Some key facts and figures about Timeshare

- There are close to 7 million timeshare owners worldwide, 1.45 million of whom live in Europe
- The average timeshare owner is a mature and experienced traveller, taking at least 3 holidays a year
- Over 200 families buy timeshare in Europe every day – that’s 80,000 a year
- There are 5,500 timeshare resorts worldwide and 1,500 of these are in Europe
- Timeshare resorts can be found in almost 100 countries round the world
- Half a million families in Europe use the exchange systems each year
- A recent RDO survey of 30,000 European owners revealed that 7 out of 10 would recommend timeshare to others
- 96% of European timeshare owners say that timeshare is a better experience than other self catering holidays
- And 97% say that timeshare resorts are as good as or better than hotel accommodation
- Timeshare contributes €10 billion each year to the European economy
- With high occupancy levels of 80%, timeshare resorts provide year-round employment

John Farrow, President of Farrow Commercial, has recently been named Lead for the Regulatory sub-content group within the Construction and Design Committee for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Farrow will guide the Regulatory sub-content group as it advises ARDA members not only on construction issues but also on changing regulatory issues and national construction guidelines affecting them. Farrow will also direct committee members in both ADA and FHA building guidelines, along with fellow ARDA members from the legal profession.

Commented Farrow (pictured), “I am honored to accept this important position within ARDA. Many members do not recognize that there is an ongoing legal battle in some states whether or not a timeshare resort has ‘transient’ guests. When a resort property is impacted by ADA or FHA legislation, this issue can have a significant affect on a host of construction and design directives. We are currently working with several attorneys who specialize in this field and share their knowledge with our members.”
According to attorney Rosemary O’Shea of Baker Hostetler, “As a fellow team member, we are lucky to have John Farrow as our lead. He brings a great deal of energy, together with his expertise on renovations and other construction issues to the group.”

Added Margit Whitlock AIA, Chairman of the Design and Construction Committee, “John has the unique ability to offer solutions that work aesthetically as well as functionally, benefiting both the developer client and the ultimate guest. We are honored to have him on our committee.”

Farrow Commercial, Inc. of Santa Rosa, California, in conjunction with its affiliate companies, has specialized in Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliance within its ADA Division for more than 15 years. The company provides a complete ADA analysis, consultation, design, permitting and construction package to bring a property up to date and into compliance and is also highly respected for their commercial refurbishment, remodeling, and addition projects

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990-91 (ADA) is a civil rights law, requiring compliance from all public facilities. Since timeshares, hotels and resorts are public facilities with transient lodging guest rooms, they are required to comply with the ADA. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no grandfathering of existing properties; a facility is either in compliance or not in compliance. While “grandfathering” is a common belief within the industry, this is not correct.

For the past several years, Farrow Commercial has worked with timeshare resorts across the country, helping them to bring their properties into Federal and local compliance. Although they are based in California, Farrow works nationally and either has or obtains the appropriate general contracting licenses and insurance requirements for every state in which they work.

For more information, contact John Farrow at 707-591-0225 or visit www.FarrowCommercial.com.

Bluegreen Communities, the nation’s premier developer of master-planned communities, has created a unique offer that many timeshare owners may not be able to resist. At a time when the value of timeshares is at an all-time low, timeshare owners can convert their timeshare vacation equity into land. To help explain this unique opportunity being given to timeshare owners, Bluegreen Communities has created a website called "Timeshare for Land" that explains the offer in detail.

Recently, in the New York Times, selling a timeshare during the recession was discussed. It is "absolutely the worst time to sell," said Brian Rogers, owner of the Timeshare Users Group. "A few years ago you got 50 cents on the dollar. Now you're lucky if you get 10 cents on the dollar." So what is someone to do if you need to sell your timeshare or get out of your timeshare? The Timeshare for Land offer allows timeshare owners to trade the timeshare equity for actual real estate and land.

Timeshare owners can use the equity from their vacation ownership towards the purchase of some of the most beautiful, spacious land available in the country. It does not matter if you own a Hilton® timeshare, Disney® timeshare, Marriott® or Ramada® timeshare, or even Bluegreen, RCI® or Worldmark® timeshare.
Who is this Timeshare for Land offer ideal for? Timeshare owners who are not getting the most from your timeshare, had enough of rising timeshare costs would benefit from this Timeshare for Land offer. Many timeshare owners have tried to sell their timeshare, only to discover all of the up-front listing fees from timeshare resellers, even at a time where many people are not buying timeshares. Timeshare For Land is the perfect opportunity to trade timeshare equity into actual real estate and land by using the equity from your vacation ownership towards the purchase of some of the most beautiful, spacious land available.

Bluegreen Communities develops residential master-planned communities with 1/3 to 10-acre home sites - and requires no timeframe to build on the land that is purchased. Since 1966, Bluegreen Communities has provided land for sale in Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, and other south central and southeastern states directly to land-buying customers looking for special home sites that support leisure lifestyles.

Portuguese developer The Vigia Group is holding a one day sale on Boxing Day, allowing buyers to get significant discounts on fractional ownership properties.

Savings of up to €115,000 are available on a ¼ freehold share of a four-bedroom villa at the company's Quinta da Fortaleza development, a one-third saving compared with the ususal market price.

The company is also offering half price holidays at its resorts for one day only.
Vigia resort director Leonor Ramalho said: “You may think that we’ve had a few too many sherries in the run up to Christmas, but that’s not the case! We simply want to open up our resort to everyone and extend the Christmas cheer an extra day! If you’ve always heard of Parque da Floresta, but never visited, then today’s the day to change that. The Vigia Boxing Day Sale provides people with the chance to purchase our products and services at a fraction of the cost!”

Vigia was established in 1991 by its four UK shareholders. Its resorts now include Parque da Floresta Golf & Leisure Resort, The View Salema Beach, contemporary golf village development – Quinta da Encosta Velha and the self catering beach properties of Quinta da Sao Roque in Lagos and Quinta da Fortaleza, as well as the Alentejo resort of Parque do Redondo.

www.vigia-properties.com

The luxury timeshare towers by Westgate Resorts at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino on the Las Vegas strip is due to open on Friday 19th December boasting two 52 story towers of luxury accommodation ranging from 1,200 square-feet of luxury penthouse units and 1 to 4 bedroom units for both vacationing guests and timeshare ownership.

For more information visit http://www.phtowers.com/

Nine people have been arrested in a timeshare scam detected in Benidorm, which it’s understood is connected to a fraud of more than 3,000 € reported by a victim of the network on the Canary Islands. Police have so far discovered 130,000 € defrauded in the course of their investigations, but say the amount could increase considerably as they continue with their enquiries.

The suspects in custody include an un-named man from the UK. The others are two Spaniards, two from Uruguay, an Argentinean, a Russian, and suspects from Croatia and Uruguay. The network’s leader is amongst those in custody.

EFE reports four property searches in the Valencia region as part of the operation, including a hostelry establishment in Benidorm where officers seized more than 15,000 € in cash. They also impounded bank documentation, two laptop computers and other computerised information.

The investigation continues and further arrests have not been ruled out.

It has been brought to RDO's [The Resort Development Organisation's] attention that a Singapore based resale company called World Axial Asia may be telephoning timeshare owners, informing them that they are representatives of RDO.

This company is not associated with RDO in any way and is not authorised to act on its behalf. Members of the public should be on their guard if contacted by this company and are advised to take legal advice before parting with any money.

Timeshare owners wishing to sell should be very wary of cold calls from resale agents. Many take large upfront fees - frequently tempting sellers by promising a high price for their timeshare - and more often than not the seller is left out of pocket after the sale fails to take place.

For details of RDO resale agents, all of which sign up to a code of conduct that prohibits the taking of upfront registration fees, go to www.rdo.org

The Registry Collection® exchange programme, the world’s largest luxury exchange programme, will be the headline sponsor of the Fractional Summit 2010 for the third consecutive year. The continued support of the event from The Registry Collection programme follows the success of the 2009 Summit and reflects the value of this international forum to the fractional trade market.

The two-day event, taking place on 18 and 19 February, 2010, at the Marriott London, Grosvenor Square, offers the unique opportunity for developers to meet key fractional real estate industry professionals from around the globe under one roof. The fractional model has helped in boosting the sales of luxury properties in today’s challenging economic climate. This year’s conference theme “Changing Times, Changing Markets,” together with its subject matter debates, is designed to help developers capitalise on the strengths of the fractional product and grow their businesses. Developers who are new to the fractional concept will also appreciate an introduction to the industry during the event.

Numerous fractional experts from around the world will be presenting and sitting on panel discussions to share the benefits of their own experience in the market. Gregg Anderson, vice president, The Registry Collection, based in Orlando, Fla., will be attending to discuss “Key Learnings from the U.S. Market.” Launched eight years ago in the U.S., The Registry Collection programme is a global pioneer in the luxury fractional property market and in the provision of consultancy, exchange and travel services to the luxury shared-ownership developer. It has become the world’s largest luxury exchange programme with an international portfolio of more than 160 unique and upscale properties that are either accessible for exchange or under development.

Nick Turner, vice president of business development, The Registry Collection, Europe, will be speaking on “Fractional Exchange” at the summit and providing insight into exchange as an attractive sales tool for developers looking to introduce mixed-use models to increase the appeal of their property in a keenly competitive marketplace.

This year, The Registry Collection programme was honoured with the “Best Fractional Service Award 2009” at the Overseas Property Professional Industry Awards. The Registry Collection representatives will be available at the summit to meet with existing developers who want to explore fresh opportunities or those new to the business and seeking advice on entering the fractional ownership market.

Contact Nick Turner on Tel: +44 (0)208 762 6681 to arrange an appointment or visit www.theregistrycollection.com for more information.

Grand Lodges, located in Cascade Mountain Range, has been added to the Interval International holiday exchange network.

Timeshare owners heading to this resort, situated just a few miles from Mt Hood, will get to enjoy downhill and cross-country skiing throughout the year.

There are a total of 16 open-plan units, offering panoramic views of Multorpor Mountain, Mt Hood Skibowl as well as Collins Lake.

Visitors can enjoy easy access to the surrounding Mt Hood National Forest, providing them with 1,200 miles of hiking and biking trails, with rafting, canoeing and kayak opportunities on offer as well.

A number of onsite amenities are also planned for the resort, including a fully-equipped fitness centre, a heated outdoor pool as well as a hot tub and sauna.

Last month, Royal Club at Bonnington Tower in Dubai was added to Interval International's network of resorts, offering spacious 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments in the centre of Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

A business in Hays is forced to shut down after officials say they were misrepresenting the nature of their services. The State Attorney General, with help from the Better Business Bureau of Kansas and the Hays Police Department, determined Global Resort Condos Plus was in violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas telemarketing fraud statute.

The Better Business Bureau received several calls from consumers across the country who say they were scammed by the company and its owner, Tobias Jones. The complaints allege that a representative called from GRCP and indicated that the consumers' timeshares have either been sold, or a buyer is interested and that $1,995 - $2,050 was needed to complete the transaction.

The AG's office says consumers provided a credit card number and later received an email confirmation which said they'd paid money only to have their timeshare advertised on the internet for sale or rent.

The BBB contacted the Hays Police Department and the Attorney General's Office, which then requested a temporary restraining order on the business.

Fractional Life is pleased to announce ‘Early Bird’ ticket sales for Fractional Summit 2010, 18-19 February, Europe’s largest business to business fractional real estate event increased by over 60% based on the comparable period prior to 2009’s event .

Tracey Carter, exhibitions and conference manager said: “It’s very pleasing that despite challenging whole ownership real estate conditions the appetite for fractional ownership amongst property developers and service providers continues to grow into 2010. We look forward to welcoming delegates from all around the world.”

Building on the success of 2009’s event which attracted over 210 delegates from 23 countries, Fractional Summit 2010 is the leading industry event bringing together key decision makers to drive the industry forward. The value of the event is what you learn, who you meet and the business you do.

Fractional Summit 2010 continues as a two-day event at the prestigious Grosvenor Marriott Hotel in London and offers a unique opportunity to gain knowledge and meet all the key fractional property movers and shakers under one roof - making Fractional Summit an event not to be missed.

Presentations will include:

Fractional 101 – A complete introduction to fractional ownership and the various industry definitions.
State of the industry – An update on the European fractional ownership marketplace 2010.
Case studies – How to enter a new market with your fractional product.
How to convert traditional real estate into a fractional offering.
Midmarket fractional – who are the buyers?
New media: Online video, web SEO / SEM, social media
Panel sessions including fractional sales agency networks; fractional resales and more.

Who should attend?
Real Estate Developers
Real Estate Agents
Exchange Companies
Fractional and Vacation Ownership Sales / Marketing Managers
Fractional Consultants
Fractional Entrepreneurs
Hospitality Management
Financial Institutions
PR, Sales and Marketing Companies
Trustee and Legal Professionals
Investors
Suppliers of Value Added Programs and Incentives
Hospitality Industry Suppliers

Industry Sectors
Overseas Property Agents
Residence Clubs
Condo Hotels
Hotel Room Leaseback
Multi Destination Club Systems

Golf star Tiger Wood's well publicised personal problems have caused some of his sponsors, most notably global accounting and consultancy from Accenture, to drop him from their corporate advertising.

Fractional jet operator NetJets however, which has also endured a troubled year, is standing by its man. "Tiger Woods is one of the premiere athletes in the world and we are proud to have him involved with NetJets," said David Sokol, chairman and CEO of NetJets.

Beijing citizens looking to travel abroad during the holiday season are being warned by local government to be cautious of timeshare vacation offers.

The advice was provided by an official from the Chaoyang district administration of industry and commerce yesterday.

"Consumers might be cheated by lucrative promotions like 'traveling around the world' or 'buying timeshare services as an investment'", Liu Dazhong, head of the consumer rights protection department of the administration, told METRO.

"In fact, there are still quite a few countries that remain closed to Chinese travelers. Any promotion that says it can send you around the world is a lie," he said.

"Sometimes timeshare companies boast that consumers can purchase the rights to use a hotel resort for 20 years, but then disappear with the cash," he added. Liu said he wants to slow the growing number of consumers being cheated by scams, with elderly people emerging as the largest target group.

As many as 260 notice boards were set up in busy shopping malls like SOHO Shangdu and The Place, as well as in local communities in Chaoyang district to echo the administration's month-long campaign to warn consumers about timeshare scams that was launched last weekend.

The idea of buying timeshares was first invented by a ski resort developer in France in the 1960s. It is a form of ownership in which the hotel or resort is shared with other parties. Each party, after paying a certain amount of money, is granted a period of time in which they may use the property.

The concept was quickly adopted by developers worldwide. The timeshare industry in countries like US is now mature but the Chinese market continues to lack regulation.

Liu said domestic timeshare companies usually hold promotions in famous hotels and with free travel to the location, push consumers to act quickly before they lose the chance, attach unfair clauses to contracts, and exaggerate the possible investment returns.

He said no companies in China are qualified to carry out timeshare services. And because Chinese law lacks sufficient detail to protect the rights of consumers in timeshare cases, winning a case is extremely difficult.

Wanghai Online, a non-profit organization dealing with consumer rights protection, has already received over 200 complaints from across the country this year. Most cases took place in large cities like Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou, Zhao Wenbin, manager of its complaint department, said.

"Consumers often fail to review the contracts clearly when they sign with the service providers," Zhao told METRO yesterday. "Although the law is not yet strong enough, administrations like the industrial and commercial bureau can prohibit exaggeration of services or the use of coercive persuasion," he suggested.

Marriott International Inc. (MAR) has provided a better guidance for the fourth quarter of 2009. The company now expects to add around 38,000 rooms to its worldwide lodging system by the end of 2009. This is up from its previous guidance of gross addition of 33,000 rooms for 2009, which was provided along with its third quarter earnings release in October 2009.

Marriott has also updated its guidance by two percentage points for systemwide revenue per available room ((REVPAR)) outside North America. The company now expects its systemwide REVPAR to decline by 14% - 16% in the fourth quarter of 2009. However, systemwide REVPAR inside North America is expected to remain in line with the previous guidance of a decline of 13% - 16%.

Marriott has also provided a better outlook for its timeshare business. The company now expects its contract sales of timeshare intervals in the fourth quarter of 2009 to be somewhat better than the previous guidance of $185 million to $190 million. This improvement will be driven primarily due to the realization of a $37 million gain from its note sale securitization during the current fourth quarter and better-than-expected rental profits.

Marriott’s third quarter earnings of 15 cents per share were two pennies above the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Results were also above the company’s guidance of 9 cents to 14 cents issued at the time of the second quarter earnings release on July 16, but were down 55% year-over-year.

Results reflected higher-than-expected revenue as a result of sustained leisure demand driven by promotional activities such as rate cuts. Combined with this, the company experienced the benefits of several cost-control initiatives implemented over the last few quarters.

While the operating environment in the lodging sector has continued to deteriorate in the recent months and we expect RevPAR to keep falling in the near term, we believe that the company’s strong development pipeline will provide some relief and offset the anticipated declines. Also, we note that declines in RevPAR have moderated of late.

With some early signs of economic recovery, we believe that Marriott is better positioned to command a premium room rate relative to the overall lodging industry.

It’s a building that’s been derelict for years, but Santa Barbara city officials say it’s time for the Californian Hotel to get some attention.

The previously condemned and now vacant building at 35 State St. rests on a parcel that’s part of the larger La Entrada project, a 123-key hotel and timeshare plan involving three plots on the corners of Mason and State streets.

Mountain Funding, the owners of all three parcels, were served a notice Monday stating that the fire department and building and safety division at the city have been investigating complaints about the property.

The investigation was prompted by complaints from the public, according to George Estrella, the city’s chief building official.

The city received reports of homeless people entering and leaving the building, graffiti, broken windows and even tiles falling off the roof, he said.

An investigation showed that the building was in violation of city code regarding the abatement of dangerous buildings, in addition to being determined seismically unfit.

The notice said several buckets of sewage left by homeless people had been left throughout the hotel and that two rooms were being occupied, though the residents weren’t there when inspectors passed through.

The instability of the structure makes it especially vulnerable to fire, the chances of which increase as the winter months set in and because evidence of possible cooking fires, a burned cigarette on a pillow and hazardous wiring were found within the building.

If Mountain Funding doesn’t comply, the city can issue a citation of $250 for every day the property is in violation, or file a civil or criminal complaint in court.

According to the notice, the company will have to provide a plan of action within 30 days with dates to fix a list of problems, including stabilizing the walls, securing roof tiles and removing all graffiti — and the work would need to be completed within 60 days. Cleanup of the interior needs to begin immediately, according to the city.

Estrella was part of the team that went into the building with the fire department to look around, and he said he wasn’t prepared for the condition of the interior.

“We knew that the building continues to degrade, but I was totally taken aback,” he said. “It’s a real potential health hazard.”

The original La Entrada project approved by the city in 2001 was for 62 timeshare condominiums, but the permits still apply if the city decides revisions to the plan “substantially conform” to the older ones.

No formal action was taken at the project’s last public appearance in October, and it’s up to City Manager Jim Armstrong to approve or deny the plan. Armstrong will have to decide whether the project conforms to the property’s previous plans that were granted before the developer, Bill Levy, went bankrupt two years ago.

Officials from Mountain Funding did not respond with comment on the notice, but Estrella said city officials met with Mountain Funding representatives Thursday, and that they had accepted the notice.

“They did say they’re going to jump on this and comply,” he said. “These items need to be taken care of as soon as possible.”

The number of homeowners on the verge of losing their homes to foreclosure fell for the fourth straight month in the United States.

That is down 8 percent from July, according to RealtyTrac Inc., a real estate trends tracking company. That means there were 307,000 bank repossessions across the nation in November.

Texas ranked 24th in the nation in foreclosures, up slightly by more than 2 percent from October, when the state ranked 28th.

Locally, 10 home and 15 vacant lot foreclosures were reported for November in Comal County, along with 47 foreclosures on timeshares.

Though the number is higher than it was a month ago, it is nowhere near the highs recorded this summer.

Nevada, Florida and California posted the highest foreclosure rates for the country, and despite a double-digit decrease in filings for the second-straight month, Nevada still leads the nation, with one in every 119 housing units receiving a foreclosure filing.

Four states, California, Florida, Illinois and Michigan accounted for more than 50 percent of the national total, according to RealtyTrac, Inc.

Notices of default and scheduled foreclosure auctions were also down in November, by 8 percent nationwide and 12 percent respectively. Filings are still up from the previous year, however, by more than 18 percent from November 2008.

For Comal County, the increase in overall activity was due to the high number of timeshare foreclosures.

“They are high every month. We have people here every month because of timeshares,” said Curtis Koehler, with the Comal Appraisal District.

Even though the number of primary residences in foreclosure was relatively low compared to the nationwide average, Koehler said it was not something she likes to see on a monthly basis.

“When I see these monthly numbers so high it really concerns me,” he said.

“There were quite a few properties at the Dec. 1 auction we had that we needed to get back on the tax rolls,” said Cathy Talcott, tax assessor-collector for Comal County.

Most of the auctions through the tax office represent foreclosures because of delinquent property tax payments, Talcott said.

North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has issued a cease and desist order against a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., timeshare company for violations of North Dakota's consumer fraud, home solicitation sales and do not call laws.

C & G Marketing Associates, doing business as Premier Timeshare Solutions, and its principals, Jose Goyos, also known as Jose Manuel Goyos, and Kristina Cameron, are alleged by Stenehjem to falsely promise timeshare owners that they have buyers for the consumers' timeshares. The consumers are then charged thousands of dollars in advance for services or sales that never occur, he alleges.

"Premier's deceptive sales practices constitute an absolute scam. Premier's claims that they have buyers for the timeshares are untrue and are nothing more than a ruse to obtain money under false pretenses," Stenehjem said. "This conduct in North Dakota will be prosecuted."

One consumer complaint filed with the Consumer Protection Division alleges that Premier was paid $4,200 after it misrepresented to the consumer that it had buyers lined up for the consumer's timeshare. Those buyers never materialized not sale occurred.

The consumers then repeatedly attempted ot make contact with Premier, but it either never answered the consumer's phone calls or its message box was full and would not accept their messages, it is alleged.

The consumers were eventually informed that their file had been referred to Premier's "refund department," but no refund was ever received, it is alleged.

The Consumer Protection Division then, at Stenehjem's direction, began investigating the complaint. An initial inquiry from the Consumer Protection Division to Premier was never responded to, he says. The investigation eventually revealed a pattern of complaints elsewhere in the country.

Despite recent reports that the hotel and resort sectors of the commercial mortgage work are suffering declining occupancy rates and rising delinquencies, a $166m timeshare mortgage securitization issuance from Starwood Vacation Ownership Portfolio Services entered the syndicate market this week.

Starwood issued the securitization, which is 17% overcollateralized, on December 1. It’s part of the largest weekly supply of new issuance in weeks, according to an asset-backed securities (ABS) research by Deutsche Bank Securities.

The issuance comes as hotel property values and occupancy rates are on the decline, according to recent commentary by Fitch Ratings. Consumer demand for timeshares is also low, Fitch noted, and the sector’s experienced noticeable deterioration in delinquency and default performance.

But the Starwood issuance — Starwood (SVO) Timeshare Mortgage Corp 2009-B — indicates not all investors are bearish on the resort industry.

Investment banks lined up for the vacation ownership interest-backed notes, pooling funds as part of a syndicate deal. The deal, expected to close this week, attracted Credit Suisse Securities, JP Morgan Securities, Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank Securities and RBS Securities.

Credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s gave the deal a single-A preliminary rating.

20 year industry professional Dr. Peter J. Shield PhD, ARP slams the timeshare industry for not adequately educating their owners on the benefits and the liability associated with the purchase of their products!

(PRWEB) December 7, 2009 -- Rescission rates are at an all time high due not only to the economy but due to the fact that many timeshare owners are left without assistance and guidance on meeting their obligations.

Timeshare ownership is not economically viable for families with limited resources or family commitments.

It does however provide outstanding facilities and experiences for those financially able to meet the on going costs of real estate ownership. The bulk of today’s timeshare memberships include real property ownership with all the obligations that this entails. When the basic costs of maintaining their property, property taxes etc are met the real cost of an average timeshare ownership is around $100 to $150.00 per night of vacation time ($700-$1000.00 per vacation week!)

If a family is not spending at least $2000.00 per year on their accommodations (2 weeks vacations) There is little if any advantage to owning their vacations from a purely financial standpoint. The real benefit comes from the increased facilities and space that a timeshare villa affords compared to the average hotel room. The kitchen facility saves the average family an enormous amount on expensive restaurants; the privacy afforded the parents when the children have their own room can totally enhance the vacation experience. The uncertainty of not knowing what standard their vacation accommodations will be despite spending ever increasing amounts and in many cases saving all year for their much needed getaway is eliminated with ownership of any of the brand name timeshare or vacation club ownerships today!

In his new book “Timeshare….you bought What?” Dr. Shield pulls no punches and explains the many options available to an owner who may wish to sell or rent their unused membership. Those planning or involved in a career in the industry will get a better understanding of the product they are selling from Peter’s 20 years experience in the industry.

Growing numbers of holiday-makers are being targeted by bogus holiday club schemes according to consumer bodies.

Thousands are lured each year with promises of luxury breaks at bargain prices but, according to the Office of Fair Trading, almost all are a rip-off.
Cash is paid up front, but virtually impossible to get back once promised benefits fail to materialise.

Citizens Advice says it has seen a worrying rise in cases ahead of new laws which come into effect in 2011.

The OFT's director of consumer protection, Mike Haley, said: "In my experience and the experience of the OFT, after eight years we've not come across one which we would say is not a bogus holiday club."

For an upfront joining fee ranging from hundreds to thousands of pounds, people are told they will be able to book holidays at five-star resorts and only pay two- or three-star prices.

But all too often, people realise they have fallen for a sophisticated sales trap by discovering their membership counts for nothing when it comes to booking a holiday.

Those that try to get their money back from the holiday club are rarely able to, and many turn to Citizens Advice for help.

Guaranteed prize
The fraudulent schemes use sophisticated sales techniques to suck people in, says Citizens Advice consumer affairs policy officer, Susan Marks.
"The people who do them are trained to build up a storyline where people feel it's too late to back down, as they have already agreed on the type of holidays they would like," she says.

"It becomes very easy to be convinced that they you are getting a bargain."
In most cases, holidaymakers are targeted by reps working the big holiday resorts.

Typically they are promised a guaranteed prize through something like a scratch card, and this lures them into the club's office in order to claim their prize.
Once in there, the real sell can begin.

One former holiday club employee told the BBC series Rip Off Britain about the tactics she was expected to use. She asked to remain anonymous, saying her former boss threatened her if she spoke to the press.

"When someone won, you basically had to make a big fuss of them. This was the bit I found really hard. A lot of people were naïve and did fall for it, and that's when I felt really bad, like I was tricking them."

New legislation
One such holidaymaker was Richard Kirkland. In 2007 he and his wife took a break to Fuengirola in Spain. They decided to sign up for an exclusive holiday club at a cost of £15,000, which promised them five-star accommodation anywhere in the world for two-star prices.

"When I tried to confirm that we had a booking through the holiday club, the resort knew nothing about it at all," says Richard. "To my mind this was outright fraud."

Citizens Advice guidance to holiday makers is not to sign up for anything that asks for money up front.
Similarly, never to hand over money unless you have been given a written purchase agreement and to walk away if you are not offered an unconditional 14 days cooling off period.

Citizens Advice recommend reporting problems to the OFT and Trading Standards.
New legislation to standardise "Timeshare-like" products will become law across Europe in 2011. Under the Timeshare Directive, long-term holiday products under 36 months (known as Holiday Clubs or Discount Travel Membership Clubs) will now be protected by legislation.

Sellers of 'holiday clubs' will also now have to comply with the 14 day cooling-off period rule and fully explain to the consumer what they are actually buying.
The consumer will be able to pay the company in equal yearly instalments and have the opportunity to withdraw every year. Buyers of trial packages will also benefit under the new directive

Citizens Advice see this law as a real improvement for consumers, who get to decide whether to go ahead with a deal before paying anything, rather than having to try to get back money once it has already been paid.
"Until the new legislation comes in, holidaymakers need to be careful because rogues in this market will be squeezing as much out of consumers while they still can," Ms Marks said.

"These products that evade the law cost thousands of pounds and, in our clients' experience, frequently deliver little. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true it's because it probably is."

Rip off Britain with Angela Rippon, Gloria Hunniford and Jennie Bond investigates the travel industry at 0915 on Friday 4 December on BBC One. See the rest of the series at the Rip Off Britain website.

From The Daily Mirror - Costa conman Garry Leigh has taken up blogging to bleat that we attacked him using "hearsay and rumour".

Not true. We've attacked him using undercover filming, sackloads of complaints and his firm's recent conviction for fraud.

But how about this, Garry?

Police and trading standards officers investigating "suspected breaches of consumer law" have raided four UK offices of Leigh's Incentive Leisure Group.

This lot offers to buy unwanted timeshares but instead, persuades people to spend thousands of pounds on membership of Leigh's Designer Way Vacation Club.

Buyers are promised some or all their money back after five years, but we've revealed how the last cashback scheme has collapsed through fraud.

The Office of Fair Trading, which co-ordinated last week's raids, said the investigation was at an "early stage" and there was "no assumption" offences have been committed.

From the Daily Mirror - "Our old timeshare mate Bob Trotta was branded a fraudster in a Spanish court yesterday"

Trotta, of Resort Properties infamy, is suing a couple for libel, claiming they were behind a website called Crimeshare, which posted numerous complaints about his operation.

But consumer champion Sandy Grey told the Costa del Sol court that he's the one who should be sued, because he ran the site.

He said: "The website was dedicated to exposing fraudsters and cheats in the timeshare industry including Mr Trotta."

Sandy admitted hiding behind fake online identities because "the timeshare industry can be very unpleasant for those who criticise it."

Trotta called Crimeshare "the main source of false and scaremongering allegations".

The case was adjourned.

Winter Park Construction (WPC), one of Central Florida's largest and most respected general contractors, has recently been selected to direct a $16.6 million refurbishment at the 1,450-acre, Kissimmee-based Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort as well as two of their other Holiday Inn Club Vacations resorts in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. The yearlong project will include the total interior renovation and upgrade of 224 two-bedroom golf villas and the soft-goods renovation of 408 one-, two- and three-bedroom units at the popular vacation ownership properties.
In announcing the new contract, Jeff Forrest, President of WPC, added that Charlie Cecil has been named to direct the Holliday Inn Club Vacations project. A 25-year veteran in the construction industry including 14 years with Winter Park Construction, Cecil is Manager of the company's Renovation/Special Projects Division.

The new assignment will be completed in three phases, beginning in January 2010 and finalized in December. During the renovation project, Winter Park Construction will remove all furnishings, complete interior paint and millwork detail, replace carpeting and ceramic flooring, add new granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms and install plumbing and lighting fixtures, all new soft-goods, case-goods window treatments, artwork and accessories.

Added Forrest, "We are proud of Winter Park Construction's 29-year relationship with Orange Lake Resort, having built virtually every structure on this property. In 2009, we launched our Renovations/Special Projects Division that specializes in multi-unit renovations and are currently completing a 108-unit soft-goods renovation at Holiday Inn Club Vacations at Orange Lake Resort."

Tammy Oliver, Sr. Director - Warehouse Services for Orange Lake, commented, "I look forward to working with Winter Park Construction in the coming year. They are unsurpassed in their experience within our industry and truly understand what it takes to create a home-away-from-home for our owners and guests."

Founded in 1974, Winter Park Construction specializes in the hospitality, commercial, multi-family, student housing, and senior living markets in North America. With revenues exceeding $200 million, WPC has completed over one billion square feet of construction work including over 10,000 timeshare units and 30,000 units in the multi-family sectors. Over 40% of the operations management staff is LEED accredited. For more information, visit www.wpc.com.