How do vacation clubs get inventory?

[edmund36]

How do vacation clubs get inventory? Gold Crown Resorts, and a fairly new one Just Dreams (an MLM), out of Hawaii, claim to have proprietary instant confirmation software. Both clam to get you where you can't get in with RCI and II, due to their relationships with all major timeshare companies. Anyone that can elaborate on this? Also, doesn't this make it even more difficult for timeshare owners to exchange!

 

[vacationhopeful]

There is a wholesale market out there. A new resort or a resort which might have a large number of HOA/developer inventory unpaid for can "sell" these times in bulk to brokers. Vacation clubs, travel agents, etc can buy these weeks - the list I have seen looked computer generated.

I do not know who controlled the list I saw. Another person said they saw a similiar list out of a Canadian travel agency.

 

[richardm]

I've actually just set up a vacation club product which I'll be giving away. The fulfillment company is the most important part of any membership based travel club. There are companies which specialize in providing reservations and customer service for numerous vacation and travel clubs which are marketed and sold under many different names. These companies acquire inventory in numerous ways including making bulk purchases from developers, gaining access to exchange company sell off lists, and even purchasing inventory from each other through an industry organization the Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers.

The best fulfillment companies are paid from the annual membership dues charged by the travel club, so they have an incentive to provide good service and low cost vacation rentals.

The purchase price you pay almost always goes entirely into the pocket of the marketing group which developed the brand. Once the sale is entered, you'll never deal with these individuals again- but will work exclusively with the fulfillment company behind the club.

These travel clubs are a great concept, since they can have very low annual membership fees and allow consumers to only pay for what they use. The historic problems have always been the marketing groups that often use high pressure tactics and charge thousands of dollars for what is basically window dressing. If you can get a low priced or free club- it's a great way to gain access to low cost vacations.

 

[edmund36]

Keep me posted on your product!