We Want to Hear From You

Like you, I get so many emails. And most are questions or pitches. My favorite type of email to get, however, is when a reader writes to me in response to something he/she has read in Hotel Business. Whether it’s to agree, disagree, praise or query, it’s proof you’re not only reading, but engaging with what you’re reading—and I love it. I don’t often get a true “letter to the editor,” but when I do, I want to share it with you so that fair and balanced perspectives are presented on the industry topics we cover. That’s why I’m devoting the rest of my space here to what popped into my inbox. I’d love to hear from you and to create an open dialogue via the pages of Hotel Business. You can always reach out to me at [email protected].

To The Editor:

As a hotel owner and operator, and as an attorney who has represented hotel owners and operators since 1988, I am a regular reader of your publication. At the end of the Mike Flaskey opinion piece, [which appeared in the July 15 issue], you requested comments.

While Mr. Flaskey provides helpful advice for avoiding scams, he and ARDA have chosen to ignore the underlying problem. People wouldn’t become prey for scammers if the companies selling timeshares provided them with a reasonable means of exiting.

There are many reasons people want to sell or otherwise exit; it could be age, changed financial circumstances, changed family circumstances, or simply dissatisfaction with the product that was represented at the time of the high-pressure sales pitch.

For Mr. Flaskey to end his opinion piece with the claim, “When people invest in vacations, they invest in happiness and a lifetime of memories,” is to be disingenuous. If timeshare ownership is as picture perfect as he portrays it, people wouldn’t be getting scammed; people are getting scammed because of their desperation over the inability to find a means to sell or exit their timeshare.

—Bill Bowen