Tag Archives for timeshares.
A Michigan couple was arrested at Cancun International Airport on March 4. When they arrived in Mexico for spring break, customs flagged their passports due to outstanding criminal fraud charges. They were immediately detained and incarcerated without bond in a maximum-security prison.
That’s because they had a payment dispute with a timeshare – and American Express sided with them.
Owning a timeshare often leads to unforeseen expenses, restrictive use conditions, and significant resale difficulties, making it a questionable financial commitment.
Timeshare presentation deals can be pretty lucrative. There may be a great rate on a stay and then credits to spend on property and even points in a loyalty program, and all you have to do is give up a bit of time on your trip to listen to a sales pitch.
I’d far prefer a good deal plus points! But I don’t want to give up time on a trip.
The hotel business can be strange in many ways. But timeshare brands are far, far stranger.
How about Marriott Vacations controlling Hyatt’s timeshare portfolio? That’s something not a lot of people realize but gets a big exclamation point from Marriott Vacations Worldwide spending $430 million to acquire Welk Resorts to turn them into Hyatt Residenes properties. And wait – there are Lawrence Welk hotels?
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
