Overview
The concept of vacation ownership originated in the 1960s. Now, 40 years later,
it is firmly positioned as one of the most popular vacation options enjoyed by
today’s leisure travelers. Timeshare owners have an ever-expanding range of
travel options to choose from, allowing them to design their own vacations and
enjoy some of the most exciting and appealing destinations around the globe.
Why Timeshare?
Millions of owners have found timeshare resorts’ spacious floor plans and
home-like amenities very attractive when compared with traditional hospitality
products. Most units include a fully equipped kitchen with dining area, washer
and dryer, stereo, televisions, VCRs and more. While most vacation ownership
condominiums have two bedrooms and two baths, unit sizes range from studios to
three or more bedrooms. Truly a home away from home, vacation ownership
provides the space and flexibility needed to easily accommodate families and
larger traveling parties.
The Timeshare Advantage
Current timeshare owners state that they purchased for the following reasons:
Flexibility (including location, unit size and time of year)
Opportunity to exchange with other resorts
Consistency of quality accommodations
Credibility of the timeshare company
How Timeshare Works
With vacation ownership, consumers make a one-time purchase of furnished resort
accommodations, at a fraction of whole ownership costs, and pay an annual
maintenance fee. Each condominium, or unit, of a vacation ownership resort is
divided into intervals, either by the week or points equivalent, which are sold
separately.
Accommodations are priced according to a variety of factors, including size of
the unit, resort amenities, location and season. The purchaser owns the
vacation accommodations — but only for the amount of time he or she plans to
use it, typically one or two weeks each year. With timeshare, the owner has all
the benefits of a vacation home without the year-round costs. From its origin,
the idea behind timesharing was to give people the ability to purchase their
future vacations—at current prices.
Exchange Offers Flexibility
Vacation exchange allows owners the opportunity to trade their vacation week
for new or different vacation experiences at other comparable resorts across
the country and around the world. Most resorts are affiliated with an exchange
company that administers the exchange service for its members.
Timeshare Statistics
Timeshare Owners:
More than 3 million households own timeshares in the U.S. 6.7 million Worldwide
now own a vacation interval, at 5,400 resorts in over 200 countries and
territories. Timeshare owners tend to be upper-middle-income (median income of
$85,000), middle-aged (median age 53) and well educated (at least a bachelor’s
degree).
|
