Timeshare Trends Blog

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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in revenue in the most recent quarter of 2012. The Orlando based timeshare operation’s increase in revenue was driven by the acquisition of Shell Vacations Club and higher timeshare sales and resort management fees. For the entire year, Wyndham reported $2.3 billion in revenue, compared with $2.1 billion the year before. Vacation ownership earnings for the year were $549 million compared with $515 million in 2011.

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approximately $5 million during the most recent quarter compared with the same period last year. For the Orlando based company, the gains came despite a slip in the originated contract sales and an average sale price drop in its vacation ownership operation. For the full year, earnings increased by $144 million from 2011.

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a $7 million loss based on a string of one-time charges. Revenue and contract sales actually rose during the quarter that ended on December 28, but the Orlando based timeshare company reported $39 million in costs related to litigation settlements involving a project in San Francisco. That, combined with other one-time charges drove Marriott Vacations into the red. The company was spun off from Marriott International Inc in November 2011 and saw its stock price fall more than 11 percent after the earnings release. The company’s actual profit for 2012 was $16 million compared with a loss of $178 million in 2011.

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It began in 1998 with a program dubbed “Adopt an Angel” in which staff and their families were encouraged to help children staying at the Coalition for the Homeless during the Christmas holiday period. The Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida grew from a church outreach program to a full-service agency that provides food, shelter, housing options, and education in an effort to assist those that have fallen on hard times and help them return themselves to self-sufficiency. Timeshares By Owner employees provided brand new wrapped toys and clothing to 20 different children staying at the coalition. “It’s not just about success, we have to give back too.” said Jana Lee Klimek, President of Timeshares By Owner.

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and its owner is accused of defrauding its clients out of thousands of dollars. Michelle Lee was charged with telemarketing fraud in Orlando based on informing clients that she had buyers for their timeshare and that the fees she was charging was for closing costs and legal fees for the sale of their timeshare. The clients never received the promised checks or payment for their units. Lee was charged with grand theft, unlicensed telemarketing, practicing realty without a license, and communication fraud.

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Located on Disney World land, the uniquely planned residential home community continues its brisk construction, with now more than a dozen families settling into their dream homes situated just minutes from Magic Kingdom Park. Based upon current development plans, the 980-acre Golden Oak community, when fully completed, will contain 450 luxury homes ranging in price from $1.5 to $8 million. The construction of Summerhouse, the luxury residential community clubhouse within Golden Oak, is complete. Golden Oak residents and their guests have already begun to enjoy some of the key amenities Summerhouse has to offer such as, lounge areas, lap and family pool, game room and state-of-the-art fitness facilities. Summerhouse also will feature full food and beverage accommodations in indoor and outdoor dining areas once it is fully operational early next year.

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Based in Celebration, Florida, the Disney Vacation Club is closing its “Doorway to Dreams” sales center on New York’s Long Island on November 3. The move comes a few weeks after Disney announced plans to shutter its other sales center in suburban Chicago. That sales center was the first to open away from Disney World. The Disney Vacation Club also operates a sales center art Tokyo Disney in Japan, which is a key market for the Aulani Resort, Disney’s hotel and timeshare in Hawaii.

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Wyndham Worldwide said that its timeshare unit reported gross sales of $502 million in its third quarter, up 10 percent from the same period a year ago. The company also noted higher sales volumes per guest and an increase in tours. Adjusted earnings were $155 million, up 4 percent from the same period last year. Starwood’s timeshare unit revenues increased 2.2 percent to $141 million driven by improved revenue from resort operations. Originated contract sales fell 1.2 per cent and tour flow was down, but that was offset by an increase in the average price per unit sold. Marriott Vacations Worldwide Corporation reported $6 million profit on revenue of $383 million in the third quarter, an improvement from a year ago.

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The Orlando based timeshare company has now added another 115,000 members and 19 managed resorts to Wyndham’s portfolio with the Shell Vacations purchase. Among the vacation ownership properties now under the Wyndham moniker acquired from Shell are Canadian resorts in British Columbia and Ontario, along with resorts in Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Oregon, five in California, Las Vegas, two in Hawaii, three in Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina.

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