So what is timeshare, really? Is it a one-week vacation slot in the year, for 25 years? Is it about staying at a resort, rather than a hotel? Is it about standing out in your peer group in terms of owning a timeshare plan?

There’s something about timeshare as a vacation platform that makes it stand apart. A timeshare resort is a confluence of holiday experiences unlike a hotel, which is a transit point. A resort is packaged to serve up activities, entertainment, good food and a unique vacation experience.

As far as new customers go, there’s more to timeshare than meets the eye. And I’ve drawn up some examples to illustrate what I have in mind.

With timeshare, you get that feeling of belonging to a community

Unlike a hotel, you have a sustained relationship with your home resort and your timeshare company. Over a period of time your home resort gets to know your family, their tastes, likes, preferences - and a whole lot more.  You also get to be on the mailing list for updates, offers and event related promotions.

There’s also the feeling of comfort and being cared for. A timeshare resort is not like a transit hotel – it’s a destination for your annual vacation. That’s a big difference and the support staff at your resort is specially trained to recognize that fact - so you get looked after like you’re on a vacation (not a business trip). The pace of life is different on a timeshare vacation, right from the moment you check in.

The feeling of familiar faces and individual attention

You know what happens when you’re in a familiar holiday setting. There’s a strange kind of reassurance that goes with it – right from familiar faces, tried & tested service levels across facilities and F&B options at the restaurants.

I must say hotels come close on this, but a timeshare resort also wants you to enjoy yourself in the many ways you can. Like relaxing by the pool, playing indoor games, exploring outdoor activities organized by our teams, checking out the local hot spots around the resort. There’s a lot of individual attention out here with event and activity planners always around to help you.

Of course, there are times when you want to explore new holiday locations in India and across the world – possibly through exchange companies. But there’s nothing like coming back to your home resort.

That feeling of long-term relationships

A timeshare plan by default is long-term – which means at least 25 years to start with. (And that’s a long, long time.) If you’re 30 years old when you take a plan, you’ll be 50 plus at the end of the term – with plenty of happy memories with your family.

Other than the longevity of the term, you’re protected from inflationary costs and pricing – simply because you’ve paid for your holiday weeks upfront. (We don’t even know what hotel tariffs will be like in 25 years.)

The reassurance of ethical and transparent practices

A lot of what I have said – almost all of it – pertains to resorts within AIRDA’s growing family of resorts. Our member community in other words. All our resort members follow a prescribed code of conduct and adhere to common guidelines on ethical practices. This covers a whole lot of customer interface areas, including how a resort bills a customer in terms of levies and charges. And that’s a big relief, I guess.

Feel like going on a vacation sometime soon?

B. S. Rathor
Advisor & Member - Executive Committee