North America Articles

	Ninth Annual RCI Christel House Open October 31, 2011 Swinging their clubs for a cause, nearly 1,800 golfers worldwide participated in the 9th annual RCI Christel House Open golf tournament this summer.

	Blue Strawberry Resorts – It’s All About “Revenue Up In A Down Economy”: The “Power of Paradise” October 31, 2011 Blue Strawberry Resorts brought into play a new concept of value added marketing or “VAM”, the pinnacle of which is its Vacation Certificate Program.

Perspective Magazine Expands With Exclusive Latin America Edition Beginning In January 2012 October 31, 2011 Latin America has become one of the fastest-growing regions in the world for the shared ownership industry. To celebrate this growth, Perspective Magazine will introduce the fifth edition of its global trade publication, Perspective Magazine Latin America, during the Global Networking Expo, GNEX 2012 – A Global Meeting of Minds, in Cancun, Mexico in January.

	AMResorts Launches Unlimited Vacation Club August 2, 2011 Founded in 2001, AMResorts is one of the fastest growing hospitality companies in the Caribbean and Mexico with 26 luxury resorts in the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Jamaica.

CARE Conference Fosters Networking Among Member Businesses August 1, 2011 This changing travel landscape has placed a greater emphasis on personal networking and the need for developing strategic alliances among businesses within the vacation ownership industry, resulting in a very successful spring conference for the Cooperative Association of Resorts Exchangers (CARE) in Deerfield Beach, FL, over May 14-17, 2011, at the Embassy Suites Resort.

	LeisureLink Drives Profits and High VPG Guests August 1, 2011 Since 2004, LeisureLink Inc. has been providing rental distribution services to developers and homeowner associations. LeisureLink’s Marketspan platform places timeshare resorts in key consumer channels like Orbitz, Travelocity, and Priceline.

	Canadian Vacation Ownership Market Is On The Up-Swing July 29, 2011 Building on the research revealed during last October’s conference, participants at the 2011 Canadian Resort Development Association (CRDA) Resort Development Summit delved into the numbers and their impact on future industry initiatives.

	Using The Power of Television To Create Revenue July 29, 2011 The Resort Television Product Allows Resorts To Market Directly To Guests In New Ways To Generate Onsite Revenue And Boost Interval Sales.

	Sailing with TradeWinds July 28, 2011 TradeWinds Experience is a points-based, 12-year club membership product. “You can either use up all your points in one year or spread it over the 12 years – use a cabin here and a cabin there,”

	Transparency Is Key to Timeshare Sales Survey Results from Customer Count© July 28, 2011 Perspective Magazine teamed up with Customer Count® to survey timeshare industry professionals about their feelings of the current sales process, where they see room for change or improvement and how upfront resorts should be about their unit prices.

	ADA Compliance Made Easy July 27, 2011 ADA compliance changes are coming. By now, most businesses are already aware of this fact and are talking about what it means and how it will affect them. So, the top question of the year is: How complicated will this process be?

	A List: Joe Russoniello, President, Brand Tango July 27, 2011 Russoniello’s work has received numerous accolades. In 2002, the American Resort Development Association named him Marketing Executive of the Year.

	The 2011 Perspective Magazine Awards Winners Unveiled At GNEX Conference July 26, 2011 Thirty-four accolades were awarded to timeshare and fractional ownership industry companies and professionals during a lavish six course gala dinner that marked the end of the inaugural Global Networking Expo in The Bahamas.

	GNEX 2011 Establishes New Global Conference Format July 26, 2011 The Networking-Rich Meeting of the Shared-Ownership Industry’s Key Players Fills an Important Niche; Participants Laud Content, Format and Venue

	The Big Buzz: Club Intrawest on the Move May 22, 2011 In a year fraught with uncertainty, economic strife and quiet sales, Club Intrawest, the private vacation club based in Vancouver, Canada, has surfaced as not only a survivor, but a strong player in the changing face of the shared ownership industry.

	Women In The Industry (WIN) Florida Regional Conference May 21, 2011 It was an awkward moment. One that I had a feeling would be on the horizon when I accepted the assignment to cover the Women In The Industry (WIN) Florida Regional Conference this past January for Perspective Magazine.

	Total Tahoe May 20, 2011 Lake Tahoe and its environs have long been a premier vacation destination, and the area is no stranger to all forms of shared ownership: timesharing, fractional interests and destination and private residence clubs. But Tahoe has seen both triumphs and defeats.

	Interval International Celebrates 35 Years in Shared Ownership May 19, 2011 Interval Leisure Group (ILG) is a leading global provider of membership and leisure services to the vacation industry, and has more than 2,800 employees worlwide. But as Nash reflects on the 35th anniversary of ILG’s principal business, Interval International, he credits much of the company’s success to its staff.

	Dial An Exchange Hosts Orlando Seminar for Timeshare Owners May 19, 2011 Timeshare owners always seem to be looking for more information about how the industry operates and there was plenty of information to go around at the Dial An Exchange Timeshare Owners Seminar this past January at the Florida Hotel in Orlando, Florida.

	Hilton Grand Vacations Offers Dynamic Work Environment for the Career of a Lifetime May 18, 2011 While celebrating an extremely successful year, Hilton Grand Vacations (HGV), plans to build upon 2010’s significant market opportunities and competitive advantages as it upholds its commitment to be the first choice of guests, owners and team members alike.

	Hots and Nots – 7 Trends for Boutique Design May 18, 2011 While boutique is a buzz word in the hospitality industry, delivering a truly unique and sensitive atmosphere is not easily obtained – or common. Through the years, we have seentrends move from “tone on tone” to “sea foam” to “black and more black” as a national phenomenon.

	The Hideaways Club – Investment and Lifestyle Uniquely Combined May 16, 2011 The Hideaways Club comprise two leading international property investment funds which offer members the opportunity to invest in and exclusively enjoy world-class accommodation across the globe.

	Fractional Industry Is on the Comeback Trail – Ragatz Conference 2011 May 16, 2011 2010 was a difficult year for the fractional and private residence club industry, but evidence suggests that the market is rebounding in 2011 according to executives attending the Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference March 14-16, 2011 in San Francisco, CA.

Interest in Purchasing Vacation Homes Back to Pre-Crisis Levels May 16, 2011 The American Affluence Research Center is releasing its latest data in conjunction with the Global Networking Expo (GNEX) 2011. The data unveiled at the Bahamas event is the latest in a continuing series of twice-yearly surveys that focus on the 11.4 million households that represent the wealthiest 10% of all U.S. households.

	Getting Religion About Receivables March 30, 2011 Study the financial statements of any interval vacation resort developer, and what is their largest asset? Their receivables. What principal factor determines the profitability of their sales? Receivables performance.

	Fractional Resort Profile: The Villas at Rancho Valencia March 30, 2011 The Villas at Rancho Valencia – A Timbers Resorts Residence Club is a private residence club offering 1/8th residential interests in 12 spacious luxury villas.

	Dial An Exchange On….. Being Direct March 29, 2011 It’s been 5 years and Dial An Exchange North America is going strong. They have established a name for themselves in the market, secured key relationships and channel partnerships and have been growing revenue and member counts ever since.

	México – A Land Still to Be Discovered March 29, 2011 Cancún and the Riviera Maya are world class destinations, and Sunset World opens up this regional paradise to other developers and marketers through cross marketing, joint-membership ventures, and direct interchange with other resorts of the same level.

	Creating an Exit Strategy for Today’s Timeshare Owners March 29, 2011 As an industry, we should congratulate ourselves for creating the timeshare product. During the past 30+ years, vacation ownership has enabled millions of families to enjoy quality vacations at more than 7,000 resorts in almost 100 countries around the world. That’s a ton of happy vacation memories!

	From Blue-Collar to White-Collar Construction Dresses for Success March 29, 2011 By aligning with clients, building relationships based in trust, and providing elite turn-key services, FARROW Commercial is moving construction from the job site to the board room.

	Optimism at the ARDA Fall Conference Signals Potential Turn-Around for the Industry March 28, 2011 A large turnout, talk of a rebounding travel market and the aftershocks following the U.S. mid-term elections dominated discussion at the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Fall Conference, held at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, D.C., during November 10-12, 2010.

	SFX Preferred Resorts… March 28, 2011 I have been in the timeshare industry now for 32 years, and started SFX nearly 20 years ago. Prior to the main article, I felt compelled to write this to-the-point introduction. All resort developers have felt the shattering effects of the U.S. market crash and all of its ramifications during the past three years. I don’t need to remind you of what they are.

	Collections Unlimited, Inc. Marks Silver Anniversary March 28, 2011 CUI’s two-and-a-half decades in business a testament to company’s success in recovery operations and knowledge of the timeshare industry

	HMC Funding Brings Global Solutions March 28, 2011 Over many years HMC Funding has become the leading provider of point-of-sale finance to the timeshare industry for British citizens wishing to purchase timeshare ownership.

	Shared Ownership Poised for Further Growth in Canada March 28, 2011 Opportunity exists for the timeshare and fractional industry in the Canadian marketplace according to a consumer survey released at the Canadian Resort Development Association’s Resort Development Summit in Toronto, Canada.

	Fractional Sales and Marketing March 28, 2011 What’s really going on in the fractionals market? Perspective Magazine asks a few questions to find out.

	A List: Franz S. Hanning, President & CEO, Wyndham Vacation Ownership March 28, 2011 Franz S. Hanning is president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, which markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its three primary consumer brands

	Lloydshare March 28, 2011 Pioneered by Lloydshare Limited Incorporated, the Deferred Annuity is a fixed-term investment directly linked to the sum paid by clients for their vacation membership, one which guarantees to repay that total sum to clients on maturity.

	Concierges Hold the Keys to Creating Golden, Priceless Moments February 14, 2011 The “key to success.” It’s a powerful, all-encompassing – and cliché – phrase we often hear in the business world. Keys are highly sought after solutions and paths to prosperity.

	AMDETUR’s Annual Conference: Tourism Facing the New Challenges February 11, 2011 The Mexican Resort Development Association (AMDETUR) kicked off its XXIV Annual Conference, titled Tourism Facing the New Challenges, with an opening ceremony led by the Tourism Minister of Mexico Gloria Guevara Manzo and Juan Vela Ruiz, chairman of AMDETUR.

	Embracing Transparency February 10, 2011 RCI’s ‘Trading Power Transparency’ is a significant step in the ongoing evolution of the timeshare industry. Perspective Magazine asks RCI CEO Geoff Ballotti a few straightforward questions about the new program.

	RCI Christel House Open Makes a Difference with Shared Ownership Industry Support February 9, 2011 The global tournament is expected to tally nearly half-a-million dollars in net proceeds thanks to sponsors, hosts, volunteers and players.

	A Good Thing Gets Even Better February 8, 2011 RCI, the global leader in vacation exchange and one of the Wyndham Worldwide family of brands, has significantly enhanced its RCI® Weeks program to allow members to know the trading power value of their vacation interval once deposited with RCI.

	A List: Jim Lewis, President, Disney Vacation Development, Inc February 8, 2011 An exclusive interview with Jim Lewis, president of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. and chairman of the board for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) on Disney Vacation Club’s upcoming Aulani resort, DVC’s ties to the new Disney Dream, and the state of the shared ownership industry.

	Destiny Resorts Unveils Weeks Resort Upgrade Program February 7, 2011 Destiny Resorts is a multi-faceted and versatile resort services company with 15 years of marked annual growth. Destiny Resorts is a leading industry provider of resort consultancy, guest relations services and sales, marketing, and operational assistance to new and existing properties around the world.

	West Coast Fractionals February 7, 2011 Perspective Magazine takes a look at the U.S. fractional residences scene and finds that while things are bad all over, certain West Coast markets may eventually prove to be the bedrock of future development.

	VOIC Sees Continued Interest in Shared Ownership Industry February 7, 2011 Trade conferences oftentimes are a barometer for how well that particular industry is faring. If that is the case with the 12th annual Vacation Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC), held October 4 through 6 in Orlando, then there’s good reason for the shared ownership industry to be optimistic.

	Now That’s Cool: Wyndham Bonnet Creek Unveils ICE Touch Devices in New Tower February 5, 2011 This past August, Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, opened its brand-new 19-story tower at Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort in Orlando, Florida.

	Generational Marketing January 27, 2011 Today, four generations populate the workplace and the marketplace: Matures (born before 1946), Baby Boomers (born between 1946 and 1964), Generation X (born between 1965 and 1979), and Millennials (born between 1980 and 2000).

	How Do You Cut The High Cost Of H.O.A. Expenses? November 19, 2010 How many owners do you have that are lost, no current addresses available and the delinquencies for these owners just keep increasing?