Holiday Presents - Pioneers of Timesharing

TimeSharing Today is a friend of Holiday and the leading independent magazine for timeshare owners. Enjoy informative articles, resort reviews, tips on exchanging and other valuable timeshare information in each 56-page issue. As guest of Holiday, please get your FREE Trial Subscription!

Shep Altshuler (publisher) and Ray Jacobs (editor)

Q: Gentlemen, what made you decide to start a Timeshare magazine?

A: TimeSharing Today Magazine - http://www.timesharingtoday.com - began publishing in 1991 after we, as owners ourselves, found it difficult to communicate with other owners, to find answers to important questions and to locate a resource for timeshare resales. Soon thereafter, TST emerged as the leader in providing valuable independent information through our printed publication and online services.

Q: So what will our readers find in your magazine?

A: Our base of loyal subscribers has helped us grow from an 8-page newsletter to a content-rich 56-page, 4-color magazine that's published every other month. Each issue is filled with valuable articles about resort destinations, tips on exchanging, what to watch for in buying or selling, straight-forward resort reviews by owners while on an exchange, investigative reports about telemarketing scams and resorts in trouble and much more. We also publish (Jul/Aug issue) an annual comparison chart of exchange companies, which lists the major companies and several alternate companies in the exchange business. TimeSharing Today's classified ad section has hundreds of listings with units for sale, rent or trade. Our online Subscribers Only area enables readers to view back issues of our magazine to 1997, hundreds of Resort Report Card ratings and many other resources.

Q: How do your current readers like timeshare?

A: We've found that the vast majority of owners are timeshare enthusiasts who are overwhelmingly satisfied with the concept, and appreciate a means for sharing ideas, supporting others and developing new friendships. TST provides that forum. Every subscriber to our services makes our collective voice heard throughout the industry.

Q: What trends have occurred over the years?

A: We have observed major trends in three areas: Timeshare Resales, Rentals and Exchanging. The resale market has virtually exploded into a huge industry. Sellers now have many choices for listing their units for sale with legitimate resale brokers and selling on their own through services such as our classified advertising section and online companies. However, many owners are not able to find buyers because various factors affect salability such as: desirability of the resort, amenities, unit size, season and price. To a larger degree, the industry is more price sensitive and remains a buyers market. Exchanging has changed as well; the major exchange companies have been bought up by conglomerates, thereby changing their focus. Many owners feel that it has become more difficult to get an exchange now than it was years ago. There has also been significant growth in the area of timeshare rentals. Timeshare owners often feel that low cost rentals by exchange companies have a negative impact on the value of purchased units. While the industry has been dominated by the two major exchange companies, several smaller exchange companies have emerged and have succeeded by providing a high level of personalized customer service.

Q: Any parting words of wisdom for our readers?

A: In today's marketplace, buyers and sellers have to be extremely careful because another growth segment of the industry has been telemarketing and email resale scams. Millions of dollars have been lost to companies who charge unsuspecting owners hundreds of dollars and then take the money and disappear or do nothing. We have continually written about these operations; while many of our readers are well-educated, the scam artists still proliferate.