Recently, leading vacation ownership blog InsideTheGate.com (ITG) conducted a comprehensive survey of current and former timeshare sales representatives to analyze insider attitudes towards the states of the industry. Various aspects of the industry were ranked by anonymous participants on a scale of 1 to 10. The queries ranged from effectiveness of certain sales philosophies and viability of certain guest demographics, to the quality of resort offerings and employment benefits. The published results were averaged from over 2,000 responses, and can be found on ITG’s website. This survey gives a frank look inside the timeshare industry and provides a wealth of valuable information for anyone interested in buying, selling, or renting timeshare.

One surprising item to note on the survey is how sales representatives view those in the 24-34 and 65-75 age groups. These groups, despite being filled with people who may love to travel, are rated poorly (2 and 2.5 out of 10, respectively). Some sales representatives may believe that the younger group, “millennials,” do not have the income or credit history to afford a timeshare, while the older group, “baby boomers,” may not have enough disposable income available to them after retirement. These assumptions can mean that millennials and baby boomers are not offered the same degree of attention and engagement from resort developers as often as their middle-aged counterparts.

A person can want and afford a vacation at any stage of life. While millennials and baby boomers, on the whole, may have less disposable income available for a developer-priced timeshare, this does not mean that they don’t value the benefits of ownership. It simply means that they need to find more affordable options. Buying a timeshare resale instead of buying directly from the developer can save thousands of dollars on a purchase. Those who aren’t interested in the long-term commitment of a timeshare can still enjoy a luxurious yet affordable vacation by renting a timeshare. Timeshare rentals are comparable in cost to traditional hotel rooms, but offer many more amenities as well as more spacious accommodations.

At SellMyTimeshareNow.com, we appeal to a younger generation. Millennials are important to us, and we understand the allure of timeshares to non-owners. Buying a timeshare is not the only way to enjoy the luxurious amenities and quality of a timeshare resort. Millennials may choose to rent a timeshare or may inherit a timeshare from an older relative. Their experience with the timeshare industry should not be lessened because there is uncertainty about whether they are seeking to buy timeshares at this stage of their lives.

InsideTheGate.com has opened an important discussion with this frank look at the timeshare industry. This insight is useful for sellers, owners, and everyone curious about timeshares. We are extremely interested to see and learn more from future surveys in this vein.