This week, Doral Golf Resort and Spa (Miami, FL) announced that for a limited time, a forecaddie will be assigned at no charge for each foursome that plays the Blue Monster. Golfers know Doral’s Blue Monster to be one of the most prestigious and challenging championship courses in the world and home to the PGA Tour’s CA Championship. Timeshare owners know the Doral Golf Resort and Spa to be home to Marriott’s Villas at Doral timeshares.

Unless you play golf at a private club that uses caddies on its courses, or you play golf professionally, you may never have experienced the services of a caddie to assist you with your game. Ask a PGA Tour player and he will tell you that a good caddie is gold; so much so, that top professional caddies earn six-figure annual incomes for their contributions to their player’s success.

A forecaddie doesn’t give the same services that Steve Williams provides for Tiger, nor does he do the things that greens keeper, Bill Murray did in Caddyshack. He doesn’t typically assist with club selection, carry your bags, or sabotage gophers. But a good forecaddie does make a round of golf more interesting and flow more smoothly.

According to Doral’s official press release, “We decided to make the Blue Monster caddie inclusive because we want golfers to experience the history and tradition of the course, from strategic shot making to entertaining stories that have been passed on over the years,” said Darrin Helfrick, General Manager of Golf at the Miami golf resort. “This is truly one of the game’s treasured courses, and this caddie program will enhance the overall golfing experience, while making history come to life.”

The complimentary inclusion of a forecaddie in the price of your round of golf is available only through May 20, 2008.

Marriott Timeshare at Doral Resort

Marriott’s Villas at Doral timeshares are located on the property of the Doral Golf Resort and Spa. There are more than 130 two-bedroom timeshare villas, as well as an outdoor pool, fitness center, and convenience store. Timeshare owners and their guests, (or timeshare renters) have access to Doral’s renowned health spa, the five golf courses, a tennis center, The Blue Lagoon water recreation area, and the resort’s restaurants and lounges.

Each timeshare villa has separate living and dining areas, a private balcony, an oversized soaking tub, a fully-equipped kitchen, and a washer/dryer.

Choices in Timeshare Sales and Timeshare Resales

Timeshare condos at Marriott’s Villas at Doral may be available through Marriott Vacation Club (Marriott Timeshare), but for the best values in Marriott timeshare sales, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW. Through Sell My Timeshare NOW, Marriott timeshare resales and Marriott timeshare rentals are available for most Marriott timeshare resorts, including more than two dozen timeshare villas at Doral, starting at just under $7000.

Remember the American Express commercial that featured Tiger Woods in the role Bill Murray made famous in Caddyshack? Thank you, YouTube for these 58 seconds of humor.

In yesterday’s Timeshare Owners Blog, we looked at an ABC 20/20 investigation of Royal Holiday vacation club. Here is Part II of that post:

The hidden camera videotape made by ABC’s 20/20 investigators reveals that Royal Holiday breaks a lot of rules when it comes to selling timeshare. People who attend the Royal Holiday sales presentation are promised an incentive if they sit through a 90-minute sales pitch, which actually lasts 3 or more hours. They are told that they can only take advantage of special pricing if they buy today…on the spot, and if they prove reticent to buy, that price may mysteriously be cut in half in hopes of getting them to sign up now, as first one and then another salesperson tries to break down their resistance.

Royal Holiday also serves alcoholic drinks to their prospects. It is poor business ethics to do this, and it is an absolute no-no for you, as a prospective buyer, to make the mistake of clouding your good judgment with alcohol. Never, I repeat never, mix alcohol with the decision to buy timeshare.

Other criticisms of Royal Holiday’s sales tactics include promises made by salespeople that a buyer’s money is invested in a foreign bank account and will be returned to them in 30 years; that rooms shown as examples of what you are buying are far nicer than the rooms you actually can book; and that availability in busy seasons is scarce.

How to Avoid High Pressure Timeshare Sales Tactics

All in all, 20/20’s report was extremely negative. There is however, one foolproof way to avoid the heavy hand of a timeshare company salesperson. Buy resale timeshare. Deal only with the person who already owns the timeshare or vacation club membership. Bypass that salesperson who works for the timeshare company yet counts on you to pay his or her salary through commission.

When you shop for timeshare resales or timeshare rentals online, you can take your time. You can ask questions, you can compare products. You can sleep on your decision and consult your attorney or your financial planner. Money doesn’t come easily these days; take your time deciding how you will spend it.

Royal Holiday Vacation Club Timeshare Resales

Currently Sell My Timeshare NOW timeshare resales and timeshare rental advertising company has more than a hundred different listings for Royal Holiday vacations. Some start at under $1000.

The Royal Holiday vacation club affords you the opportunity to travel the United States and Mexico without joining an exchange company. Royal Holiday Club has occupancy rights at Sheraton Cancun Resort and Towers in Cancun; Sol Caribe in Cozumel; Sheraton Ixtapa, Mexico; the Raddison Xanadu in Freeport, Bahamas; Wave Crest in Del Mar, California; Powell Place, San Francisco; Marriott’s Streamside at Vail; Tropicana Golf Estates in Las Vegas; High Point in Orlando; and Brigantine Beach, NJ.

Sell My Timeshare NOW can help you buy, rent, or sell Royal Holiday vacation club timeshares, without the hassle.

Apparently Disney Vacation Club Timeshare is trying to get the message across that they are not just about Disney vacations.

In an article published by the Orlando Sentinel on April 9, Jason Garcia writes about Disney’s new television commercials designed to promote timeshare sales, in which the actors focus on other vacation destinations before they get around to talking about the Disney theme parks. Now that is an interesting way to back into your timeshare sales pitch.

Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Advertising

The 60-second commercial, called “Little Travelers,” opens with children talking about all the places they have visited with their families, through Disney Vacation Club timeshare membership. The children talk about Costa Rica, the Grand Canyon, and England while the camera rolls on pictures of the Venice canals and the Eiffel Tower. Eventually, of course, the commercial gets around to talking about Disney theme parks.

The strategy is to eliminate any objection that buying Disney Vacation Club timeshare limits you to vacationing only at Disney properties. The marketing minds behind Disney Vacation Club timeshare want consumers to understand that Disney timeshare is owned in the form of timeshare points, which can be exchanged at hundreds of non-Disney resorts around the world.

Morningstar Inc., lodging industry analyst, Jeremy Glaser says, “I think when people look at discretionary spending, time shares are places that are pretty easy for some people to cut out.”

Yet just as we are hearing from so many timeshare resort developers, Disney Vacation Club timeshare’s director of marketing, Sylvia Woolfork says that they have seen no slowdown so far. According to quotes in the Orlando Sentinel, Woolfork says, “We’ve actually seen some pretty healthy trends in our business.”

Opportunities in Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Resales

To learn more about the opportunity to become a Disney Vacation Club timeshare owner, by purchasing a Disney timeshare resale, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW.

There are Disney Vacation Club timeshare resales available at these resorts:

• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas Resales
• Disney’s BoardWalk Villas Resales
• Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort Resales
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort Resales
• Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa Resales
• Disney’s Vero Beach Resort Resales

Every week since February 19, when Fidel Castro stepped down as Cuba’s president, news outlets have been filled with accounts of products and services coming back into the lives of the Cuban people.

Two weeks ago, Cubans were allowed to buy cell phones. Last week, microwave ovens, DVDs, electric bicycles, and pressure cookers became available. Many of the restrictions that Fidel Castro had spent a lifetime imposing on the people of Cuba have already fallen away in the few short months since his brother, Raul Castro, took office as Cuba’s president.

While most Cubans do not yet have the money to afford these luxury items, that too is changing as the government begins to provide better support for its farmers and lift some of the restrictions on manufacturing.

Are New Hotel and Timeshare Resorts on the Horizon for Cuba?

This week, the ban that prohibited Cuban citizens from staying in hotels was lifted. Cuban nationals, as of April 1, are permitted to stay in hotels or use hotel services like exercise rooms. These changes are long overdue and in time, should help springboard other, equally positive developments. But as the free world shares in welcoming the return of these basic rights to Cubans, what do these changes really mean for Cuba as a tourist destination?

Despite the removal of many restrictions, the economy of Cuba will have to heal considerably before most residents can afford to enjoy hotel stays at luxury resorts. It will take even longer before the country’s economic infrastructure will be able to support the development of timeshare resorts or vacation ownership property.

In the 1990’s, following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba made tentative steps toward developing tourism, by building or revamping hotels to attract visitors primarily from Europe and Canada. Currently Cuba has both hotels and all-inclusive resorts; some offering beachside relaxation while others showcase Cuba’s rich history. Several Canadian developers have tried in recent years to fund and build timeshare resorts in Cuba and with the recent change in government there, it is logical to expect that such projects could soon become reality.

Canadian Tourists, But Not Americans to Vacation in Cuba…Yet

Most US citizens find traveling to Cuba challenging because of the Trading with the Enemy Act that forbids US citizens from spending money in Cuba. Exemptions apply to journalists, government officials, researchers, and people attending conferences. Other US citizens, including those who have relatives in Cuba or professionals such as doctors, nurses, or educators, may also be able to obtain the documents necessary to travel between the US and Cuba. Click here to read the US Department of State’s full disclosure on who may travel to Cuba.

Some US citizens visit Cuba by first flying to other countries, and booking their travel, directly from that country to Cuba. Once there, Cuba imposes no restrictions on US spending; quite the opposite, as they are all too eager to receive tourist dollars from any part of the world.

Yes, timeshare resorts and new hotels may definitely be in Cuba’s future. But until US law changes, Americans may find that the closest they get to Cuban vacation ownership is a Key West timeshare where the signage at the water’s edge reads: “90 miles to Cuba.”

• Hyatt Windward Pointe Resort II
• Hyatt Windward Pointe Resort
• Hyatt Sunset Harbor Resort
• Hyatt Beach House Resort
• Galleon Resort and Marina
• Coconut Mallory Marina and Resort
• Banyan Resort

Starwood Resorts and Timeshares has announced that they are building a freestanding timeshare sales gallery inside the Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel for the purpose of selling timeshare weeks at that property and at the Sheraton PGA in Port Lucie, FL.

This is the first time Starwood Resorts and Timeshares have used a purpose-built, freestanding timeshare sales office to sell timeshare units and timeshare weeks. The new Starwood Timeshare office will employ 20 to 25 timeshare sales people, and will ultimately sell timeshare weeks at all 25 Starwood properties, which includes Sheraton timeshare resorts and Westin timeshare resorts.

In an article published by PressofAtlanticCity.com, written by business editor Kevin Post, Starwood Vacation Ownership spokesperson David Matheson was quoted as saying, “Timeshares are becoming more and more of a mainstream product. Starwood and companies like it are bringing credibility to the industry.”

The article noted that Starwood timeshare units range from about $13,000 to $28,000 with annual maintenance fees of $400 to $800. On the same day that this article ran, CrainsNYBusiness.com published an article identifying that their new chief executive officer, Fritz Van Paasschen, who took the helm in September of 2007, earned approximately $9.1 million during that 4-month period.

Sheraton Timeshare and Westin Timeshare

While Van Paasschen’s base salary is less than $300,000 annually, his bonuses, incentives, and stock options accounted for the rest of his 9 million dollar-plus compensation. Leaving you to draw your own conclusions here, now seems like a good time to remind you that you can get excellent timeshare deals on Starwood timeshare resales, resorts that carry the brands of Sheraton timeshare resales or Westin timeshare resales.

Timeshare Resales from Sell My Timeshare NOW

When you buy timeshare directly from the person who owns it, you are purchasing vacation time at the same resorts as people who buy timeshare new, from the developer and typically pay much higher prices. Here’s a list of some the opportunities available in timeshare resales in Sell My Timeshare NOW’s current inventory:

• Sheraton Broadway Plantation - Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Sheraton Desert Oasis - Scottsdale, Arizona
• Sheraton Mountain Vista - Avon, Colorado
• Sheraton PGA Vacation Resort - Port St. Lucie, Florida
• Sheraton Vistana Resort - Orlando, Florida
• Sheraton Vistana Villages - Orlando, Florida
• The Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas - Maui
• Westin Kierland Villas - Scottsdale, Arizona
• Westin Mission Hills Resort and Villas - Rancho Mirage, California
• Westin St. John Resort and Villas - St. John, US Virgin Islands
• Harborside Resort at Atlantis - Paradise Island, The Bahamas
• Lakeside Terrace - Avon, Colorado

An article in the March/April issue of TimeSharing Today motivated me to research a situation that sounded like a timeshare owner’s worst nightmare. It seems that a timeshare condo located on St. Pete Beach was closed and then sold at auction as part of a property tax sale in Pinellas County, Florida in November of 2006.

The timeshare unit owners at the Camelot timeshare owned their property by individual deed. Yet despite this, when property taxes went unpaid on the timeshare resort for three years, the individual owners were not contacted by the property tax office. Instead, with unpaid property taxes totaling $180,000, Camelot timeshares (a timeshare resort valued at $15 million) was sold to Luke Investments for two million dollars.

A Questionable Timeshare Owners Association

According to an article that appeared in the St. Petersburg Times last year (March 26, 2007), the president of the Camelot homeowners association said he, “…has not been able to contact timeshare owners because Luke Investments won’t let him in the building’s office where all the records are, including contact information for all the owners.”

The article goes on to explain that when he was asked why he hadn’t looked up the timeshare owners’ deeds and contacted them that way, he (the TOA president) said it would be too time consuming. As an explanation of why this problem went on for three years unchecked, the president said the office manager never informed him the taxes were unpaid.

Okay, surely this response brings up some questions like: why the timeshare owners’ association president never checked to be sure that the property taxes were being paid or why he apparently didn’t notice that there was $180,000 surfeit in the association budget. Nevertheless, the St. Pete Beach police chose not to press charges against any of the Camelot association board members or its employees, so we have to assume they were able to answer those questions to someone’s satisfaction.

A Happy Ending for the Timeshare Owners

The good news for the timeshare owners at Camelot was that a County Judge in Florida agreed with them, that they should have been individually contacted by the property tax office before the timeshare resort was auctioned to pay the back taxes. His ruling voided the timeshare sale.

Of course, this decision did not set well with Luke Investments, who believed they had purchased the property fairly. According to TimeSharing Today, a Florida Appellate Court recently brought the matter to an end, upholding the County Judge’s decision to void the tax sale of the property.

And perhaps the best news of all for the timeshare owners at Camelot is that they have fired their old property management company!

To learn more about opportunities in Florida timeshare resales and Florida timeshare rentals visit Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Last week, Florida’s Attorney General, Bill McCollum increased his focus on consumer education specifically targeting scams in timeshare sales.

It makes sense that McCollum would have a particular interest in timeshare issues since more timeshare resorts are located in Orlando than in any other city, and more timeshare resorts located in the state of Florida than any other US location. McCollum’s office recommends that people who want to sell timeshare use either, a licensed real estate broker or they sell by owner — and both are excellent suggestions.

Sell Timeshare Through a Timeshare Broker

A licensed real estate broker, like Sell My Timeshare NOW’s sister company, Timeshare Hot Deal, is an excellent choice for some people who are ready to sell timeshare. A timeshare broker gives you the benefit of a commission-motivated sales professional and the plus of paying no fees until your timeshare unit or timeshare weeks actually sell.

Sell Timeshare By Owner

Selling timeshare by-owner is also a good option. By owner selling lets you control every detail of your timeshare resale; and it is the way many of the timeshare sellers at Sell My Timeshare NOW handle their timeshare resales transaction. Sell My Timeshare NOW advertises and markets available timeshare real estate, attracting over 1.7 million visitors per month to our website. In 2007, more than $274 million in offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshare were made on properties in our inventory.

But Attorney General Bill McCollum’s message for more consumer education is important! Before you buy, rent, or sell timeshare, do your research to ensure that whomever you hire to help you is reputable and has a proven track record in the timeshare resales industry.

To read more about the importance of consumer education for people who want to buy timeshare, sell timeshare or rent timeshare, click here to read Sell My Timeshare NOW’s press release.

SunStream Hotels and Resorts is now offering one-bedroom timeshare condos at the Diamond Head Beach Resort on Fort Myers Beach. The nine-year-old resort is a twelve-story, beachside property, that has recently been remodeled and is selling 31 units as timeshare condos.

Historically, SunStream is recognized as a property management company, operating other Florida vacation condos. The Diamond Head timeshare units include kitchens, queen-sized sleeper sofas (in addition to the queen bed in the private bedroom), and balconies with a view of the Gulf.

According to Street Talk Blog, prices begin at $9,990 for deeded ownership of one week in off-season. However, in visiting the SunStream Vacation Club website, it appears that this is a special rate for the first timeshare buyers only and will not be in effect much longer. Also, perhaps the renovation is still underway, as the website says that first occupancy is not until the 2009 season.

Opportunities in Florida Timeshare Resales

Just to refresh your memory about the beautiful beaches in Florida, Fort Myers Beach is way down south on the Gulf Coast side of the state. You can expect temperatures in line with Miami or Boca Raton, but because you are on the Gulf side not the Atlantic, you’ll enjoy much warmer waters and typically balmier breezes…in other words, just about an ideal location for a timeshare vacation.

If you are interested in getting some sun and beach time in the Fort Myers area and you don’t want to wait until 2009, be sure you consider Fort Myers timeshare resales and timeshare rentals. Sell My Timeshare NOW has an excellent inventory of Florida timeshare resales in the Fort Meyers area, and around the state, where you can start enjoying vacation ownership immediately, at highly competitive prices.

A weakened US dollar may be creating a tighter economy here at home, but international travelers are enjoying the benefits.

According to a recent article in Hotels Magazine, titled, “Weak Dollar Becomes US Welcome Mat,” not long after Saks Fifth Avenue opened its all-shoe floor last summer, one hundred European women chartered a plane to New York for the sole purpose of shopping - shoe shopping!

International consumers spent almost $3 billion in New York City stores in 2007, insulating many NYC merchants against the economic slump felt by other retailers across the US. Recognizing the value of the foreign shopper, many New York merchants are directing their advertising dollars toward an international clientele.

Historically, New York City is the number one destination for foreign travelers to the US but other cities, such as Miami and Los Angeles, also benefit from international tourist dollars. “According to NYC & Co.,” 46 million people visited the city in 2007, an increase of 5 percent over the previous year. And of those visitors, 8.5 million were non-American, a whopping 20 percent increase for the same time period.” (source: Hotels Magazine ©2008 international herald tribune, February 6, 2008, Special Report; pg. 11. Katie Weisman, The New York Times Media Group, New York)

Saks has partnered with The Daily Telegraph in London, offering four day excursions to New York City this spring. Bloomingdale’s has long maintained an international marketing department in addition to their marketing and sales promotion division, because they recognize the importance of the foreign dollar in their New York stores. Bloomingdale’s also cultivates their foreign consumer at their stores in Miami, Chicago, and San Francisco. At their New York City store, where the employees collectively speak more than 40 different languages, Bloomingdales saw an increase of 35 percent in the number of foreign shoppers for 2007.

As the Hotel Magazine article points out, “No one expects revenues from international shoppers to totally compensate potentially flat or declining sales due to continued economic woes of the American economy.” Yet the reality for timeshare owners is that you do not have to depend on the US economy alone if you are looking to sell timeshare or rent timeshare; but you do have to advertise and market your timeshare resales and timeshare rentals in a place that provides vast global exposure. Look for a timeshare advertising and marketing website with a strong and leading presence on the World Wide Web; look for Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Local author and columnist, Laura Bricker, has an interesting perspective on timeshare sales based on her recent timeshare vacation to Florida. You can read “Psst, Wanna Buy a Timeshare?” at SeaCoastOnline.com

While her account of her experiences is accurate, her assessment that the timeshare resort industry is in trouble is not…but who can blame her for thinking this when you look at the way some timeshare real estate is sold?

Laura Bricker and family might have enjoyed their Florida timeshare vacation even more if they hadn’t been subjected to aggressive overtures from timeshare salespeople who approached them on the beach and even while driving. They were offered cash and other incentives to attend timeshare presentations. The unprofessional and desperate tactics of some timeshare sellers would leave anyone to assume that timeshare real estate is on its last leg.

In fact, timeshare sales of both new timeshare weeks purchased directly from developers and timeshare weeks and timeshare condos purchased as resales have never been better. According to the American Resort Development Association, known as ARDA, vacation ownership (new timeshare sales) has increased every year during the past decade, growing at an annualized rate of 16 percent. And in 2007, Sell My Timeshare NOW, presented its customers just over $274 million in offers to buy timeshare or rent timeshare - that’s an 18 percent increase in dollar amount over offers presented in 2006. Further proof of the strength of timeshare sales is the fact that major hoteliers all continue to expand their timeshare resort offerings worldwide. In fact, many sources in the hospitality and tourism industries claim that timeshare sales are the fastest growing segments of their business.

It’s a shame that heavy-handed sales tactics are still being used as part of timeshare sales. Timeshare ownership is a good product that brings a great deal of satisfaction to many people and doesn’t deserve the “bad rap” a few overzealous sales people give it.

To learn more about buying timeshare resales from their current owner, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW, where no salespeople will ever flag down your car or disturb you as you relax on the beach.