Disney unveils new time shares
Sara K. Clarke | Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted October 12, 2006
Disney time shares are coming to the Animal Kingdom, with a plan for 458 units, the company said Wednesday.
According to Disney, the time shares will be a mix of new construction and renovated accommodations in part of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. They'll feature African-inspired details and most will offer views of a savannah inhabited by a variety of animals.
Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas will be the company's eighth time-share property -- the sixth at Walt Disney World -- and was hailed Wednesday as a smart business decision.
"It's a major plus," said Michael Hewell, a former Disney employee who now escorts guests through the parks with his company, Michael's VIPs, and owns the online Web site, TourGuideMike. "Disney's going to sell every single one of them."
As for the choice of Animal Kingdom, Hewell said, "It's the true retreat," and added, "For those people who want to rest away from the theme park madness, they now have a choice."
Time shares have long been popular in Central Florida, but more so in recent years. In 2001, 10 percent of Orlando visitors stayed in time shares. Last year, that number had increased to 15 percent.
From 2001 to 2005, the number of time-share units jumped 26 percent, from 15,157 to 19,099, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau. Hotel-room growth, on the other hand, grew only 2 percent during the same five-year period.
Disney's entry into the time-share market was a big help to the industry, said Robert J. Webb, a veteran real estate and time-share industry attorney with the Baker Hostetler law firm in Orlando.
"Disney's entry was part of a paradigm shift" in the 1990s, Webb said, when brand names such as Marriott and Disney entered the time-share field, long dominated by small operators. "It helped bring a lot of credibility to the industry."
The expansion of the Disney time-share holdings is a reflection of the strength of the industry and Disney's commitment to its resort business, said Webb, who has represented Disney as an outside counsel in the past.
"It's an excellent example of the evolution," Webb said, of hospitality companies relying on a mix of hotels and time shares for accommodating guests.
Disney historian Michael Broggie said the new time shares are a continuing affirmation of Walt Disney's decision to build in Central Florida.
"It also is a reflection of the confidence that [Disney chief] Bob Iger has in Central Florida and investing the company's assets there," Broggie said.
Development of the Animal Kingdom Villas is scheduled in phases, with units to begin opening in fall 2007. The project is scheduled to be completed by spring 2009.
The first phase will include 134 remodeled accommodations on the fifth and sixth floors of the Animal Kingdom Lodge, and additional phases will include the building of 324 vacation properties in a new building at the resort.
Jerry W. Jackson and Tim Barker of the Sentinel staff contributed to this report. Sara K. Clarke can be reached at 407-420-5664 or
skclarke@orlandosentinel.com
