Timeshare Resort Status Related to COVID-19

State and local governments continue to allow businesses to reopen during the month of May, with an estimated 48 states announcing the lifting of certain restrictions relative to their specific jurisdictions. This is obviously good news for timeshare resorts across the country, as the Florida Keys are the latest to announce the reopening of businesses with this famed stretch of islands opening beginning June 1. This comes on the heels of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Delaware announcing restricted beach access in parts of their respective states beginning Memorial Day weekend.

Meanwhile, water parks and amusement parks in Wisconsin Dells are due to reopen this weekend, with resorts expected to follow suit. Beaches and parks continue to open across Florida, with restaurants now allowed to open to 50-percent of in-dining capacity. The iconic community of Miami Beach is due to begin its Phase 1 reopening efforts today.

As the momentum builds for timeshare resorts to reopen, the major brands are detailing their new enhanced hygiene protocols to manage cleaning and public safety efforts. Bluegreen Vacations has announced its updated sanitation procedures, details of which can be seen here, while Holiday Inn Club Vacations shared its Safe Travels program. Wyndham Destinations recently announced its Vacation Ready program, while the Hilton CleanStay program rolled out for Hilton Grand Vacations.

Below is a list of the leading timeshare companies in the U.S., with estimated opening dates based on publicly available information from their corporate offices.

Timeshare Resort Status Updates

Bluegreen Vacations – All Bluegreen club timeshare resorts are planning to reopen by at least May 31, with the exception of Mountain Run at Boyne (June 3), The Suites at Hershey (June 4), The Innsbruck Aspen (June 15) La Cabana Beach Resort & Casino  (June 15) and The Soundings Seaside Resort (August 1). There is still no reopening date announced for South Mountain Resort. Most club associate resorts are either open or scheduled to reopen by June 15.

Capital Vacations – Capital has a list of its resort closures available on its COVID-19 preparedness page at https://www.capitalvacations.com/covid.php and is referring members and owners to the local municipalities in which their resorts are located for updated restriction information. Otherwise, they have not listed opening dates for their resorts.

Club Wyndham - Wyndham has announced a phased reopening of its resorts beginning May 26 starting with resorts in Florida and South Carolina. For more information regarding resort reopening status, please visit https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/covid-19-information/list-of-impacted-resorts. Wyndham has also extended its flexible cancellation policy to members with vacaton arrival dates through June 30.

Diamond Resorts – Diamond will begin a phased reopening of its U.S.-based resorts on May 21 beginning with resorts in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Their remaining U.S. resorts are scheduled to open by the end of June. More Information is at https://www.diamondresorts.com/covid-19-update.

Disney Vacation Club – One good piece of Disney-related news is the opening today of the Disney Springs retail district - with 44 shops and restaurants reopening under revised social distancing procedures. Otherwise, no new updates as Disney is accepting future resevations for its hotels from July 1 and later. All DVC timeshare resorts remain closed until further notice.

Hilton Grand Vacations – Most Hilton timeshare resorts in Florida are either open or are scheduled to reopen by May 21, as is the District by Hilton Club in Washington, D.C. and most South Carolina resorts. Nearly all of the HGV resorts based in the U.S. are scheduled to reopen by June 4, with the notable exceptions of California, New York and Hawaii-based resorts. Details can be seen at https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/travel-alert.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations – HICV has moved up its phased reopening date to May 21 beginning with Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg and South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach. Its flagship Orange Lake Resort in Orlando is scheduled for a May 28 opening. See more resort info at https://holidayinnclub.com/safe-travels/resort-updates.

Marriott Vacation Club – For those resorts that are not already open, MVC begins its staggered resort reopenings on May 21 beginning with the majority of its Florida resorts. Find out more at https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/ .

Vistana Signature Experiences – All Sheraton timeshare resorts are open only for Owner and Exchanger arrivals with the exception of Sheraton Mountain Vista and Sheraton Lakeside Terrace Villas at Mountain Vista which are closed until May 31. Westin timeshare resorts are closed until the end of May except Westin Kierland Villas and all Hawaii resorts, which are currently open only for Owner and Exchanger arrivals, keeping in mind the 14-day quarantine restriction for arrivals into Hawaii. 

Westgate Resorts – A handful of Westgate resorts are open with some onsite amenities closed due to COVID-19 restrictions. Most are still closed, with Westgate River Ranch Resort, Westgate Cocoa Beach, Westgate Pained Mountain, and Harbour Beach Resort due to open this weekend (May 22). Most of the remaining resorts still closed are scheduled to reopen in June or by July 1. More specifics for individual resorts can be seen at https://www.westgateresorts.com/coronavirus-travel-advisory/.

WorldMark –  WorldMark has announced the start of its phased resort reopenings starting May 26 beginning with its South Carolina and Florida timeshare resorts. The majority of its resorts are due to reopen by the end of June. More information is at https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/news/covid19_impacted_resorts.shtml.

Stay Updated With Us

We will be updating this page as more information becomes available. Some states have been criticized for orders relating to COVID-19 that have been vague when it comes to impacting resorts, especially considering the unique nature of timeshare resorts that fall under real estate and not standard hospitality regulations. Therefore, we also encourage readers to contact their resorts directly to see what plans are in place for reopening, especially for owners in so-called independent legacy resorts that may not have the benefit of resources available to the brands.