Timeshare Trends Blog

Salem, Massachusetts is the perfect place for a Halloween vacation. Salem is one of the most haunted cities in America and is an iconic witch-filled, ghost-filled town. The most haunted spot in Salem is now known as Gallows Hill Park. This is the site where the majority of accused “witches” were hung during the witch hysteria that gripped the town in 1692. Salem has been forced to embrace its tragic past, and today has turned its history of witches into its main industry. Police cars are adorned with witch logos, a local public school is known as the Witchcraft Heights Elementary School, and the Salem High School football team is called the Witches. Salem is definitely a hot spot for Halloween celebrations. From October 1 through November 1 you can join the Halloween festival in everything from parades to psychic fairs to tours of haunted houses.

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Acadia Village Resort has been forced into foreclosure by the city of Ellsworth, Maine. The city has been thrust into the vacation timeshare sales business after the resort developer and timeshare owners have fallen far behind on taxes for dozens of units. Beginning in April, Ellsworth officials began foreclosure sale proceedings on 66 timeshare units with each unit representing one week’s use of the specific property. Because of the way the resort was incorporated, Acadia Village requires city officials to collect one week’s worth of property taxes from the more than 2,000 partial owners. Timeshare owners represent about one-quarter of the city’s 8,000 property tax payers.

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Shell Management Hawaii, Inc. has been named one of the”Best Places to Work” in Hawaii for 2011. The annual event sponsored by ProService Hawaii and published annually by Hawaii Business Magazine honors businesses in its “Best Places To Work In Hawaii” program. Company data is gathered and analyzed by an independent research organization, the Best Companies Group, which conducts similar research in states throughout the nation. Honors will be given at an awards dinner in March.

With 292 employees, Shell Management Hawaii, Inc has been named in the large category. Shell Management Hawaii was ranked first in 2010 and fifth in 2009. Shell Vacation Resorts in Hawaii include the Holua Resort at Muana Loa, Kauai Coast Resort at the Beachboy, Kona Coast Resort, Paniolo Greens, and the Waikiki Marina Resort.

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Timeshare units at this resort in Catskills, New York, face potential liquidation as approved by a bankruptcy court. A bankruptcy judge has ordered the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Nottingham Village Development Corporation to be converted to a Chapter 7 liquidation case. Concerned timeshare holders have already sought the help of the New York Attorney General’s Office in clarifying the situation for shareholders. The Attorney General has recommended that a coalition of shareholders pool their resources for legal counsel in the matter, in the event they were unable to individually afford legal fees. The timeshare setback is the latest blow to Friar Tuck’s financial struggles. In April, the neighboring Friar Tuck Inn was repossessed by Ulster Savings Bank, after the same court dismissed its claim for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

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The Better Business Bureau, one of the country’s best known consumer watchdog groups, is being accused by business owners of running a “pay for play” scheme in which A plus ratings are awarded to those who pay membership fees, and F ratings used to punish those who don’t. To prove the point, a group of Los Angeles business owners paid $425 to the Better Business Bureau and were able to obtain an A minus grade for a non-existent company called Hamas, named after the Middle Eastern terror group. “Right now, this rating system is really unworthy of consumer trust or confidence,” said Connecticut attorney general Richard Blumenthal in an interview that was broadcast as part of an ABC News investigation on 20/20

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The timeshare industry has contributed $69 billion of economic output in the US economy. A recently released economic impact study of the timeshare industry highlights the key economic and fiscal impacts on the U.S. economy in 2009, according to the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Developed in conjunction with Ernst & Young, the report shows that the U.S. timeshare industry generated an estimated $69 billion of economic output with 465,800 full and part-time jobs, more than $22 billion in income and nearly $8.4 billion in total taxes. “The contribution of the timeshare industry on local economies goes beyond the resort footprint,” said Howard Nusbaum, ARDA president and CEO. “In addition to sales and corporate operations, development of new resorts and renovation projects, it also includes the impact of expenditures from vacationers during timeshare stays.”

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Inn season Resorts has now joined RCI’s Global Network of resorts in a new multi-year affiliation relationship that will allow eligible InnSeason owners to become RCI members. Inn Season Resorts are located in Maine with two properties, New Hampshire with two properties, and in Massachusetts with five properties all located on Cape Cod.

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Bluegreen has added the InnSeason Resorts South Mountain to its growing list of timeshare properties. Bluegreen has been contracted to manage the sales, marketing and operations of this well-established property located in Lincoln, New Hampshire.

This is Bluegreen’s first exchange property in New Hampshire. InnSeason Resorts properties include Pollard Brook in New Hampshire; the Falls at Ogunquit and Mountainview both in Maine; and the HarborWalk, Captains Quarters, and Surfside in Massachusetts.

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One of Wyndham Vacation Resorts most anticipated vacation ownership properties will be open soon. The Wyndham National Harbor sits on a 300-acre waterfront community in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on the banks of the Potomac River.

The National Harbor complex will provide an outstanding vista for Wyndham’s second vacation ownership resort in the Washington, DC area. The resort is being built in an 11-story tower building with 250 units, including 42 presidential suites. The opening is planned for late 2009.

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Festiva Resorts adds Maine to its portfolio. Festiva Resorts has acquired the remaining unsold inventory at Rangeley Lake Resort in Rangeley, Maine.

Less than two hours from the Canadian border and about an hour from New Hampshire, Rangeley is a four season destination with various year-round activities both at the resort and nearby including hiking, skiing, snowmobiling, fishing and more.

The Rangeley Lake Resort has approximately 2800 owners and boasts 39 log cabin units; a clubhouse complete with a heated indoor pool, jetted hot tubs and cedar saunas; there’s a 120 foot dock on Rangeley Lake for swimming, boating, fishing and other lake activities. Several famous ski areas are also nearby, including Saddleback and Sugarloaf.

Festiva Resorts was founded in 2000 and now has 24 vacation ownership resorts and four sailing vacation destinations under its moniker.

To view the latest deals on international timeshares for rent or purchase on our web site, click here.

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