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Those who travel extensively and wait with baited breath for news of the latest time share offerings must surely have noticed the recent news from St. Regis. The famous luxury hotel which débued in New York City just over a century ago now has four full floors dedicated to the popular fractional ownership concept.

These 28-day stays went for a million and didn’t have any trouble getting buyers. Managed by a division of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide,  Starwood  Vacation Ownership Club has been busy opening international accommodations of late. By 2011 they hope to open in Cairo, Egypt. There’s been talk of time share potential offerings in Mexico. But in recent years they been successfully opening busy domestic vacation destinations.

St. Regis Aspen offered up to three bedrooms and 2200 square feet when it began presales in 2004 at the highly desirable Colorado ski town. Selling for up to $1.5 million for a one month fractional share the vacation stays were no longer available within two years. At this rate the public must be starting to wonder if there is a limit on the price of fractional and time share properties. Major cost yes–but major comfort and proximity to Aspen mountain made these great buys for the lucky few.

But don’t be off-put if you are just starting to think about making a time share purchase. RCI time shares are readily available on the resale market to name one company with plenty of bargain pricing. But that is just a starting point. There seems to be something for any budget in the resale market. Just take a deep breath and give an honest appraisal of costs. Don’t forget the costs of travel when evaluating your budget. But keep in mind that some companies allow trading annual points for airfare and other vacation expenses.

Posted by Hope on Sunday, January 20th, 2008 at 4:06 am.