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Toll Free: 877-624-6889
Intl: (407) 917-8432
Posted on July 22, 2021
Eight resorts that are managed by the Wyndham timeshare division in the Asia Pacific region have now been brought into the Club Wyndham program. These resorts in Australia and New Zealand which were previously known under the Ramada Resort by Wyndham banner are now known as:
The resorts will be primarily promoted under the Club Wyndham South Pacific brand, which is managed by Wyndham Destinations Asia Pacific. Club Wyndham South Pacific operates 27 resorts in Australia and New Zealand and looks after about 60,000 members.
The program operates under the Wyndham Destinations global timeshare operation and international access to these resorts will be available to Club Wyndham members once Australia and New Zealand opens borders to international travel. Borders are currently closed to non-citizens because of the COVID pandemic.
As New York City continues to emerge from the impact of the COVID shutdown, Hilton Grand Vacations has something to celebrate with the reopening of The Quin by Hilton Club.
Hilton has completed a $50million renovation of the property, which sits at 57th Street and 6th Avenue – two blocks from Central Park in the middle of Manhattan. Hilton timeshare owners have access to over 200 units ranging from studio to one- and two-bedroom suites, as Hilton has tapped into the demand for urban timeshare ownership in this iconic destination.
Owners can take advantage of the private owner’s lounge, onsite restaurant and fitness center. Depending on the ownership level and the number of points owned, owners can enjoy the fantastic penthouse suites on the 18th and 19th floors.
Hilton timeshare points are deeded to a specific home resort, so owners who buy The Quin by Hilton Club timeshare points have preferred access with deeded ownership right in the midst of New York City.
Westgate New York Grand Central has reopened while featuring the results of a $20million renovation designed to enhance the 1930's theme of the hotel’s Tudor City history.
Rooms and timeshare suites at Westgate New York Grand Central have been renovated to include new flooring, paint, art deco furnishings and new lighting fixtures.
The hotel has also added the new Tudor City Tavern and a Marketplace with Starbucks coffee. As always, owners will have access to Wi-Fi, Concierge services, daily housekeeping and a 24-hour reception desk. The location on East 42nd Street is close to Grand Central Station, easily providing access to the world-renowned attractions famous to New York City.
After nearly 17 months of a closed border with the United States, the Canadian government has announced that fully vaccinated Americans can travel to Canada beginning August 9. The reopening to the U.S. is in advance of reopening to travelers from the rest of the world starting September 7.
This is great news for the beleaguered Canada timeshare industry which has suffered tremendously as the government has restricted entry from the country’s most important inbound tourism market. In 2019, 15 million American tourists traveled to Canada, a huge percentage of its overall 22 million international visitors. While it will take time before tourism returns to normal levels, operators and timeshare resorts will be welcoming visitors back at any level.
Visitors will still need to provide a negative COVID test upon arrival, while proof of vaccination needs to be uploaded to the ArriveCAN portal prior to arrival. Vaccinated travelers will not need to quarantine when arriving into the country. Unvaccinated or those not fully vaccinated against COVID will reportedly still have to quarantine for 14 days upon entry.
Ironically, the U.S. has just announced an extension to August 21 of its land border closure with Canada and Mexico for non-essential travel. U.S. officials are reportedly discussing whether to require visitors to be vaccinated in order to enter the country, but no decision has yet been made.
Timeshare owners who are members of the Interval International timeshare exchange program can continue to look to Breckenridge Grand Vacations for their Colorado timeshare vacations. II has renewed its agreement with BGV, which includes top resort destinations Grand Colorado on Peak 8, Grand Lodge on Peak 7, Grand Timber Lodge and Gold Point Resort.
Breckenridge offers some of the best skiing in the country, with 187 ski trails from 34 lifts, but the location is a quality four-season destination with terrific hiking, fishing and rafting options among the warmer weather outdoor pursuits.
Now that Hawaii has opened inbound travel without quarantine restrictions to all vaccinated U.S. visitors, Hawaii timeshare operators and businesses are counting down to when the state will remove all COVID-related restrictions.
Governor David Ige has stated a goal of Hawaii achieving a 70 percent vaccination rate to trigger the elimination of all COVID restrictions. He estimates that residents will hit that mark in September. However, businesses are pointing to the current rate of 68 percent for residents 12 years and older as a reason to drop the restrictions even sooner.
Ige reiterated this week that his percentage goal factored in all residents and not just those 12 and over. The overall vaccination rate reportedly stands at just under 59 percent, which is why Ige is looking ahead to September as he encourages more Hawaiians to be vaccinated.
Restrictions such as an indoor mask mandate are still in place for everyone regardless of vaccination status, which marks Hawaii as the only state in the country with restrictions still in place for vaccinated visitors and residents.
Steve manages the public relations 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 35 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.