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Don’t miss the networking, educational sessions, and fun with your colleagues at the 2007 ARDA Convention and Exposition in Orlando, FL. Register by February 23 for a rate up to $300 less than on-site registration. 

Go to www.arda.org for registration information, the convention schedule, session descriptions, and speaker information.

ARDA’s Workforce Solutions is a Web-based human resources site to provide ARDA members with innovative solutions for recruiting and retaining the right people. 

Come meet ARDA workforce partners Hcareers, Wagewatch, Inc., Strategic Programs, Inc., and The Employment Guide, during the “ARDA Workforce Resource Center” educational session on Thursday, March 29, 2007 from 10:45AM-12:00PM at the 2007 ARDA Convention & Exposition. The session will provide information on retention techniques, recruiting methods, calibrating wage and benefit programs, and efficient hiring procedures.
 
The 2007 ARDA Convention & Exposition will take place in Orlando, Florida, Sunday-Thursday, March 25-29, 2007 at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Hotel.

Make the Most of Your Time at Convention – Participate in the AIF Open Golf Tournament presented by RCI on Sunday March 25 and enjoy networking while having  fun in the sun on the beautiful courses at Orange Lake Resort and Country Club. Spaces are still available. Please register by March 10th! Contact Darla Zanini at 202.207.10778 for more information.

Don’t miss the Interval International Party with a Cause on Tuesday, March 27.  Interval International has pulled out all the stops to make this year’s party the best ever. And for the fifth year all ticket purchases are donated to support the Foundation’s research, education, and outreach efforts.

And while in Orlando, stop by the AIF Silent Auctions to bid on unique items.  Each of the three auctions will feature different items, so be sure to stop by more than once for your chance to win – Tuesday March 27 and Wednesday March 28 in the Exhibit Hall, and Wednesday March 28 at the Pre-Gala Reception. Once Convention is over, the bidding still goes on with the online auction running through April 12 at http://aif.cmarket.com

For the first time, ARDA will be a sponsor of the Caribbean Hospitality & Tourism Investment Conference (CHTIC)  being held May 8-10 in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles. ARDA’s participation will ensure that vacation ownership opportunities are well represented at the summit, which draws investors interested in the high-yield Caribbean marketplace. Data presented at the 2006 conference revealed that over 80% of Caribbean tourism lodging investment included a shared or mixed use component.

Howard Nusbaum, ARDA’s president and CEO will be a featured speaker at the conference. For information on attending, please click here for early-bird registration discounts through February 26.

ARDA will present an overview of the vacation ownership industry at the “Developing & Financing Hotel Waterpark Resorts Workshop,” a developer-focused event looking at the future of resort, recreation, and entertainment projects.  The workshop will be held March 1 and 2 in Phoenix, details may be found at www.hotelwaterparkworkshop.com

After opening 32 hotels and timeshare resorts in the fourth quarter last year, Marriott International reported lower quarterly earnings than the previous year mainly because of scaled-back synthetic fuel division operations. Still, the hospitality giant managed to exceed analysts' consensus estimates for the period. The average earnings estimate for the fourth quarter was 49 cents per share, which Marriott surpassed with 52 cents per share with a net income of $220 million. Revenue per available room increased nearly 14 percent, with average daily rates climbing 13.3 percent. Marriott listed Hong Kong, Australia, Malaysia, Germany, and Costa Rica as particularly strong markets. Marriott now manages 2,832 hotels and over 500,000 rooms. (Web Link)

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"Holiday Resales Announces Timeshare Sales Milestone"
PRNewswire (02/12/07)

Holiday Resales confirms that it has surpassed the 30,000-timeshare sales mark since its founding in 1992. The company, a division of Holiday Group, today ranks as one of the nation's largest timeshare resale firms. COO Alan Renberger notes, "Holiday's success reflects that of the entire timeshare industry. But as retail prices increase, more people are discovering the bargains in resale timeshares, which are typically more than 50 percent off retail." A recent Ernst & Young research report showed a 9-percent increase in timeshare sales for 2005 compared to the year before. By the end of '05, the number of U.S. households that owned at least one timeshare unit had grown to 4.1 million. The study further recorded an average retail timeshare price of $17,797. (Web Link)

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"Accor to Tackle Asian Timeshare"
Australian (02/08/07) Cameron, Fiona

Accor this month formed a new property trust that will hold the assets of its soon-to-be-launched Asian timeshare operation. The new trust will be based on the French hotelier's Accor Premiere Vacation Club (APVC), which currently boasts more than 18,000 members. It will operate as a separate entity to the one that owns APVC's "Australasian" assets, although members will retain reciprocal rights. The Australian timeshare club was viewed as a test project by Accor's Paris headquarters. It is now expected to be rolled out globally, with Asia designated as the initial launch market. The worldwide operation will have its main office on Queensland's Gold Coast. The Australian Timeshare and Holiday Ownership Council reports that timeshare resorts have emerged as the Australian tourism industry's fastest growing segment since the sector's revival seven years ago. (Web Link)

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"Telkonet Gets Wyndham Resorts Business"
Washington Business Journal (02/05/07)

Maryland-based Telkonet, which last month agreed to implement Internet-access systems in airports for the Homeland Security Department, will also install its online systems in multiple Wyndham timeshare resorts. Under terms of the agreement, Telkonet will erect its systems at 50 timeshare properties managed by the Worldmark by Wyndham brand. Telkonet tested the system in a half-dozen Worldmark properties last year to positive results. Telkonet's system utilizes a building's current electrical wiring to provide broadband Internet connections. (Web Link)

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"Hilton Doubles Q4 Profit"
Pacific Business News (01/31/07)

Hilton Hotels Corp. reports that strong performance at its Hawaiian properties greatly heightened the company's overall profitability for the fourth quarter of 2006. Hilton reported that profit for the three-month period increased 92 percent from the year before, while timeshare profitability grew 11 percent. Hilton Hotels CEO Stephen Bollenbach noted that "strong demand for our timeshare properties" will help guarantee that 2007 will witness strong operating results. Hilton forecasts revenue for 2007 to total between $8.885 billion and $9.050 billion. The company expects to add around 255 hotels and 35,000 rooms to its network of 2,935 properties and 501,478 rooms this year. In Hawaii. Hilton's properties include the Hilton Hawaiian Village and the Hilton Waikoloa Village. (Web Link)

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"Timeshare Boom a Boon to Islands"
Honolulu Advertiser (HI) (01/31/07) Arakawa, Lynda

Over the past two years, timeshare units in Hawaii have increased by nearly 70 percent, helping boost visitor spending among timeshare owners twofold, according to data from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) in Hawaii. Spending by timeshare owners in Hawaii increased from $627 million in 2003 to $1.3 billion in 2005. In addition, state and county taxes created by timeshares increased over that same time period, from upwards of $90 million to upwards of $184 million. This is due to a nearly 70 percent rise in timeshare units, rising costs and real property taxes and higher occupancy, said Mitch Imanaka, the former chairman of the local ARDA chapter. Imanaka said the state's timeshare sector has roughly 8,200 units and is anticipated to add 5,600 additional units by 2010. Approximately 524,000 individuals visit timeshare resorts in Hawaii yearly, stated Imanaka, who along with others spoke before state lawmakers on Jan. 30 to provide information about the economic effect of timeshares and other industries. (Web Link)

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"Garden Grove Planners OK Hotel-Condo Conversion"
Orange County Register (CA) (01/19/07) Bharath, Deepa

In California last month, Garden Grove's Planning Commission unanimously approved the Anaheim Marriott Suites' proposal to convert its 371 hotel rooms into hotel condominiums. Hotel condos have been flourishing in such popular vacation states as Florida and Hawaii. The concept is similar to a timeshare, where buyers own a unit but use it only four weeks a year. The remainder of the year, the condos are rented out as hotel rooms. The Marriott Suites hotel is located one block away from Disneyland and is part of a city-designated resort district. (Web Link)

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"Vail Plaza Hotel & Club's Opening Delayed Again"
Denver Business Journal (01/18/07)

In Colorado, opening of the $150 million Vail Plaza Hotel & Club at the Vail ski resort has been pushed back to the summer. Originally slated to open in December, the development will include 38 bedroom timeshare units, ranging from one to four bedrooms. Timeshares will be sold in increments of two weeks and up and cost at least $100,000. (Web Link)

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"RCI Says China's Leisure-Property Set to Explode"
Reuters (01/17/07)

RCI Global Vacation Network says that within five years, China should be its biggest timeshare real estate market in Asia. Currently, almost half of RCI's 130,000 Asian members are in India. Membership in China numbers only 7,000, by contrast, but has a potential to reach 500,000 based on income, lifestyle and vacation history. "China has everything," said Allan Yip, the director of marketing for RCI's Asian market. "It has outbound traffic, inbound traffic and a domestic market." RCI recently inked a deal with China's fourth largest airline to help manage its network of 16 resort properties. Stephen Chen, RCI general manager for China, says that his country's lack of current regulation regarding timeshares is not necessarily a hindrance although the push is on for greater standardization. (Web Link)

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"Region's Leading Timeshare Conference to Gather Key Players at Investor Forum With Middle East Focus"
AME Info (UAE) (01/10/07)

On March 6, more than 150 regional timeshare resort and fractional ownership leaders are expected to meet at the Vacation Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE). David Clifton, Interval International's managing director for Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia, says "The Middle East is already dubbed as one of the fastest growing global regions in the vacation ownership industry with sector experts agreeing that its future potential is unparalleled. This conference focuses on the fundamentals of the industry and its potential for developers, hotel companies, consumers and local economies." (Web Link)

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