Updated COVID-19 Impacted Timeshare Resort Status

As more areas reopen businesses and the resort industry emerges from the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic, good news continues to filter in about timeshare resorts and destinations as the U.S. heads into the summer.

If the beach turnouts from the Memorial Day weekend are any indication, people are ready for a vacation. Numerous media reports showed images of crowded beaches in places such as Ocean City, MD and swimming areas in Osage Beach, MO. June 1 has been targeted for reopening for destinations such as the Florida Keys and the U.S. Virgin Islands among other places. Even Hawaii is looking ahead for an early June reopening for businesses it deems "medium-risk", although the 14-day quarantine period for in-bound tourists has been extended through at least the end of June.

Central Florida Theme Park Update

Meanwhile, there is great news for the central Florida area as the theme parks are opening back up. LEGOLAND Florida is the first to reopen its doors starting June 1, while Universal Studios has been given the green light to reopen all of its three parks beginning June 5. SeaWorld has requested a June 11 start date from local and state leaders. Disney has offered to open beginning July 11, also subject to state and local government approval. Social distancing will be the norm, with temperature checks and face masks required and some benefits, such as character interaction with visitors at Disney, off-limits for now.

More timeshare brands are releasing details of their plans to increase cleaning and hygiene efforts in their resorts as they countdown to reopening. Diamond Resorts recently announced its Diamond Standard of Clean program following announcements from brands such as Bluegreen Vacations, Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Wyndham and Hilton Grand Vacations. Even Breckenridge Grand Vacations was highlighted in the Denver-area news due to its use of UV light to disinfect timeshare units.      

Opening dates for the leading timeshare resort brands continue to remain fluid, but below are the latest dates based on information available from corporate offices.

Timeshare Resort Status Updates

Bluegreen Vacations – a majority of Bluegreen club timeshare resorts are now open, with most of the remaining closed resorts due to reopen by this weekend. Exceptions are Hotel Blake (renovations), The Suites at Hershey (June 4), Mountain Run at Boyne (June 11), The Club at Big Bear Village (June 14), The Innsbruck Aspen (June 15), and The Soundings Seaside Resort (August 1). Still no official word on South Mountain Resort. Most club associate resorts are open with Petit Crest Villas at Big Canoe due to open tomorrow. The vast majority will be open by June. Specifics can be found at https://www.bluegreenowner.com/featured/travel-advisory-resort-status.

Capital Vacations – Capital has a list of its closed resorts available on its COVID-19 preparedness page at https://www.capitalvacations.com/covid.php. Beyond that it is referring members and owners to the local municipalities in which their resorts are located for updated restriction information. Resorts not listed are presumed open.

Club Wyndham - Wyndham continues the phased reopening of its resorts, with most resorts in Florida and all South Carolina resorts now open. Many more resorts in Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee and Texas are due to open on June 1. For more information regarding resort reopening status, please visit https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/covid-19-information/list-of-impacted-resorts.

Diamond Resorts – Diamond has changed the reporting of its resorts to now only report the status of its currently closed resorts with estimated reopening dates. Resorts not listed at https://www.diamondresorts.com/covid-19-update are presumed open. A handful of resorts in California, North Carolina and Mexico are due to reopen by this weekend. The remainder of its U.S.-based resorts that are still closed are scheduled to open by the end of June.

Disney Vacation Club – Great news for Disney fans as DVC has announced the phased reopening of Disney timeshare resorts beginning with its Vero Beach and Hilton Head Island resorts on June 15. All Disney timeshare resorts at Walt Disney World are scheduled for a June 22 opening. Company executives have requested a reopening date for Disney World theme parks beginning July 11, and that date is subject to state and local government approval. Go to https://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/ for more info.

Hilton Grand Vacations – Most Hilton timeshare resorts in Florida and South Carolina are now open, with the remaining Florida and South Carolina resorts and all Nevada resorts due to reopen by at least June 11. Notable closures continue to be Hawaii and New York City resorts. Details can be seen at https://www.hiltongrandvacations.com/en/travel-alert.

Holiday Inn Club Vacations – Smoky Mountain Resort in Gatlinburg and South Beach Resort in Myrtle Beach are now open. Orange Lake Resort in Orlando and Cape Canaveral Beach Resort are scheduled to open tomorrow. Following these resorts, the next date marker is June 4 for Galveston Beach Resort, Galveston Seaside Resort and Hill Country Resort – all in Texas. See more resort info at https://holidayinnclub.com/safe-travels/resort-updates.

Marriott Vacation Club – All Marriott timeshare resorts in Florida are open, with the exception of Marriott Vacation Club Pulse South Beach, and all South Carolina resorts are open. Many more MVC resorts are looking to June 1 to open. Find out more at https://hub.vacationclub.com/resort-updates/.

Vistana Signature Experiences – Sheraton timeshare resorts are open with the exception of Sheraton Mountain Vista and Sheraton Lakeside Terrace Villas at Mountain Vista which are due to open this weekend. In addition, Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas is due to reopen June 1. All U.S.-based and Mexico-based Westin timeshare resorts are due to reopen by Monday. Keep in mind that Westin Hawaii resorts are currently open only for Owner and Exchanger arrivals and still subject to the 14-day quarantine restriction for arrivals into Hawaii.

Westgate Resorts – June appears to be the time when the majority of Westgate timeshare resorts will be back in operation. Aside from a handful of Florida resorts and a couple in Arizona and Tennessee, most are still closed. More specifics for individual resorts can be seen at https://www.westgateresorts.com/coronavirus-travel-advisory/.

WorldMark – All WorldMark timeshare resorts are open in South Carolina and Florida, with the exception of Fort Lauderdale resorts. Select resorts in Idaho, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas are due to open by Monday. More information is at https://www.worldmarktheclub.com/news/covid19_impacted_resorts.shtml.