The Future of Timeshare Ownership: Trends for 2025 & Beyond
Timeshares have existed in some form in the United States since the 1970s, having started in Europe in the 1960s. Even though the concept of vacation ownership has existed for over half a century, it has evolved in that time to become more complex and difficult to escape when it goes wrong. Looking at this past, one wonders what the future of timeshare ownership will look like.
Though you might think that baby boomers own the majority of interests in timeshares and vacation clubs, you’d be wrong. Most new buyers are Millennials, with Generation Z (“Gen Z”) approaching fast behind. These groups of young people, who tend to prize new travel experiences over ownership, are attracted to the newer, evolving timeshare models, though they are not always aware of the risks that timeshare companies pose to their money and credit.
In this article, we’ll look at different types of timeshare ownership, how the younger generations are changing it, and what you can expect in the future. Whatever the future holds, you need to know one thing: Timeshare companies are experts at bleeding their customers for money.
Are Traditional Timeshare Models Becoming Obsolete?
While it might not be completely accurate to say that older models of timeshare ownership are “obsolete,” it is true that they are increasingly going out of fashion.
The original timeshare model was one of shared ownership of a single piece of real estate — typically a condo — in which owners each took a “fixed week” of ownership. In simple terms, that meant that an owner had to wait until a certain week of the year (e.g., week 26 or week 52) to use the timeshare, and they had the same week each year.
This style of timeshare has now become the exception rather than the rule. It was replaced first by “floating” timeshare weeks (in which owners had a single week that they could adjust, subject to prior reservations by other owners).
Then came the more modern points-based systems known as “vacation clubs.” Vacation clubs basically sell buckets of points to timeshare owners that they then use to reserve timeshare resort rooms, tours, cruises, or other vacation products.
How Are Younger Travelers Influencing Timeshare Trends?
The past two decades have seen millennials and Gen Z come into their own financially, and the results have changed the timeshare industry, just as they have the rest of the economy. Indeed, the average age of new timeshare buyers is now 39, meaning that the future of the whole travel industry is already in the hands of younger people.
These shifts have led the timeshare industry to focus less on ownership (less than it already did, anyway) and more on ephemeral, temporary travel experiences — all while maintaining the heavy annual fees of timeshares.
This means that a millennial or Gen Z member of Disney, Hilton Grand Vacations, or Marriott Vacation Club might pay big fees to a timeshare company without getting a real estate interest or deed at all. Rather, they purchase tens of thousands of points for the chance to take tours or go on cruises. Oddly, the future of timeshare ownership does not involve “owning” timeshare units at all; there are just more points-based systems.
Timeshare firms will tell buyers that they get a better deal on hotels, tours, and more through the clubs. That might be true if owners didn’t also have to pay annual maintenance fees, special assessments, and exchange club fees in addition to the things they really want. Of course, by the time they figure this out, they will be locked into timeshare contracts, which are designed to keep them where they are for life.
What Innovations Are Shaping the Future of Timeshare Ownership?
The trends created by younger timeshare buyers are leading timeshare companies to create contracts and legal snares that are craftier and more difficult to get out of. They also have the effect of getting timeshare companies away from deeded timeshares and real estate ownership.
Even when they did consist of tangible real estate, timeshares were terrible investments that had next to no value. The few exceptions consisted of deeded timeshares in exotic or highly desirable locations. If current trends continue, even those few more valuable timeshares will be rarer in a timeshare resale market that barely existed in the first place.
In this sense, future vacation clubs and timeshare companies will become glorified, extremely expensive travel agents, taking huge annual fees for the comparative services of making hotel, tour, and cruise reservations for club members.
It is also worth mentioning that they are not particularly good travel agents, given that many owners have reported problems making reservations. Timeshare owners find they often have to compete with non-timeshare owners for use of their own resorts.
It thus appears that the future of timeshare contracts will make them even more onerous and difficult to cancel.
Whether Now or in the Future, Centerstone Group Can Help You Solve Your Timeshare Problems
The future of timeshare ownership looks a lot like its past. Timeshare sales staff will still engage in high-pressure sales presentations. Owners will still feel forced into signing oppressive timeshare purchase agreements. Vacation clubs will still offer “reservation services” that range from difficult to impossible to use. And the whole time, timeshare developers will be making money hand over fist.
Centerstone Group’s team has been involved with the timeshare industry for decades, and they know developers’ tricks and schemes. They have successfully helped thousands of owners out of their contracts. Centerstone Group is also an accredited, A+-rated company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) where we enjoy a 4.78-out-of-5-star rating from our clients.
If you need a timeshare cancellation, transfer, or one of our many other solutions, please contact us today. We will give you a free consultation and work on designing an exit strategy that is just right for you.
Timeshares have existed in some form in the United States since the 1970s, having started in Europe in the 1960s. Even though the concept of vacation ownership has existed for over half a century, it has evolved in that time to become more complex and difficult to escape when it goes wrong. Looking at this past, one wonders what the future of timeshare ownership will look like.
Though you might think that baby boomers own the majority of interests in timeshares and vacation clubs, you’d be wrong. Most new buyers are Millennials, with Generation Z (“Gen Z”) approaching fast behind. These groups of young people, who tend to prize new travel experiences over ownership, are attracted to the newer, evolving timeshare models, though they are not always aware of the risks that timeshare companies pose to their money and credit.
In this article, we’ll look at different types of timeshare ownership, how the younger generations are changing it, and what you can expect in the future. Whatever the future holds, you need to know one thing: Timeshare companies are experts at bleeding their customers for money.
Are Traditional Timeshare Models Becoming Obsolete?
While it might not be completely accurate to say that older models of timeshare ownership are “obsolete,” it is true that they are increasingly going out of fashion.
The original timeshare model was one of shared ownership of a single piece of real estate — typically a condo — in which owners each took a “fixed week” of ownership. In simple terms, that meant that an owner had to wait until a certain week of the year (e.g., week 26 or week 52) to use the timeshare, and they had the same week each year.
This style of timeshare has now become the exception rather than the rule. It was replaced first by “floating” timeshare weeks (in which owners had a single week that they could adjust, subject to prior reservations by other owners).
Then came the more modern points-based systems known as “vacation clubs.” Vacation clubs basically sell buckets of points to timeshare owners that they then use to reserve timeshare resort rooms, tours, cruises, or other vacation products.
How Are Younger Travelers Influencing Timeshare Trends?
The past two decades have seen millennials and Gen Z come into their own financially, and the results have changed the timeshare industry, just as they have the rest of the economy. Indeed, the average age of new timeshare buyers is now 39, meaning that the future of the whole travel industry is already in the hands of younger people.
Millennials are known for being more likely to spend money on unique experiences rather than ownership of products and things. Although the opposite is true with Gen Zers, there is one exception. They prioritize trips and vacations over ownership as well.
These shifts have led the timeshare industry to focus less on ownership (less than it already did, anyway) and more on ephemeral, temporary travel experiences — all while maintaining the heavy annual fees of timeshares.
This means that a millennial or Gen Z member of Disney, Hilton Grand Vacations, or Marriott Vacation Club might pay big fees to a timeshare company without getting a real estate interest or deed at all. Rather, they purchase tens of thousands of points for the chance to take tours or go on cruises. Oddly, the future of timeshare ownership does not involve “owning” timeshare units at all; there are just more points-based systems.
Timeshare firms will tell buyers that they get a better deal on hotels, tours, and more through the clubs. That might be true if owners didn’t also have to pay annual maintenance fees, special assessments, and exchange club fees in addition to the things they really want. Of course, by the time they figure this out, they will be locked into timeshare contracts, which are designed to keep them where they are for life.
What Innovations Are Shaping the Future of Timeshare Ownership?
The trends created by younger timeshare buyers are leading timeshare companies to create contracts and legal snares that are craftier and more difficult to get out of. They also have the effect of getting timeshare companies away from deeded timeshares and real estate ownership.
Even when they did consist of tangible real estate, timeshares were terrible investments that had next to no value. The few exceptions consisted of deeded timeshares in exotic or highly desirable locations. If current trends continue, even those few more valuable timeshares will be rarer in a timeshare resale market that barely existed in the first place.
In this sense, future vacation clubs and timeshare companies will become glorified, extremely expensive travel agents, taking huge annual fees for the comparative services of making hotel, tour, and cruise reservations for club members.
It is also worth mentioning that they are not particularly good travel agents, given that many owners have reported problems making reservations. Timeshare owners find they often have to compete with non-timeshare owners for use of their own resorts.
It thus appears that the future of timeshare contracts will make them even more onerous and difficult to cancel.
Whether Now or in the Future, Centerstone Group Can Help You Solve Your Timeshare Problems
The future of timeshare ownership looks a lot like its past. Timeshare sales staff will still engage in high-pressure sales presentations. Owners will still feel forced into signing oppressive timeshare purchase agreements. Vacation clubs will still offer “reservation services” that range from difficult to impossible to use. And the whole time, timeshare developers will be making money hand over fist.
Centerstone Group’s team has been involved with the timeshare industry for decades, and they know developers’ tricks and schemes. They have successfully helped thousands of owners out of their contracts. Centerstone Group is also an accredited, A+-rated company with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) where we enjoy a 4.78-out-of-5-star rating from our clients.
If you need a timeshare cancellation, transfer, or one of our many other solutions, please contact us today. We will give you a free consultation and work on designing an exit strategy that is just right for you.