Timeshare Trends Blog

Bluegreen Corporation recently celebrated 20 years at its headquarters in Boca Raton with a weeklong celebration and ribbon cutting ceremony. The celebration commemorated its growth and success in the timeshare, resort management, and real estate industry since its relocation to south Florida. Founded in 1966 as the Patten Corporation, the company celebrated 25 years of success as a land sales company in Vermont before it opened its location in Boca Raton. Bluegreen owns and/or manages more than 50 timeshare resorts throughout the United States and Caribbean.

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Timeshare industry keys in on the silver linings. That statement is according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel from October 25, reporting on the Shared Owner Investment Conference held at the Peabody Orlando on International Drive in Orlando. Despite the fact that sales in the timeshare industry were flat this past year, the industry reports that they have keyed in on more efficient marketing, they report consistent and higher occupancy rates than the hotel industry, and nine out of every ten owners remain current on their loans. $6.4 billion worth of timeshares were sold in 2010 compared to $6.3 billion in 2009. The industry’s peak was in 2007 when $10.6 billion were sold.

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Legoland Florida officially opened on October 15 to sold-out crowds. Located in Winter Haven, the park encompasses 145 acres making it the largest Legoland park in the world. It is also located on the site of the old Cypress Gardens, noted as the very first theme park to open in Florida. The park is primarily geared towards children is now the fourth major theme park destination in central Florida after Disney World’s four parks, Universal’s two parks, and Sea World Orlando

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The Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort at Bonnet Creek is now open and has now joined the Wyndham Worldwide Corporation’s timeshare resort on the same Bonnet Creek property, which is surrounded on three sides by the Walt Disney World Resort. Bonnet Creek is also home to the 498-room Waldorf Astoria and a 1,001 room Hilton. The Wyndham Grand has 400 rooms and suites, including family units with bunk beds. It also boasts a spa, lagoon-style spa, and 25,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

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Holiday Inn Club Vacations has added its seventh timeshare resort destination with the addition of a 36-unit resort on the Rio waterway in the City Center District of Marco Island. Marco Island is an extremely popular Florida timeshare destination with pristine beaches and a unique but elegant island lifestyle. The new Holiday Inn Club Vacations Sunset Cove Resort offers three-bedroom timeshare villas ranging from 1667 to 1900 square feet, with views of either the Gulf of Mexico or Smokehouse Bay. In keeping with Holiday Inn Club Vacations standards, the timeshare villas will be renovated to include such details as granite countertops and fabrics and furnishings that are consistent with the company’s Signature Collection decor. Amenities for Holiday Inn Club Vacations owners and their guests include a pool with sundeck, bar, boat dock and fitness center.

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Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has unveiled a legislative initiative to protect consumers from timeshare resale fraud. State Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando) and State Representative Eric Eisnaugle (R-Orlando) have agreed to unveil the legislative initiative that will allegedly protect consumers from timeshare resale fraud, the number one complaint that the Attorney General’s Office has received for the past two years. The bill strengthens existing laws by addressing unfair and deceptive marketing and advertising practices by timeshare resale companies. It is an initiative supported by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), and ARDA has explicitly stated that it is a legislative priority to see the bill passed. ARDA is one of the Republican party’s top donors in Florida, therefore, while timeshare groups have come out in support of the attorney general’s move to clean up their industry, critics are questioning the role of campaign dollars in setting the attorney general’s priorities for the upcoming legislative session.

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Wyndham Resort Torquay is the newest Wyndham vacation resort in Australia. Continuing its notable growth in the South Pacific and Australia, Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific and the Wyndham Hotel Group, both part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, recently announced the purchase of a combination of hotel rooms, holiday apartments and penthouse suites along with the management rights for this resort property. The beachfront property located in Melbourne, formerly carried the Crowne Plaza name and will now operate as a Wyndham Resort. Amenities include an outdoor resort style heated swimming pool and spa pool, an indoor heated lap pool, barbecue area, a fully equipped gym and tennis court, Latitude-38 Restaurant & Bar, day spa and superb function venues.

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Hacienda Tres Rios resort has received the “Golden Apple” award for excellence. The resort received recognition for excellence and quality service from Apple Vacations, one of the largest wholesale travel agencies in the United States. The resort is an ecotourism complex on the Riviera Maya in Mexico. This coveted award is given to distinguished members of the international tourism industry for reaching high standards of quality and service and for marketing campaigns along good ratings from guests utilizing the resort. Amenities at the resort include its own nature park, private access beach, entertainment, a Kids Club, two swimming pools, full-service fitness center, cooking classes, massages at the Spa Ya’ax Che Sauna, a steam room, and Jacuzzi.

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All four Fiesta Americana Villas resorts in Mexico have been newly affiliated with RCI. Located in Acapulco, Aguascalientes, Cancun, and Cozumel, all the properties feature top of the line amenities, a kid’s club and a “Fiesta Rewards” program along with locations that are close to attractions and historic sites.

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The Jungle Bay Resort and Spa is now a member of the Interval International exchange network. Located on Dominica, the resort is a mixed-use property that has been featured in publications, including National Geographic Traveler, New York Times, and Travel + Leisure as a model of ecotourism. Numerous awards have been received for its sustainable development including the Conde Nast “World Saver Award” and the ResponsibleTravel.com “Award for Best Personal Contribution to Responsible Travel”. The resort’s 35 treehouse-style cabins are tucked away on a hillside on 55 acres near Morne Trois Pitons National Park, one of the 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Caribbean. It was built in accordance with the international sustainable tourism guidelines set by the International Ecotourism Society.

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