The Luxurious Resort Condominium Industry
Have you and your family ever had the luxurious experience of vacationing in a condominium as opposed to a small hotel room? If not, we at Grand Crowne Travel feel for the Dads vacationing in hotels. The Dad is usually the last one to use the bathroom in the mornings, only to find every single towel in a soaking wet pile on the floor! Wouldn’t a washer and dryer be nice? Imagine yourself being able to catch just a few more winks (undisturbed) in the morning, while the kids fix their own cereal, thanks to the full kitchen. Imagine you and your spouse with another couple, enjoying a beautiful evening playing cards on the patio or in the dining room of your own 2 bedroom condominium, popping some popcorn and baking a pizza!
These dreams can be a vacation reality when enjoying the condominium lifestyle. We would like to give you some information about the resort industry.
History: Condominium resorts are built by developers. They normally sell approximately 80% of the condo inventory as deeded timeshare weeks. The remaining 20% of the inventory is used as rental weeks, or wholesale weeks. At Grand Crowne Travel, we get our condo inventory from a variety of sources: unsold developer weeks, owner weeks that aren’t being used and are rented for the week, owner’s association weeks, excess exchange weeks, even whole ownership weeks available on a weekly rental basis.
Unit Size: Resorts typically have studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom, and some 3 bedroom units. Resorts rarely have units larger than 3 bedrooms. Due to fire codes, a studio typically sleeps 2 private and 4 maximum, a one bedroom sleeps 2 private and 4 maximum, a two bedroom sleeps 4 private and 6-8 maximum, and a three bedroom can sleep 6 private and 8-12 maximum. If a unit larger than a 3 bedroom unit is needed, we suggest you ask the travel agent to search for a house to rent for the week.
Amenities: Some condos have a partial kitchen and some have a full kitchen. Partial kitchen usually means a refrigerator, microwave, sink and coffeemaker. A full kitchen would be a kitchen for a small apartment and would usually include a stove and/or oven, and possibly dishwasher. Some condos have a washer and dryer in the unit, and others have a washer and dryer on the resort. Most condominiums are stocked with all kitchen utensils, dishes and cookware, linens, dish soap and enough laundry detergent for one load.
Availability: Resorts have not been constructed everywhere. They are located in major vacation destinations, but mostly around beaches and lakes. For instance, you won’t find any in Oklahoma City or Chicago. Why? Major cities tend to have hotels, not resorts. When developers build resorts, they look for the most desirable vacation destinations where vacationers will want to purchase timeshare weeks and return year after year. Some locations like Tybee Island, GA have condos, but are all privately owned weeks, fractionals, or whole ownerships. Sometimes we have access to this private inventory, but at high prices, since the inventory is so limited and the demand is so much higher than at typical timeshare resorts. In certain locations, no developers have chosen to build resorts to sell timeshare weeks. Your travel agent can help you locate condos if any exist in your chosen vacation destination. As with most travel, the more flexibility you have, the greater access you have to really fantastic prices! Resorts usually release inventory three to eight months in advance. Condo owners get first choice when it comes to holidays or peak season. We also have some bargains on 60 days or less from check-in date, so ask your travel agent.
Weeks & Prices: Resort condominium weeks typically run from Friday to Friday, Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday. For example, you would check in on a Friday after 3:00 p.m. and check out the following Friday before 11:00 a.m. Some resorts have begun to offer nightly rentals although prices typically begin at $120.00 a night. The greatest savings is realized when utilizing a full condo week rental with some as low as $300.00 for the week, up to $700.00 or even higher depending on location and size of unit.
Extra Tips: Very few condominium resorts allow pets. Most resorts do not supply beach towels. Some resorts have a barbeque area. Some resorts even offer live entertainment and youth programs. Remember to bring: sunscreen, bug spray, shampoo, body soap, spices, tea, extra laundry supplies, dish soap and coffee.
Start planning your family’s luxurious condominium stay by calling us today at 1-800-662-9824.
