Even www.forbes.com is getting into the spirit of the season - promoting nine great timeshare destinations where you can stay for a greatly reduced rate. They describe these nine choices like this - "good news for cash-strapped and none-too-proud vacationers willing to sit through a two-hour presentation in order to enjoy up to a week's worth of deeply discounted fun in the sun or on the slopes. If you're in that camp, here are nine gambits worth a look. ' (read the story here) With a few of their recommendations like Wyndham, Marriott, and Silverleaf they don't specify which resorts to choose but describe incentives for a budget minded traveler to stay at their resort for a seriously reduced rate.

This time of year, the Raintree's Club Regina Los Cabos looks especially enticing:

Especially with this stuff swirling around the midwest and northeast:

Palm trees, beaches, and warm ocean water sounds appealing!

In their article they mention Island One, Orlando Florida, a great fractional in Destin Florida - Emerald Grande, Consolidated Resorts Tahiti Village Las Vegas, and the Westin Maui Resort and Spa. All terrific destinations - especially if you want to dodge that blue and pink stuff in the above radar image....

Happy traveling in 2009!

Great beach and tropical timeshare deals for Cabo San Lucas Mexico are here.

In a word, nothing. The value of your timeshare will not be determined by the price of the timeshare resort developers stock price. Just because Wyndham's stock dropped by 7% on Monday, does not mean you should panic. The same goes for Marriott timeshare owners. The quality of service you receive as a timeshare owner will not likely be affected either.

These companies are still very profitable and any cuts they make in the short term will have more to do with new sales and new developments than current operations.  From the Associated Press, "Wyndham's stock has dropped more than 20 percent since Marriott International Inc. (nyse: MAR ) said Thursday that its timeshare sales have dried up amid the tight credit market and cutbacks in business and consumer spending." Large timeshare developers who have significant hotel business depend on the steady cash flow of timeshare sales. This cash flow is stopped when other businesses will not buy their loans. The emerging strategy is to focus their marketing on buyers with a higher credit rating.

As a side note, Starwood has taken a similar hit on their stock price but maintains an "outperform" rating by Oppenheimer. Starwood resorts include big names like Westin and Sheraton.

Chances are, when this economic storm passes, the big players in the timeshare world like Wyndham, Marriott, and Westgate will once again "lower the bar" to make more sales.

"History teaches us that we never learn from history."

PS: Anyone know if this has stopped resorts from exercising their "right of first refusal" on a timeshare resale?

MAR - Marriott, WYN - Wyndham, HOT - Starwood

In the Starwood family of resorts, the Westin Kaanapali stands out above the rest.  Located on the northwest shores of Maui Hawaii, this resort offers luxury at a level few ever manage to experience.  And at a fraction of what it would cost if you owned a whole ownership condo in the same area.  The Westin Kaanapali timeshare offers acres of pristine beach and places you ideally on Maui's west end, giving you enviable access to the refreshing blue of the Pacific Ocean. Soak in breathtaking vistas of natural beauty while being able to enjoy the nearby cultural activities in the former whaling town of Lahaina. If you were to buy this timeshare from the resort you would pay far more than if you bought on the secondary market.  There are owners of Westin Kaanapali timeshare who would be willing to sell to you at a significant discount.  You can find these timeshare deals at www.rpmls.com.

If you are ready to sell your Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas timeshare, seek the professional help of the agents at www.rpmls.com.  They have been in the timeshare business for nearly 3 decades and have the expertise to get the job done!

Other Starwood Resort timeshares available at www.rpmls.com include: Sheraton's Vistana Orlando, Sheraton's Desert Oasis, Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Sheraton's Mountain Vista, Buganvilias Resort, Sheraton Broadway Plantation, Lakeside Terrace@Vail Valley, Sheraton's PGA Vacation Resort, Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort, and Westin Ka'anapali Ocean Resort Villas.

A recent study by Hawaii's state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism showed a 21.3% growth in the number of timeshare units: from 6,592 to 7,997.  Oahu claims the largest total number of visitor accommodations, with Maui in second place.  The big island and Kauai  came in third and fourth.  Some of the best known Oahu timeshares include Marriott's Ko Olina Beach Club, Royal Aloha Vacation Club, Hawaiian Sun Holidays at the Waikiki Banyan, and Hawaiian Princess at Makaha Beach.

Top shelf luxury timeshare is the recurring theme on Maui.  Consider these: Marriott's Maui Ocean Club, Maui Schooner, Maui Beach Vacation Club, Kahana Beach Vacation Club, and Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas to name a few.  Nearby you will find some of the most beautiful golf courses in the world.  The PGA tour came through there a few months ago. It would be hard to go wrong with a Maui timeshare. If you think you may want to buy a timeshare in Maui, you have several well known timeshare resort names to choose from: Marriott, Westin, and Consolidated Resorts.

If you think you may want to sell Maui timeshare, you have several options.  The best would be to use a professional service like what you will find at www.rpmls.com.  There you will find a great deal of information about selling or buying timeshare.

Recent news from the Wall Street Journal reported that the hoteliers with substantial timeshare resort interests fare much better in the stock market that those who don't.  So it may or may not be a surprise that Starwood, one of the biggest timeshare developers, announced plans to open 54 Sheraton hotels:

"Hotel developers are advancing plans to develop more rooms, as evidenced by last week’s announcement by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. that it aims to open 54 Sheraton hotels with 20,000 new rooms by 2009. Almost 70 Sheraton properties are expected to open by the end of 2010--with 30 including spas--in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Asia." (source)

What are Starwood's plans for timeshare development over the next year or two?  Profitability gets a huge boost from those who have timeshare in their portfolio.  Timeshare units tend to have a much higher occupancy rate, upsales potential, and long term income streams.  Starwood owners will be looking to see news about more developments!

Check out these timeshare resales deals for Starwood properties:

The Sheraton Vistana Orlando: one of the top timeshare resales of all time.

The Westin Mission Hills at Rancho Mirage features two championship golf courses, waterfall-fed swimming pools, tennis, putting green, three restaurants, full-service spa and more. Awesome location in southern California.

Sheraton's Mountain Vista in Avon, Colorado is near some of the most spectacular ski slopes in North America.

If you want to sell timeshare, buy timeshare, rent timeshare, www.rpmls.com is the place to be!