The Timeshare Credit Crunch Saga: Part I December 5, 2008
Posted by Bryan Connelly in : ARDA, General, News & Events, RCI, Timeshare Rental, Timeshare Resale, Timeshare Resource, Travel, Uncategorized, Westgate Timeshares , add a commentThe credit crunch has not yet gone away. At BuyATimeshare.com we are seeing an increase in timeshare sales. Since the beginning of 2008, we have not seen a drop in people looking to rent and buy affordable vacation properties. With many others trying to pare leisure expenses, many owners are looking to sell their timeshares ‘today!’
In the meantime, big-brand resort developers are paring costs in the midst of a devastating collapse of the credit market that has all but paralyzed their sales activity. Companies like Central Florida Investments Inc. were forced to close its Westgate Houston Preview Gallery and has laid off all of its 106 employees. This is in conjunction over 3,000 jobs cut by Westgate. The gallery was one of many that offered a full-size model with a living room and kitchen, styled after Central Florida Investments’ timeshare properties.
The Houston location, which opened in 2004, was the first offsite sales center for Orlando-based Central Florida Investments. The company owns Westgate Resorts, which operated the preview gallery. According to documents filed with the Texas Workforce Commission, Central Florida Investments chose to close the Houston location late last month, siting similar reasons to what we have been hearing all year. “…Westgate has been unable to access its regular and customary borrowing sources and, as a result, does not presently have the cash flow to support its operations in their current form without these staff reductions.â€
Disney Goes RCI, Timeshare Exchange For All! December 3, 2008
Posted by Bryan Connelly in : ARDA, Disney, General, New Features, News & Events, RCI, Timeshare Rental, Timeshare Resale, Timeshare Resource, Travel, Uncategorized, Wyndham Timeshares , add a commentIn an effort to keep our readers and clients informed about their timeshare properties we feel members of RCI and Disney Vacation Club (DVC) would like to know the two conglomerates are joining forces to create the ultimate in vacation services. Disney Vacation Club, a vacation ownership program that helps families with flexibility and savings on vacations, has announced a new multi-year affiliation with Group RCI. This new agreement will allow subscribing members to gain access to several vacation opportunities.
Effective January 1, 2009, RCI will become the third-party exchange provider for DVC, enrolling its more than 135,000 member families into RCI’s global exchange network. If, in 2009 you cannot get to your Disney timeshare, you will be able to exchange through RCI and go practically anywhere in the world!
DVC members will be able to take vacations at a variety of destinations across 6 continents and 25 countries. They will have access to more all-inclusive options, as well as more nightly exchanges, and a selection of high-end fractional properties to choose from. RCI’s members will be able to enjoy the opportunity of exchange into DVC resorts and may rent at Disney resorts throughout the year.
Jim Lewis, DVC President, explains the vast potential of such an affiliation, “Group RCI has the management depth, technology resources and global marketing infrastructure to align with Disney Vacation Club’s strategic growth plan… This relationship will provide our member families with the most diverse experience possible beyond our signature Disney Vacation Club.â€
BuyATimeshare.com Goes Green for Timeshare Resale December 2, 2008
Posted by Bryan Connelly in : ARDA, General, New Features, News & Events, Timeshare Resource, Uncategorized , add a commentBecoming the world leader in the timeshare resale industry has been our focus for close to a decade. As a company we are concerned primarily with finding better ways to help people buy, rent, and sell their vacation properties. There are bigger issues in the world however. And though we provide affordable timeshares and advertising to millions of people worldwide, the subject of the environment is often overlooked.
The issue of environmental health is paramount, not only to the cost of running both the Florida and New Hampshire offices, but to the ecological footprint BuyATimeshare.com creates. After months of design both offices have initiated an aggressive effort to heighten our ecological awareness and decrease our waste overall. As of October 2008, numerous regulations were put into place to ensure a significant ‘Go Green’ attitude.
We are please to announce a running success—with noticeable difference in the consumption of electricity and paper! Many of the suggestions passed down by management were as easy as turning off computers at night and keeping only the necessary lights on during the workday. Coffee makers, fax and Xerox machines are all turned off to reduce as much of the power used as possible. Also, with the use of a new ‘Agent Database’ we have cut over half of the paper consumption used by our two offices.
Internal emails and delivering reports electronically have allowed us to save over 3 reams (1500 sheets) per week, and more than 15 reams per month! All memorandums, phone messages and other correspondence are all electronic. This ensures both a faster response time and overall customer satisfaction. With the use of dishware and mugs, rather than foams and plastics, carpooling, and collecting recyclables, we are seeing the ‘Go Green’ attitude glowing in a lot of our employees.
It is this overall effort that has significantly lightened our ecological footprint—in just a couple of months! After a short time of successful environmental awareness, imagine how much paper, electricity and waste we can save after a year! We believe that a healthier environment will lead to better productivity—making our mission of staying the world leader in our industry ever-developer.