It’s understandable why not every timeshare owner jumps right in to read “2025 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry”, the annual report published by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry’s trade association.
It’s full of financial jargon (“estimated total reserve funding” ugh!).
It’s full of numbers.
And, if you’re a timeshare owner, it’s full of bad news.
For example, it says that average annual maintenance fees increased a whopping 17.5% in 2024, to a record $1,480 per year.
It also says the industry’s rental revenues shot up 147% in the last five years, from $1.3 billion in 2020 to $3.2 billion in 2024, partly because rental units are making up a bigger share of timeshare properties.
That means the number of units available for timeshare owners to use on their vacations is shrinking, which explains why so many timeshare owners can’t find available units when they want them.
But what’s most important is what the report DOESN’T say.
Because nowhere does it say that the massive increases in timeshare maintenance fees are clearly paying for the upkeep and upgrades of the increasing number of rental units resort developers are putting on the market.
Timeshare owners are footing the bill for the improvements that are making it possible for timeshare companiesto rake in BILLIONS more in rental income!
And what are owners getting in return?
Less availability.
More maintenance fees.
And not a single dime of income from the rental units that are bringing in billions for the big timeshare companies.
Seems like it’s time for timeshare owners to have their say about skyrocketing maintenance fees and rapidly diminishing availability.
Let’s start with Gordon Gurnik, the Chair of the ARDA Board of Directors, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of Hilton Grand Vacations. Email him at gordon.gurnik@hgv.com to see what he has to say about the industry’s scheme to make owners pay more for the upkeep of timeshares they can’t get into.
And we should find out what Travis Bary, Co-President of Capital Vacations and a member of ARDA’s board, says about requiring owners to subsidize property upgrades without getting a share of the increased rental income the upgrades are bringing in. Travis’s email is tbary@capitalvacations.com.
Does the industry expect owners to continue to pay higher fees for lower availability? Let’s see what Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of ARDA, says. His email is jgamel@arda.org.
What is your timeshare company not saying about the lack of availability despite big fee increases? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to ask your company’s leaders.
Can you think of something else important the timeshare industry isn’t telling us? Let us know at info@timesharefacts.com
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