Las Vegas

I’ve just returned from Las Vegas where I attended, for the first time, the yearly convention for the timeshare industry.  It is held by ARDA, The American Resort Development Association which is the Washington D.C.-based professional association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. Established in 1969, ARDA today has nearly 1,000 corporate members ranging from privately held firms to publicly traded companies and international corporations with expertise in shared ownership interests in leisure real estate. The membership also includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, and owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

The convention is geared toward the timeshare developer and the ancillary companies that service them while this blog is aimed at the timeshare consumer but I came away with a very positive feeling for the industry.  Certainly the current economic climate has taken its toll, but the best minds in the industry were there to put on educational sessions to deal with this and other factors affecting the industry.

While surviving in difficult economic times was certainly one of the focuses of the convention, ARDA also sets the standards and identifies best practices and innovations for the industry.  There were sessions on going green, running an effective HOA, understanding today’s leisure traveler, innovative ways to improve owner satisfaction and fundamentals of resort management – all of which will contribute to timeshare owner’s enjoyment and satisfaction.

ARDA also does a great job lobbying in Washington DC for timeshare owner rights.  They have been instrumental in keeping us from having to pay transient hotel taxes when we do an exchange in many parts of the country.  They are a nonprofit so feel free to make donations.  To learn more about this very important and useful organization click here.

The most exciting thing for me personally was that RCI has a copy of my Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition and has read some of the articles I’ve done about them.

At first I thought that they would now put out their own Bible to compete with mine.  But to my surprise, RCI encouraged what I was doing and offered me assistance in getting out information on another of a long line of product and service enhancements they have been making of late due out later this year.  Rather than seeing me as their competition they want as many timeshare owners as possible to understand the best procedures of getting a good timeshare exchange.

All RCI members are going to be greatly pleased by what they will be rolling out regardless of where they own.  In my opinion, what RCI is doing will be considered one of the great leaps forward in the timeshare industry since its inception.

RCI has already broken the mold with RCI TV and continues to strive to improve their service.  But I promised not to tip my hat early on this so you’ll have to wait until later this year.

I also got to speak briefly with Howard Nusbaum, President and CEO of ARDA, about The Timeshare Exchange Bibles and he asked me to send him copies.  He also thinks it imperative to educate timeshare owners on the art of getting good exchanges.

Refer back to this blog for further updates and be the first to learn of the new RCI enhancements when they pull the trigger.

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Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges.

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog.

For 10 FREE videos on getting better timeshare exchanges in RCI and II go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.

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Interval International just launched their ShortStay program for those of you wanting to stay in a timeshare for a period of less than a week’s time.  Here’s what I’ve found out about it so far from reading their FAQ section.

First, you must be a Gold Member to take advantage of the ShortStay program, which means you have to pay an extra $59 a year on top of your yearly dues of $89.  You also must pay the regular exchange fee for EACH ShortStay.   If you do 2 ShortStays that adds up to $337.  Add in a maintenance fee of about $700 and you’re at $1,337.  You might be better off renting a hotel room.

Interval International says the majority of  inventory will be within 30 days or less.  I did a quick check and, other than in Las Vegas, I found that to be true.  The inventory I did find wasn’t all that exciting.  The only thing in California was Palm Springs, hot, and very slim pickings in the Caribbean.  I found one 4 night stay in Lake Tahoe.

There was good availability in Virginia Beach, the mountains of North Carolina, Vail, Colorado and Park City, Utah.

II’s ShortStays can only be booked online and for 2-6 night stays.  Once booked you can’t cancel but you can pay for insurance of course and you can only reserve in the size unit you gave up or smaller.  I found more studio availability than anything else.  There was plenty of weekend availability when I checked.

Also, you can’t do a pending request so if you see something you like, grab it. 

It will be interesting to see how well this works and if RCI follows suit for its weeks based owners.

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Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert, has taught thousands of timeshare owners the secrets to getting the best exchanges with both RCI and Interval International for over 21 years.

His two books, The Timeshare Exchange Bible – RCI Weeks Edition, and The Timeshare Exchange Bible – Interval International, are the only books of their kind in the timeshare industry and designed to help you  master at the very complicated art of getting good exchanges. 

I would love to have you share your opinions and personal insights on this blog. 

For 3 FREE tips on getting a better exchange in RCI and II, go to TheTimeshareExpert.com.  

The Cliffs at Peace Canyon in Las Vegas has gotten a lot of good reviews.  It even gets good reviews in Trip Advisor whose contributors are pretty persnickety  when rating resorts.

Cliffs at Peace Canyon

Here’s a picture of the living and dining room.

Living and Dining Room

RCI rates it as a Gold Crown.  According to Timeshares Daily, “The Cliffs at Peace Canyon is one of the best timeshares in Las Vegas. Its located 15 minutes away from the Las Vegas Strip, near fantastic outdoor locations like Red Rock Canyon and Hoover Dam.

The property offers a getaway from the hustle and bustle of the Las Vegas gaming tables. It has a Spa fully equipped with saunas and offers hot-stone massages, European treatments, Swiss showers, salt scrubs, and more.

If you have a taste for golf, the property has an 18-hole golf course. After basking under the sun after the match, you can wash your fatigue away with a swimming pool nestled amidst the Peace Canyon.

The timeshare offers one and two-bedroom accommodations, both include a kitchen, a living room, and a dining area. When the desert breeze comes in, you can relax in front of gas fire places.”

As nice it is I wouldn’t exchange my timeshare for the Cliffs.  I did a quick search on Expedia and found that I could rent a 1 bedroom for around $55/night-less than my maintenance fee.  Even over the 4th of July weekend the average rate was only $72/night.

Do some research before exchanging your timeshare.  You want to use your exchange week in resorts that you would have to pay at least $150/night to stay in.