Timeshare Trends Blog

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.

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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. .

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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.

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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.

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The Melia Marbella Banus is the newest Sol Melia Vacation Club resort. Located in Costa Del Sol, Spain, the Melia Marbella Banus is surrounded by the best beaches and golf courses in Costa del Sol and is located in the exclusive Puerto Banús area. Just a few miles from the old town of Marbella and less than an hour from the Malaga Airport, the resort offers Sol Meliá Vacation Club members accommodations that include studios for two people, one bedroom suites for up to four people and two bedroom suites for up to six. The Sol Meliá Vacation Club (SMVC) is a leading international vacation membership club with locations in the Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and four member resorts in the Canary Islands.

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The British government has passed new regulations for timeshares and club memberships. The law should provide better protection for consumers in the United Kingdom that is similar to initiatives sweeping across all of Europe in the timeshare industry. The new rules will be implemented in February 2011 and will enforce fair-trading of timeshares in the industry. According to Consumer Minister Edward Davey, “These products are often sold across borders, so it’s only right that we have protections in place for consumers that also cross borders. Knowing these regulations are in place will boost consumer confidence and boost business for legitimate traders. The guidelines should offer benefits for businesses, such as a simplified version of UK’s current legislation and replaces the old Timeshare Act and the regulations affiliated with it. The new regulations are more standardized and provide the necessary information in a more streamlined manner. The new law will also place “holiday clubs” under the same scrutiny as timeshares, and may put an end to underground business activities. The law should give consumers more confidence in the industry and they will be given vital information before they make any deals and will have new rights in dealing with club sales and timeshare resale services.

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Wyndham Exchange and Rentals, a business unit of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies has acquired James Villa Holidays from the private equity fund Vespa Capital, in a deal reportedly worth $77 million. With a portfolio of approximately 2,300 villas, James Villa Holidays is a popular vacation provider in the Mediterranean holiday market offering superior accommodation across more than 50 destinations at affordable prices. With the new acquisition, the scale and scope of Wyndham’s Vacation Rentals further expand to France, Portugal, Spain, Greece, Italy, Malta and Cyprus. The inclusion of James Villa Holidays is also expected to create a strong presence in Mediterranean countries by providing an array of travel alternatives and price ranges through its premier portfolio of acclaimed brands. James Villa Holidays includes more than 50 destinations and approximately 2,300 villas and unique properties across the Mediterranean and Balearic vacation hot spots.

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With the purchase of The Edinburgh Residence, Hapimag, a Swiss timeshare resort owner, has acquired another resort in a region in Great Britain for its members, in addition to current properties in London and the Lake District. The new city residence is located near the center of the Scottish capital and is only a few minutes walk from the main shopping street, Princes Street. In Edinburgh, Hapimag is taking over a property with 29 suites, which are all classically furnished and decorated. In 1996 the residence was converted for use as a holiday residence and since then has been managed in a timeshare system. With the purchase, Hapimag is assuming the operating activities of the city residence and existing contracts with approximately 900 individual timeshare members.

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Interval International has launched Interval Community; an on-line social network designed to provide its 1.8 million members of the Interval Network a platform to share their love of vacation ownership, travel, and social networking. It is live on IntervalWorld.com.

Peninsula Bay Resort is a new resort on Bali. It is also one of the newest Interval International properties and is situated on the Indonesian island of Bali. It is the latest vacation ownership property developed by British entrepreneurs, Roger and Alan Thomas, and is located on the waterfront of Nusa Dua overlooking the golden sand beaches of Benoa Bay. Upon completion, the purpose-built project will feature 65 one and two-bedroom units, all with sea-facing views. The resort is being built using contemporary Balinese architecture and is set within lush tropical gardens to create an eco- friendly atmosphere. The new property is just a five-minute drive from Peninsula Beach Resort, with shuttle service between the two, so that owners are free to enjoy the amenities at both properties. Other planned amenities include an on-site spa, swimming pool, gym, two restaurants, and three bars.

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 The Pestana Promenade is set to establish a new benchmark for vacation ownership resorts in Europe. Located on Madeira, an island off Portugal’s coast, the resort, which is one of the many Pestana Hotels and Resorts, was inaugurated in early 2009 with a mix of 245 hotel units and deluxe apartments and has now beaten all demand records set by previous Pestana resorts. The most striking feature of Pestana’s latest hotel is its prime oceanfront location set in the heart of Funchal’s tourist area offering easy access to the coastal promenade. All units enjoy full panoramic sea views, there’s a themed restaurant, lounge bar, pool bar, health club and relax area.

A dominant feature of the resort is the expansive swimming pool with special water features set in landscaped gardens. The lagoon pool also allows for sunbathing on sunbeds in shallow sections. There’s a state of the art spa facility that includes indoor pool with jet streams, treatment rooms, relax areas, gym, sauna, Jacuzzi and Turkish bath.

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