Timeshare Trends Blog

The Bougainville Parque Hotel is now an RCI exchange member. The hotel is situated at the world’s largest hydrothermal complex in Caldas Novas, Goias, Brazil. Located just five minutes from the heart of Caldas Novas town, the property features 58 spacious and modern apartments fully-furnished with appliances and furniture that compliments the style and atmosphere of the hotel. The amenities of the hotel include two large swimming pools, a pool bar, a natural pool surrounded by bountiful flora and fauna, and a full restaurant offering authentic Brazilian cuisine. The Bougainville Parque Hotel renovated its timeshare units as part of its new affiliation with RCI. Refurbishment included new beds, flooring, and complimentary high-speed internet connections in every room.

The Bougainville Parque Hotel is the newest RCI exchange property in Brazil. It is located in the world's largest hydrothermal complex in Caldas Novas, Goias.

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LaSalle Hotel Properties have expanded by acquiring the Chamberlain West Hollywood Hotel in California. Situated in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, the 113-key all-suite property was purchased for $38.5 million. The hotel’s neighborhood offers upscale shopping, dining, and vibrant nightlife. Originally constructed in 1970, the building used to be an apartment property, which was converted into an all-suite hotel that opened in 2005 as the Chamberlain West Hollywood. The hotel recently underwent a meticulous $4.5 million renovation that included a refurbishment of the rooms, bathrooms, rooftop, corridors, lobby, and the pool area. In addition to 113 luxury suites, each with a private balcony and a gad-log fireplace, the Bistro at Chamberlain, the hotel’s restaurant, offers seating for 52 guests and presents mouthwatering American and California cuisine. Other amenities include a business center and a heated rooftop pool.

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The Mision del Sol Resort and Spa has been added to the RCI exchange network of resorts. Located in Morelos, Mexico, this affiliation represents a significant milestone in that RCI members will have the opportunity to visit the first ecological paradise in the area of Cuernavaca. The Mision del Sol Resort offers visitors an extraordinary and modern concept in tourism. In one with nature, the property is a green resort built with recyclable materials. Surrounded by flora and fauna and magnificent landscapes, the resort features 40 spacious apartments in one or two-bedroom choices, a paddle ball court, two tennis courts, and a fully equipped fitness center. The resort also offers a Jacuzzi, traditional Temascal steam bath with aroma and music therapy, indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a sauna space. Moreover, Mision del Sol also offers relaxing mental sessions such as meditation, yoga, Thai Chi, and lectures on spiritual and mental health extensive water park, which is equipped with waterslides and free-fall kamikaze.

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The Weybridge Collection has selected FractionalExchange.com for the vacation exchange requirements of its owners. Headquartered in Chicago, the Weybridge Collection is a unique assortment of residences located in destinations throughout the world. It presently includes five properties in Italy, New Mexico, Colorado, and Mexico. Each one is viewed as a work of art and is available for exchange in two-week increments. The emphasis of Weybridge is to provide a second home experience in locations that have a strong cultural component including art, music, food and wine. The latest property is the Fondo Le Teglie, in the Italian countryside in Umbria. Other properties include Casa Las Artes in Santa Fe and a condominium at the Residences at Snowmass Club in Snowmass Village Colorado.

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Disney Vacation Club is imposing new restrictions on buyers who purchase their timeshares from existing owners rather than directly from Disney. Disney Vacation Club, which sells points that can be redeemed for stays in various accommodations, said it will no longer allow owners who acquire their points via resales to redeem them for nights in conventional hotel rooms at the company’s five theme park resorts worldwide, voyages aboard its cruise ships or vacations through its guided tour operation. Such owners will only be allowed to use their points only for stays in one of its eleven timeshare properties or in third party hotels available through exchange operator RCI.

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The most recent timeshare statistics as compiled and provided by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) indicate that there are 1,548 vacation ownership properties in the USA. Seven percent of all households own more than 7.2 million intervals with the average cost of a timeshare interval being $20,468. The majority of timeshares owned are points based systems. Resort occupancy stands at 79.7% and nine out of every ten timeshare owners are current on their timeshare loans and maintenance fees.

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Located in Camp Sherman, Oregon, Lake Creek Lodge provides newly built cabins, each with two to three bedrooms. The Lodge sprawls over 40 acres around the banks of Lake Creek and is located within the perimeters of the Metolius River. According to Paul Nabor, director of sales at FractionalExchange.com, “Lake Creek Lodge provides access to all the best outdoor experiences Central Oregon has to offer. Whether fly fishing, hiking, biking or wildlife watching in the summer, to accessing the ski resorts, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in the winter, the lodge provides year-round access to all the activities a family could want. We are thrilled to add this exceptional property to our network. We welcome its owners to our program, and are confident our existing members will relish having access to this beautiful exchange opportunity.” FractionalExchange.com originated in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, when several resort owners were looking for a way to be able to easily communicate with other vacation property owners. As a result of this need, an online bulletin board was created, allowing owners to message each other. FractionalExchange.com was then created to provide a medium through which owners of all vacation properties can communicate. It gives owners the opportunity to visit any location, without any limits on destinations.

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According to the Orlando Sentinel, the top business story in Orlando in 2010 was the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando, which opened in June. As the top business story, Harry Potter was Orlando’s economic salve boosting Universal’s attendance by 37 percent and it put heads in hotel beds for miles around, which had the added benefit of increasing local tourist tax collections by double-digit percentages. Harry Potter also gave Disney World some heartburn because its summer attendance remained flat and in some reports attendance was reported to be down by almost 6 percent. People flocked to town presumably under Harry’s spell.

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Wyndham Vacation Resorts has re-opened the Wyndham Nashville after a $10 million rehabilitation. In early May, the region was struck by a large flood that ruined many homes, establishments, and hotel properties. Wyndham Nashville was one of the unlucky properties to survive the massive flood, albeit with substantial damages to its landscaping and lower-lying buildings. After over four months, the property is back in top shape and welcoming Wyndham timeshare owners. Conveniently situated near the legendary Grand Ole Opry and the huge Opry Mills outlet mall, Wyndham Nashville features a large indoor swimming pool, two outdoor pools and spa, and a fully-equipped fitness center. All amenities of the property were part of the reconstruction plan that started on May 6. Aside from rebuilding its own property, Wyndham also helped the Tennessee community by donating $25,000 in flood relief to the Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee.

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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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