making it the first new airport opening in the US since 9/11. For millions of vacationers who enjoy Florida’s Panhandle and its beaches, this is outstanding news. All the favorite Florida timeshare destinations in areas including Panama City Beach, Destin, and Fort Walton Beach will now be easier to reach. Southwest Airlines, Delta, Delta Connection, and Pinnacle Airlines provide air service with other carriers expected in the future. Between Southwest and Delta, the airport will offer direct flights to six US cities including: Orlando, Memphis, Baltimore, Atlanta, and Nashville.

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The Reunion Resort and Club now joins the Wyndham brand. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts recently announced their newest addition to their brand of resorts. Home to luxurious vacation rentals, the 400 room Reunion Resort and Club is located in Orlando and be can be found on 2,300 acres of lush landscaping and will be now known as the Reunion Resort and Club Wyndham Grand Resort. The resort is located within only a few miles from Disney World and Universal Orlando and has over 25,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor function space for guests to use. At the resort, there is on-site audio-visual capabilities, fine dining and rooftop restaurants, a chic lounge, over-sized pool, a grand lobby with a bar and retail shops. The timeshare also offers access to three signature golf courses including the Legacy Course, which was designed by Arnold Palmer, the Tradition Course designed by Jack Nicklaus and the Independence Course by Tom Watson. Plus there’s a five-acre water park with a long winding lazy river, two story water slide, children’s water play area and other recreational activities.

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