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Forget The Weather, It’s Time To Get Away

February 14, 2009 by Fractional Property Ownership, Timeshare & Luxury Travel Magazine · Leave a Comment

There’s never been a better time to plan a winter break. Despite our unpredictable weather, timeshare resorts in the UK offer a range of superlative amenities that are not dependent on sunny climes.

Many include relaxing indoor swimming pools, Jacuzzis, saunas, steam rooms, solariums and gymnasiums. Here guests can relax, exercise at their own pace or simply be pampered in a sumptuous health spa.

Also on hand is a choice of elegant bars and restaurants with some properties featuring nightly entertainment. Other facilities include a games room, snooker, pool, billiards and all-weather tennis courts. And on the service front, helpful staff are available to ensure guests make the most of their stay.

There are also options for taking three-day weekend, four-day mid-week as well as weekly breaks at many of these upmarket resorts.

Currently more than 75 per cent of UK Internet users – 21 million of them – are taking, or planning to take, a main holiday of seven nights or more, with the UK featuring as the most popular destination.

So says a new study, cited by Club La Costa Resorts & Hotels, which owns two resorts in Cornwall and one in Scotland.

Coincidentally, the report, produced by Continental Research, showed that the UK was also the most popular destination for out-ofseason holidays and short breaks for those wishing to avoid school holiday dates.

Devon, Cornwall and the Scilly Isles are by far the most favoured destinations for 35 per cent of survey respondents while 18 per cent are opting for Scotland. According to Colin Shaddick, the report’s author, “The British are used to either unexpected heat waves or chilly washouts, so it doesn’t stop us taking our main holiday or mini-breaks here in the UK.”

Currently there are more reasons than ever to take a domestic break — among them the economic downturn, the spectre of recession and the global credit crunch impacting household budgets. Another is the weak pound vying with a strong euro.

In spite of these problems, British holidaymakers are still determined to get away — for them a holiday or mini-break is a necessity that can refresh the mind, spirit and body and combat the stresses of everyday life.

A recent survey by an online travel company revealed that most people would trade down on certain luxuries rather than deny themselves time away. In fact 60 per cent of respondents said they would self-cater to save money on expensive meals out.

Which is why timeshare owners are in a winwin situation. With so much already paid for – like the cost of resort accommodation – they are reluctant to forgo their holidays. And there is always the attraction of quality facilities, available on a year-round basis.

Over time the concept of timeshare has undergone a sea change. Growing numbers of owners rate highly accommodation, facilities and customer care that have risen to new levels of sophistication, especially in the UK.

Currently there are 113 timeshare resorts across the country, many in popular areas such as the West Country, the national parks of Wales, the Lake District and Scotland. And at least 15 additional sites are being evaluated for new resort projects.

When the popularity of holiday ownership took off 25 years ago, early devotees were drawn to owning a share in a quality apartment rather than occupying a basic room in a tourist hotel. And the same is true today.

As for the types of resorts on offer, holidaymakers have multiple options – an apartment on a country house estate, a lakeside lodge or accommodation in a mixeduse property with all the services and facilities of a luxury hotel.

In 1974 Loch Rannoch in Perthshire – just 70 miles from Edinburgh – was the first timeshare resort to open in the UK.

As a completely novel holiday concept, timeshare subsequently proved exceptionally popular. And today 115,000 week-long holidays are now taken every year in the U.K.

Talk to Frank Chapman, a timeshare pioneer and the man behind Loch Rannoch. He believes holiday ownership has thrived because it offers visitors a unique opportunity to visit and develop a relationship with some stunning properties and locations around the country.

“Timeshare provides some of the best facilities in the world and visitors are able to enjoy the best that the UK has to offer,” he says.

Over the years big brand name hotel groups have done much to elevate the public perception and integrity of timeshare. Independent developers, too, have played their part, recognising that quality accommodation and facilities are essential elements for visitors wanting to live the holiday dream.

Through its Grand Vacations Club, Hilton has three resorts in Scotland. Craigendarroch on Royal Dee-side is close by the Balmoral estate where the Queen spends much of the summer. Tucked into the foothills of the Cairngorms, Coylumbridge is a mountain hideaway offering visitors diverse attractions including whisky tasting.

Another sanctuary is Dunkeld, a true refuge from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Once the Highland retreat of the 7th Duke of Atholl, it offers quality breaks for the discerning visitor while cherishing the traditions of a Scottish sporting estate.

De Vere Resort Ownership is another operator of quality timeshare. With four, top class properties – two in Scotland by Loch Lomond (Cameron House and The Carrick) – it also has one in Northumberland and one in Lincolnshire.

Ten years ago Duchally Country Estate was acquired by Club La Costa (CLC). Built in 1838, it is the former seat of the Montreath family.

Centrepiece of this Perthshire spread is a manor house, now a hotel and award-winning restaurant.

Cottages developed for timeshare owners have a multiplicity of quality features including Sony DVD surround-sound and wide screen, home cinema television.

At the other end of the country, CLC has two prestigious properties in Cornwall – Trenython Manor Hotel & Spa, with views towards St. Austell Bay, and Hustyns Hotel and Spa, near Wadebridge in the north of the county.

Along with Duchally in Scotland, all offer special off-peak deals – long weekends or mid-week treats.

Both Cornish properties are conveniently located for visits to The Eden Project, the eco-educational ‘Living Theatre of Plants and People,’ the size of 30 football pitches.

Its giant, Space Age greenhouses, or ‘biomes,’ are the largest in the world and its gardens showcase the changing seasons.

On a year-round basis, Seasons Holidays has on offer three-night weekend or four-night, midweek breaks from as little as £40 per unit. The independent operator recently completed a multi-million pound redevelopment at Whitbarrow Village, set in the scenic splendour of the Lake District.

Along with 33 new apartments, it has completed the renovation and refurbishment of its swimming pool, health club and restaurant.

Other properties include Brunston Castle in Scotland that sits in the peaceful Girvan Valley, just five miles from the Ayrshire coast. Then there are Burn Park and Clowance Estate, both in Cornwall, and Laugharne Park in Wales, with views across the Bay of Carmarthen to North Devon, just 30 miles away.

On an annual basis, the two main companies providing holiday exchange services for timeshare owners spur resorts to maintain and enhance the quality of accommodation and services with tailored resort recognition schemes.

Each grade different aspects of a holiday property and offer coveted and highly valued accolades.

Interval International operates a multi-tiered programme, based on research, resort inspections and member evaluation forms.

Properties designated Select Resorts or Premier Resorts exceed their affiliation criteria. In its own reviews Group RCI offers three awards – Gold Crown, Silver Crown and Hospitality. The former two require higher quality standards whereas the Hospitality accolade is primarily focused on customer service.

In the UK some 45 per cent of resort affiliates have won Gold Crown awards while 20 per cent have achieved Silver Crown status.

Over the years the evolution of timeshare has spawned more and more sophisticated products and services.

The currency of holiday ownership has also expanded – from traditional weekly intervals to points that facilitate more flexible breaks for owners.

Also available is fractional ownership, a relatively new innovation where an investor can purchase blocks of weeks, normally from four to 12. Already popular in the United States, it is an attractive and economic alternative to owning a second home that often can only be used part of the year.

Falling property prices, taxes and increasing maintenance charges are other reasons that make a fractional purchase attractive.

A variation on the ‘fractional’ is the sale-and-leaseback programme currently being introduced in popular holiday locations as well as city centres like London.

The Pestana Group is the first internationalhotel company to offer such a scheme in the UK capital.
Situated close to the River Thames and Battersea Park, the Pestana Chelsea Bridge Hotel is a four-star property with 218 keys with only 66 rooms for sale. They are available with a commercial lease of 990 years.

The hotel will manage room rentals and owners will receive 50 per cent of net room revenue with a gross of six per cent per annum guaranteed return for the first two years.

Owners will also have 30 days of personal use of hotel accommodation along with the option of using 15 of those days at other Pestana properties in Portugal, Africa and South America.

National and pan European legislation has played a significant role in the development of holiday ownership with trade bodies like the Organisation for Timeshare in Europe actively promoting consumer protection.

In the 21st century OTE believes the concept of timeshare, or shared ownership, has come of age and in future years will – in many forms – go from strength to strength.

Article By Brian Folley.

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