Lessons from Case Studies Can Benefit Legal, Finance and Marketing Professionals By Paul Stewart Paul Stewart is a director of indirect tax services at KPMG in the UK and has been involved in advising on VAT in the vacation ownership sector for over 16 years. In such a colourful... [Read More...]

Everyone says the economy is improving and that things are getting better. But what about the timeshare market? For an industry so dependent on consumer lending, the most important issues aren’t simply when travel will pick up and how much consumers are spending – it’s... [Read More...]

John Spence, the entrepreneurial chairman and owner of Karma Royal Group, celebrates 25 years in the industry this year. Spence’s career spans a humble beginning to a 17-resort group with no debt today, and Paul Mattimoe reviews those 25 years. Paul Mattimoe: 25 years, 17... [Read More...]

Attendees from across Europe and around the world converge in London to attend the first FORUM Conference, which served as 2009’s main event for the European shared-ownership industry. By Matt McDaniel, editor 2009 was bad enough. And in a year without a conference held by... [Read More...]

Some startling statistics suggest you just might By William J. Brown Since being launched on June 29, 2007, Apple Inc.’s iPhone has continued to drive radical innovation and upheaval within the global wireless telecommunications industry. Now in it’s third-iteration (with... [Read More...]

Bert Hurstfield left Original Resorts to focus his time and energy on growing the H10 Premium vacation club in the Caribbean. American-born Bert Hurstfield grew up in Vancouver, Canada. But he relocated to Mexico in 1995, and today he calls Cancun, Mexico home. From his base... [Read More...]

George Sell explains how Turkey’s attractions and natural beauty put it in a strong position to go beyond a traditional reliance on domestic business and fully exploit the international vacation ownership market. Turkey has all the ingredients – including history, culture... [Read More...]

With practically every component of the recent economic downturn – lower consumer spending, tighter credit markets, depressed real estate values – having a negative impact on the vacation ownership industry, it’s no surprise that sales fell off in 2008 after years of rapid... [Read More...]

With increased consumer interest and more and more exciting products coming on line, 2009 has been the year of the fractional. However, writes Sarah Lee, in developing the perfect product there’s much fractional developers can learn from timeshare. Many fractional developers... [Read More...]

Previously, when people in the shared-ownership industry talked about upscale timeshare developments, Orlando didn’t always come to mind. Sure, there were nice resorts with roomy, fully appointed villas – but not high-end resorts with impressively appointed units. By Matt... [Read More...]

by Marge Lennon In considering the status of your resort property, do any of these design challenges sound familiar? • Your resort or hotel rooms are “tired” or “dated” and in need of a total renovation. • Your budget can cover only a small portion of what is actually... [Read More...]

In today’s economy with companies decreasing the human touch and replacing it with the bottom line, the Westgate Resorts Foundation continues to be a conscience for Americans. With so many people suffering on all different levels from major catastrophes to being downsized to... [Read More...]

by Campbell Jefferys Brent Handler In just a few short years, Exclusive Resorts has gone from an idea born on a Hawaiian beach to being the world’s premier vacation club, now with over 3,400 members. Over 400 luxury vacation residences are available in prime locations around... [Read More...]

Since it was launched nine years ago by industry expert Keith Trowbridge, Executive Quest’s Annual Salary Survey has become the yardstick for the timeshare, holiday and fractional ownership industries. Out now, the 2009 results make for interesting reading… Compiled from... [Read More...]

The world’s largest vacation exchange company continues legacy of innovation and leadership; shares key findings with its affiliates and business partners Global vacation ownership leader Group RCI, which is celebrating 35 years in the industry, has commissioned an in-depth... [Read More...]

Palace Vacation Club, one of Asia’s most innovation brands in the vacation ownership industry, recently announced a multi-year affiliation with RCI that makes RCI the exclusive third-party exchange provider for Palace Vacation Club. Palace Vacation Club was designed to provide... [Read More...]

Recognition for star employees at Timeshare Industry’s “Night of Stars” The Timeshare Industry held its 18th Annual National Industry Awards last night, at a gala function to recognise its star employees and Accor Vacation Club was a stellar performer, taking four of the... [Read More...]

The industry has just seen the launch of one of the most unusual timeshare properties yet – Venice on Water. This operation is based around a small fleet of custom-built luxury Houseboats that will be moored in a strategic and central location within very close proximity of... [Read More...]

For as long as I can recall, C.A.R.E. members have expressed a desire for a bulletin board to communicate availability among its member companies. Now that C.A.R.E. is made up of over 160 member companies the concept of a having a bulletin board is finally becoming a reality. Mike... [Read More...]

A Profile on Tianlun Vacation Development Co. Ltd Tianlun Vacation Development Co. Ltd was registered in the State Administration of Industry and Commerce in Sep. 2000 and is the first timeshare / vacation ownership company which is authorized to operate nationwide in China. In... [Read More...]