New interior design and renovation service for the hospitality industries
The Lubner Group, based in Florida, has been launched to provide interior design and resort renovation services for a wide range of hospitality industries. Previously operating as Robb & Sucky’s Hospitality Design Division, The Lubner Group’s team of seasoned design professionals, headed by Dan Lubner, offer highly specialised work for timeshare resorts, hotels, fractional ownership and private residence clubs, as well as developers of high-rise condominiums and single-family communities in North America and around the world. The Lubner Group is currently working on projects in Las Vegas, Sanibel Island and Key West, Florida, and is in negotiation with developers to install products...
RCI affiliates resorts in Turkey and Slovakia
RCI has further expanded its holiday exchange network with the affiliation of The Residence Club in Slovakia and Kamelya World Vacation Club in Turkey. The Residence Club is located in the mountain village of Donovaly in Slovakia’s Low Tatras National Park, a popular destination for skiing and other outdoor pursuits. Besides a choice of luxurious one- and two-bedroom apartments, guests can enjoy 24-hour room service courtesy of the adjacent Residence Hotel, as well as an Ayurveda and spa centre, restaurants and bars. Kamelya World Vacation Club is part of the luxurious Kamelya World Holiday Complex, a seafront resort in Colakli which...
Award for new Silverpoint website
The new Silverpoint Hotels & Resorts website, which went live only a few weeks ago, was voted “Best Site of the Month” for June by independent reviewers TopSharepoint.com, in recognition of its “exceptional design and implementation standards”. The www.silverpointhotelsandresorts.com site is one of a suite of websites – all available from the main www.silverpoint.com site – recently created by Silverpoint to provide its customers with in depth information on the company and its range of leisure products. The site is designed to keep Silverpoint Vacation Club and owners of the four Silverpoint resorts in Tenerife up to date with the latest news...
RDO Consumer Services Department
RDO is in the first instance a trade association representing the timeshare industry in Europe. RDO therefore represents member companies and as such look after their interests. However, RDO's consumer policy allows for consumers to address complaints about members with RDO. RDO provides this consumer service free-of-charge and aims to resolve valid complaints against member companies. RDO's members do believe that it is important that RDO undertakes this service for the consumer and count on RDO being fair and equitable. It has to be emphasised however that RDO will mediate between its members and consumers filing complaints but will not enter...
New Directive Covering Timeshare, Long Term Holiday Products, Resale and Exchange
In February 2011, a new Directive in respect of certain aspects of timeshare, long term holiday products (also known as holiday clubs) resale and exchange contracts comes into force around Europe. This Directive replaces the current timeshare Directive, which has been repealed. General terms A 14 calendar day cooling off period (harmonized throughout Europe) applies from the day of conclusion of the contract or the day when the consumer receives the contract All advance payments are prohibited, including acknowledgement of debts A separate form of cancellation has to be provided to the...
The truth behind Class Actions – RDO lifts the lid on dubious schemes
You've seen an advertisement or had a call out of the blue - something in itself to be wary of as your details have probably been obtained through a stolen database - and are now considering whether to join a class action against your resort developer or even exchange company. So what's the reality behind these schemes; is this just another scam, a way of obtaining money from timeshare owners under false pretences? From evidence collected by RDO's enforcement team, headed up by a former Spanish police inspector, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the majority of these schemes are bogus, their...
If you think you have been defrauded, read on….
If you have been invited to a presentation to discuss ways in which to dispose of your timeshare/ points or to join a class action scheme against your resort developer but then signed up for membership of a holiday club, we would like to hear from you. The European trade body for timeshare, *RDO (Resort Development Organisation) is currently looking into the activities of a number of holiday clubs that we believe are deliberately misleading timeshare owners and signing them up to holiday clubs, often with the promise that any money paid will be recouped through a cashback scheme. To submit a...
What Should I Expect When Buying from an RDO Member?
The Contract The contracts of RDO Members shall always be clear and comply with national Law and the EU Timeshare Directive and provide you with full protection. The printed agreement or contract will include all your rights and obligations. RDO Members must ensure that buyers receive in writing and in their own language all information which a prudent purchaser would reasonably require to make up his mind. A full description You will receive a full description (sometimes called a Disclosure Statement) of the product, resort and any services provided, which forms part of the contract you are signing. The contract should show your...
If You Decide to Cancel an Agreement
If you wish to cancel during the timeshare cancellation period, it is best to communicate this in writing by recorded delivery to the seller's office. Remember that if two people signed jointly, both should also sign the cancellation letter or formal Notice. You should give the contract number and the date on which you signed the agreement. Posting the cancellation recorded delivery relieves you of any responsibility for proving that you actually posted the cancellation. You are not required to give any reason for the cancellation. You should also cancel, in writing, any loan application that you might have signed at...
Unhappy With Your Purchase and Now Outside the Cooling-Off Period?
If you have a complaint about a non-RDO member's sales presentation, it is best to (jointly) sign a letter of complaint and to send it recorded delivery to the timeshare resort in question rather than writing to its trustees or head office elsewhere. Set out concisely what aspect of the sales talk you now find was inaccurate, and who made the misleading statements about which you are complaining. Ask the sales director to make all necessary investigations. If you feel strongly that you have signed a purchase agreement and perhaps paid a deposit on a timeshare which was so misrepresented...