Timeshares being overtaken by VRBO/Airbnb?

[TUGBrian]

https://www.bisnow.com/national/news/hotel/are-airbnb-and-vrbo-drinking-the-timeshare-industrys-milkshake-89361

interesting story, certainly has SOME validity to it as its hard to argue that many folks find renting far more appealing than owning, and despite efforts by the industry to clean itself up, it still has a negative vibe surrounding it to many non owners!

 

[klpca]

I'm not surprised. What this is really about is not wanting to stay inside a dinky hotel room. That leaves airbnb/vrbo or timeshares. My kids are huge Airbnb fans, me not so much. I've had some issues - filthy house upon arrival, illegal sublet - so I much prefer timeshares but we may be a dying breed. I sure hope not.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Just wait til the state and local governments hone their skill on collecting lodging taxes & unit inspections on these rentals in non-zoned area, unpermitted for that usage .. protecting the annoyed (VOTING) neighbors, general public safety and THEIR government department's bank account. Locals job creation with GREAT benefits, vacation pay & retirement plans are not usually generated in a vacation area .. it is a service industry. Parking issues, noise factors, increased costs to live and damages usually get to the local residents.

I rather go to vacation destinations .... not the suburbs with tract housing .. for my vacation week. And for a "2 to 4" day weekend, also. I live in the suburbs.

 

[chriskre]

People are doing Airbnb in my condo building like crazy.
They are up all night swimming in the pool while us owners have to work the next day.
There is total disregard for our rules and decent courtesy, after all they are on vacation in Miami! Woo Hoo!

We have tenants subletting the extra bedroom so they can afford the rent they really can't afford.
It's very difficult to control because all these people who show up with their suitcases wandering
around our building dropped off by Uber are all "relatives" staying just for a few days.

Our lawyers say it's happening all over the city and the city zoning can't seem to stop it either.
I'm our condo president and at a loss on what to do about it so they are just getting away with it.

Personally I would never just rent a spare room to a stranger but these millenials think nothing of it.
I hope we don't have a situation where someone is killed because of this, not that they didn't invite it.

There is also a lot of scamming with the Airbnb where people are just taking possession of the unit because
owners are using digital keys to enter, then they put a chargeback on the credit card and overstay and
destroy the unit. I'm kind of glad it's happening so that it discourages people from doing it.

I've also heard from a friend who did an Airbnb in a big house in Vegas that he found cameras hidden in
the home and the owner was messing with the Nest system and raising the air conditioner temp to
uncomfortable levels. Personally I am not comfortable staying in someones home in this day and age
with the camera possibility. Just not enough privacy for my comfort. I much prefer to show up to my
clean, safe, private, reasonably priced timeshare vacation and enjoy my stay without having to worry
about dealing with an amateur owner trying to make a buck on a place he may or may not be in violation
of the local ordinances or even the condo rules. Some buildings hassle you more than others.
Thanks but no thanks. I am on vacation. I want to have a carefree vacation. I can say no to the
parking pass people. Much easier than dealing with an amateur vacation rental.

I rented timeshares for 10 years before finally taking the plunge and buying my first one so I can see
why people would want to rent instead. I always got great deals with the Entertainment card thru II
rentals. My first rental was in Maui at Napili Shores and I was hooked. After that I started renting
locally and then thanks to TUG got into the TS game and have not regretted it since. Yeah sometimes
it's a hassle because the goal posts keep changing but I still much prefer to be semi- in control of my
vacation.

Thanks Brian for starting TUG.
I seriously doubt the industry is dead, I just think it's going to go the way of points and no more deeds
so they can take it back at any time like Wyndham is doing. Makes sense and keeps it going for all.
Long live the TS lifestyle!

 

[bizaro86]

Bigger suites are a popular idea. The problem timesharing has is a hugely negative perception from the high pressure sales. AirBNB is cool and new, while timeshares are perceived as old and scammy.

 

[WinniWoman]

We have had this discussion before, but I prefer to stay at a resort than just a condo or home someplace. More going on. See people around. Have a front desk and amenities.

That said, we do occasionally rent via Home Away and are doing so in a couple of weeks- a cottage on Lake Champlain.

 

[Railman83]

I have a beach condo I used to rent on Vrbo. Vrbo was great, then they changed their business model to being a purchase portal instead of an ad site and basically wanted 10-13% of every rental. Anyone that didn’t go thru them got blocked contact info and their ad buried.

The upshot is they drove owners away, and those that stayed either ate the fees or tried to pass along and Vrbo will take a larger and larger cut. The upshot is that they are trying to emulate Airbnb model but will not succeed because the economics of a spare room is different than that of an investment property.

The point is that these changes make Vrbo less financially competitive with timeshare rentals because they are driving up price.

 

[vacationhopeful]

A few un-positive 'reviews' about LATE night partying, calls to police for legimate 'noise & disorderly' issues for those households addresses, calls to inspection offices for OVER OCCUPANCY (video of your adjoining property might be eye opening), a collection of 'fees' collected by other local (out of state) governments (income ideas to your money hungry elected officials), etc.

You are unhappy but the unhappy, angry public at ELECTED employees with benefits (retired pensions, etc) seems to effect them MORE than they like to "talk" about.

AND post your videos on the local Facebook pages for promoting your town and chat sites. We have a "Patch" FB page for our town.

Any property NOT in a zone for (short term) rentals ... and/or not inspected with properly PAID license fees, gets court appearances and FINES. Spend a day in municipal court for any owner (with a lawyer) will humble them .... along with time lost in their life, the lawyer's fee and then the FINE they have to pay. And if you neighbors ban together as a community group on FB .... more influence to curb the idiots and educate the government people into FINEs, licenses & inspection fees.

My local governments collect $100+ dollars a year for each rental unit as "landlord license", $50 for each CCO inspection for tenant turnover, fire inspection yearly, plus MORE inspection & license fees for building with 3+ rental units from the STATE office, etc.

 

[bbodb1]

I'm not surprised. What this is really about is not wanting to stay inside a dinky hotel room. That leaves airbnb/vrbo or timeshares. My kids are huge Airbnb fans, me not so much. I've had some issues - filthy house upon arrival, illegal sublet - so I much prefer timeshares but we may be a dying breed. I sure hope not.

...especially given the insane prices hotels charge these days. This article would be more useful if it included hotel/motel popularity as well.

 

[bbodb1]

We have had this discussion before, but I prefer to stay at a resort than just a condo or home someplace. More going on. See people around. Have a front desk and amenities.

That said, we do occasionally rent via Home Away and are doing so in a couple of weeks- a cottage on Lake Champlain.

Hope you enjoy that stay, Mary Ann - will the water warm up enough to get in?

 

[vikingsholm]

This issue has really heated up in South Lake Tahoe, because there are so many second home owners who utilize rental income in part, and full time residents who have to put up with sometimes unruly short term vacation renters in their neighborhoods, and a lack of affordable housing that gets exacerbated by so many units going into these short term rental pools.

It's resulted in two rather strongly positioned competing initiatives about these types of short term vacation rentals going on the November ballot there, with potential impacts on city revenue as a complicating factor:

https://www.laketahoenews.net/2018/05/slt-voters-may-decide-competing-vhr-initiatives/

I'm happy sticking mostly with timeshares and exchanges.

 

[Passepartout]

We had a couple of owners in our downtown condo list their place on Airbnb against the rules. The renters were locked out and the owner chastised and told that if it happened again they would be forced out. So far, so good.

Jim

 

[WinniWoman]

Hope you enjoy that stay, Mary Ann - will the water warm up enough to get in?

I actually learned it is better to use a floating lounger in the northern lakes. I love it! Sure- it is cold when you first get in but because you are not totally submerged you get used to it very quickly and a double bonus is the sun shining on you. In fact, just a little water on you (my floater even has a place to put my feet) just enough to keep you refreshed. I can stay out there for hours!

 

[silentg]

Are VRBO and Homeaway, better than timeshares? I think not. They are more expensive. I have 5 timeshare weeks that I use or exchange. My Maintenence fees are all under $1000.00 each.
Some are under $500.00 .We have been fortunate to get nice exchanges thru RCI, II, DAE, and some TUG exchanges too. My family and friends are going the VRBO Route, seems like more pet friendly places, but that includes extra fees too.
We love our timeshares. But if we wanted a place at a certain time we would be open to a VRBO. But for now we have enough plans, already into 2019.
Silentg

 

[klpca]

This issue has really heated up in South Lake Tahoe, because there are so many second home owners who utilize rental income in part, and full time residents who have to put up with sometimes unruly short term vacation renters in their neighborhoods, and a lack of affordable housing that gets exacerbated by so many units going into these short term rental pools.

It's resulted in two rather strongly positioned competing initiatives about these types of short term vacation rentals going on the November ballot there, with potential impacts on city revenue as a complicating factor:

https://www.laketahoenews.net/2018/05/slt-voters-may-decide-competing-vhr-initiatives/

I'm happy sticking mostly with timeshares and exchanges.

I read about something similar in Hawaii in the areas affected by the lava flows. So many of the remaining homes that area have been converted to short term rentals that there isn't anything for the displaced residents to rent.

We're having the same discussion about short term rentals in our area. I still don't understand how owners get around current zoning (residential) and essentially operate a commercial lodging business. It is unfair for those who want to live in a *residential* area, in my personal opinion. At some point the same folks who love to stay in airbnb's will want to live in a neighborhood and raise their kids and then it may change they way that they feel about them.

 

[Steve Fatula]

Reminds me a bit of taxi drivers vs Uber!

I myself will never rent via vrbo or airbnb. I am not alone. I doubt timeshares will go away, there will always be a market for folks who either like or can be sold on the idea. I suspect eventually there will be some legal challenges for the model they (airbnb et al) are using. There's no way hotels can be held to some standard, and, another property not held to that standard when they are also functioning essentially as a hotel, just calling themselves something else. Are those properties perhaps allowed to get by only because no one has reported them?

I definitely would not want outsiders even of the behaving kind living in my neighborhood, sorry.

 

[Railman83]

Are VRBO and Homeaway, better than timeshares? I think not. They are more expensive. I have 5 timeshare weeks that I use or exchange. My Maintenence fees are all under $1000.00 each.
Some are under $500.00 .We have been fortunate to get nice exchanges thru RCI, II, DAE, and some TUG exchanges too. My family and friends are going the VRBO Route, seems like more pet friendly places, but that includes extra fees too.
We love our timeshares. But if we wanted a place at a certain time we would be open to a VRBO. But for now we have enough plans, already into 2019.
Silentg

Depends where you are talking.

In Panama City Beach, many rentals and few timeshares.

 

[RSBlades]

Are there any issues of hosting a Wyndham timeshare on Airbnb or VRBO

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

I recently stayed at a sonder.com facility. What a wonderful experience. A fully furnished one-bedroom apartment one black from the French Quarter in New Orleans for $75. Spotless condition. Meanwhile everybody else at the meeting was staying in skimpy hotel rooms nearby for $225/night. I found them through booking.com, which has become a go to site for me when traveling.

I think the Sonder folks have a very viable business model. It's an alternative to both timeshares and regular hotels.

 

[bbodb1]

I recently stayed at a sonder.com facility. What a wonderful experience. A fully furnished one-bedroom apartment one black from the French Quarter in New Orleans for $75. Spotless condition. Meanwhile everybody else at the meeting was staying in skimpy hotel rooms nearby for $225/night. I found them through booking.com, which has become a go to site for me when traveling.

I think the Sonder folks have a very viable business model. It's an alternative to both timeshares and regular hotels.

For a T_R_Oglodyte, you sure get around a lot!

That is an interesting find (Sonder) - hope the trend is successful and spreads to other communities.

 

[BennyBoy00]

Most places I would prefer the timeshare and the resort atmosphere. There are some exceptions. For a cabin in the mountains - Airbnb/VRBO. For a lakehouse the same.... however, in some resort places, Airbnb owners charge ridiculous nightly rates compared to the timeshare price.

I also own a cabin the in the mountains we rent via Airbnb/VRBO, so I understand both sides.

 

[Crafty71]

Are there any issues of hosting a Wyndham timeshare on Airbnb or VRBO

There already are people doing it...

But that doesn't mean there are not issues, it just means they are doing it...

Cheers!

 

[VacationForever]

When we bought our condo, we were aware that that CC&Rs only allow minimum of 12-month rentals. This and many things were deciding factors for us to buy where we now live. A luxury condo in another community down the road from where we are does not have such CC&Rs and weekend party noise has been a nuisance for their residents. Without CC&Rs limiting rental duration, some owners are renting their place out by the night.

 

[LannyPC]

Are VRBO and Homeaway, better than timeshares? I think not. They are more expensive.

That's where we might have somewhat of a difference. We recently rented a place via AirBNB and it cost us less per night than renting a timeshare unit in the same area. Plus we did not have to rent for the whole week. We only needed six nights. The place was also in a very convenient location.

So it wasn't right on the beach or golf course. So it did not have a big kitchen and washer/dryer. It did the trick for the time we were there at a price a lot less than if we had rented a timeshare. For us, the savings were well worth the sacrifice.

But, to each his own, I guess.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

Are VRBO and Homeaway, better than timeshares? I think not.

That is not my experience. I generally find that using sites such as VRBO or Booking.com, I can find properties that are roughly equiivalent to what I might spent in maintenance fees for a similar timeshare - sometimes less.

But using those sites I have much more flexibility in check-in and check-out days. and length of stay. But I didn't have to spend any money to buy the unit, I pay only for the nights I want, and I have no continuing obligation.

Had this market existed when we started in timesharing, we would never have started into timesharing. And when we talk with our kids about whether they want us to pass on our timeshares, they see no value in out timeshares as compared with sites such as AirBnB and VRBO.