Are you dreaming of taking a vacation? You’re not alone! In a recent Destination Analysis study, 64% of Americans reported that they desperately need a break. And while 80% of those surveyed know that taking a vacation is essential to their overall health and well-being, ¾ of Americans leave vacation days on the table, unused.
So when 90% of Americans say that it’s important to use their paid time off to travel, what’s preventing them from doing so? If you guessed money, you’re correct. According to a Bankrate survey, 70% of U.S. adults are changing their summer vacation plans due to increasing prices across the board, and almost half are canceling plans because they flat out can’t afford them.
If you’re one of those people, before you write off a vacation completely, look at the hotel deals available with timeshare rentals. You can save significant money when you rent a resort room from a timeshare owner. As these individuals set their own rental price, independent of the standard rack room rates of hotels and popular travel booking sites, you can save 50% or more on vacation accommodations at the exact same resorts.
To illustrate these deals, we’ve found examples of where you can save $1,000, $2,000, or even $3,000 by booking the same resort rooms on seven trusted timeshare rental websites vs. the hotel direct, Expedia, or Priceline.
But Are Timeshare Rentals Nice?
No one wants to vacation in a run-down hotel, so it’s a common question that travelers ask about timeshare rentals. And the answer a large majority of the time is yes, timeshare resorts are nice. If you’ve stayed in a Disney, Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt, Westin, Sheraton, or Wyndham hotel and your room was a condo unit, then you’ve stayed in a timeshare and didn’t even know it.
What are Timeshares like? Today, they are expansive, upscale resorts from trusted, global brands. They bring together the space and home-like conveniences of an Airbnb with the prime location, resort amenities, and cleanliness standards of worldwide hotel chains. It’s the best of both worlds in one!
And, no, timeshare presentations are not required with timeshare rentals. As both a timeshare owner and a renter of timeshares, I can confirm this is true.
Can Timeshare Rentals on These 7 Sites Really Save Me That Much Money?
Yes! But don’t just take my word for it! For over 20 years, people have booked timeshare rentals for their vacations and saved lots of money on hotel accommodations.
“With the current state of the economy and my love for staying at nice resorts, your website beats the rising fees of {ownership} maintenance, the cost of booking the same resort directly with AAA, etc. Your website is a true gem. Working in the travel industry as a researcher, I have found your website to be better than Expedia,” said Daniel O. on Redweek’s Testimonials page.
1. Redweek
Twenty years Randy Conrads loved vacationing in upscale timeshare resorts but didn’t want the long-term commitment of owning a timeshare, so he started Redweek.com. Now an A+ Better Business Bureau rated company with an audience of almost 3 million people listing and booking timeshare rentals.
Another testimonial on Redweek talked about a Mexico resort deal. “My wife used RedWeek for the third time and got a smoking deal in Cabo – $75/night instead of $495/night same room, the same date on Expedia,” said Kurt W.
In May of 2022, their website had a similar listing at Hacienda Del Mar Resort resort in Cabo for $86 a night or $602 for a week’s rental. Comparing the exact dates for the same studio unit, you’d save $1,190 over a week, as the Expedia price was $256 a night or $1,792 for the week.
2. Koala
Koala, a newer player in timeshare rentals, vets and verifies all of their timeshare rentals before posting, so you can feel comfortable booking with an individual owner. Additionally, they hold the payment until 24 hours after you check-in as another built-in protection for renters.
If you want to take the grandparents along to Orlando or have a large family, the three-bedroom units at the highly-rated Worldmark Reunion are a great option. A few miles from Disney World Theme Parks and Universal, it is a massive 2,300-acre resort.
If you book this hotel directly at their ExtraHolidays website, the price for a week’s accommodations is $356.14 a night, or $2,492.98 in total. However, booking on Koala for the exact dates cuts the price in half to $1,260.01, saving you $1,233. Who would have thought you could get a three-bedroom condo unit inside a resort with multiple pools, waterslides and lazy river, three world-class golf courses, and high-end hotel amenities for $180 a night! That’s the beauty of timeshare rentals.
3. Timeshares Only
For 28 years, Timeshares Only has also connected timeshare owners with thousands of savvy travelers looking to book resort rooms at a discount. With a Better Business Bureau Rating of A+, you can feel confident booking hotels on their site.
Say Aloha to This Deal
When you see that the average Maui room rate is a sky-high $488 a night, it’s easy to think Hawaii is out of your budget. But, if you’ve been dreaming of affording an oceanfront resort on Kaanapali Beach, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, it’s possible with timeshare rentals.
Rooms at Kaanapali Beach Club, A Tripadvisor Traveler’s Choice Resort, can be rented on Timeshares Only for half the hotel’s direct price. For example, a one-bedroom condo unit with a living room, king-size master bedroom, and a partial kitchen is listed for a four-night rental of $1,100. Comparing that listing to its best online price of $543 a night, timeshare rentals save you $1,075 at this hotel.
Happy Island; Happy Wallet
Aruba, nicknamed the Happy Island and the land of perfect year-round weather, is another tropical destination known for its beautiful but expensive beachfront hotels. So if you’ve wanted to stay on world-renowned Palm Beach at one of the island’s best resorts, it’s possible without breaking the bank.
If you research room rates at Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, you’ll be floored by the $749 a night price for a 2-bedroom unit. So instead, book those same Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club rooms via a timeshare rental for ⅓ of the price – $257 a night on Timeshares Only. Over a week’s vacation, that’s a savings of $3,376.
4. Trading Places
Trading Places is a timeshare exchange company that facilitates trades for timeshare owners who would like to swap their owned timeshare week for another stay at resorts across the country and globe. Unlike the two biggest timeshare exchange companies, RCI and Interval International, this boutique company allows anyone to access their timeshare rentals, which they call Weekly Rentals.
This practically unknown hotel booking site has a lot of resort deals that aren’t even on people’s radar. Hilton Vacation Club’s Mystic Dunes is a destination in itself with a championship golf course, putt-putt, four pools, tennis & basketball courses, and a long list of family activities across 600 acres. You’d never know you are only 2 miles from Walt Disney World Theme Parks and minutes to Universal Studios.
If you booked a two-bedroom unit from May 20th to May 27 on Priceline, the total would be $2,284.10. Or you could rent this same sized unit for the exact dates via Trading Places for only $576.33, saving you $1,707.77.
5. Trading Places Maui
Trading Places Maui, an offshoot of Trading Places, is another exchange company but serves only owners of Hawaii Timeshares. So if you’ve got Hawaii on your bucket list, their timeshare rentals section is a great place to watch for last-minute deals. Recently, they had multiple rental options at The Cliffs at Princeville Resort, an award-winning Kauai hotel.
They had a one-bedroom condo unit available for a weekly rental for $799. Nightly rates from their website start at $389 a night for this sized unit, just below the average Kauai nightly hotel room rate of $408.70. A weekly hotel-direct rental would be $2,334, but scoring a weekly timeshare rentals deal from Trading Place Maui saves you $1,535.
6. DVC-Rental.com
A trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando is a dream trip for most families. As the most visited city in America, there’s stiff competition for rooms at the best resorts. If you’ve wanted to stay at one of Disney’s premium resorts to experience their special magic, amenities, and exclusive park perks, it’s possible even on a budget.
Did you know that even Disney has timeshare resorts? There are 15 Disney Vacation Club hotels in Orlando, Vero Beach, Florida, Hilton Head Island, California, and Oahu, Hawaii. And all of them are available to book via timeshare rentals.
DVC-Rental, the longest-running Disney timeshare rental company in the U.S., connects people who own a piece of the most magical place on earth with those interested in staying in these premium resorts. They also include a “no questions asked” travel insurance policy with each rental for those changes of plans that sometimes occur.
Disney’s lush Polynesian Village Resort combines the expansive hotel property experience and the convenience of being on the theme park Monorail system. This’ best of both worlds’ resort is typically very expensive, but it’s another example where timeshare rentals can save you thousands of dollars.
A late May reduced rental was recently posted on their Facebook page for a studio unit that sleeps five people plus a baby. A 7-night direct rental from Disney Vacation Club would cost $5,448, but you can rent the same room from DVC Rental for $3,345. That’s a savings of over $2,000!
7. Timeshare User’s Group Marketplace
The first and largest website for timeshare owners, Timeshare Users Group (TUG), also has a marketplace with timeshare rentals. Since 1993, they’ve rented or sold $57 million worth of timeshares from verified timeshare owners. With a last-minute timeshare rentals section and various resort listings, it’s another virtually unknown place to score resort deals.
Kick off summer with a week’s vacation at Marriott’s Beach Place Towers in a prime Fort Lauderdale beachfront location. A Memorial Day week one-bedroom condo unit for six nights would cost you $2,345 if you booked the resort directly. Or rent the same unit, during the same time, from a TUG member for $900 total! That’s a savings of $1,445.
This post originally appeared on Hello Sensible.
Author Bio: Monica Fish
Monica Fish helps her fellow adventurers live a financially savvy life so they can travel and explore our beautiful world no matter their budget. She writes about smart timeshare ownership, vacation tips and tricks, NYC Metro Area trips and activities, and frugal yet rich living at PlannerAtHeart.com.