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Toll Free: 877-624-6889
Intl: (407) 917-8432
Posted on August 13, 2020
Hawaii Governor David Ig has reinstituted a 14-day quarantine for inter-island travel. The measure went into effect yesterday, essentially bringing travel between the islands to a standstill. The reasoning was due to an uptick in COVID cases on the island of Oahu, and leaders on the other islands began calling to bring back the restriction which had been lifted since June 16. As of last Thursday, the state has a total of 2,914 cases, and all parks and beaches on Oahu have been closed since Saturday.
This new restriction is due to expire at the end of the month, coinciding with the scheduled expiration of the 14-day mandatory quarantine for all inbound visitors to Hawaii. However, this latest decision doesn’t bode well for Hawaii timeshare owners who had been looking forward to the lifting of the quarantine, since an increase in cases could very well mean an extension of the quarantine period beyond August.
As the summer season moves into the home stretch, visitors to certain Cape Cod towns are facing a beach ban during the few weeks left in the season. According to Boston.com, the towns of Mashpee, Sandwich and Barnstable have restricted beach access to residents only with Yarmouth due to consider closures this week.
Such measures would presumably not impact Cape Cod timeshares since the resorts are on private property, but it would certainly restrict visitor movement through the area and isn’t a good look for a region struggling to rebound from earlier COVID closures.
According to the TSA, screeners checked in over 831,000 flyers through U.S. airports on Sunday – the highest daily number since mid-March. While this is still down over 70 percent year over year, the short term numbers are trending up. U.S. airlines flew about 16 million people in June, which was nearly double the total for May.
Timeshare resorts have been banking on drive-to traffic to resurrect their occupancy numbers, but increased airline traffic has to help on some level.
Grand Cayman has extended its border closure to October 1, citing increased COVID cases particularly in the United States. The island had been expected to reopen on September 1. Visitors will still be required to present a negative COVID test result taken within 72 hours of arrival, plus self-quarantine upon arrival.
The government of St. Kitts and Nevis has announced its intention to reopen to tourists in October, although a specific date has not yet been set. This would be welcome news for timeshare resorts such as Marriott's St. Kitts Beach Club, but there is a twist.
Visitors would be required to take a COVID test within 72 hours of arrival and take another COVID test after completing a 14-day quarantine stay. So far there have been 17 reported positive cases between the two islands.
Not a lot of changes as timeshare resorts continue to operate, with the occasional reopening from the few that remain closed. Take a look at the latest status of your favorite timeshare brand below:
Bluegreen Vacations – Pono Kai Resort remains the only resort in the Bluegreen resort network that is closed, with plans to reopen on August 31 pending the lifting of Hawaii quarantine restrictions mentioned above. Otherwise the remaining 68 club resorts and club associate resorts are open. Please visit https://www.bluegreenowner.com/featured/travel-advisory-resort-status for the latest resort information and COVID protocols.
Capital Vacations – Capital Vacations timeshares in the U.S. are all open for business, with the only two closed resorts located in the Caribbean. Sea Palace in St. Maarten is showing as closed, but reservations can be made online through online booking agents so you may want to contact Capital directly to find out more about availability. Meanwhile, Coral Sands on Grand Cayman remains unavailable due to the island’s closure. Click on https://www.capitalvacations.com/covid.php for more details.
Club Wyndham – Wyndham timeshares in San Francisco are due to reopen on Sunday, but most Hawaii resorts remain closed at least through the end of August. Wyndham Midtown 45 at New York City is taking online rental bookings starting today, though the Wyndham website does not indicate a reopening date. Owners should contact Wyndham directly regarding availability. Apart from those mentioned, only seven Wyndham resorts are showing as closed around the country while the vast majority are open. Please go to https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/covid-19-information/list-of-impacted-resorts for more details.
Diamond Resorts – the Alhambra Villas reopening date has been extended until October 29, while Marquis Villas Resort in Palm Springs is extended to September 30. The five Hawaii resorts in the Diamond timeshare network remain on schedule to reopen on August 31. The remaining Diamond timeshare resorts in the U.S. are open. For more information please go to https://www.diamondresorts.com/covid-19-update.
Disney Vacation Club – the four Orlando-area Disney theme parks have announced scaled back opening hours, with a 1-2 hour reduction in hours due to the soft visitor numbers. Still no official word regarding reopening Grand Californian in Anaheim or Aulani in Hawaii, although online rental bookings are available for Grand Californian beyond September 1. The remaining Disney timeshare resorts are open with COVID restrictions in place. Please click on https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/ for more info.
Divi Resorts – Divi Carina Bay in St Croix remains closed but for renovations and not COVID restrictions. Divi timeshares in St. Maarten, Aruba (including Divi Aruba Phoenix Beach Resort), Barbados and Bonaire remain open. Please visit https://www.diviresorts.com/ for more information.
Grand Pacific Resorts – Indian Palms Vacation Club is still on track for a September 1 reopening date. All other Grand Pacific timeshare resorts remain open. Click https://grandpacificresorts.com/resort-reopening-updates/ for more details.
Hilton Grand Vacations – The Quin Central Park by Hilton Club remains on schedule for a September 3 reopening date. No stated opening dates for The Hilton Club – New York, the Residences by Hilton Club or Hilton Grand Vacations Chicago Downtown/Magnificent Mile. The six remaining closed Hilton timeshare resorts in Hawaii will be anticipating an August 31 lifting of Hawaii quarantine restrictions, but no official word is mentioned regarding opening dates. All other U.S.-based Hilton timeshares are open, so for more details please go to https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/travel-alert.
Holiday Inn Club Vacations – All Holiday Inn Club Vacations timeshare resorts remain open, albeit under amenity restrictions per COVID protocols. Please visit https://holidayinnclub.com/safe-travels/resort-updates for more details.
Marriott Vacation Club – Marriott Vacation Club Pulse at The Mayflower, Washington, D.C., is tentatively scheduled to reopen this Sunday. Marriott’s Waikoloa Ocean Club remains closed as are Marriott Vacation Club Pulse San Francisco and Marriott Vacation Club Pulse New York City. All other U.S.-based Marriott timeshare resorts are open. For more information regarding resort status and COVID-related restrictions, please click https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/.
Vistana Signature Experiences – All Westin timeshare and Sheraton timeshare resorts remain open, while abiding by COVID-related restrictions.
Westgate Resorts – Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino is boasting a new award as its Fresco Italiano restaurant is now ranked as TripAdvisor’s number one Italian restaurant in Las Vegas. Westgate Las Vegas and most of the other Westgate timeshare resorts are open, but Westgate Leisure Resort, Westgate Blue Tree Resort, Westgate Palace Resort and Westgate Towers Resort are closed until November 19. Westgate New York Grand Central and Westgate Tunica Resort remain closed with no announced reopening date. Please visit https://www.westgateresorts.com/coronavirus-travel-advisory/ for further details.
WorldMark – In a surprising move, WorldMark San Francisco has now pushed its reopening date out to February 21 of 2021 on its website, the only timeshare resort reportedly closed until next year. Most WorldMark timeshare resorts in Hawaii have extended their reopening dates to September 14. All other resorts in the WorldMark timeshare network are open. Please go to https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/news/covid19_impacted_resorts.shtml for more details.
Steve manages the public relations, social media and content creation efforts of the company. Previously the Chief Operating Officer for Perspective International, Steve provided oversight and contributed articles for the five regional vacation ownership trade magazines under the Perspective Magazine banner. With 34 years’ experience in various roles in radio and television, sales and marketing, public relations, media and government liaison initiatives, he brings a well-rounded outlook to our industry.