One of the major benefits that Festiva Adventure Club members enjoy over traditional timeshare owners is the option for flexible stay lengths. Most people think of timeshares as 7-night stays starting and ending on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, but ever since the Festiva Adventure Club began in 2006, the points-based vacation ownership system has enabled members to stay at the resort of their choice within the Festiva network for 4-night midweek stays and 3-night weekend stays.

An article in the Miami Herald hints that the desire for shorter and more frequent vacations is not just a trend; Interval International, one of the two major timeshare exchange companies in the industry, will be offering the ShortStay program to their Gold members. These members will be able to trade a week for one or more vacations lasting two to six days.

Click here to read the full article | Timeshare exchange firms offer shorter breaks

Interval International has been sending timeshare owners on vacation since 1976 and now has a network of 2500 resorts in 75 different countries. Festiva Adventure Club members have the ability to exchange with Interval International and we are proud that several of Festiva’s properties have …
 

At Festiva Hospitality Group we strive to meet our customers’ highest expectations and that is why we work closely with the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the non-profit trade association representing the vacation ownership and resort development industries. ARDA has promoted the growth and development of Festiva and has contributed to our success significantly.

For more than 30 years, ARDA has been supporting the resort, timeshare and leisure real estate development industries through advocacy, networking, knowledge and education. The ARDA membership community includes timeshare owner associations (HOAs), resort management companies, industry vendors, suppliers and consultants, as well as timeshare owners through the ARDA Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC).

Each spring, ARDA hosts a convention that brings together businesses and individuals working with the vacation ownership industry. According to an article in Perspective Magazine, the annual convention “is the premier opportunity for industry leaders to network, share insights and learn new things that will help them throughout the year. The convention also provides prominent exposure for sponsors, exhibitors, and attendees among a robust representation of the industry.”

The 2010 ARDA Annual Convention will take place in Las Vegas at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino from March 14-18. This is …
 

If you have been contacted by someone regarding the resale of your unit on the website listingdepartment.com, please be advised that this is NOT a Festiva affiliated company, nor can we verify their legitimacy.

We have had reports from several owners and members who have been contacted by e-mail or regular mail and we are currently investigating this company.

If you have received an e-mail from this or any other suspicious company please forward it to ownerservices@festiva.travel.

Please note that Festiva does not offer a resale program at this time. Further, if anyone from Festiva does contact you, their e-mail address will end with @festiva.travel. An e-mail from any other domain regarding your ownership or membership could be an illegitimate business and should be forwarded to us for further investigation.

For information on legitimate resale agencies and practices, please click here to read the Resale Guidelines from the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).
 

The 2009 Conde Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards was available for the first time to all readers of the popular travel magazine rather than a select sample.  More than 25,000 respondents rated the world’s best cities, islands, transportation agencies, hotels and resorts on a five-point scale.  Several destinations in Festiva’s family were among the top in their categories.

Southern City

Charleston, S.C., home of Festiva’s Church Street Inn, was only 1.7 points shy of winning the best U.S. City title, coming in second to San Francisco.  Over the last few years, Charleston has become a top destination year round for history, arts, culture, dining and shopping.  There’s no better way to experience the charm of the Holy City than by staying at the Church Street Inn, in a prime location on the famous City Market.

Island Living

Two of the top 10 best U.S. islands and five of the top nine Caribbean and Atlantic islands can all be experienced through a Festiva vacation.

Hilton Head Island, S.C., known for its wildlife preserves and pristine golf courses, and home of Festiva’s award-winning Main Street Inn, is an easy pick for one of the country’s best …
 

ARDA has published findings from a recent survey on timeshare owners.  Two interesting facts are that 58% of new timeshare owners are under age 45, and half of the recent purchasers surveyed had previously stayed at a timeshare or vacation ownership property before purchasing.  If you are not a member of Festiva Resorts but would like to stay at one of our fabulous properties, go to our Family of Resorts page and contact the resort you wish to visit.  Continue reading the full article below, courtesy of ARDA.

According to Study Half of Recent Purchasers Rented Timeshare Prior to Buying

(Washington, October 19, 2009) — According to Vacation Timeshare Owners Report, 2009 Edition by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF), recent timeshare purchasers are younger, wealthier and happy with their vacation product. Overall, more than six in ten timeshare owners are age 45 or older, with Baby Boomers ranked as the largest generation of timeshare owners (45 percent). However, recent purchasers are younger than timeshare owners in general, with 58 percent under the age of 45.

About half of recent purchasers rented a timeshare prior to buying (48 percent), and four out of five purchased from a developer or resort. The …