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Marriott takes timeshare to France
by Jeremy Skidmore
Hotel giant Marriott is offering travel agents the chance to earn commission by booking clients into its new timeshare property in France.
Marriott Vacation Club International – the timeshare division of Marriott – has just opened its first property in France, the Village D’Ile de France, adjacent to Disneyland Paris in Marne la Vallee.
Although agents are unable to sell timeshare weeks, they can book clients into the property and earn commission in the same way as they would if they
booked people into hotels.
Two-bedroom villas, which accommodate up to six people, are available for 350 Euros, around £250, per night. “We do have some space available while we are building the resort,” said MVCI regional vice president, marketing operations, Europe, Middle East and
Africa Tom Groeninger.
The first phase of MVCI’s Village D’Ile de France, which comprises 44 townhouses in the atmosphere of a French country resort, is now open for business. By 2006 the resort will have 190 town houses.
Village D’Ile de France splits the year into four periods and people buy one or more weeks in their chosen zone. The periods range from off-peak to peak-season and cost from £9,300 to £19,100 for each timeshare week purchased. Owners are then entitled to a week’s stay in their chosen time zone every year until 2082 and can pass the ownership on to children and grandchildren.
To book a specific week, owners have to call Marriott and are served on a first-come-first-served basis. Owners must also pay an annual maintenance charge, currently standing at 872 Euros (around £600) per year, for the properties. Owners who do not want to keep returning to the same resort can each year trade their week for a stay other Marriott properties around the world; swap it for other travel items, such as Eurostar tickets; or join exchange company Interval International and trade the week for other timeshare properties around the world.
For the first five years of ownership, Interval is offering people the chance to trade one week at the Village D’Ile de France for two weeks elsewhere. Discounted preview packages are available for people considering buying timeshare at the French property, provided they are prepared to go to a sales meeting. The packages are not available through travel agents.
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