Timeshare Trends Blog

FRAUD ALERT

WE HAVE BEEN ALERTED TO A NEW FRAUD BEING PERPETRATED ON OUR CUSTOMERS.

COMPANIES ARE CALLING OUR CUSTOMERS AND ADVISING THEM THAT THEY WORK WITH TIMESHARES BY OWNER® AND THAT THEY HAVE A BUYER. THEY FURTHER STATE YOUR LISTING PRICE, THAT THEY ARE A FINANCE COMPANY, AND THAT THE BUYER HAS ALREADY DEPOSITED 20% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE. THEY REQUIRE THE PAYMENT OF A FEE FOR CLOSING AND FINANCE CHARGES.

THIS IS A FRAUD THAT IS BEING CONDUCTED WITHOUT OUR AUTHORIZATION. WE DO NOT WORK WITH ANY OTHER COMPANY TO SELL YOUR TIMESHARE. IF THE COMMUNICATIONS DOES NOT COME FROM US, IT IS FRAUDULENT.

IF YOU RECEIVE THIS CALL, PLEASE CALL BECKY GOMEZ OF TIMESHARES BY OWNER® IMMEDIATELY TO REPORT IT AT 888-707-8463.

THANK YOU FROM THE STAFF OF TIMESHARES BY OWNER

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The Grand Pacific Resorts will not increase the maintenance fees in the 2009-10 fiscal year. This California resort property located in Carlsbad is leading the charge in recommending to its homeowners board that there will be no increase in fees.

The decision to have no increase in maintenance fees came about after a careful analysis of operations and an implemented cost cutting on all fronts. In most years this would not be a newsworthy item, but many timeshare resorts this past year are facing serious criticism over huge increases in maintenance fees, especially in such economically difficult times.

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Grand Lodges in Oregon has now been added to the Interval International exchange network of resorts. Tucked into Oregon’s Cascade Mountain range and a few miles from Mt. Hood, this new fractional resort offers four seasons of recreation, including year-round downhill and cross-country skiing. The central location of Grand Lodges adjacent to three ski areas is ideal for upscale clients, who have the opportunity to visit a high-quality ski-in/ski-out resort.

Owners of 1/16 shares at Grand Lodges can catch the Porch-to-Powder shuttle to the Mt. Hood Skibowl, Timberline Lodge, and Collins Lake Resort and ski back from Timberline via the glade trail to within steps of their front doors. A proposed aerial tramway connecting the three ski areas promises to further expand ski-in options. With panoramic views of Multorpor Mountain, Mt. Hood Skibowl, and Collins Lake, 16 open-plan units are designed for a cosmopolitan market.

Three floor plans ranging from 1,800 to 2,300 square feet offer owners and guests three bedrooms, a gourmet kitchen, and a private balcony off the living room and master bedroom. In most units, Brazilian cherry hardwood floors and Cascadian stone fireplaces lend to an ambiance of rustic elegance.

Situated in the slope side village of Government Camp, the resort also offers visitors easy access to the surrounding Mr. Hood National Forest, with more than 1,200 miles of hiking and biking trails, as well as world-class rafting, fishing, canoeing and kayaking. Further reinforcing the value of ownership, new purchasers will be enrolled as individual members of Interval International, as well as Interval Gold, its upgraded membership program.

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The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas in Colorado is now part of the Interval International vacation exchange network. The Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas is the newest Starwood resort. Starwood Vacation Network has been affiliated with Interval International since 2000 and has 21 resorts in its collection.

The resort is nestled at the base of Beaver Creek Mountain and showcases dramatic views of the surrounding Rocky Mountain landscape through each of the units expansive floor-to-ceiling windows. The spacious 34 two-bedroom villas also feature natural stone fireplaces, large closets, a balcony, a full kitchen, and table seating for six. Other Westin brand signature products and services found in all the villas include the trademarked Heavenly Bed, Heavenly Bath, marble bathrooms, individual climate control, flat screen televisions and Internet access.

The resort is part of the Riverfront Village, which is situated in the Vail Valley on a private 19-acre site fronting the Eagle River. Its gondola provides access to all of Beaver Creek Mountain, Bachelor Gulch, Arrowhead, and the McCoy Park snowshoe and ski tracks. Outdoor offerings also include kayaking or rafting down the Eagle River, as well as hiking and biking along well-paved trails.

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One of Westgate Resort’s most anticipated vacation ownership properties will be open soon. The Planet Hollywood by Westgate in Las Vegas is putting the finishing touches on this much-ballyhooed project and plans to begin hiring workers soon.

In preparation for the new Westgate Tower opening, the Planet Hollywood held a job fair on July 30. Their plans call for hiring between 600 to 800 workers. Planet Hollywood President, Bill Feather, has said that the hiring for all positions will begin in November.

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Consolidated Resorts is a Las Vegas based timeshare operator and runs 14 properties that include the Tahiti Village, Tahiti and Club de Soleil timeshares in Las Vegas; as well as timeshare operations in Hawaii and Florida. The sales and marketing operations have at least temporarily closed, but the resorts have remained open for use by timeshare owners. According to a spokesman for Consolidated Resorts, the bankruptcy filing has nothing to do with the timeshare owners, and the owners are in fine shape.

Consolidated Resorts has 5,000 to 10,000 creditors, apparently including many timeshare owners as well as trade creditors and individuals and other parties involved in litigation with Consolidated. Consolidated Resorts listed assets of $50 million to $100 million and liabilities of $100 million to $500 million.

While the company has not spelled out any further financial details in their filings, a lack of financing for timeshare buyers and dwindling inventory contributed to the filings, a source involved in the case said. The filing has curtailed expansion of the Tahiti Village, once known as the fastest selling timeshare in the country.

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Marriott’s Shadow Ridge resort in Palm Desert, California, has completed phase 7 of a 14-phase development plan. Phase 7 construction at the timeshare resort included two buildings and 73 two-bedroom Marriott timeshare villas. Currently, 19 buildings have been completed, housing 523 timeshare villas of the planned 972 timeshare villas. Phase I development of this California timeshare property began in 1999, when a timeshare sales office and maintenance facility were started.

Today the property includes a clubhouse, restaurant, spa, registration center, 2000 square foot pool with bar, grill and children’s beach, along with the timeshare units. The golf amenities are considered outstanding and include a golf pro shop with swing studio, lockers, club fitting, and golf admin center, which adds to the pleasure of play and practice at the on site Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Golf Club and the Faldo Golf Institute by Marriott. Phase 8 at the 300-acre resort is scheduled to begin in 2010

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The Ritz-Carlton Highlands Lake Tahoe has recently announced that the northern California resort will open its doors to guests on December 9, in time for the upcoming ski season. The $300 million resort development broke ground nearly three years ago, and has been on schedule to open in late 2009. The property is the first new resort development in the Lake Tahoe area in decades and will introduce its legendary service to the area. It may become California’s premier mountain retreat and is situated mid-mountain in the Northstar-at-Tahoe ski area.

Guest services will feature a concierge with ski-in, ski-out access in winter, as well as easy access to mountain biking and hiking in the spring, summer and fall. An inter-mountain gondola will connect guests between the nearby Village-at-Northstar and the resort. Perched slope-side within a 15-minute drive of both Lake Tahoe and the historic town of Truckee, the year-round destination resort includes 170 guestrooms, 23 private Ritz-Carlton residences and 25 Ritz-Carlton Destination Club fractional ownership residences.

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The Salmon Falls Resort in Ketchikan has recently opened and is only Alaska’s second RCI resort property. The resort features 20 units and offers an array of exciting tours and fishing excursions to help ensure that visitors get the adventure vacation they may be expecting in Alaska. For the fishermen, the resort gives guided Halibut, Salmon and freshwater fishing trips. Other adventure tours include bear watching along the waterways of the Tongass National Forest, glacier viewing near the Canadian border, and sightseeing at the Misty Fjord National Monument.

The main hotel building is constructed of rustic Montana Pine and offers guests the feeling of the wilderness with all of the creature comforts. The large and comfortable rooms found in all units have wireless internet services and private baths.

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The Gull Lake Residence Club in Nisswa and the Causeway on Gull have been added to the Point To Point Destinations list of resort properties. Both resorts are only a brief drive from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.

Gull Lake Residence Club brings complete luxury to Point to Point with large well-appointed townhomes. It is a fractional ownership development with all the amenities of a “five-star” resort. The resort has a complete marina that houses your own personal boat slip, as well as indoor and outdoor pools and beautiful walking trails.

Causeway on Gull is a complete timeshare property with amenities that include swimming pool, hot tub, sauna, fireplace, fully equipped kitchen, laundry and more. The Minnesota properties are part of the 39 properties in the Point to Point Destinations group of resorts.

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