Having acquired a stunning location in south-west Turkey for its 2^nd Turkish resort, Club La Costa is creating a flagship property by giving it the ‘California’ branding, the hallmark of its top quality resorts in Spain.

Named Kusadasi Village, the resort, atop a treed hill with sweeping views across national park land to the shoreline and the Greek island of Samos, is Club La Costa’s first to feature an 18-hole golf course; the course is also the first for the popular tourist destination of Kusadasi.

The rest of this article is for registered users only.
Login now or Register Free Here for full access to all articles, groups and forums.

Two key appointments by Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels (CLC) signal a strategic shift by the company to launch a mainstream holiday business focusing on rentals.

High profile travel industry figure Richard Carrick has a consulting role, he has been advising the company in a non-executive capacity since the end of 2010 and was active in bringing on board Martin Andrew, a former colleague at both Airtours and Going Places.

The rest of this article is for registered users only.
Login now or Register Free Here for full access to all articles, groups and forums.

Television Programming Helps Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Lead the Resale Market

Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, Europe’s leading timeshare resale company, is blazing a trail for televising programs about timeshare. First, the company partnered with TATOC, the Timeshare Association, to broadcast a 30-minute informational program that aired on the Travel Channel. Now, Worldwide  Timeshare Hypermarket is creating 60-minute programs that focus on the offerings from particular timeshare resort developers. First up: Macdonald Resorts.

This past November, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket joined together with TATOC, the Timeshare Association, to launch their first television broadcast, “Timeshare – History in the Making” – a 30-minute program explaining all the benefits associated with owning a timeshare – which has aired multiple times on both the Travel Deals Direct channel (Sky 647) and the Travel Channel. The program also is available to view on demand at www.traveldealsdirect.com.

“Timeshare – History in the Making” is split into several sections covering all aspects of timesharing and is interspersed with footage of typical timeshare resorts located on the Costa del Sol (Club La Costa, Marina del Sol), Cyprus (Paradise Kings Club) and Scotland (Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Forest Hills).

Here’s an excerpt from the segment on Macdonald Forest Hills: “Forest Hills lochside resort is beautifully set in landscaped gardens and woodland on the shores of Loch Ard, ideal for exploring the magnificent Trossachs, Scotland’s first national park.” While any brochure or website can relay flowery prose and descriptive words, there is no substitute for the complementary video footage of Forest Hills and environs that accompanies them.

The broadcast also explains how exchange programs and memberships work, detailing the concepts of banking, trading and even bonus weeks and cruise exchange.

The presentation is the result of a combined effort between Philip Watson, managing director of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket and Harry Taylor, the CEO for TATOC. Throughout the half-hour, Taylor offers his insight on things such as management fees and the beauty of being able to exchange worldwide. He also shares his experiences as a timeshare owner. What’s more, Taylor explains the basic premise of timeshare so that even someone without any timesharing experience can understand.  The idea behind the show is to educate people about timesharing in the comfort of their own homes.

This special program was the first of what is to be many, says Watson. And now, he says, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is introducing longer programming, announced in December 2009 at The FORUM event in London, with Macdonald Hotels & Resorts as the first client to participate. Rather than focus on just one Macdonald property, the show will be much broader. “We will create either two half-hour programs or an hour-long program that will promote Macdonald in total,” explains Watson, “so you would have all their hotels, their resorts and their rental program – and maybe even a fly-buy program in there – so that you’re concentrating on one group of resorts” and all that they have to offer.

Of course, by the time you read this, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket may have already finalized additional deals to create further 60-minute television specials. “We’re also discussing the possibility of creating such an hour-long program with Club La Costa and one or two other major groups,” Watson says, noting that another program launch is likely for March.

Key to all this is Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s relationship with television outlets; while any decent marketing agency could create a video, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s agreement with the appropriate channels and networks turns a video into an actual television program. “We’ve increased the sponsorship contract with the Travel Channel for a further year,” says Watson. “We’re in discussions with Sky Travel at the moment to do exactly the same thing, but I can’t say any more than that at present.”

The Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket Difference
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is proud to be one of the market leaders in secondary timeshare resales, providing to both buyers and sellers a very safe and professional service. With Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s parent company being a developer, they have found from experience that among some of the main reasons why people do not buy timeshare direct from the developer is either the product is too highly priced for them, or they do not like the sales tactics/environment used.

Therefore when it came to resales, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket take a step back and allow both the buyer and the seller to approach them, which leaves buyers and sellers feeling relaxed and in control. Under no circumstances does Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket cold call, so the client never feels under pressure from the staff at any time.

Instead, the company advertises extensively on international and national television and in the press, which means the client first has to call if they wish to either purchase or sell a timeshare. Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is then able to offer a full service for clients from beginning to end. The company advertises sellers’ weeks in the press as well as on their website; once a buyer is found, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket completes the transfer on the seller’s behalf, taking all the hassle out of having to sell privately.

For the purchaser, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket determines which product would suit their requirements and budget – and again, the company conducts a full transfer service where all the client needs to do is sit back, relax and when they become the legal owner enjoy their timeshare along with the family.

All monies are held in trust by Resort Fiduciary Services until the transfer is complete so the client knows they can relax happy with the knowledge that their money is safe until they become seen as the legal owner. Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket does not take deposits and allows a full 14-day cooling off period; should the potential client be unable to afford the cost up front, Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is able to assist them with membership to WorldWide Plus, which is a club card allowing them to purchase with 6 months interest free and nothing to pay for 6 months.

Afterwards they can use this card on a similar basis to purchase further Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket products if they wish. This club card is supplied by H.M.C Funding and Barclay Partner Finance – Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket was the first European timeshare company to be offered this product.

Being a member of RDO (Resort Development Organization, which formerly was OTE/Organisation for Timeshare in Europe) is integral to Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s beliefs and methods of working. RDO has provided a solid framework upon which Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket has built a  professional and efficient procedure in assisting their customers, be they buyers or sellers, and this provides those customers with the confidence that they deserve when they are dealing with a reputable and trustworthy organization.

Macdonald Hotels & Resorts is the first shared-ownership developer to take advantage of Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket's 60-minute TV programming offer

RDO not only ensures that its member companies are operating correctly, but it also works tirelessly to promote the image of timeshare throughout Europe. In this regard Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket shares a common purpose and they are extremely proud of their involvement with RDO. They are also proud to add to the company’s close association with TATOC, whom they support and assist in every way that they can.

Future Collaborations
“I think it is absolutely vital that resale companies and developers have a good working relationship and provide a good level of service for their customers, both old and new,” Watson says. “This is one of the key reasons why I am always looking at ways to improve the developer’s understanding of who we are and how we operate.” In addition to the television programming, Watson says that another result of this has been Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket’s “Indulgence” trial membership package, which allows the company to tap into the large market of new-to-timeshare customers while providing good quality leads to their partner developers.

“Other than this mutually beneficial relationship, it is key that we work closely with both the developers and trustees when we are processing a transfer of ownership and the flow of information between all parties involved and a speedy and efficient process serves to enhance our reputation and that of the resort,” notes Watson.

“We also offer wholesale purchases for developers and marketers; in some instances certain resorts have the ability, through using our stock, to sell additional exchange member resort week(s) to exchange members when they exchange onto their resorts, which works very well,” he says. “We can also come to arrangements with developer resorts that take in exchange weeks through their sales teams whereby we can take these weeks off their hands.”

For more information about creating a television program about your resort(s) or otherwise working with Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, call +44 870 443 1466 or visit www.timeshare-hypermarket.com.

About Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket is a highly professional company with an excellent reputation for customer care. We have been trading in timeshare resales for more than 12 years and currently have the largest database of timeshare weeks available, plus a long waiting list of buyers who are eager for specific weeks when they become available.

Our European Headquarters are located in Bournemouth, Dorset in the United Kingdom, so we conduct our business strictly in line with the Timeshare Act of 1992. We specialize in matching buyers to sellers and handle over 1000 such transactions each and every week, so when you are dealing with us, you can rest assured that you are dealing with the best in the business.

When buying through Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket, you can be sure that you are in safe hands, with full protection provided. Your monies are deposited in an escrow account, administered by Resort Fiduciary Services Ltd. This means that no funds will be released until title has been transferred to the purchaser’s name, ensuring both parties to the agreement of sale are fully protected at all times.

We are full members of Resort Development Organisation (RDO), the governing body for timeshare in Europe. This association allows us to offer a safe and professional service to all our clients, ensuring that all legal obligations are adhered to every step of the way.

We are also Platinum Affiliates with TATOC the Timeshare Owners Association that is run on behalf of Timeshare owners by Timeshare owners.

Brand New ‘Timeshare – History in the Making’ Explains Benefits, Showcases Resorts

TATOC, the Timeshare Association, and Worldwide Leisure Group have joined together to launch “Timeshare – History in the Making” – a 30-minute programme explaining all the benefits associated with owning a timeshare – which will début tomorrow on the Travel Deals Direct channel (Sky 647) and air on the Travel Channel (Sky 251) subsequently.

The Travel Channel will first air the program at 9am on 7th November and then Travel Deals Direct, a shopping channel and sister station of digital television’s Travel Channel, will broadcast the special at 1.30pm on Saturday afternoon. It will be repeated throughout November on both channels, as well as being available to view on demand at www.traveldealsdirect.com.

The programme is split into several sections covering all aspects of timesharing and is interspersed with footage of typical timeshare resorts located on the Costa del Sol (Club La Costa, Marina del Sol), Cyprus (Paradise Kings Club) and Scotland (Macdonald Hotels & Resorts, Forest Hills). The broadcast also explains how exchange programmes work.

The presentation is the result of a combined effort between Harry Taylor, the CEO for TATOC, and Philip Watson of Worldwide Leisure Group. Throughout the half-hour Harry offers his insight on things such as management fees and the beauty of being able to exchange worldwide. He also shares his experiences as a timeshare owner. The idea behind the show is to educate people about timesharing in the comfort of their own homes.

This special programme is intended to be the first of many; other established developers, such as Devere Hotels & Resorts, are already showing interest in being part of future programming.

For more information on joining this initiative contact:
Phil Watson ~ Managing Director
Worldwide Timeshare Hypermarket
Tel: +44 (0)871 781 6 781
Mob: +44 (0)7770 498349
Email: philw@wwlg.co.uk

There are over 1.5 million timeshare owners in Europe and the vast majority *(87%) are happy with their holidays, with almost three quarters thinking that their timeshare accommodation is better than other self-catering holidays they have taken, with quality of accommodation the most important consideration for owners.

This is according to a comprehensive study into timeshare carried out by The Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute at the Nottingham University Business School on behalf of RDO (Resort Development Organisation), formerly known as OTE. The study looked into the industry in detail, analysing what its economic impact is, what owners think of their timeshare and what the industry’s reach is, over 40 years since it was first conceived of in the French Alps.

The results paint a picture of a thriving industry which makes a positive impact on local economies all over Europe. The Timeshare industry generates €3.2 billion of expenditure each year and employs nearly 70,000 people. Occupancy rates are high throughout the year (72%) in Europe’s 1,312 resorts – that’s 67 million bed nights – with owners spending an average of €1,588 per trip on goods and services in the local area: from restaurants, car rental and groceries to souvenirs and clothes.

It is also a form of holiday property ownership for the masses with the average owner’s household income (pre-tax) standing at €60,475; and for people in their mid-life, with the average owner coming in at 55.  The British and the Irish are the biggest timeshare fans, followed by the Germans, Italians, Spanish and French. Spain is the most popular destination with 26% of resorts, followed by Italy (15%) and the UK and Ireland (11%). It’s not all about jetting off though, one third of owners purchase a timeshare in their own country – which shows many want to be able to get to their resort easily.

“Timeshare is a concept that has truly come of age with many thousands of happy owners across Europe”, said RDO Chairman Richard McIntosh. “The quality of timeshare resorts is high which is why many owners see it as superior to other self catering holidays. With exchange options available, owners also enjoy the flexibility of being able to try out resorts across Europe and the rest of the world.”

“This report also highlights the positive impact that timeshare has on local economies. Timeshare is a year round industry with owners as likely to visit in the winter months as the summer, spending money in the local community and providing jobs where they otherwise might not exist”, concluded McIntosh.

Professor Chris Cooper, Director, Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute commented: “This report is essential reading for all involved in the timeshare business, not only does it provide a detailed profile of timeshare owners, but it also examines their future intentions and preferences in the timeshare market place”.

More about RDO
RDO (Resort Development Organisation) is the trade body dedicated to excellence and fair trading in the European vacation ownership industry, whilst promoting and fostering industry growth. As such, it serves its members through public relations, legislative lobbying, research and member and consumer relations management.

Resort Development Organisation AISBL, formerly Organisation for Timeshare in Europe AISBL is an international non profit making association registered in Brussels with company number 0457.984.213.  Its registered office is at Oak House, Cours St Michel 100/3, 1040 Brussels, Belgium

The Christel DeHaan Tourism and Travel Research Institute (TTRI)
TTRI is located in the Business School in the University of Nottingham. The University of Nottingham is one of the UK’s leading universities, a member of the Russell Group of universities and one of the top four universities earning research funding from private industry and commerce. The Business School has been rated as one of the leading research schools in the 2008 UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise

Previous results
*When asked in 2006 whether they were pleased with their decision to buy timeshare 75% of UK owners agreed.

Case Studies – the following ‘excerpts’ represent major developers in some of the key timeshare markets – UK, Portugal and Spain (including the Canaries).

Anfi Group
Anfi Group resorts are located in two main areas of Gran Canaria: Anfi Arguineguín with 4 resorts (Anfi Beach, Puerto Anfi, Monte Anfi and Gran Anfi) and Anfi Tauro (Anfi Emerald).

With occupancy levels in excess of 85% across its luxurious 988 apartments, with the highest rates in October, November, February and March, Anfi’s 1,000 staff service in excess of 30,000 members.

The resorts located in Arguineguín attract many additional visitors through their beach and marina, boosting sales in local shops and restaurants. Tauro Valley which has several golf courses, also brings in many extra visitors to the region, supporting the local economy.

Clowance Estate & Country Club – part of Seasons Holidays Group.
Clowance Estate and Country Club in Cornwall employs over 150 staff in part and full time positions for its 108 unit resort. Clowance has an occupancy rate of 93% – 95% with half its owners on fixed weeks with the rest of the occupants made up of Seasons’ multi destination network. Clowance creates year-round jobs in the resort and indirectly creates jobs in the tourism industry in the local area.  Local shops and restaurants are supported by the resort’s customers all year round, as well as nearby tourist attractions such as the Eden Project.

Club La Costa
Club la Costa employs approximately 1,100 people on the Costa del Sol with an average occupancy rate of 85.2% across its 800 units and has 50,000 owners.

Club la Costa is one of the largest employers on the Spanish coast and the majority of staff come from the local community. It also has a policy of trading with local business people wherever possible.

Gran Anfi Club – part of the Anfi Group
TBC

Hilton Craigendarroch
The Hilton Craigendarroch resort in Royal Deeside is part of the Hilton hotels group. It is a resort of 99 timeshare units and a 45 bedroom hotel. The timeshare units run at 96% occupancy year round and have over 3,800 owners. The resort employs 35 full time and 80 part time staff in addition to 90 people in the hotel. The resort has a big impact on the local community with local restaurants now open all year round. Prior to the opening of the resort there were only two restaurants in the town and now, in part thanks to the resort, there are nine. Guests at the resort support many local traders, including visitor focussed businesses such as galleries and bike hire shops.

Petchey Leisure
Petchey Leisure, one of Europe’s leading leisure groups, has 3 resorts in the Algarve, Portugal, and a total of 850 apartments.  With around 10,000 timeshare owners and excellent year-round occupancy levels, the resorts provide direct employment opportunities to the local community, hiring around 300 staff.  Local businesses, including shops, restaurants, bars and attractions benefit from the money spent by the resorts’ customers. 

Resort Properties
Resort Properties built, sold out and operate 4 prestigious resorts in Europe. The combined Sales, Marketing and Management Team consist of approximately 950 personnel. There are over 1,000 units with an occupancy level of 88%, and a worldwide ownerbase of over 40,000 families.

The resorts are maintained by its Management Company, XL Hotels & Resorts, who employ approximately 600 personnel across their sites.