Wyndham Worldwide Corp. said Monday it has completed a securitization involving some $400 million in investment-grade, asset-backed notes.

Subsidiary Sierra Timeshare 2011-1 Receivables Funding LLC issued $296 million of "A" rated notes; $80 million of "BBB-rated" notes; and, $24 million of bonds rated at "BB."

The notes were backed by vacation ownership loans and had an overall weighted-average coupon of 3.70 percent, the company said.

Shares in Wyndham Worldwide fell $1.53, or 4.9 percent, to $30.29 in afternoon trading.

Sell My Timeshare NOW, the global leader in timeshare resales and rentals, announces it is partnering with Prosper.com to offer an industry-first, consumer financing program for the purchase of timeshare on the secondary market. Consumers will soon be able to apply online for financing when buying a timeshare resale at SellMyTimeshareNOW.com or Timeshare Broker Services.
Jason Tremblay, the company's founder and CEO, says, "For timeshare resellers, insufficient funding options have significantly hamstrung the growth of the industry. Through our partnership with Prosper.com, we will be able to remove that obstacle and bring the secondary timeshare market a much-needed source of affordable financing to drive sales."

"SellMyTimeshareNow.com is the leader in the worldwide timeshare reseller market, estimated at nearly a billion dollars," said Chris Larsen, Propser's founder and CEO, who previously co-founded and built E-LOAN into what was heralded as one of the most trusted consumer brands. "We are pleased to be able to bring the affordable financing of our peer-to-peer marketplace to the timeshare reseller industry through our partnership with SellMyTimeshareNow.com and Timeshare Broker Services."

Timeshares on the resale market can be bought either directly from the current owner or through a timeshare broker, and are often purchased for substantially less than (sometimes as much as 60 percent below) what they sell for when purchased directly from a developer. Until now, there were few opportunities for financing timeshare resales, preventing many consumers from taking advantage of the resale price breaks.

Prosper.com and SellMyTimeshareNOW.com will offer a dedicated webpage where interested timeshare buyers can complete a short application form online and then obtain an instant conditional loan approval.

Jason Tremblay adds, "Many people are comfortable with and prefer to shop for timeshare and timeshare resales online. They can control the process rather than feel they are being 'sold to' during a timeshare sales presentation. Adding an online timeshare resale financing application is a logical step that makes it easier for consumers to bypass the timeshare sales presentation and avoid paying developer pricing. Consumers will have access to a source for financing a timeshare resale and owners looking to sell their timeshares should find reselling timeshare easier as financing creates a level of liquidity that previously was nonexistent. The industry as a whole should see a decline in buyer apprehension."

Sell My Timeshare NOW, LLC has recently announced an alliance with John Locher RRP of Locher & Associates to provide consulting services.

According to Jason Tremblay, founder and CEO of SellMyTimeshareNOW.com, "Our relationship with John developed as the result of a long-standing mutual professional respect. We anticipate that this alliance will add a new dimension to our company as we move forward into totally new sales and marketing territories. During the process, we will take advantage of John’s promotional and strategic online experience."
Also a veteran of the online marketing of vacation ownership resales and rentals, Locher endorses SMTN and is excited about its vision and growth.

"Today's consumers demand transparency and safe choices in order to navigate the resale process," says Locher. "SellMyTimeshareNOW.com is diligent with their effective 'for sale or rent by owner' consumer model and the recently enhanced 'no fee until sold' preference for those wanting full-service. I embrace this success-driven emphasis that is improving the secondary market for everyone."

In a recent role as co-founder and VP of Marketing and Sales at RedWeek.com, Locher was instrumental in growing the company to 1.5 million registered users. John brought RedWeek into the American Resort Development Association in 2002 and plays an active role in influential ARDA committees today. He achieved the highest level of recognition as a Registered Resort Professional (RRP) with ARDA. Prior to RedWeek.com, John was the VP of Marketing and Promotions at Classmates.com, the original social networking site. Locher & Associates was introduced in 2010 to serve the shared ownership industry.

Timesharetalk have today announced a timeshare industry first. Europe's largest internet forum for timeshare owners have teamed up with UK based boutique marketing agency Marketing Innovations to enhance their communications platform and extend the opportunity for timeshare owners to have a voice.



Timesharetalk Radio is the first and only 'truly independent' radio show on the internet for Timeshare owners.



Personally hosted by David Lilley, future broadcasts will cover all subjects Timeshare related. The ultimate objective of the new show is to extend a fair and balanced summary of the Timeshare industry, the newly emerging fractional product, other short term holiday products and to provide general updates surrounding what is happening in the global shared ownership marketplace.



“Timesharetalk Radio will seek to broadcast audio material that respects the timeshare owner's best interests, covering the subjects we know that owners want to debate and understand better” said David Lilley in commenting on the new show.



"Timesharetalk radio will also provide a credible platform for the general public to ask questions of industry experts and to share their timeshare experiences in their own words. I am eager to ensure we only broadcast material that is of value and we only give exposure to credible companies and proven, caring industry operators" Lilley continued.



Examples of the subjects that will be covered on future shows are:

• How to get better value from timeshare exchange.


• The most popular timeshare resorts and why.


• How to avoid timeshare and holiday pack scams.


• Some of the considerations you need to make if you are planning to sell your timeshare.


• How to deal with unwanted sales calls


• Where to go for reliable help with your timeshare issues An opportunity for you to share your positive timeshare experiences.


• The opinions of industry experts


• Interviews with some of the major brands within the timeshare sector.


• Resort Reviews


• The best deals in the marketplace

Commenting on the alliance with Marketing Innovations, Paul Anderson owner and operator of the Timesharetalk forum said



"Working with someone such as David who has an in-depth knowledge of the industry second to none and the marketing background and experience seemed like a natural choice. Whilst the original concept was bourne by David, he approached us as we have such a huge reach within the Timeshare consumer market.



Timeshare consumers need to be educated and informed on news and developments within the Timeshare industry and Timesharetalk Radio seemed to be a natural progression and development to the site. People like to consume media differently, so including another media option helps us reach new and existing audiences. Podcasting has become one of the hottest trends in media. The trend is picking up and it provides a very good source of direct communication with your target audience, who wants to receive audio broadcasts automatically, without the need to be in front of a computer. "



To begin with, shows will be produced and released on a monthly basis, but should the demand necessitate, we would look to bring this down to bi-weekly or weekly.



If you would like to be a guest on Timesharetalk Radio or you would like to request a specific subject, please send David an e-mail on talk@marketinginnovations.co.uk

The main focus at the ARDA Conference and Expo in Orlando, FL later this month is to stabilize the timeshare industry and market, which has felt growing pains recently with market expansion. Lloydshare is issuing a battle-call to all attendees to join other timeshare industry professionals in an open-forum discussion on stabilizing the timeshare market.

Each year, the decision-makers who run the top resorts, hotels, and other timeshare-related companies gather at the annual ARDA Conference and Expo to share ideas, strategies, and make important business contacts. The ARDA Conference is heralded as the premiere meeting-point within the US for the timeshare industry executives and brass. Seminars, open-forums, and scheduled mingling events are planned each year, focusing on the current events and issues which require the attention of the ARDA Conference attendees.

This year, the hot-topics the ARDA Conference attendees will be addressing include the economic setbacks plaguing the travel industry at large, and also the few resorts and companies which are giving the timeshare industry a bad name because of their scams and fraudulent activities.

The economic instability due to the US stock market and banking bail-outs has sent ripple-effects through many other industries, and the travel industry has felt the pain more severely than some of the other industries. Considered a non-essential expense, travel plans were cut as families throughout the world tighten their wallets.

Sales rates throughout the timeshare industry are down these past few years in comparison to that of 10 years ago. The executives who manage the resorts of the world are eager to come up with a solution to increase the numbers of their sales rooms. An open-forum is scheduled during the ARDA Conference and Expo 2011 to address this increasingly-important issue.

One of the other topics to be addressed at the ARDA Conference will be how to shut-down the scamming and defrauding companies who operate on the fringes of the timeshare industry. The companies who's main function is to scam and defraud their clients is ruining the trust ARDA members have established over time. In a few short years, these companies have caused priceless damage to the once-pristine reputation of the timeshare industry.

"The reputation of the timeshare and resort industry is currently marred by these frauders, many of whom prey on unsuspecting people looking to invest their hard-earned dollars in a resort" admits Maria Gonzales, the top sales executive at Lloydshare Limited. The scammers are relying on the misinformation of their rights in the country they purchase their timeshare from, and one of the solutions proposed at a past ARDA Conference was to inform would-be investors about their rights. Currently in many of the top resort towns, ARDA members are working to give the power of knowledge to those looking to purchase a package at any number of resorts.

As they increase the informative campaign to empower their clients, the ARDA members have experienced resistance from some of the scamming companies who are the target of ARDA's campaign. These companies realize that their scams can only be effective if their prey is uninformed and considered powerless. The ARDA campaign's effectiveness will being felt throughout their dark industry.

Lloydshare and ARDA Conference and Expo 2011 will be hosting an open-forum on reducing the scams and frauds which are tarnishing the image and reputation of the timeshare industry. Lloydshare invites all attendees at the ARDA Conference and Expo 2011 to both of the above mentioned open-forums.

For more information, please visit the Lloydshare booth. Lloydshare can be found at stand #1131 at the ARDA convention in Orlando, held from March 27 - 31, 2010.

Hokkaido Tracks Resort Properties (HTRP) has launched fractional ownership sales in two-bedroom resort condominiums in the Japanese ski resort of Hirafu.

A first for the area, the shares are priced at ¥12,000,000 (£90,000) for a 1/4, with vendor finance packages available for qualified buyers.

Located on the resort's ski shuttle bus route, the building is close to some of Hirafu village’s best local restaurants and Yukoro hotspring.

The apartments are designed by architect Hikohito Konishi and feature a laundry and drying room, ground floor ski storage and parking.