Scam Busters

Timeshares Daily reports that:

Resort Development Organization (RDO) is now putting scammers on top of its priority list. The organization is working with OFT, acting as a watchdog for the industry. The two groups will work to expose fraudulent timeshare clubs and companies.

Bahamas Vacation Ownership industry

THE POPULARITY of vacation rentals in the Bahamas surged by 79 per cent last year, the greatest increase for any destination, with this trend expected to continue through 2010, a leading rental firm told Tribune Business yesterday.

For full story, clickhttp://www.tribune242.com/sports/20012010_vacationvillas_business_page1-4

Singing a new tune

The Levitin Group, the leading training organization in the global vacation ownership industry, today announced the launch of its latest product line, www.timesharetunes.com

Shari Levitin, CEO of The Levitin Group, stated “Over the past decade, the Levitin Group has developed and accumulated a vast library of intellectual property and content in video, written and audio formats. TimehareTunes.com simply offers a state-of-the-art, user-friendly, distribution channel for this content. We were able to partner with our sister software company, ePercipio, to offer our customers this new, consumer-centric, distribution method for their training, educational and career development needs.”

Full report here

Silver lining

At a time when companies in the US are shedding jobs, comes the news that Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc is actually planning to add over 12000 of them!

As of Dec. 31, 2008, Starwood had approximately 145,000 people employed in its corporate offices, owned and managed hotels and vacation ownership resorts, of whom approximately 36% were employed in the United States

Full report here

Crystal Ball gazing

Its the time of year when Fractional Life peers into its crystal ball to identify the 10 fractional trends to look out for in 2010.

You’ll need to click this link to take a peek at the new trends

Ragatz Fractional Interest Conference, March 2010

Registration is open for the 2010 Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference co-sponsored by The Registry Collection, the world’s largest luxury exchange program.

The conference will be take place March 29-31, 2010, at the Fairmont San Francisco in San Francisco, Calif.

The 2010 Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference will mark its 10th anniversary. What started as a small seminar with 50 participants has grown to be one of the most widely recognized and respected conferences on the fractional interest and private residence club industries on a global basis.

This year’s conference is especially important to anyone currently in the industry, or anticipating being so. Recent and probable future changes in the national and global economies are creating both challenges and opportunities.

The conference agenda is designed to reflect these changes and how best to respond to them. Over 60 speakers will discuss critical implications for consumer decision making, marketing, sales, financing, etc. They will represent existing participants in the industry, as well as experts and advisors from related industries.

Registration instructions and further information is available via www.RagatzAssociates.com

Happy New Year

Heavy hitters

Investopedia, a Forbes Digital company, lists 6 stocks that have outperformed the benchmark S&P 500 since their hitting lows over the past year.

Included in the 6 companies is Wyndham Worldwide Corporation.

Wyndham Worldwide Corporation operates in the hospitality business, providing hotel accommodation and “vacation ownership’ opportunities globally. Since the bottom was recorded for the S&P500 in March, Wyndham is up over 600%. WYN has a market cap of $3.6 billion.

Here’s the link to the complete article

Older Americans continuing to travel

Proving that the holiday market is weathering the recession better than many other sectors, a company that organizes vacations for Americans 50 years or older has said the demand continues unabated.

Like many other industry players and commentators, Grand Circle says the economy is pushing people to seek exceptional travel values rather than cut back on vacations.

Full story here

Source: www.timeshareresalenews.com

2010 Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference

Registration is open for the 2010 Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference co-sponsored by The Registry Collection exchange program, the world’s largest  luxury exchange  program. The conference will take place March 29-31, 2010, at the Fairmont, San Francisco in San Francisco, Calif.

The 2010 Ragatz Associates Fractional Interest Conference will mark its 10th anniversary. What started as a small seminar with 50 participants has grown to be one of the most widely recognized and respected conferences on the fractional interest and private residence club industries on a global basis. This year’s conference is especially important to anyone currently in the industry, or anticipating being so. Recent and probable future changes in the national and global economies are creating both challenges and opportunities. The conference agenda is designed to reflect these changes and how best to respond to them. Over 60 speakers will discuss critical implications for consumer decision making, marketing, sales, financing, etc. They will represent existing participants in the industry, as well as experts and advisors from related industries.

Registration instructions and further information is available via www.RagatzAssociates.com.