Increasingly, travel websites publish advertisements for the sale of timeshares, but not everywhere there is an explanation of what this system is, how it works, and where it came from. Some observers claim that it is as simple as buying a tour, while others flatly discourage tourists from getting involved with timeshares.

But, like any vacation format, timeshare has its pros and cons. The Vipgeo portal invites you to learn about all aspects of this phenomenon in world tourism.

History and features of timeshare

Actually, for the first time, the term timeshare was registered in the USA in 1974, when one of the travel companies offered its clients long-term contracts for annual accommodation in a certain hotel of a certain resort. A little later, this system came to Europe, becoming very popular there among a certain circle of tourists.

In fact, a timeshare is a full-fledged rental of a hotel room by a tourist. one or two weeks a year. There are also contracts for a month of annual occupancy, or a one-time timeshare to own the property for the entire year. But the most widespread are those timeshare options that give a tourist a place “for vacation,” most often on fixed dates of one or two seasons.

The terms of such contracts are each hotel, or, as it is called in the West - club- You have the right to install it yourself. The minimum timeshare term is three years, the maximum is up to 30 years old. Of course, tourists in this case “buy” only the premises with the proviso that the club can change the rules for additional payment at its discretion due to inflation, rating increases, etc.

Of course, when it comes to such long term, then the cost of a timeshare itself is not a cheap pleasure. A contract for a period of 10 years will cost the average tourist about $13000 and more, depending on the prestige of the hotel or apartment. If a timeshare buyer is unsure, he can sign a trial contract for a week, which will cost about $200-450 for a double room.

According to the level of prestige and prices, timeshares are divided by color, depending on the season:

    "Red" timeshare- purchase of time at the hotel only in high season. The guest has the right to change the dates of arrivals, as well as exchange the timeshare to another resort. The most expensive option.

    "White" timeshare- buying time for accommodation in the off-season. According to the rules for using services, it is similar to the “red” contract, but due to its less popularity it is much cheaper.

    "Blue" timeshare- low season timeshare. The cheapest, and, as a rule, offering accommodation in hotels without categories.

Important: If the first American timeshares had very strict obligations to tourists, now they have somewhat weakened their responsibility. Thus, tourists from year to year can settle in different hotels, but within the same resort area, when, as in the 1970s, this was unacceptable.

Timeshares in Russia appeared in the 1990s in private hotels Krasnodar region and a number of other regions. At first these were honest attempts to copy the American system, but later the business turned criminal and was captured by scammers. Nowadays there are only a few legal companies offering timeshares, but every year the demand for “club holidays” begins to grow, albeit outside our country.

Basic concepts used in timeshare

    Club- a hotel or the actual place of residence of a tourist, for example, a cottage in a resort area or an apartment in a residential building. Often this word also means the resort area itself, where hotels are located in which tourists have the right to check in.

    Multiclub- a united zone of several resorts of one region or island. Recently, the term has been used to designate the service area of ​​the timeshare owner.

    Founder- a company that owns a hotel in which a tourist buys time to stay.

    Trustee- a firm that regulates the legality of buying and complying with timeshare rules. Exist in the USA, Europe and a number of island states. There are no such companies in Russia today.

Advantages of a timeshare

    Most licensed hotels and apartments operating under the timeshare system are modern, comfortable accommodation with all necessary amenities and located within walking distance from the resort or excursion area.

    Modern timeshares have a flexible check-in system without being tied to a specific date of the month. This was done after numerous complaints from tourists due to postponed holidays.

    Any timeshare can be put up for sale if for some reason a tourist cannot or does not want to visit the selected resort anymore.

    All timeshares have special programs for families with children. If we are talking about a “red” contract, then most clubs do not charge any additional payments for a child’s accommodation.

    Clubs operating under the guise of world brands guarantee that during the entire term of the contract tourists will be provided not only with accommodation, but also with regular meals.

Disadvantages of a timeshare

    The timeshare system is considered expensive and not always profitable even in the West. In addition to paying for the contract, the tourist will be charged property tax. If we are talking about prestigious vacation spots, then the amount of annual fees can be up to $500.

    Foreign hotels extremely rarely provide timeshare accommodation for Russian-speaking guests. As a result, there is a language barrier at almost all levels: from service to the menu in the hotel restaurant. You will have to hire a Russian-speaking guide or animator for some money.

    Most timeshare contracts are not renewed. The queue for check-in at hotels is usually scheduled for several years in advance, so it is more profitable to purchase long-term contracts.

    A tourist, buying a timeshare, completely trusts the founder and his management company, which is responsible for accommodation. In case of bankruptcy of the hotel, the money is returned only through the trustee company. If the trustee is not registered in the holiday country, all disputes are resolved in court.

    IN last years Most European clubs work with the concept of “tourist reputation”. If a guest has in any way violated the rules of staying at the hotel, then his timeshare contract is canceled without the right to a refund.

Do timeshares have a future in Russia?

The chaos of the 90s, a lot of scammers in modern Russia and a variety of fraudulent schemes related to the purchase of timeshares are repelling most tourists from such offers, says most travel forums. But is everything so bad with timeshares in our country?

The main problem is that for more than 20 years, Russian laws have learned very little how to control the tourism market. According to tourists who are faced with a “divorce” under the guise of timeshares, litigation related to the return of money drags on for years. Crimes are obvious, but sometimes it is simply impossible to prove them.

In recent years, some tourist regions, For example, Krasnodar region and Crimea, began to actively implement licensing of hotels responsible for timeshares in Russia. This led to a sharp reduction in illegal immigrants, but prices for such services jumped sharply, which scared off the lion's share of our tourists.

So far, the fate of timeshares in Russia is unclear, since, according to travel observers, the price for legally buying time in a hotel or apartment cannot be called affordable. As of 2016, three-year timeshare contracts in Yalta cost from 100 thousand rubles, and in Sochi this figure can double.

Based on this, we can conclude that the transition of timeshares in the Russian tourism market will take years.

July 22, 2012 The term “timeshare” (literally “time sharing”) is most often used in the tourism business. And here it means joint ownership of real estate in resort places. These can be rooms in hotels, boarding houses, holiday homes, etc.

The idea of ​​a timeshare is this. You cannot afford to buy real estate in an expensive foreign resort: it is expensive, and you will have to pay considerable taxes. But you can buy ownership for periods ranging from one to 51 weeks of the year.

Timeshares are differentiated by seasonality and quality of service.

Depending on the season, the timeshare has its own color:

Red - best season for relax;

White - off-season;

Blue is the season in lowest demand.

Based on the quality of service, timeshares are distributed similarly to the “star” category of hotels.

Resorts are divided into the following categories:

Standard;

Golden crown.

Timeshare as a club holiday

Club holidays involve the opportunity to take advantage of comfortable living conditions in club-type hotels. Club members, purchasing a timeshare in such a club hotel (one or several weeks), receive the right to exchange their time and vacation spot for another in accordance with the existing price list of resorts of various categories. For example, more than three thousand resorts around the world are connected to the international RCI club holiday system.

The cost of personal membership in clubs varies depending on the number of years for which the fee is paid: than more years you pay, the lower the cost of club membership in terms of one year.

Benefits of a timeshare

For countries where the law regulates timeshare, it provides a number of significant advantages for system participants:

1. Acquisition of ownership of real estate on prestigious resorts;

2. The opportunity to exchange a vacation spot, accumulate the duration of a vacation by giving up your weeks in one year, or sell your weeks if you can’t find time to relax at a resort in a certain year;

3. Transfer the purchased timeshare by inheritance or sell it;

4. Solve the problem of corporate leisure for company employees.

Club holidays, in addition to the listed advantages, also have the following advantages:

1. Holidays in apartments that have all the conditions for living as in your own apartment or house, including the opportunity to invite friends;

2. A one-time investment in the purchase of a timeshare and payment for club membership allows you to choose a new vacation spot every year;

3. Discount systems for air travel.

“Russian Timeshare” as a way to withdraw money from the population

In Russia, they often try to sell a timeshare using aggressive methods of influencing a potential buyer (extorting money). Through various tricks in the form of sociological surveys or messages that you have become the winner of some promotion, you are lured to presentations or events to present supposedly won prizes. You are urged to turn off your mobile phone and be with your other “half”.

It turns out that you have won a week of rest. You can choose the resort yourself, but you will be convinced to choose the one that the timeshare owners need. You will pay quite a bit, but then it turns out that the round trip is paid for out of your pocket, the food is also at your expense, and on the spot it turns out that you also need to pay for insurance, an additional week, or incur some other costs that are refundable. All this was supposedly stipulated in the contract. You pay for everything, but you won’t see your money again, because on the day of departure you won’t find a company representative.

Currently, the courts of our country are considering hundreds of civil cases on claims of defrauded people who have suffered from the actions of unscrupulous timeshare companies.

If you still decide to try, then when buying a timeshare, beware of situations where they prove to you that right now you need to make a deal, otherwise tomorrow the lot will be twice or three times more expensive.

If you intend to purchase a timeshare, carefully study the contract, which must be drawn up in at least two languages, Russian and English.

Do not trust those who do not provide you with a contract to review in a calm home environment.

Find out information about the structure of the club, additional cash payments, as well as liability for non-payment of club membership.

When reselling certificates, beware of unscrupulous intermediaries, carefully study contracts and do not pay in advance for processing transactions or conducting market research.

It is also important to mention that timeshare is difficult to use as an investment, since in reality there is almost no market for its resale, and providers of this service often do not record the acquisition of this property in the property register or land registry. As a result, if this company goes bankrupt, the buyer will not have any rights.

Timeshare timeshare, lit. “time sharing” - joint ownership of real estate (condominium) in the tourism business, with the opportunity to use it for a certain time, in proportion to the monetary contribution. Typically referred to as “vacation ownership,” it is purchased for a term of 10 years to perpetual use. Traditionally, apartments are sold for 4 to 6 people. Usage time is measured in weeks time division, which are grouped into three colors"(red Red- season, the most expensive and prestigious, white White- off-season, and blue Blue- off-season) and reflect the dynamics of demand by season. The owner, or rather, the co-owner of the condominium (that is, joint ownership), can relax in the purchased apartments in “his own” weeks, or exchange the vacation spot for a similar one within the “color”. In addition, red changes to red, white and blue - at the request of the client, white only to white and blue, blue - only to blue, respectively. Additionally, it is possible to change regions. At the same time, a region that is super popular and prestigious changes to a less prestigious one with increasing vacation time.

In 1971 a global system has been created RCI - Resort Condominiums International, which provides co-ownership of properties at high-end resorts and “holiday sharing.” The system includes over 2,300 complexes located at resorts in 70 countries. At the end of 1992 timeshare owners in the system RCI there were about 3 million families. In 1996 RCI opened its representative office in Moscow, and is currently actively promoting timeshare services on the Russian tourist market.

Similar services are offered by the prestigious timeshare club system Interval International, which includes more than 1000 high-class hotels (usually at least 5 stars). The exchange rules state that you can exchange for RCI, but there is no going back. By depositing approximately 22,000 USD, anyone, regardless of citizenship, can become a co-owner - for one week annually for a period of 25 years - of a fashionable cottage in the Canary Islands or on the Florida coast, for example, in the famous place of Cypress Bay (Cypress Hartbourg) in Orlando. Unlike RCI- system L of a higher class, cottages are offered with an area of ​​160 sq.m. and better equipped; two bedrooms, hall, kitchen, color-video TV, as well as a host of other amenities and entertainment. At the same time, up to eight people can relax in the cottage (with some space) at no additional charge. You can choose any week throughout the year for your holiday by notifying us in advance. If a given resort is tired, the client can submit an application and easily exchange it for any other in the same system or system RCI, Clients receive discounts on air tickets of up to 20% or more.


Holiday rights - applied to TimeShare- temporary use rights or the right to grant third parties the right to use a cottage or villa specified in the certificate of ownership for a certain period (for example, 25 years). A feature of a classic timeshare is the presence of a certificate of ownership for a certain period of rest, and these rights are inherited, can be the subject of a pledge, assignment, loan security, etc. (all signs of property rights).

Selling a timeshare is quite a delicate matter, so companies involved in marketing and working with clients use tactics of working with an individual client, the so-called individual presentations. Of course, the information is not transmitted to the press, the main information is communicated to the client privately, all negotiations and agreements reached are strictly confidential. Some marketing companies use aggressive timeshare sales practices, which causes controversy and consumer complaints.

Spacebank - club trademark RCI for a bank of rest periods in which one week is reserved for each member owner RCI.

Two-for-One - club member right RCI exchange one week of holiday in the Canary Islands for two weeks of holiday in the USA or Canada or three weeks in Australia or New Zealand. Exchange rights also provide for the opportunity to “accumulate” vacation time; if the owner does not use vacation time this year, he can reserve two weeks of vacation for the next year.

Almost every country has national timeshare clubs.

Vacation ownership is a fast-growing sector of the global tourism business:

and it was developed in 81 countries;

a there are more than 4,500 resorts-tourist complexes operating in this system;

and the owners of the recreation system live in 174 countries;

a more than 3.14 million families in the world own a recreation system;

and sales were approximately $4.76 billion (1994).

Buyers in the vacation ownership system are individuals with a fairly high annual income and increased requirements for the quality and location of accommodation facilities. Leisure ownership system and its variations – timeshare, club holidays, hotel holidays represents one of the ways to pay for and use a high-quality accommodation facility for a certain period of time, which can optionally be exchanged for a holiday in another location (at 4,350 resorts worldwide or at 1,289 resorts in Europe). Owning a vacation is a tourism product that is maximally tailored to the needs of the buyer.

From research carried out by Ragatz Accociates in Europe, Asia and Australia, it follows that high socio-economic indicators of holiday ownership buyers are visible in many countries around the world. More than half of holiday owners are aged North America ranges from 35 to 55 years. Most owners (85%) are families, only 33% of them have children. The average annual income of owners is more than $60,000; they tend to have a prestigious education (54% of household heads graduated from college or university).

Thus, a typical timeshare owner in England is married, over 35 years old, and has no children in need of care. The reasons for purchasing a timeshare vary. According to research from Ragatz Accociates, it is estimated that approximately 72% of timeshare owners considered the ability to exchange a vacation spot one of the important reasons for purchasing a club vacation. Other reasons for buying a timeshare are confidence in the quality of the apartments provided (62%); the habit of vacationing at a given resort (58%) and saving money on future vacation expenses (56%).

Vacation ownership concept offers owners the right to use, for a certain period of time (season and interval) annually, a room, apartment or other type of housing, which, in turn, is part of a tourist complex (club) equipped to provide various services. The buyer pays a certain amount to acquire the right to own membership in a recreation club, and after that makes annual contributions: intended for the maintenance of the club property (local payments); for exchanging holidays in another club. The sales time period is usually based on weeks (intervals) and cannot, as a rule, exceed 51 weeks per year.

The time spent in apartments (modules) is divided in some cases into seasons - red, white and blue (season, off-season and off-season). Thus, the interval, module and season are purchased. Recently, club membership, valued in the form of points (credit points), has become widespread.

Accommodation facilities and module sizes vary:

a studio, luxury room (for 2 persons) - T-0;

a room with one bedroom and living room (for 4 persons) - T-2;

a room with two bedrooms and a living room (for 6 persons) - T-2;

a room with three bedrooms and a living room (for 8 persons) - T-3, etc.

Specially designed accommodation modules often include elements such as terraces, balconies, swimming pools, Jacuzzis, video systems, etc., as well as kitchens (full, partial, separate, etc.). The latter, as a rule, are equipped with a set of dishes, refrigerators, microwave ovens, food processors, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.

The average size of a resort (complex) is 50 rooms. Resorts located in areas of greatest interest to clients, vary on the: beach(Spain, Portugal), urban(London, Paris, Vienna), mountain(Austria), thematic recreation parks (USA: Orlando, Florida and California, northeast Spain). Resorts are affiliated with the system under special programs. The average price of a module ranges from $6,500 to $9.5. Thus, in Spain, the average two-bedroom unit costs approximately $7,500, but the average is $8,000 per season; $5,200 and $3,800 - in the off-season and off-season, respectively.

→ Timeshare

A timeshare is a form of property ownership in which one property is rented to several people. This scheme, which appeared in Europe in the 1960s, is now popular in resort towns in the USA, Europe, and other countries. Caribbean Sea and Asia. In Russia, timeshare has been known since the 1990s. However, it has not become as widespread as in Europe due to the unscrupulous behavior of some companies that have made a lot of money from fraudulent transactions involving the secondary sale of timeshares.

There are different timeshare schemes. In one case, the owner has the right to use the apartment for one week every two years, in the other - for a whole month every year. But the most common option is that the timeshare owner can only stay in the apartment for one specific week of the year and cannot change the date. Such fixed weeks are only suitable for those who have holidays at the same time every year. There is also a so-called “floating” timeshare, when the owner can plan a vacation for different years. different time. You just need to agree on the date of arrival with the management company in advance. During the absence of the owner, the apartments are rented out.

Each year, rooms are offered in the same hotel or in different hotels, but usually within the same resort. The buyer only decides on the specific size and type of apartment and chooses the season.

A timeshare ownership agreement is concluded for a period from three years to several decades.

Timeshare weeks are divided into red (holiday season), white (off-season) and blue (low season, when the least number of tourists come to the resort). Red weeks are the most expensive. You can exchange more valuable weeks for less valuable ones by turning to the services of exchange companies - for example, RCI (Resort Condominiums International) or II (Interval International). These organizations connect several thousand resorts around the world. However, you cannot exchange weeks for more expensive ones: for example, you can exchange red weeks for white ones, but not vice versa. Blue weeks are not exchangeable.

Some hotels have a points system instead of weeks. The timeshare owner receives a certificate indicating a certain number of points. In this case, the length of stay in the apartment can vary from one night to 10 days. By using unused days, a timeshare owner can accumulate points year after year, which allows him to choose more favorable accommodation conditions - for example, a more spacious room or a more expensive resort. Thus, a spacious apartment often costs 500 points during the holiday season, and a small room during the low season costs 200 points.

Timeshare advantages:

  • Timeshare properties are typically studios or apartments that offer a high level of service.
  • The timeshare owner can transfer weeks of his vacation to subsequent years and thus increase the duration of use of the apartment.
  • The owner has the option to assign or sell his weeks.
  • The owner of a timeshare can vary the time and duration of vacation.
  • There are bonuses in the form of additional days.

Flaws:

  • Timeshare is considered quite expensive. In addition, the owner of the apartment is required to pay an annual tax - on average, 300–400 euros per year. For example, in Florida, a timeshare priced at €11,700 entitles you to stay at a resort for one week a year in a two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment. In this case, 450 euros are paid as annual tax.
  • Timeshare is difficult to resell due to the high price.
  • The owner can live in the apartment for a limited time - usually a few weeks a year.
  • When the lease expires, the timeshare owner does not retain ownership.
  • In some cases, if a timeshare owner does not use the weeks allotted to him, he loses the right to use them for a year.
  • High risks. The owner's rights are secured only by agreement; he does not acquire a property, but the right to use this property for a time. If Management Company goes bankrupt, the client loses money.

A timeshare has many similarities to fractional ownership, a scheme in which multiple owners own shares in the same property.

Just like a timeshare, in the case of fractional ownership, the property can be rented out during downtime, given to friends and relatives for use, or passed on by inheritance.

At the same time, there are differences between the schemes. First, shared ownership is much more expensive: a share typically costs several hundred thousand dollars, while a timeshare costs an average of $10,000. This is because a timeshare system typically allows you to live in the home for one week per year, while the owner of the shared ownership gets the right to use the property for up to several months out of the year. The difference in price is also explained by the fact that real estate purchased through a shared ownership scheme is usually elite and located in expensive resorts. Another important difference is that the owner of a timeshare does not receive ownership of the property, but only acquires the opportunity to conduct certain time at the resort. Also, over time, shared ownership increases in value, and your share can be sold at a profit, which is difficult in the case of a timeshare.

Russians are accustomed to the fact that they can only vacation according to the principle of package holidays. A package holiday is a system in which you buy full tour including flights, meals, accommodation and transfers. And many do not even imagine that there may be any other form of leisure management. The seemingly ease of use actually costs large overpayments for vacations. If someone is developing a tour for you, he naturally wants money for it. You have to pay for this work, and we pay money for convenience. Yes it is. How much do you pay for this convenience? Have you ever asked yourself this question? And admit it to yourself honestly: the package holiday market can be called convenient, but it definitely cannot be called safe. Why?

You will receive the answer to this question on the TV screens of Russian channels. If companies that operated under the USSR go bankrupt, then what can we say about small travel agencies that are not even licensed in Russia. When we're talking about about Western operators, these are completely different organizations: they have their own hotels, their own aircraft fleet, a fleet of transfer vehicles, so they make a profit from their tourism infrastructure. As for the model of operation of the domestic tourism market for package holidays, it is a tandem of tour operators and banks.

Tour operators are trying to compensate for their costs through bank loans and from year to year they are increasingly getting into credit bondage. And what happens to them next, you have repeatedly seen on TV. As for the convenience of a package holiday, one more fact should be noted here. Package holidays were convenient once upon a time, but not anymore. It was convenient at a time when modern communications, such as the Internet, for example, were not yet so developed. Using a smartphone and credit card you are able to become a tour operator yourself, and you will not need to pay extra money to someone for what you can easily do yourself, and your partner will not be a domestic company, but a hotel with assets, because collection companies are starting to come to the Russian tourism market companies. These are the companies that collect debts. Collector in this case from the word – collect, collect. These are various kinds of sites that offer hotel reservations or the purchase of air tickets. You've heard about them BOOKING, AIRBNB. Now this is still the lot of tourism gourmets who want to manage their holidays themselves and are taking their first steps from the package holiday market. Anyone who rejects the idea that a tour operator is safe, that this idea is absurd, will understand that the days of the package holiday market are becoming a thing of the past.

And against the backdrop of these two models, the collection market and the package holiday market, Timeshare is, indeed, an island of stability and reliability in the ocean of world tourism. And this island has remained modern since 1964, where BOOKING and AIRBNB took its first steps. Timeshare created the expressway back in 1974. The stability and reliability of this system is embedded in the principle of the economic model that forms the basis of Timeshare. Why is timeshare so good? It is a system that can satisfy the interests of all target audiences interested in tourism, those who do not want to make unnecessary moves when booking a vacation, and gourmets who want to travel to the farthest corners of the world.

There is a joke that a timeshare is a house on wheels. And if you read this phrase literally, then this is true. Because this is really a house, and we’ll tell you why it’s on wheels a little later, but for now let’s figure out why it’s a house. Imagine a summer house that you share with your relatives or friends and use it in turns at some time: for example, one week you use it, and the other week your friends use it. But the question is: who is the owner of this dacha if everyone takes turns relaxing in it? You may object: what difference does it make who is the owner if we have access to this dacha? The difference is that you can somehow come to the dacha, but it simply isn’t there, because the owner, for example, decided to demolish the house or sell it to someone else who will no longer have the desire to let you into this dacha, and then you will need to look for a new dacha.

And whether it will be good or not is still a question. But if you are the owner of a dacha, other problems arise: it needs to be maintained, cleaned, and repaired. Therefore, it causes a lot of trouble, but in reality we use it twice a week in the summer. The rest of the time she stands idle. How nice it would be if you owned the dacha only when you were on vacation, and the rest of the time it wouldn’t be yours. A magical version of ownership. And this magic is the basis of Timeshare. You are offered to buy not the dacha itself, but the time on it, say, two weeks a year - the property. Many people will think: what kind of property is this - it's a rental? And we will object; The rented premises cannot be sold, donated, bequeathed, and even less rented out: you rent it yourself, the property can only be used.

The timeshare system allows you to do this. The word Timeshare itself is English and is translated as time - time, share - share, that is, a share of time. You buy ownership of a piece of real estate for a share of time, and that share is usually one calendar week. In total, from a timeshare point of view, there are 52 weeks a year, and there are 53 technical weeks, when the resort administration carries out maintenance work on the premises. And you buy this share of time for a certain period: from 1 year to 79 years. For 79 years you can use one week a year, or maybe two or more, or buy all 52 weeks a year and then your dacha will be your property all year round. The most important factor: you buy time as your property, and you have the opportunity to dispose of this time as you wish: donate it, bequeath it, rent it out and receive money for it, sell it and make a profit. If you rent this premises, you will not be able to do this. Think about it: you bought a timeshare, used it about five years ago, and then sold it. It turns out that the entire time you were resting on it, you were doing it for free.

Agree, it is illogical, after living in a hotel, to ask him for money back for his stay. In the timeshare economic model, this is possible. And most importantly: all those who share time with you in the apartments at the resort will take care of it, because all of them, like you, are owners, and a good owner always takes care of his property. There is another important factor - risks. We often see on hotel avenues beautiful pictures rooms, but upon arrival we discover that everything is actually not so beautiful, and the number of rooms is not that high quality. A hotel is always a Russian roulette: we don’t know where we’ll end up: in good hotel or not, whether there will be decent numbers there or not.

Owning a timeshare, you will always know where you are going and what the apartments look like, what quality they are, and there will be no surprises. They will also be of really good quality. At a hotel, you can pay $200 a night and put up with some inconvenience. But when you need to pay $20,000 for a timeshare interval, the buyer will not put up with the poor quality of the apartments. The price of a timeshare is the key to its quality. Some timeshare owners complain that European resorts not as good as Asian or Middle Eastern ones. But you remember in what years they were built. Where new timeshare resorts are now being built, for example in Dubai, palaces are already being built. However, European timeshares have more trading power.

Trading power is the “weight” of a certificate in the global timeshare market based on consumer demand. Trading power is a shorthand term that determines the value of each timeshare. Based on consumer demand, the trading power of a timeshare determines how successfully a given timeshare can be exchanged, leased, or sold on the secondary market. But the most important thing is that at timeshare resorts an apartment is not a hotel room, it is an apartment, a full-fledged apartment, it has a kitchen equipped with the latest technology, utility rooms, a bathroom and many bedrooms. This is not only convenient household infrastructure, compared to a hotel room it is space, a lot of space. That is, there is always a place where you can retire and drink tea. Many people worry: will they really need to cook it themselves? But first of all, maybe it's not so bad.

In addition to saving on food, you have the opportunity to eat whatever you want and the opportunity to cook for small children, which is basically impossible in a hotel room. And sometimes this can be a decisive factor for a family with small children. It's also a matter of choice. Of course, there are restaurants at the resort, and if you don’t want to cook yourself, you can get meals in restaurants, it’s a matter of choice. In a hotel you have no choice whether to cook or not. The apartments have this choice because they have a kitchen. But there are still skeptics who will say that going to the same place is not interesting, you want to see the world. And they will be right: that’s why tourism was given to people, to see the world. But, if you remember, at the very beginning we said: A timeshare is a house on wheels, it’s time to talk about these same wheels.

As for management fees, they come in several types:


The annual management fee, common in most clubs as a mandatory financial burden, you must pay annually whether you use a timeshare or not, and this is an important aspect. For failure to pay annual maintenance, membership may even be suspended. This is an analogue of a payment for utility bills, i.e. it is not even an analogue, it is a payment for utility bills.

For some, this may seem like a negative factor, bondage. But, if you use a timeshare, 300 euros per year is not that much money for real savings on vacation. If you carefully monitor your payments in the same way as you monitor your rent, there will be no problems.

For use, pay a management fee charged per year of use of the interval. It's pretty new system collection of management fees, it is certainly more interesting from an economic point of view, but it is not present in all resort systems, and is only now being gradually introduced in resorts.

For a point. There are timeshare systems in which there is a system of points, with the help of which you can form the housing stock you require. We'll talk about this later. Now it is important to know that there is such a fee, and if you own a points system, for each point you will have to pay a fee, and it is also annual.

Full timeshares themselves also have several forms of ownership. These forms regulate the frequency of access to the resort's guestrooms.

"Fixed"

At first, most developers sold "fixed" weekly slots, which meant that the owner occupied a specific apartment during a specific week, such as apartment #103, week 27. This is the simplest type of timeshare. It entitles you to a specific week and specific suite, usually at a specific resort, to which the owner returns again and again unless he exchanges with a resort-affiliated exchange company. This type of resort is called a “home resort.” The first advantage of a fixed timeshare is that if you know that you will use the home resort year after year on a specific week, it will always be available to you without having to make a reservation in advance.

Another advantage is that if you own a highly sought-after slot (race week in Florida, Carnival week in Venice, etc.), your timeshare will have the highest trading power. All that remains to be done is to place your Timeshare in the exchange pool and you will certainly get a great alternative. There is a misconception about fixed intervals. Some people think that if you buy such a product, you will have to go to the same place year after year. This is often not the case. But regardless of the product: fixed, floating or points, location remains the most important criterion that determines the trading strength of each specific timeshare.


"floating"

The product (or also called “flex”) allows owners to choose their week at the resort from year to year, but usually within a specific season. The owners annually reserve a time to arrive at the resort on the principle of “first come first”. At some resorts, the apartments remain unchanged, and only the dates of stay change; at others, both dates and rooms may “float”. This product is more flexible in terms of use. The floating product, like the fixed product, gives rights to one week per year, but the time of visiting the resort can be adjusted within one season. The downside to this product is that you have to book your week in advance to get what you want.


"Biennale" (every two years)

This ownership is not every year, but every other year. Basically, the cost of such a product is not 50%, but 60% of the cost of a traditional annual timeshare. 10% in this case covers the costs of management fees to development companies. Some resorts even offer ownership "every three years" ("triennial").


"Factional" ("fraction")

The product is the most expensive. The fractional product segment of the timeshare business is the fastest growing in the industry. "Factional" involves ownership for a period greater than one week per year. As a rule, this ownership is from 4 weeks per year to 3 months. 1/12, for example, entitles its owner to use the premises for one week in each of 12 months, or to use the premises for a three-week period in each of the 4 seasons. Other types of fractional product: 1/4, 1/8, 1/18. Also, a fractional product can allow owners to divide their interval into segments of 2, 3 or 4 days to form mini-vacations throughout the year. Most “urban timeshares” provide such opportunities to one degree or another. Due to the fact that the fractional product is serviced mainly by management companies, this implies impressive management fees, and often also considerable membership fees.

Considering that fractional product prices start at $100,000 and can exceed $500,000, and management fees can exceed $10,000 per year, it is difficult to compare it to a traditional timeshare. For the consumer who wants only the best, wants something special and has the money, fractional product offers the leisure concept of the future. Fractional resorts, condo hotels, hotel residences, and private residence clubs (PRCs) are seriously affecting two areas: the leisure industry and the real estate industry.

Condo hotels are becoming a popular alternative to traditional vacation rentals and essentially provide a second home for families. The consumer purchases a luxury apartment at a fixed price, pays monthly management fees for room maintenance and infrastructure, and uses it whenever he wants without the need for a reservation.

Hotel residences and PRCs, such as Trump International in Chicago and Hotel Mandarin Oriental in New York, can hardly be called a timeshare; they are second homes.

Condo hotels, hotel residences and private club residences are much more of a real estate investment than a traditional timeshare. They are positioned as an investment in vacations, not in real estate. Although the Fractional product allows for exchange, most owners prefer to purchase locations in which they want to stay permanently, unlike timeshare owners who consider the ability to exchange their vacation one of the main advantages of this system.

According to 2005 data, consumer satisfaction with a traditional timeshare product is 85%, satisfaction with a fractional one is estimated at 96%.

A fractional product can be with or without ownership of real estate.

Accommodation according to the fractional product can be either in timeshare apartments, equipped with great amenities, or in super-luxury rooms of upscale hotels, which are mainly located in major cities(urban timeshare).

As of 2004, there are 151 resorts in the world that offer fractionated products, with 132 resorts in the United States. This number does not include separate houses and small condominiums also available on a fractional basis.

Almost 50% of fractional resorts are ski resorts, 30% of resorts are beach resorts, the remaining 20% ​​are golf resorts and “urban timeshare”.


"Private Residence Club" (PRC).

This fractional product is in the “ultra-luxury” category. These resorts are located in the most desirable locations. This product often includes a personal vehicle, a personal chef, and 24-hour personal service. Consumers of the PRC product are wealthy people who do not try to save their money in any way.


Average cost of fractional product (2005):



Comparative table of traditional timeshare and fractional product for 2005:


Traditional Timeshare Fractional product
Average cost $13,500, average cost of management fees $500. Starts at $100,000, management fees can exceed $10,000.
Division of property with 51 co-owners. Division of ownership, usually with 11 co-owners.
More comfortable than a hotel room, with more space and a kitchen. Luxury apartments, more reminiscent of a private home.
Proficiency in 1 or 2 week slots per year. Possession from 4 weeks to 4 months a year.
More than 6,000 timeshare resorts around the world. A limited number of resorts united on the basis of exclusivity.
Banks do not lend to Timeshare at mortgage rates, the consumer has to use credit programs that involve high interest rates, on average 16% per annum (USA)Banks do not lend to Timeshare at mortgage rates, the consumer has to use credit programs that involve high interest rates, on average 16% per annum (USA) More and more banks are beginning to perceive the essence of the fractional product as a second home and provide attractive lending conditions.
A timeshare can increase in value over time. It is possible to sell your timeshare after 10 years for the same price you paid for it. Much more attractive from the point of view of real estate investment than a timeshare, but still not as a main home.
Limited opportunities sports activities, meals in several restaurants, transfers to attractions, shopping centers, etc. Unlimited possibilities available service. From pre-lubricating your skis to using private jets and yachts.
It is purchased, as a rule, taking into account the possibility of exchange for other locations and the opportunity to visit It is purchased, as a rule, for use in a specific desired location.

"Points"

Used as a “currency” to select accommodations at resorts. Some points programs are limited to use at one resort, while others allow you to select within a club or developer network through internal exchange programs.

The purpose of developing a points product is to allow the consumer greater flexibility in using a resort than with a traditional fixed week purchase. Points are used to pay for accommodation in accordance with the location of the resort, the size of the apartments and demand, which is based on days of the week and seasonality. For example, the owner of a certain number of points can choose either a studio that is in great demand for a three-day weekend dedicated to a holiday, or an apartment with three bedrooms for up to 2 weeks during “quiet” times, when there is no rush for accommodation , at the same cost. Many clubs use points, and some timeshare developers have developed points programs tied to the base value of a traditional fixed product.

In a points product, each week owned by someone is tied to a certain number of points. This number is determined based on criteria: type of apartment, resort rating, season, etc. In most cases, ownership of the resort facilities represented by the points product is held in trust by the developer, not the owner.

The biggest advantage of a points product is the ability to use it outside of the standard week. You can use 2-3 day intervals for rest. Points can sometimes be used to pay for airfare, car rentals, cruises, hotels, and even theme parks.

The biggest disadvantage is that the points product, unlike the classic timeshare, is most often not protected from inflation.


"Club"

Vacation club is a membership, but without ownership rights. It typically involves multiple locations and may include other leisure products and services. The clubs offer clients who expect to secure holidays at attractive prices in the future the opportunity to purchase and satisfy their tourism needs “in one window.”

For many consumers, the “Club” product is an alternative to hotel accommodation, but without the hassle and obligations, including financial ones, that owning a “classic” timeshare usually involves. And this is the main advantage that “clubs” use to sell their product, offering consumers accommodation in timeshare apartments, but without long-term obligations to pay management fees and many years of operation with all the encumbrances. Also, membership in the club is more affordable than the price of a timeshare certificate, which is many times higher for obvious reasons. Essentially, paying a one-time membership fee provides accommodation for one, two, three or four weeks a year at an attractive price. As a rule, purchasing a membership gives you the opportunity to use the services travel agency, providing discounts on flights, hotel accommodations, cruises, package holidays and more for club members. Club membership extends to family members and can also be bequeathed.


Example: In 2005, in Florida, it was possible to purchase a “club” membership for 10 years with the opportunity to stay in a timeshare apartment:


For 4 weeks a year for $4,995.


For 2 weeks a year for $3,995.


For 1 week a year for $2,995.


In all cases, the annual membership fee is $149,

The average cost of a week's accommodation when purchasing a membership was $500, and the consumer also received discounts on other travel products.


Comparative table of economic costs for hotel accommodation when purchasing a club product for 10 years.


Annual inflation is set at 10%. The basis is the basic cost of hotel accommodation - $100 per day with an 8% tax. Using the example of a 2-week vacation in 2005 in Florida.


Hotel/tax "Club" holiday
Year 1 $1,400/$112 $3 995/$1 000
Year 2 $1,540/$123 0/$1 100
Year 3 $1,694/$135 0/$1 210
Year 4 $1,863/$149 0/$1 331
Year 5 $2,049/$163 0/$1 464
Year 6 $2,253/$180 0/$1 464
Year 7 $2,478/$198 0/$1 771
Year 8 $2,725/$218 0/$1 948
Year 9 $2,997/$239 0/$2 143
Year 10 $3,296/$263 0/$2 357
Total: $22,295/$1,780 $3 995/$15 934
Total: $24,075 $19 929

The next most important standard is the season. Depending on which season you choose, this is the time of year you can come to the resort, and this is very important. Because in the tourism industry, peak dates such as Christmas, for example, can cost twice as much. In a timeshare, this price does not change for the owner. There are other seasons - middle and low, there are three of them: “peak season”, “middle season”, “low season”. Moreover, summer in our understanding, namely June, July and August, does not form the “peak season” in all countries. In Thailand, Vietnam and India, the “peak season” is from December to March. There are places where the weather is favorable all year round: Canary Islands(Tenerife island) is a unique place in terms of climate. There the temperature is almost always the same all year round - within 25 degrees Celsius. Therefore, there is a “peak season” all year round. Finland, on the contrary, is famous for its winter resorts, which means that its “peak season” is in winter.

Often “peak seasons” are tied to transnational holidays: Christmas, New Year, as well as for local national and religious holidays. The tourism business has solved this problem simply for itself: every tourist, leaving for a particular country, knows in advance what season he is traveling in, and accordingly pays for his tour at a price that corresponds to a particular season. A timeshare is deprived of such privileges; the concept of a timeshare is property, it is bought once. To solve such problems, a seasonal standardization system was introduced. Conventionally, they are divided into three main positions: “high”, “medium”, “low”. Moreover, if a club member’s certificate says “high season,” this does not mean that he can use his membership only during “peak seasons.” “High season” means using a timeshare all year round, regardless of the time of year or holidays. "Peak season" is generally any time of year that is not peak season. And the last one - “low season” - is the season of the most unpopular time of the year, when tourist activity resort region very small or weather conditions, or for religious reasons. If we translate this roughly into seasons Russian Federation, then we can conditionally determine that the “low season” is winter. Exchange systems do not use the concept of “high”, “medium” and “low” seasons. They designate these periods with colors: “red”, “yellow”, “green”, “blue” and “white”. Although it is not uncommon for seasons in certificates to be designated precisely by classification: “high”, “medium” and “low” seasons. This generally refers to floating memberships that do not have a sequential number in the year. That is, the period for choosing a holiday date is limited only by the season, and not by week numbers.


Super High – (super high) RED

One of the most visited and expensive seasons is indicated in red. This means the possibility of visiting resorts all year round, but also during holidays and Christmas weeks. This is the highest tier of membership pricing and the highest priced season type.


High – (high) RED

The most visited and expensive season is indicated in red in the timeshare. This also means that the user can relax with his membership all year round, regardless of the seasons and other components that affect attendance: secular or religious holidays, features of the resorts (ski, golf clubs, etc.). High – (high) RED (red) - the opportunity to visit resorts all year round, including on holidays. And this is the highest tier of membership pricing and one of the highest priced season types.


Middle – (middle) YELLOW, WHITE (yellow, white).

If we roughly transfer this classification to the climate map of the Russian Federation, we can say that these are spring, autumn and winter, because summer is the most favorable season in Russia. In Timeshare it is presented in two colors: yellow and white. They are absolutely the same and no different, it’s just that some resorts designate their middle season with one color or another. But they exist legally and are described in certificates: Middle - (middle) YELLOW, WHITE - (yellow, white) (the ability to visit resorts at any time, except for the peak season and holiday weeks, conventional climatic designation: autumn, winter, spring) are designated by two colors - yellow and white, with no differences. And this is the average price level of membership, that is, the average price type of season.


Low – (low) BLUE (blue)

The lowest season with the minimum load of tourists in the region - visits during the peak season are excluded. If we conditionally transfer this classification to the climate map of the Russian Federation, we can say that these are autumn and winter, because summer is rather the most favorable season in Russia. In timeshares it is represented in blue. They are absolutely the same and no different, it’s just that some resorts designate their low season with one color or another. But they exist legally and are described in certificates. Low – (low) BLUE (blue), the opportunity to visit resorts during the lowest tourist activity, visits during the peak season are excluded, conventional climatic designation: autumn, winter is indicated in blue. And this is the lowest tier of membership pricing, the lowest priced season type.


The next important timeshare classifier is the type of apartment. Apartments in the timeshare system are not hotel rooms in the usual sense, but full-fledged apartments, which have a lot: a kitchen equipped with household appliances, as well as all the other attributes of a home apartment; this, in essence, is the ideology of the timeshare. In classic tourism, accommodation is paid for each person, and this does not suit a timeshare from the point of view that it is not a tour that is being sold, but property for a family, but a family can be two, four, or ten people. Therefore, in addition to the pricing policy, a number of Timeshare standards also include a restriction of users per period of time in the apartments. There is the following classification of apartments:


(Studio), “studio” (one-room apartment)– the room is a kitchen combined with a hall (similar to Russian one-room apartments, only without a wall between the kitchen and the room). In a timeshare, in addition to determining the type of premises, this also means that up to two people can live there at the same time during the holiday period. If the owner’s certificate says that his apartment type is T0 – (Studio), this means that only one to two people can use it. If three vacationers arrive using such a certificate, the third will either be denied accommodation or will be offered to pay for the accommodation of a third person.

T0 – (studio) “studio” (one-room apartment) - accommodation for only one to two people. And this is the lowest level of membership pricing, the cheapest type of apartment.


(One bedroom), “van bedroom” (two-room apartment)– the premises consist of a kitchen, a hall and one bedroom (similar to Russian two-room apartments). In a timeshare, in addition to defining the type of premises, this also means that from one to four people can live in the premises at the same time during the holiday period. If the owner’s certificate says that his apartment type is T1 – (One bedroom), this means that only one to four people can use it. If one or four vacationers arrive using such a certificate, they will easily be accommodated at the resort, but if there are already five of them, then the fifth person will either be denied accommodation or will be offered to pay for the accommodation of the fifth person.

T1 – (one bedroom) “van bedroom” (two-room apartment) - accommodates only one to four people. And this is the average level of membership pricing, the average priced type of apartment.


(Two bedrooms), “that bedroom” (three-room apartment)– the premises consist of a kitchen, a hall and two bedrooms (similar to Russian three-room apartments). In a timeshare, in addition to defining the type of premises, this also means that from one to six people can live in the premises at the same time during the holiday period. If the owner’s certificate says that his apartment type is T2 – (Two bedrooms), this means that only one to six people can travel there. If one or six vacationers arrive using such a certificate, they will easily be accommodated at the resort, but if there are already seven of them, then the seventh will either be denied accommodation or will be offered to pay for the accommodation of the seventh person.



(President) "president". The prefix “P”, as a rule, comes with the type of apartment and speaks about their quality and nothing more, and the types T1 and T0 cannot be with the prefix “P”. As a rule, only T2 apartments have this quality, so if the certificate says T2P, you should understand that these are apartments with the attributes of T2, but with improved comfort and quality of finishing. This does not affect the number of people - from one to six people can visit the resort at the same time.

R – (president) “president”. A prefix to the type of apartment of the highest price category with improved comfort. And this is the highest level of membership pricing, the highest priced type of apartment.

And the last classifier is the star rating of the resort, you have already encountered this more than once, so you will most likely know this. The classification of a hotel (resort) determines the place of a particular hotel in the market hotel services, makes it easier for clients and specialists to get an idea of ​​the guaranteed range of services that can be provided by a hotel of a certain class. Hotels are classified based on their certification, which can be carried out both nationally and internationally.

5

The class of the resort is never described in the certificate, information about this can only be obtained in the charter of the resort, this attribute relates directly to the resort itself, and the level of the resort is never taken into account in the exchange. This is not an attribute on which the exchange is made, this attribute is only taken into account when pricing the membership itself.


The most common classification systems are:



A European classification system based on the French national classification system, which is based on the division of hotels into categories of one out of five stars. The star rating is directly proportional to the maximum level of comfort that the hotel is able to provide to its clients. This system is used in France, Austria, Hungary, Egypt, China, Russia, Brazil and a number of other countries:


Three star hotel.

This is the most common type of hotel. The room of such a hotel should have all the amenities: telephone, TV, possibly a minibar. The rooms are single and double, both with one large bed and with separate beds. There are triple rooms for parents with a child: usually these are Double Room with an extra bed or a fold-out sofa. Hotel service in different countries of the world may differ significantly from each other. For example, in Europe, a three-star hotel has fewer services than a Greek three-star hotel. They have certain patterns: usually the higher the comfort and the more provided additional services, the further from the center the hotel is located.


Four star hotel.

Hotels with a high level of service, designed for people whose earnings are average or above average by European standards. A four-star hotel is distinguished by an increased level of comfort and a convenient location; it can be located in the city center or on the first line of the beach. There must be a guarded parking lot. Large hotels have their own taxis and minibuses. This category includes many additional free services, the ability to use gyms, courts, and swimming pools, and various hotel shows, such as discos. In a four-star hotel, the room is furnished like an ordinary living room with standard household appliances: color TV with remote control, refrigerator, minibar, air conditioning, security system, mini-safe, and always a telephone with intercity access. Some hotels provide a heat press for ironing and have a remote light control system. In such hotels you can book both a standard single or double room, as well as rooms with an improved layout, which includes not only a bedroom, but also a living room or kitchen.


Five star hotel.

small town with all the infrastructure necessary for life. The hotels have several restaurants (with European and national cuisine), bars, night club and shops. As well as hairdressers and laundries, fitness and business centers, swimming pools and beauty salons. The rooms in them are very different: from single rooms with one bed to multi-room apartments. The most modest room in a five-star hotel is a single room with one double bed. Next come the doubles, they come in two varieties: with two beds or with one large bed. Higher in rank is the double room, which can be two floors, usually with a bedroom or bedrooms above. There are bunk rooms, including 2-3 bedrooms, a couple of living rooms and offices, and rooms for servants or security. For business people, some five-star hotels have business rooms with multi-line telephone, computer, fax and meeting room. Any room in a five-star hotel should have a full set of necessary cosmetics in the bathroom, slippers in front of the bed, a minibar, telephone, color TV, air conditioning and other luxuries that make life easier.




A letter classification system is used in Greece (although you can also see the usual stars on the facades of hotels.) According to this system, all hotels are divided into four categories: A, B, C, D. The highest category of hotels is designated de luxe and corresponds to the five-star level, hotels of category A – four-star level, B – three-star, C – two-star, D – one-star hotel level.



The category system is typical for Italy and Spain. In Italy, hotels are classified into three categories: the first category can be conditionally classified as four-star, the second - three-star, and the third - two-star.



The crown system is common in Great Britain. To go to standard stars, you need to subtract one from the total number of crowns, i.e. in comparison with the pan-European star, the crown is one unit higher:


Silver crown - SC.

Silver Crown resorts are resorts with an average optimal level of service. This is the average level of membership pricing, the average price level of the resort.


Bronze crown - BC

Bronze Crown resorts are lower tier resorts. This is the lowest tier of membership pricing, the lowest resort tier.