Buying Fractional Ownership, Resort Real Estate & Timeshares

Wyndham Vacation Ownership, the world’s largest vacation ownership company and a member of the Wyndham Worldwide family (NYSE:WYN), is celebrating a milestone anniversary this month.  Commemorating 20 years in business, WorldMark by Wyndham has successfully grown from a small product portfolio in Oregon to more than 70 resort properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and the South Pacific and more than 270,000 owners.
“We’re very excited to celebrate this significant milestone anniversary within our Wyndham family,” said Franz Hanning, president and chief executive officer, Wyndham Vacation Ownership.  “It’s amazing to think that what originally began as a small credits-based vacation ownership company in the Pacific Northwest has evolved into one of the most prominent vacation clubs in the world.”

A Humble Start
In October 1989, WorldMark by Wyndham  (then known as Trendwest Resorts) recorded its first sale in Kirkland, Wash. and offered a very limited selection of vacation options – a two-bedroom town house in Eagle Crest, a two-bedroom condominium at the Inn at Otter Crest and a one-bedroom hotel suite at the Ashland Hills Inn.   Despite the limited options, the ease and flexibility of the credits-based program proved appealing to the first WorldMark, The Club owners.

“Being the first owner of a new timeshare concept was a little unnerving to say the least. But I knew it had success written all over it,” said Laurie Smith of Leavenworth, Wash.

As the first WorldMark, The Club owner who purchased in October 1989, Smith appreciates the flexibility of the credits-based program.  “What we love about being WorldMark owners is that the possibilities are endless!  We can go anywhere, anytime, for the rest of our lives!  It’s a canvas for memories to be made upon, whether it be a romantic getaway for my husband and me, or a family reunion, it is the ultimate gathering place.”

WorldMark would continue to expand its’ resort portfolio over the next ten years to include several highly sought after vacation destinations, including Bass Lake and Palm Springs, Calif.; Las Vegas and Tahoe, Nev.; Hawaii; San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; and Whistler, British Colombia.

A Growing Family
In 2000, WorldMark welcomed its 100,000th owner to the WorldMark, The Club family.  The company also debuted seven additional resort properties that same year, including WorldMark, The Canadian – the portfolio’s first urban property in Vancouver, British Columbia.  The company also began to span the globe with the introduction of Trendwest South Pacific, which is now known as Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific, in Australia.

In the years following, the company would add another seven resort properties to the ever-growing portfolio, including WorldMark Steamboat Springs, WorldMark Lake of the Ozarks and WorldMark Branson.   In addition to resort development, the company also added a variety of owner benefits, including expansive owner education programs and online booking capabilities, to further enhance the vacation experiences of the growing WorldMark family.

In 2002, WorldMark by Wyndham was acquired by Cendant Corporation, which would spin off into four separate publicly traded companies in 2006.  One year later, as part of the Wyndham Vacation Ownership family, WorldMark would celebrate eclipsing 250,000 owner families.  Today, WorldMark by Wyndham continues to provide world-class vacations to more than 270,000 owners at more than 70 resort properties.

About Wyndham Vacation Ownership
Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a member of the Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN) family of companies, is the world’s largest vacation ownership business, as measured by the number of vacation ownership resorts, individual vacation ownership units and owners of vacation ownership interests.  Wyndham Vacation Ownership develops, markets and sells vacation ownership interests and provides consumer financing to owners through its three primary consumer brands, Wyndham Vacation Resorts, WorldMark by Wyndham, and Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific.   As of January 1, 2009, Wyndham Vacation Ownership had developed or acquired approximately 150 vacation ownership resorts throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and the South Pacific that represent approximately 20,000 individual vacation ownership units and more than 830,000 owners of vacation ownership interests. Wyndham Vacation Ownership is headquartered in Orlando, Fla., and is supported by approximately 13,800 employees globally.