Timeshare Resorts: What Owners Need to Know About Costs, Points & Your Options

A timeshare resort is a vacation property (typically a condo-style suite or villa) where multiple buyers share usage rights divided by time. The U.S. alone has approximately 1,497 timeshare resorts with 195,800 units (ARDA 2025). Owners receive either a fixed week, a floating week, or an annual allotment of points redeemable across a network of resorts. The average purchase price is $23,160, with annual maintenance fees averaging $1,480, rising 5–10% per year.

For some owners, timeshare resorts deliver real value: consistent quality accommodations, familiar destinations, and a built-in reason to take vacations every year. For many others, especially those whose travel habits have changed, the annual maintenance fee becomes a burden that’s hard to justify.

This guide breaks down how timeshare resorts work, what the major brands offer, what your ownership is really costing you, and what options you have if you’re not getting value from your points.

What Is a Timeshare Resort?

A timeshare resort is a vacation property divided among multiple owners, each of whom purchases the right to use it for a set period each year. Unlike a traditional vacation rental, timeshare ownership gives you a recurring, prepaid right to return: either to the same unit, the same resort, or a network of affiliated properties.

According to ARDA’s 2025 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry report, there are approximately 1,497 timeshare resorts across the United States. Timeshare resorts average 80% occupancy, significantly higher than the hotel industry average of 63%, largely because most stays are prepaid through ownership.

Timeshare resorts are typically condo-style properties with full kitchens, separate bedrooms, and resort amenities like pools, fitness centers, and on-site dining. That larger unit size is one of the main draws compared to a standard hotel room.

What Are the Most Popular Timeshare Resort Brands?

The timeshare resort industry is dominated by a handful of major hospitality brands. Here’s a quick look at the largest players:

• Wyndham Destinations: the largest timeshare company in the U.S., with 245+ resorts and 21.8% market share. Operates Club Wyndham and WorldMark by Wyndham.
• Marriott Vacations Worldwide: 120+ resorts globally, including Marriott Vacation Club and Westin Vacation Club properties.
• Hilton Grand Vacations: 200+ resorts following its $1.5B acquisition of Bluegreen Vacations, adding 200,000 new members across 14 markets.
• Disney Vacation Club (DVC): Disney’s points-based ownership program, centered on Walt Disney World and Disneyland resorts.
• Hyatt Residence Club: smaller network of upscale resort properties within the Hyatt portfolio.
• Holiday Inn Club Vacations: part of the IHG family, with resorts concentrated in Florida, the Southeast, and the Smokies.

Most of these brands have shifted away from fixed-week ownership toward points-based systems, giving owners more flexibility, but also introducing new complexity around point values, expiration dates, and exchange fees.

What Is the Difference Between Timeshare Resort Points and Weeks?

Timeshare ownership comes in two main structures, and which one you have significantly affects how you can use (or get value from) your ownership.

Fixed and floating weeks

Week-based timeshares give you a 7-night stay at your home resort each year. A fixed week means the same week every year. A floating week means you can book within an assigned season. Week-based ownership is straightforward, but inflexible: you’re locked into a specific resort, a specific unit type, and a specific window of time.

Points-based timeshare resorts

Points-based ownership, now the most common model across major brands, gives you an annual allotment of points. You use those points to book stays at any resort within your brand’s network, with flexibility on destination, length of stay, and unit size. Points offer more options, but they also expire, require planning, and often come with booking fees and blackout restrictions that reduce their real-world value.

Exchange networks like RCI and Interval International let owners from either system trade their points or weeks for stays at tens of thousands of affiliated resorts worldwide, adding another layer of flexibility and another layer of fees.

What Do Timeshare Resorts Actually Cost to Own?

The purchase price is only the beginning. Timeshare resort ownership comes with a stack of recurring costs that most buyers underestimate at the time of purchase.

• Purchase price: the average timeshare now costs $23,160 at point of sale (ARDA 2025). Resale prices are typically a fraction of that.
• Annual maintenance fees: the average reached $1,480 per interval in 2024, a record high and a 17.5% increase in a single year. Fees cover resort upkeep, utilities, insurance, and management, and they rise 5–10% annually.
• Special assessments: one-time charges for major repairs or capital improvements at the resort, billed directly to owners, sometimes running into thousands of dollars.
• Exchange fees: if you use RCI or Interval International, you pay an annual membership fee plus a per-reservation exchange fee.
• Financing costs: if you financed your purchase, timeshare loans typically carry interest rates of 14–20%, significantly higher than mortgage rates.

Add it up and many timeshare resort owners are spending $2,000 or more per year in carrying costs alone, before they’ve booked a single night. Our full breakdown of whether timeshares are worth it walks through the real math most owners don’t see until years later.

Why Do So Many Timeshare Resort Owners Stop Using Their Ownership?

When people buy timeshare resorts, the intention is almost always genuine. A place to vacation every year. A family tradition. A guaranteed escape. But life has a way of changing those plans.

Health issues make travel harder. Kids grow up and start their own families. Retirement doesn’t bring the free time people expected. Financial priorities shift. And the resort that felt exciting at purchase starts to feel like an obligation, or worse, a drain.

Maintenance fees don’t pause when your circumstances change. They arrive every year whether you travel or not. For owners who are only using their resort one year in two, or not at all, the cost-per-night calculation quickly becomes impossible to justify.

The result: millions of unused timeshare points sitting idle every year, with owners paying full maintenance fees for vacations they’re not taking. If that sounds familiar, you’re far from alone. The data on owner regret is striking.

What Can You Do With Unused Timeshare Resort Points?

If your timeshare resort points are going unused, you have more options than most owners realize. Not all of them are equally good, but knowing what they are helps you make the right call.

• Use them yourself: the obvious option, and the best one if your schedule allows. Book in advance for best availability and point value.
• Gift a stay to family or friends: most programs allow you to book for guests, though some charge a guest certificate fee.
• Bank or roll over points: many programs allow points to carry into the following year, though they eventually expire.
• List on a rental platform: you can try to rent your week or points on third-party resale and rental sites. Expect to pay 15–40% commission with no guarantee of a booking.
• Get paid upfront through Timeshare Rental Pros: we rent unused vacation points directly from resort owners and pay cash before the points are used. Zero fees, zero commissions, zero waiting.

For a full breakdown of what actually works, this guide covers ways to turn unused timeshare points into income, including the one most owners never hear about.

How Does Getting Cash for Timeshare Resort Points Actually Work?

Timeshare Rental Pros rents unused vacation points from resort owners and pays cash upfront, before those points are ever used. The process: submit a 2-minute form → receive a cash offer within 24 hours → e-sign the agreement → get paid by bank transfer, PayPal, or check. Zero fees. Zero commissions. Zero risk to you.

Our “Rent Points Not Properties®” model is different from anything you’ll find on a listing platform. We’re not taking your points to rent and giving you a cut later. We pay you for the points themselves, upfront, before the rental happens.

Compare that to listing platforms, where owners pay 15–40% commission and have no guarantee anyone ever books. We’ve helped 10,700+ owners turn unused timeshare points into cash, paying out $15M+ directly, with a 4.9/5 rating from 3,200+ verified reviews.

According to ARDA, 87% of timeshare resorts allow rental activity. That means most resort owners across Wyndham, Marriott, Hilton, and other major brands are eligible. When you submit your information, we review your resort and ownership type, confirm eligibility, and send a real offer. If it’s not a fit, we’ll say so directly.

Want to see exactly how the process works before you submit? Here’s our step-by-step breakdown of the TRP rental process for owners.

Who Is This Option Best For?

Getting cash for your unused timeshare resort points through Timeshare Rental Pros makes the most sense if:

• You’re paying maintenance fees on a resort you haven’t visited in one or more years.
• Your points are expiring — or at risk of expiring — before you can use them.
• You’ve tried listing platforms and haven’t gotten results, or don’t want the hassle.
• You want upfront cash — not a commission split after the fact, not a maybe if someone books.

It’s not the right fit for every owner or every resort. But if your timeshare resort points are going to waste while maintenance fees keep arriving, it’s worth finding out what they’re worth. It takes two minutes and there’s no obligation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a timeshare resort?

A timeshare resort is a vacation property divided among multiple owners, each of whom purchases the right to use it for a set period each year. The U.S. has approximately 1,497 timeshare resorts with 195,800 units (ARDA 2025). Owners receive either a fixed week, a floating week, or an annual allotment of points redeemable across a network of resorts.

How much does timeshare resort ownership cost per year?

Most timeshare resort owners spend $2,000 or more per year in carrying costs. 

The average annual maintenance fee reached $1,480 in 2024, a record high and a 17.5% increase in a single year. On top of that, exchange network memberships add $134+ per year, plus per-reservation exchange fees and potential special assessments for major repairs.

What is the difference between timeshare resort points and weeks?

Weeks-based timeshares give you a 7-night stay at your home resort each year, either a fixed week or a floating week within a season. Points-based ownership, now the most common model, gives you an annual allotment of points for flexible-length stays at any resort in your brand’s network. 

Points offer more flexibility but come with expiration dates, booking restrictions, and fees that reduce their real-world value.

Why do so many timeshare resort owners stop using their ownership?

Life changes are the most common reason: health issues, shifting family circumstances, financial pressure, or a retirement that doesn’t bring the expected travel time. 

Maintenance fees don’t pause when circumstances change. They arrive every year regardless, turning an unused ownership into an ongoing cost with nothing to show for it.

Can I get cash for unused timeshare resort points?

Yes. Timeshare Rental Pros rents unused vacation points directly from resort owners and pays cash upfront, before the points are used. 

The process: submit a 2-minute form, receive a cash offer within 24 hours, e-sign one page, get paid by bank transfer, PayPal, or check. Zero fees. Zero commissions.

Does Timeshare Rental Pros work with all major resort brands?

In most cases, yes. According to ARDA, 

87% of timeshare resorts allow rental activity, including the majority of properties under Wyndham, Marriott, Hilton, and other major brands. Eligibility depends on your specific resort and ownership type. Submit your details at timesharerentalpros.com/get-started to confirm in two minutes with no obligation.

Get a Free Cash Offer for Your Unused Resort Points

If you own a timeshare resort and aren’t getting value from your points, you don’t have to keep absorbing the cost of ownership without getting anything back.

Find out what your unused points are worth. Two minutes. No obligation. A straight answer, not a sales pitch.

We’ve helped 10,700+ resort owners across the country put $15M+ back in their pockets. We’d like to help you too.

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